News – World and UK

Geoff Capes, twice the world’s strongest man and a three-time Olympian, has died aged 75, British Athletics has announced. The Lincolnshire-born athlete won Commonwealth shot put gold in 1974 and 1978 and was crowned World’s Strongest Man in 1983 and 1985. He set the British record with a 21.68m throw in 1980, which remains the best ever ratified, and also enjoyed success at the European indoor athletics championships the decade […]

Police investigating the deaths of three people at a care home in Swanage are pursuing potential carbon monoxide poisoning as their “primary line of inquiry”. Dorset Police Chief Superintendent Heather Dixey told the press that seven people were also in hospital as a result of the incident at Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road on Wednesday. However, she said there was “nothing to indicate” danger to the wider community. “The […]

Households in England dumped 5.6 million tonnes of packaging last year, according to an analysis by councils as they called for changes to Government waste reforms. Findings from the study – commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA), County Councils Network (CCN) and District Councils Network (DCN) – prompted calls for ministers to ensure that upcoming reforms focus on making recycling easier and reducing unnecessary waste created in the first […]

German planes will operate from a base in the UK under a defence pact with Berlin being signed on Wednesday. The submarine-hunting planes will fly from Scotland, patrolling the North Atlantic as the allies respond to the growing threat from Russia. And German arms giant Rheinmetall is set to open a factory producing artillery gun barrels using British steel. The UK-Germany Trinity House Agreement is a sign of the Government’s […]

A world-first vaccine for the vomiting bug norovirus is being trialled in the UK, with the hope it could cut the “burden on the NHS”, the Health Secretary has said. The new mRNA vaccine from Moderna will enter final stages of testing within the next two weeks, with results so far showing it creates a “strong immune response”. Experts believe the vaccine could stop people developing the vomiting and diarrhoea […]

Charities have called for LGBT veterans who suffered historical mistreatment in the armed forces to receive adequate compensation, in an open letter to the Prime Minister. This comes after veterans minister Al Carns vowed that a financial redress scheme for those who suffered under the “gay ban” would be launched at the start of next year. Survivors of the scandal suffered days of sometimes brutal interrogation when it was discovered […]

The Metropolitan Police is making fresh representations to the police watchdog about whether the marksman who fatally shot Chris Kaba should face disciplinary proceedings. It comes after a decision was made in 2023 by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), when it finished its investigation into the shooting, that Martyn Blake should face a gross misconduct hearing. Mr Blake, 40, was cleared of murder on Monday after a trial […]

Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne has said he received tips from “a military espionage expert” for his role in Sky Atlantic series The Day Of The Jackal. The 10-part adaptation is based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth and the subsequent 1973 thriller starring Edward Fox as the Jackal. Redmayne, 42, plays the Jackal in the forthcoming series, while The Woman King actress Lashana Lynch stars as British intelligence officer Bianca […]

Investigators examining a fatal crash involving two trains in mid Wales have found evidence suggesting one of the trains may have slid while braking. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the condition of the track on the approach to the collision point meant “adhesion” between wheels and rails was “relatively low”. Initial evidence suggests the collision near Talerddig in Powys at 7.26pm on Monday night occurred at a speed […]