Author: Lucas Bennett

The King has become the first reigning British monarch to visit Bermuda in the territory’s 400-year history, drawing laughter from a garden party crowd as he told them: “I am terribly sorry it has taken so long!” Speaking at Government House on Friday evening, where he stayed during his two-day visit, Charles said it was “to his amazement” that he had only recently learned no sovereign had ever set foot on the island while reigning. Raising a toast, he told guests: “I need hardly say that Bermuda, like all the Overseas Territories, is a most cherished and important member of…

Streeting ‘has the numbers’ to challenge Starmer as Burnham eyes return Sir Keir Starmer is facing the most serious threat to his leadership since entering Downing Street, with reports that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has secured enough support among Labour MPs to mount a formal challenge and could move within days of next week’s local elections. According to multiple newspaper reports, Mr Streeting, 43, has the backing of more than 81 colleagues — the minimum threshold required to trigger a leadership contest. Those urging him on are said to want a bid launched as early as next Friday, just 24…

Spirit Airlines has ceased operations and grounded all of its flights, marking the first complete shutdown of a major US carrier since the days following the 9/11 attacks. The collapse will cost 17,000 employees their jobs and leave millions of ticket holders scrambling to rearrange their travel. In a brief statement issued shortly after 2am Eastern Time on Saturday, the airline confirmed it had begun “an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately”. The notice, posted on a website dedicated to the carrier’s failed bankruptcy proceedings, told customers: “All flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available.”…

A China Eastern Airlines Airbus A350-941 has collided with a jet bridge at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, prompting an investigation by Chinese authorities. The incident took place at around midday on Saturday, shortly after flight MU5406 landed at Hongqiao having flown in from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. Photographs taken from inside the aircraft show the passenger boarding bridge buckled and tilted at a sharp angle alongside the fuselage, with visible damage to its outer panels. Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the collision. No further details on injuries or damage to the aircraft have been released at…

President Donald Trump has said he is “not happy” with Iran as the White House faces a looming legal deadline to obtain congressional approval for the US-Israeli war, with administration officials insisting the 60-day clock has been paused by the current ceasefire. Friday marks 60 days since Mr Trump formally notified Congress on 2 March of the strikes against Iran. Under US law, a president must “terminate any use of United States Armed Forces” within that window unless lawmakers grant explicit approval. A senior administration official told reporters that hostilities had “terminated”, pointing to a ceasefire that has been in…

A blackmailer who posed as a woman online to coerce a male teacher into sending an explicit video — before sharing it with his pupils and costing him his job — has been jailed for 15 months. Muaawiya Ameen, 21, of Allenton, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to blackmail at Derby Crown Court. The court heard that his victim, who attempted to take his own life after the footage was circulated, had been driven to the brink by the ordeal. Prosecutors told the hearing that the teacher had made contact with an Instagram account he believed belonged to a woman, and that…

More than a thousand homes have been evacuated in Plymouth as bomb disposal experts prepare to carry out a controlled detonation of an unexploded Second World War device unearthed at a building site. The 250kg German SC250 bomb was discovered on Thursday at Flamborough Road in Southway, prompting a major safety operation. Following a detailed assessment, Royal Navy and Army specialists concluded that the explosive could not be safely moved and must be detonated where it lies. Plymouth City Council confirmed that a 400-metre cordon remained in place around the site. In a statement, a council spokesman said: “Royal Navy…

Teen influencer found dead in bed after overdose, inquest hears A 16-year-old influencer who endured years of online abuse on the gossip website Tattle Life was found unresponsive in bed at her supported accommodation after taking an overdose, an inquest has heard. Princess-Bliss Dickson died on 7 February at private supported accommodation in Waltham Abbey, a hearing at Chelmsford’s County Hall was told on Wednesday. The proceedings were opened and immediately suspended to allow an ongoing police investigation to take precedence. Senior coroner for Essex Lincoln Brookes told the hearing that “priority must be given to the police investigation”, adding…

The United States has moved to dismiss reports that Washington was considering a review of Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisting the proposals amounted to nothing more than “an email” that had been blown out of proportion. The diplomatic flare-up centred on a leaked internal Pentagon memo, apparently drafted by a junior adviser, which suggested the US could reassess its position on Britain’s “imperial possessions” in retaliation for Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to grant American jets access to Diego Garcia and mainland UK bases at the outset of the Iran war. Speaking to…

Nine people have been arrested on suspicion of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery following a major police operation targeting a religious group in Cheshire. More than 500 officers took part in dawn raids at three addresses in Crewe linked to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, known as Arpol. The operation, which began at around 08:50 BST, also drew in support from Europol, with officers from Ireland and Sweden assisting their British counterparts. Cheshire Police said it was alerted last month to allegations dating back to 2023 concerning one woman who was a member of the…