News 21/04/26

Donald Trump has announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran, saying it will remain in place until a proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded.

The announcement follows uncertainty over when the original agreement would end, with just hours left before the deadline. Earlier, the US president had said the ceasefire would expire on Wednesday evening Washington time, although no specific time was given.

An X Factor singer accused of attempting to murder a social media influencer appeared in court and was remanded in custody.

Gabrielle Carrington, 29, is alleged to have tried to kill Klaudia Zakrzewska outside a nightclub in Soho at around 4.30am on Sunday. She is also accused of dangerous driving, being nearly twice the drink drive limit, and causing serious injuries to two others, including a security guard.

English Football League clubs have opposed the introduction of a VAR challenge system in the Championship.

The proposal was put forward by refereeing body PGMO, but after a demonstration last month, it has been decided VAR will not be used in the EFL next season. Goal line technology will continue in the Championship, as it has done for several years.

A 17-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to arson not endangering life after an attack on a synagogue in northwest London.

The British teenager from Brent admitted the offence after a bottle containing an accelerant was thrown through a window at Kenton United Synagogue on Saturday night. Minor damage was caused and no one was injured. Police also say seven people have been arrested over a separate alleged plan to commit arson.

A man who admitted the religiously aggravated rape of a Sikh woman has been told he could face life imprisonment.

John Ashby, 32, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault. He changed his plea shortly after being sworn in, following an outburst from a member of the public in court.

Two Israeli soldiers have been jailed for 30 days and removed from combat duty after a statue of Jesus was destroyed in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said the soldiers were punished after images showed one using a sledgehammer on the icon in the Christian village of Debel, while the other took a photograph of the incident during operations in the area.

Police have warned that anyone carrying out arson attacks for payment will face significant sentences after eight people were arrested over a series of incidents across London.

Seven of those arrests in the past forty eight hours relate to an investigation into suspected conspiracy to commit arson. Officers believe the intended target is linked to the Jewish community, although that is not confirmed. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans says the use of criminal proxies is a key line of inquiry.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says he viewed visits by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow, but not Kyiv, as disrespectful.

The pair travelled to the Russian capital during ceasefire talks aimed at ending the war, including a visit in January. Witkoff has made multiple trips and met Vladimir Putin on several occasions, but neither envoy has visited Kyiv in an official role.

Two men have been found guilty of murdering a woman in a drive by shooting near a church in northwest London.

Michelle Sadio was attending a wake at the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Harlesden when a car approached and shots were fired at mourners in December 2024. The 44-year-old died at the scene, while two other men were injured, one left paralysed. Perry Allen-Thomas and Amir Salem were convicted at the Old Bailey and will be sentenced in June.

Downing Street has denied claims from Sir Olly Robbins that there was a dismissive attitude towards the vetting of Peter Mandelson.

The prime minister’s spokesperson said there is a clear difference between seeking updates on an appointment and being dismissive, insisting the role was always subject to clearance and there is no evidence Number Ten tried to undermine the process.

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with arson after a synagogue was attacked in northwest London.

The teenager, from Brent, has been charged with arson not endangering life following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London into the incident in Harrow. Police say he has been remanded in custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

A counter terrorism investigation has been launched after a former parliamentary employee was arrested under anti hacking laws.

The Metropolitan Police say the 40-year-old man was detained in Coventry on Thursday on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed the arrest to MPs, describing it as a security matter.

A court has heard a former high school teacher sexually assaulted his adopted baby before smothering him to death.

Jamie Varley, 37, is accused of killing 13-month-old Preston Davey and faces multiple further charges of abuse. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, also faces charges including sexual assault and causing or allowing the child’s death. Both men deny all offences.

Children aged 17 or younger will face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes after the Tobacco and Vapes Bill cleared Parliament.

The legislation aims to create a smoke free generation by stopping anyone born after January 2009 from taking up smoking, while also giving ministers powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products.

Official figures show the UK unemployment rate has fallen unexpectedly, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS says it dropped to 4.9% in the three months to February, down from 5.2%, although early HMRC data suggests payrolled employment fell by 11,000 in March, the first month of the US Iran war which saw energy prices rise official data shows.

Petrol theft has risen by 62% compared with a year ago, according to new data, with one forecourt owner saying drive-offs are costing him £2,000 a week across five sites.

Fuel retailers report staff are also facing increased abuse linked to higher prices following the US Israel war with Iran also.

Households are set to be better protected from high energy bills caused by spikes in gas prices after the government announced plans to change the way electricity is priced.

It’s aiming to weaken the link between volatile gas markets and household costs within a year, though it has not set savings but believes they could be significant the government says.

Sir Keir Starmer is facing another difficult day over the Peter Mandelson appointment as the senior civil servant he blamed prepares to give evidence.

During a two hour exchange in the Commons, the prime minister said he made the wrong decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador, but insisted he would not have done so had he known the vetting outcome. He says he only discovered last Tuesday that the Foreign Office approved the appointment without informing him, and has placed responsibility on Sir Olly Robbins, who was dismissed last week.

A national study has found that at least two children die from knife wounds every month in England.

Analysis shows stabbing deaths among under seventeens rose from twenty one in twenty nineteen to thirty six in twenty twenty four. Most victims were boys aged around fourteen and from more deprived areas. Researchers using national mortality, hospital, social care and police data found ninety percent of the one hundred and forty five deaths over five years were male.

Apple has announced that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive and be replaced by John Ternus.

Mr Cook, who joined the company in nineteen ninety eight and has been chief executive for nearly fifteen years, will become executive chairman. He will remain in post until the first of September, when Mr Ternus, currently head of hardware engineering, takes over the role.

The government says it will introduce a legal ban on smartphones in schools in England.

Baroness Jacqui Smith told the House of Lords an amendment will be added to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to create a clear legal requirement. The Department for Education says this will give legal force to existing practice, after earlier guidance encouraging schools to be phone free throughout the day.