News 20/03/26

Donald Trump says the United States is considering winding down its war with Iran as military objectives are close to being met.

He said other countries may need to guard and police the Strait of Hormuz after recent attacks led Iran to target vessels in the shipping lane. The US would help if asked, but he said that should not be necessary, describing it as an easy military operation for other nations. He said America was getting very close to meeting its objectives in the Middle East.

UK forces have joined a military operation with the French navy in the Mediterranean to seize an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet.

Patrol boat HMS Cutlass monitored the Mozambique flagged vessel Deyna and provided tracking information and imagery near the Strait of Gibraltar. Defence Secretary John Healey said disrupting Russia’s shadow fleet and starving Vladimir Putin’s war machine of funds is a priority. The vessels are used to move oil and goods around the world to avoid sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.

Students in Kent could incubate meningitis and spread it to other parts of the UK, according to a health official who described that as the most likely scenario.

The number of cases linked to the outbreak has risen to twenty nine, with eighteen confirmed and eleven classed as probable by the UK Health Security Agency. Two students have died. All cases so far have links to Kent after what has been described as a superspreading event at the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury.

Elon Musk misled investors during a key period of his twenty twenty two takeover of Twitter, according to a jury in San Francisco.

After two days of deliberations, jurors decided against the billionaire in a case brought by investors who said they relied on his public statements. Musk told the court people had read too much into his comments, but the jury found his claims about user numbers and the forty four billion dollar deal were intentionally misleading.

Donald Trump has launched another verbal attack on NATO, calling the alliance cowards in a post on social media.

Writing on Truth Social, the US president said it would be easy for NATO members to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz but claimed they did not want to get involved in what he described as a simple military manoeuvre. He said the fight against Iran had been militarily won and there was very little danger for the alliance, but added the United States would remember the lack of support.

Excavators working for the family of murder victim Muriel McKay have found a bone at a site where they were told her body had been buried fifty seven years ago.

A police forensic team is examining the discovery, which is about nine inches long and a couple of inches wide. Her grandson says the family has been informed the location has now been declared a murder scene. The bone was found around a metre underground behind a betting shop in Hackney in East London.

An inquest has ruled that boxer Ricky Hatton had brain disease caused by repeated head trauma when he died.

The senior coroner for South Manchester recorded a verdict of hanging, saying he was the person who caused his own death. However, the coroner said it was unclear whether the former world champion intended to take his own life. The hearing in Stockport was told he was more than twice the drink drive alcohol limit when he died last September at the age of forty six.

Martial artist and actor Chuck Norris has died at the age of eighty six, his family confirmed on Instagram yesterday morning.

He was best known for starring in TV series such as Walker, Texas Ranger and appeared in films including The Way of the Dragon and The Expendables 2. Tributes have poured in, celebrating his career and influence in martial arts and entertainment. More details, including a look back at his life and reactions from fans and colleagues, are being compiled in a live blog.

A former police special constable has been sentenced to twenty four years in prison for a series of sexual offences, including the rape of a child.

James Bubb, who now identifies as Gwyn Samuels, assaulted the victim multiple times between the ages of twelve and eighteen. The sentence, handed down at Aylesbury Crown Court, totals thirty two years, with twenty four years in custody and eight years on extended licence. Samuels also committed a public sexual assault shortly before the victim’s thirteenth birthday.

Iran’s senior military spokesman has warned that civilian locations worldwide may be at risk of attacks.

Abolfazl Shekarchi said parks, recreational areas and tourist sites could no longer be considered safe, according to state television. Analysts say there has long been concern that Iran could extend militant operations beyond the Middle East to exert pressure during the ongoing conflict. Earlier warnings from the United States Department of Homeland Security noted potential threats to American soil, though a large scale attack was considered unlikely.

Two people have been arrested after attempting to enter Faslane naval base, according to Police Scotland.

Officers were called at around five o’clock on Thursday after reports that two people were trying to get into the base, where the United Kingdom’s nuclear submarines are based. Police say a thirty four year old man and a thirty one year old woman have been arrested in connection with the incident, and enquiries are continuing.

Washington is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, according to reports from Axios.

The proposal is said to be aimed at putting more pressure on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Sources with knowledge of the discussions say the United States recently bombed military facilities on the Gulf island, which processes about ninety percent of Iran’s oil exports, but did not target its oil infrastructure during the strikes.

Three victims of Provisional IRA bombings in England have discontinued their damages claim against former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.

Lawyers told the High Court in London of the decision on the final day of the two week trial. The claim will end with no order as to costs after what was described as developments overnight. Mister Adams became leader of Sinn Fein in nineteen eighty three when it was the IRA’s political wing.

Nigel Farage has stopped offering personalised videos on the Cameo website after reports he had recorded messages linked to a man convicted of violent disorder and to a neo Nazi event.

Since becoming an MP in twenty twenty four, the Reform UK leader has declared earning more than eighty thousand pounds from the site. A spokesperson says the activity has now been paused for security reasons.

Energy bills are expected to rise by more than three hundred pounds this summer as the conflict in the Middle East pushes up wholesale natural gas prices.

Forecaster Cornwall Insight has increased its prediction for Ofgem’s July price cap from one thousand eight hundred and seven pounds to one thousand nine hundred and seventy three pounds. That would be an increase of three hundred and thirty two pounds from April’s cap of one thousand six hundred and forty one pounds, which reflects the typical amount paid by households using direct debit.

UK government borrowing rose unexpectedly to fourteen point three billion pounds in February, the second highest level for that month since records began.

The Office for National Statistics says borrowing was two point two billion higher than a year earlier and well above the eight point eight billion economists had predicted. Higher tax income was outweighed by increased spending and the timing of debt interest payments, although borrowing across the financial year to February was lower overall.

The Natural History Museum was the UK’s most popular tourist attraction in twenty twenty five, setting a new record for visits to any museum or gallery in a single year.

More than seven point one million people went to the South Kensington site over twelve months, a rise of thirteen percent, putting it top of the annual list for the first time. The British Museum, Windsor Great Park, Tate Modern and the National Gallery also made the top five.

Benjamin Netanyahu says the Middle East has changed beyond recognition, adding that Israel is stronger than ever while Iran is weaker than ever.

He said cooperation with the United States had reached levels never seen before. The Israeli prime minister described his relationship with President Donald Trump as unprecedented and said the collaboration between them had helped reshape the situation in the region during the current conflict.

Hungary is blocking the European Union from providing Ukraine with a loan to support its war effort.

Prime minister Viktor Orban has been a long time critic of the bloc’s backing for Kyiv and is seen as one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies in Europe. EU leaders agreed a deal worth ninety billion euros in December to help Ukraine continue fighting for up to two more years, but Hungary has so far prevented the money from being released.

More meningitis vaccination centres are opening across Kent after more than one hundred students were turned away while trying to get the jab during the current outbreak.

The University of Kent closed its vaccination line on the Canterbury campus because of capacity problems despite efforts to reach more people. The clinic is reopening today from nine until five, with people advised to arrive before two in the afternoon to guarantee a place.

Entering a football match in England and Wales without a ticket will become a criminal offence under new laws coming into force before Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Offenders could face a banning order of up to five years and a fine of up to one thousand pounds. The law follows serious disorder at the European Championship final in twenty twenty one when thousands forced their way into the stadium by tailgating through turnstiles.

High pressure over the UK means above average temperatures and spring sunshine will continue for the next few days.

England and Wales saw the warmest weather earlier this week, while Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded their highest temperatures on Thursday. Clear skies are also causing colder nights, with some areas seeing differences of around twenty one degrees between daytime warmth and morning frost.