Author: Henry

A ballistic missile attack on a British and American military base in the Indian Ocean has exposed a significant and alarming gap in Western intelligence assessments of Iran’s military reach, with defence analysts now warning that major European cities including London and Paris may fall within range of Tehran’s weapons. Two Iranian ballistic missiles were fired at Diego Garcia, a strategically vital base in the Chagos Islands used as a launchpad for operations across the Middle East, on Friday night. One missile failed during flight while the other was intercepted by a US warship, in what is believed to be…

Misleading social media content about ADHD and autism is contributing to a growing trend of young people incorrectly believing they have neurodevelopmental conditions, according to new research. The study, carried out by experts at the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, examined the quality of health-related information circulating across major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X. Researchers analysed 27 studies covering more than 5,000 social media posts and concluded there was a clear need for higher quality information online. Among the findings, more than half of ADHD-related videos on TikTok were found to…

Leeds City Council has made wellbeing support and counselling available to its employees ahead of a Reform UK rally scheduled for next Tuesday, after an internal email was circulated warning staff they may be affected by Nigel Farage’s visit to the city. The Labour-run authority’s HR department sent the communication to staff, informing them they could access wellbeing resources and take part in “safe space conversations” if the forthcoming political event caused them distress. The council’s wellbeing network was subsequently activated following the email. John Ebo, the council’s HR chief, authored the message, writing that he was mindful such events…

Chuck Norris, the Oklahoma-born martial artist who became one of Hollywood’s most recognisable action stars, has died at the age of 86, his family confirmed in a statement on Instagram. He is survived by his wife Gena O’Kelley and five children. Born Carlos Ray Norris in 1940, his path to global fame began not in Hollywood but in the US Air Force, where a posting to South Korea introduced him to martial arts. He went on to earn black belts across five disciplines — karate, taekwondo, tang soo do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo — and founded his own system,…

An Iranian man and a woman have been detained by police after attempting to gain unauthorised entry to HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane, the home of Britain’s entire nuclear submarine fleet. Police Scotland confirmed the pair — a 34-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman — were arrested at the base near Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, at around 5pm on Thursday. The nationality of the woman has not been disclosed. Inquiries are described as ongoing. The Royal Navy confirmed the two individuals had made an unsuccessful attempt to enter the site, adding that it would not be offering further comment…

Crossbows could soon be banned from sale in the UK, with existing owners required to obtain a licence under sweeping new proposals put forward by the Government following a series of fatal incidents involving the weapons. The Home Office is consulting on measures that would prohibit the purchase of crossbows outright while creating a registration framework for people who already own one. Anyone wishing to keep their crossbow would need to pass suitability checks as part of the licensing process. The move comes after growing concern that crossbows are too easily obtained, including through online retailers, without any checks or…

Energy markets were rattled and diplomatic tensions sharply escalated after Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas facility this week, prompting Iranian retaliation against an energy complex in Qatar and triggering a fierce warning from US President Donald Trump. Trump took to his Truth Social platform to put Iran on notice, threatening that the United States would “massively blow up” the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field if Iran struck Qatar’s liquefied natural gas infrastructure again — and stated the action could be taken with or without Israeli involvement. The South Pars field is part of the world’s largest natural…

The Bank of England has voted to keep interest rates on hold at 3.75%, putting the brakes on a run of cuts that had been widely anticipated before the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East. The decision, announced at midday on Thursday, marks a significant shift in the outlook for UK borrowing costs. As recently as February, most economists had forecast at least two rate cuts this year, with many expecting the first to come at today’s meeting. The outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran has since upended those predictions entirely. Why the Bank Has Paused The primary…

Britain’s meningitis outbreak in Kent has been declared a national incident after cases jumped overnight to 20, with health officials warning the situation remains “explosive” and the death toll could still rise.Five new cases were confirmed in the hours overnight, bringing the total under investigation by the UK Health Security Agency to 20, of which nine have been laboratory confirmed and six identified as the MenB strain. Two young people have already died — a sixth-form student named Juliette from Faversham and a 21-year-old University of Kent student.The UKHSA’s chief executive Dr Susan Hopkins described the outbreak as having the…

Scientists have confirmed what many feared but few wanted to believe: the human body is full of plastic. Not traces. Not theory. Actual fragments of degraded plastic — the same material used in bottles, food packaging and plastic bags — sitting inside the brain, heart, arteries, liver, kidneys, lungs, and even in newborns from the moment they are born. The scale of what researchers have found in recent studies is difficult to take in. A study published in Nature Medicine examined brain tissue taken from people who died in 2016 and again in 2024. The results showed that by 2024,…