Author: Lucas Bennett

King Charles III is set to travel to the United States later this month on a state visit expected to include an address to Congress and meetings with President Donald Trump at the White House, as the British government looks to strengthen a transatlantic relationship that has come under considerable strain. The trip, scheduled to run from 27 to 30 April, has been in planning for months, with Buckingham Palace, the Foreign Office, the Trump administration and the UK Embassy in Washington all involved in coordinating the details. The visit coincides with America’s 250th anniversary of independence, and the Palace…

Donald Trump has told Britain and other countries that failed to support the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran to take matters into their own hands over access to oil through the Strait of Hormuz — warning that American assistance can no longer be taken for granted.In a post on Truth Social, the president addressed nations he said had “refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran”, telling them to “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.” He added that such countries would “have to start learning how to fight for yourself”, saying the…

A month after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed to shipping traffic following the outbreak of war between the US and Israel and Iran, economists and energy experts are warning that the true economic pain has yet to be felt — and that the scale of disruption already exceeds anything seen during the oil shocks of the 1970s. The narrow waterway, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes, has been shut to commercial vessels since the conflict began. Gulf states that depend on the route to export oil, gas and other goods have seen their…

There is a strip of water so narrow you could almost call it unremarkable. At its tightest point, the Strait of Hormuz measures just 21 miles across — less than the distance between Dover and Calais. And yet right now, in the spring of 2026, that sliver of sea between Iran and Oman has become the most consequential piece of geography on earth. What happens there in the coming weeks will determine whether households across Britain and Europe face another devastating energy crisis, whether global food prices spiral out of control, and whether the world tips into a recession that…

Seven people are receiving hospital treatment after a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians on a busy Derby street on Saturday night, with police confirming that a man originally from India has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Derbyshire Constabulary confirmed in an updated statement on Sunday morning that all seven casualties sustained serious injuries, though none are believed to be life-threatening. Contrary to speculation that circulated on social media overnight, officers stressed that no fatalities occurred as a result of the incident. The attack took place on Friar Gate at approximately 9.30pm, when a black Suzuki Swift was…

A man has been arrested after a car struck multiple pedestrians in Derby city centre on Saturday evening, leaving a number of people injured, some of them seriously. Derbyshire Constabulary confirmed that the incident took place on Friar Gate at approximately 9.30pm, involving a black Suzuki Swift. Paramedics attended the scene and treated a number of casualties before transporting them to hospital. Officers located a vehicle believed to be connected to the incident shortly after it occurred. The driver, a man in his 30s, was arrested and taken into custody, where he remained as investigations continued. Friar Gate has been…

Two Eritrean nationals wanted in connection with an alleged gang rape in Denmark were granted refugee status and placed on taxpayer-funded support after entering Britain illegally — despite an international police alert carrying their names and photographs having been issued before they arrived in the country. Awedin Fikak and Henok Tekleab, both aged 27, have since been extradited to Denmark to face trial. But the circumstances of their time in Britain — during which both men received asylum status, accommodation, and financial benefits — have prompted sharp questions about the effectiveness of cross-border information sharing within the UK’s asylum processing…

Benjamin Netanyahu has never been a man who does things quietly. But the military campaign now unfolding against Iran represents something on an entirely different scale — a conflict that analysts are increasingly describing as the most consequential decision of his long and deeply controversial political career. The Israeli Prime Minister has spoken about the threat of Iranian nuclear capability for the better part of three decades. From the floor of the United Nations to private meetings in Washington, the message has remained consistent: Iran’s nuclear ambitions represent an existential danger, and military force may ultimately be the only solution.…

West Yorkshire Police are urgently appealing for help identifying a teenage girl who died after being discovered unconscious on a residential street in Leeds in the early hours of Saturday morning. Officers were called to Kennerleigh Avenue in the Austhorpe area at 5.55am, where the young woman was found lying in the road with serious injuries. Despite receiving emergency treatment, she could not be saved and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. By Saturday evening, investigators had been unable to confirm her identity. In an effort to reach those who may know her, police released a detailed physical description of the…

A track from Frank Ocean’s 2016 album Blonde has defied the passage of time, breaking into the top 10 on a major American chart after going viral — reigniting mainstream interest in an artist who has released no new full-length record in almost a decade. “Nights,” which originally appeared as an album cut on Blonde, has climbed to No. 9 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, marking Ocean’s highest ever position on that ranking. The surge also pushed the track onto the Billboard Global 200 for the first time, where it opened at No. 180 — giving Ocean his third…