News 23/02/26

Two parents have been charged with the murder of their three month old baby.

Dounia Chetaouat, 32, and Abdelkader Essid, 44, are accused of killing their son at a home in North Finchley in north London. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports of an unresponsive baby boy at a property in Kingsway on 30 January. When paramedics arrived, they found the youngster had suffered serious injuries. Emergency first aid was carried out at the scene before he was rushed to hospital.

Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed.

Officers arrested a 72 year old man at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February, and he has been taken to a London police station for interview. This follows search warrants executed at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.

A man has been arrested after a truck driver was seriously injured in a two vehicle crash in Berkshire.

A plain white Luton style van and a white Ford Transit flat bed truck carrying scaffolding equipment with black and white branding were involved in the collision on Waltham Road between White Waltham and Maidenhead at about 9.10am on Wednesday February 18. The truck driver, a man in his thirties, has been in hospital for more than five days and remains there in a stable condition.

Plans to cut a popular 18 hole golf course in half have sparked uproar among residents, players and families.

From April 1, South Buckinghamshire Golf Course will be reduced to nine holes after Wycombe Wanderers FC agreed a long term lease of the site and Farnham Park Playing Fields from Buckinghamshire Council. Golfers say they were given just six weeks notice, despite assurances the course would remain open as usual during planning and design.

Australia’s Prime Minister has written to Sir Keir Starmer to confirm he would support any UK government move to remove Andrew Mountbatten Windsor from the line of succession.

Anthony Albanese said in his letter that in light of recent events concerning Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, his government would agree to any proposal to remove him. He added that he agreed with His Majesty that the law must take its full course with a full, fair and proper investigation. He described the allegations as grave and said Australians take them seriously.

The BBC has apologised after a guest with Tourette’s syndrome shouted a racial slur during the Bafta Film Awards.

John Davidson, whose life inspired the film I Swear, shouted the word as Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the first prize at Sunday’s ceremony on BBC One. A BBC spokesman said some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language. It said the outburst arose from involuntary verbal tics linked to Tourette syndrome and was not intentional, apologising for any offence caused.

The families of the Nottingham attacks victims say the public inquiry will test whether the country is prepared to confront failure and fix it.

The judge led inquiry will examine events before the killings of Ian Coates, 65, and students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley Kumar by Valdo Calocane in June 2023. Evidence will cover the actions of agencies that had dealt with Calocane, who had paranoid schizophrenia. Barnaby’s mother has called for accountability down to an individual level.

Searches of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s former home are expected to continue today as a Conservative former security minister called for a treason investigation into his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Tom Tugendhat has suggested a parliamentary probe into Andrew and Peter Mandelson’s connections to Epstein. He told The Sun on Sunday the matter goes beyond what a court could reasonably consider and that Parliament must consider what it means for the country. He added that if the worst is proved, centuries old treason laws may need revisiting. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson indicated the government is open to taking further steps following the fallout from Andrew’s arrest.

The government says it will spend billions to make mainstream schools in England more inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

That includes 1.6 billion pounds over three years going directly to schools, early years settings and colleges, and 1.8 billion pounds over the same period to improve access to specialists such as teachers and speech and language therapists. The funding forms part of a major overhaul of the SEND system, with detailed school reform plans due on Monday. Teaching unions say they will scrutinise the proposals, with one describing the funding as barely a drop in the bucket after years of underfunding.