News 25/03/26

The father of a university student killed trying to protect her friend has criticised the handling of post-mortem tests at a public inquiry.

Valdo Calocane stabbed to death Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar on 13 June 2023, before killing Ian Coates and attempting to attack three others. The Nottingham Inquiry heard that Calocane refused consent for toxicology tests while in custody. On Wednesday, Grace’s father Dr Sanjoy Kumar described it as “disgusting” that his daughter and Barnaby were tested for drugs or alcohol after their deaths, while the attacker was not.

A fragment of a jawbone discovered deep in a Somerset cave has rewritten the timeline of dog domestication.

DNA analysis shows it belonged to one of the earliest known domesticated dogs, living closely with humans in Britain 15,000 years ago, long before farm animals or cats were domesticated. The finding pushes back the evolution of dogs from wolves by around 5,000 years and suggests that humans and dogs shared a bond almost from the very beginning, according to Dr William Marsh of the Natural History Museum.

US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says Donald Trump wants peace but has warned Iran it must accept defeat or face stronger action.

She said the president will ensure Iran is hit harder than ever if it fails to comply, adding he does not bluff and is prepared to act. Leavitt said a previous miscalculation by Iran had already cost it its senior leadership, navy, air force and air defence system, warning against any repeat.

A Slough bus company says action is being taken after residents raised concerns about overnight parking and safety risks.

First Bus described the use of Grays Place as not ideal after claims it had been used as a depot extension. The company rejected that description but said it takes concerns seriously. A spokesperson said safety and consideration for the local community remain a priority in all vehicle movements near the depot.

A woman accused of attempting to murder singer Rihanna has pleaded not guilty at a court in Los Angeles.

Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, from Orlando, Florida, is charged after a shooting at the property on 8 March when Rihanna, her partner A$AP Rocky and their children were present. She faces one count of attempted murder, ten counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle or dwelling.

Meta and YouTube have been found liable for social media addiction in a landmark case in Los Angeles.

The jury ruled that both companies were negligent after a 20-year-old woman said early use of their platforms worsened her depression and led to addiction. Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta, and YouTube, owned by Google, were the main defendants. TikTok and Snapchat, also named in the trial, settled with the plaintiff before proceedings began, with the terms not disclosed. The case claimed these platforms “rewired how our kids think, feel, and behave,” highlighting concerns over mental health impacts.

Resident doctors in England are set to strike for six days over pay and job concerns, the British Medical Association has announced.

The walk-out will start at 7am on 7 April, shortly after the Easter bank holiday, and continue until 6.59am on 13 April. The BMA said negotiations with the government had failed to deliver sufficient progress on pay, with last-minute changes to proposals leaving doctors with no choice but to take industrial action. The strike will affect hospital services across England, with patients urged to check for updates on planned appointments.

The national police watchdog is investigating how sex abuse allegations against social media influencer Andrew Tate were handled.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it is reviewing Hertfordshire Constabulary’s actions after the case was closed in 2019, examining whether procedures were correctly followed and if appropriate measures were taken.

Sarah Mullally has become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, continuing a career of breaking barriers.

She spent over thirty five years in the NHS, becoming the youngest-ever chief nursing officer for England in 1999. While volunteering in the Church, she decided to become a priest and quickly took on roles addressing institutional abuse. In 2012 she was appointed canon treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral and in 2015 became Bishop of Crediton in the diocese of Exeter.

A man who sent racially abusive messages about England footballer Jess Carter has been sentenced at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court.

Nigel Dewale, 60, posting under the username “Bogeyman” during the Women’s Euro 2025 tournament, made derogatory references linking race to crimes including murder and grooming. He received six weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for twelve months, ten days’ community work, a three-month curfew, a four-year football banning order, and a £239 fine.

Ukrainian drones entered Estonian and Latvian airspace from Russia overnight, with one striking infrastructure and another crashing on land, according to officials in Tallinn and Riga.

One drone hit the chimney of a power plant in Auvere, Estonia, while another exploded in the southern Kraslava region of Latvia. No major damage or injuries were reported. The incident happened as Ukraine launched a large drone attack on the Russian port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea, about fifteen miles from the Estonian border.

A nursery has admitted corporate manslaughter and a health and safety offence over the death of a fourteen month old boy.

Noah Sibanda died after being restrained while being put down to sleep at Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley in December twenty twenty two. The company pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Owner Deborah Latewood also admitted she should have known children were being put to sleep in a dangerous position. Worker Kimberley Cookson had earlier admitted gross negligence manslaughter after placing the child face down on a cushion and restraining him with her leg.

Iran has received a fifteen point proposal from the United States aimed at ending the US and Israeli attack, according to two Pakistani officials who spoke to the Associated Press.

They say the plan includes sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation and a rollback of Iran’s nuclear programme. It also proposes monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, limits to Iran’s missile programme and guarantees for shipping access through the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli media has also reported details of the proposal.

Former Google executive Matt Brittin has been confirmed as the new director general of the BBC.

The former president of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operations will replace Tim Davie, who announced his resignation in November after controversy over how Panorama edited a speech by US President Donald Trump. BBC chairman Samir Shah said Brittin brings experience of leading a high profile organisation through change. Brittin, aged fifty seven, said the role comes at a moment of risk but also opportunity.

Former Conservative MP Crispin Blunt has been fined after pleading guilty to possessing illegal drugs.

He admitted four charges at Westminster Magistrates’ Court following a police raid on his Surrey home in October twenty twenty three. Officers found cannabis, methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth, and the sedative GBL. The sixty five year old, who criticised the decision to prosecute and suggested drugs should be legal, was fined twelve hundred pounds by the court.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the arson attack on ambulances serving the Jewish community in Golders Green.

The suspects, aged forty-seven and forty-five, were taken into custody on Wednesday morning at addresses in north-west and central London. Both men are being questioned on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. Police searches are ongoing at both locations. The arrests are linked to an investigation into a fire that damaged four ambulances run by Hatzola, the volunteer-led service.

UK inflation has remained steady at 3%, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The rate of price rises did not change from January, matching economists’ expectations. February’s data covers the period just before the conflict in Iran raised concerns over soaring fuel costs and potential supply disruptions, meaning households saw no immediate impact from the crisis.

Nathan Newby is being awarded a George Medal, the UK’s second-highest civilian honour for bravery, after preventing a suicide attack outside St James’s Hospital in Leeds.

On 20 January 2023, he stepped outside for a vape and fresh air on a winter night, noticed Mohammad Farooq looking agitated, and engaged him in conversation. His calm intervention stopped Farooq from carrying out a mass murder at the entrance to the maternity wing, potentially saving nurses and patients. The judge described Newby as an “extraordinary, ordinary man.”

Labour energy secretary Ed Miliband has told MPs he is committed to exploring a way to disconnect electricity prices from gas, aiming to reduce household bills.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday night, he said the proposal would be complicated but possible. Sources say Miliband is considering a plan put forward by eco-tycoon Dale Vince, who argues that clean energy policies alone will not lower costs without changes to the wholesale energy market.

All platforms at Glasgow Central have fully reopened more than two weeks after a fire in a nearby building forced the station’s temporary closure.

Some platforms had reopened last week, but full reopening means all train services can now resume. The fire broke out on 8 March in a vape shop on Union Street, spreading through the building and leaving only the facade of the B-listed Victorian structure at the junction with Gordon Street. Platforms seven to fifteen returned to use on 18 March following demolition work.

Donald Trump’s recent claims of progress in talks with Iran have been mocked in Tehran.

A spokesperson for the country’s military said the US president was trying to dress up defeat as an agreement. Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari made the remarks in a recorded broadcast on state television. He said the strategic power the United States often talks about has turned into a strategic failure and claimed a true global superpower would already have escaped the situation if it could.

The Football Association says it is proud of plans to ensure at least a quarter of the England men’s coaching staff come from Black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic backgrounds.

The response follows criticism from Reform UK, which called the strategy utter woke nonsense. Former home secretary Suella Braverman has written to FA chief executive Mark Bullingham asking for the target to be scrapped. The policy was introduced two years ago and aims for at least twenty five percent by twenty twenty eight.

Social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps will be tested in the homes of hundreds of teenagers in the United Kingdom.

Three hundred young people will take part in a government backed trial. Some will have social apps disabled, others blocked overnight or limited to one hour, while a control group will see no changes. The project will run alongside consultation on whether the UK should follow Australia by banning under sixteens from many social media sites.