Author: Lucas Bennett

A federal court hearing in New York for former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro ended without a trial date on Wednesday, with much of the ninety-minute session consumed by a dispute over who is permitted to pay his legal bills — a question that could shape the entire course of the case. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, both dressed in khaki prison uniforms and listening through headphones to simultaneous translation, sat quietly throughout proceedings before Judge Alvin Hellerstein at the Southern District of New York. The couple face charges of narco-terrorism, which they are seeking to have dismissed. At the…

A Los Angeles jury has ruled that Meta and Google deliberately engineered their platforms to be addictive, finding both companies liable for the mental health harm suffered by a young woman who began using Instagram at the age of nine and YouTube at six. The plaintiff, identified only as Kaley and now aged 20, was awarded three million dollars — a verdict her legal team described as sending an unmistakable message that no company stands above accountability when children are involved. Snap and TikTok, which were originally named as defendants, reached undisclosed settlements with Kaley before the case went to…

Britain is becoming less energy secure by discouraging domestic gas production and turning instead to imports with a higher carbon footprint, a leading economist has argued — as the war in Iran keeps energy policy firmly in the political spotlight.Sir Dieter Helm, an Oxford economist who specialises in energy, said the UK’s current approach was producing outcomes that ran counter to its own stated goals — importing liquefied natural gas from abroad and piping Norwegian North Sea gas into Britain, while simultaneously discouraging domestic extraction through licensing restrictions and a heavy windfall tax on producers.“We are not using our own…

Counter terrorism officers have made two arrests in connection with a fire that destroyed four Jewish community ambulances in north London earlier this week — though investigators have warned that at least one further suspect is believed to have been involved.The two men, aged 47 and 45, were detained on Wednesday morning at separate addresses in north-west and central London. Both were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and remain in police custody, with searches being carried out at the properties.The arrests relate to an attack in the early hours of Monday 23 March, when four…

A public campaign urging the Australian government to withhold taxpayer funding from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s upcoming visit has gathered significant momentum, with more than 32,000 people signing an online petition in a matter of days. The Change.org petition, organised by advocacy group Beyond Australia, calls on federal and state authorities to treat the couple’s trip as a purely private affair — meaning Harry and Meghan would bear the costs of their own security and logistical arrangements. Neither the Australian federal government nor state administrations have confirmed who would cover those costs. Both have previously declined to clarify…

A growing rift between Washington and Jerusalem over the direction of the Iran conflict has come into sharp focus, as President Donald Trump advances ceasefire diplomacy at the same time as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledges that military strikes will continue. Trump has moved to delay action against Iranian energy infrastructure, pointing to what he described as “productive conversations” and suggesting that contact had been made with senior Iranian officials. Tehran publicly denied those claims. Netanyahu, meanwhile, told allies that strikes on Iran and Lebanon would press on, declaring there is “more to come.” The divergence cuts to a…

There is a particular kind of desperation that settles over a country when the thing it once took for granted a home, a place to belong, a foundation from which to build a life — begins to feel permanently out of reach. That desperation is now a defining feature of Canadian life in 2026, and no amount of political reassurance has yet managed to dispel it. The numbers, at this point, are almost too familiar to shock. Average home prices in Toronto and Vancouver have long since passed the point where median-income earners could reasonably aspire to ownership. Rents in…

A Moroccan asylum seeker already serving a life sentence for murder has been charged with attempted murder following two separate incidents inside British prisons, counter terrorism policing has confirmed.Ahmed Ali Alid, 47, faces charges of attempted murder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon. The charges relate to incidents at HMP Full Sutton on 8 August last year and at HMP Wakefield approximately two months later.Alid was convicted in October 2024 of the murder of Terence Carney, 70, who was killed on a street in Hartlepool.He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court tomorrow.This is…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told MPs the government will not allow companies to exploit rising energy costs driven by the Iran conflict, as she unveiled a package of measures aimed at easing pressure on household bills — while signalling that any direct financial support will be targeted at lower-income families.Speaking in the Commons, Ms Reeves confirmed she would maintain her fiscal rules despite the economic turbulence caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has disrupted global oil and gas supplies following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.The centrepiece of her statement was a new anti-profiteering framework, granting the…

Health authorities have widened their vaccination programme in Kent to include Year 11 pupils at four schools, as new data confirms a Canterbury nightclub at the centre of the meningitis B outbreak that has claimed two lives and left four people in intensive care.The UK Health Security Agency confirmed on Tuesday that 20 of the 23 confirmed and probable cases are known to have visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury between 5 and 7 March. The remaining cases all involve University of Kent students living in halls of residence. The earliest case linked to the outbreak has been traced to 9…