Israel says its military recovered the bodies of two hostages, including Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be’eri, and returned them to the country. Weiss was killed in the 7 October attack that sparked the war, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Officials confirmed the other hostage remains unnamed. Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas‑led militants almost 22 months ago, about 50 remain in Gaza, including around […]

A 76-year-old man, Jon Ruben, appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Friday charged with three counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health, relating to a summer camp at Stathern Lodge in Canal Lane, Stathern, Leicestershire. He did not enter any pleas. A plea hearing was adjourned to 14 November, and a trial date of […]

England will add the varicella vaccine to the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme from January 2026, officials have announced. The chickenpox jab, which private clinics charge around £150 for a full course, will be included in a new combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccine. It will be offered at GP practices and is expected to protect around 500,000 children each year. Chickenpox is a common childhood illness, usually […]

Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London re-analysed UK healthcare records from 2018. They estimate that among middle-aged adults with autism (40–59), 91.45% of men and 79.48% of women are undiagnosed, with an overall underdiagnosis rate of 89.29%. Among those aged 60 to over 70, 96.29% of men and 97.19% of women are undiagnosed, with an overall rate of 96.51%. By comparison, undiagnosed […]

The Wildlife Trusts commissioned a report by Cumulus Consultants on the environmental impact of pig and poultry farming. It says pollution from the sectors is harming rivers, the wider landscape and wildlife. The study estimates waste from producing millions of pigs and billions of birds and eggs at about 10.4 million cubic metres a year, roughly the equivalent of 4,160 Olympic-sized pools. It highlights high nutrient levels in manure, including […]

Police say the gunman fired 116 rounds from a rifle into Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis as pupils celebrated Mass, killing two children and wounding more than a dozen others. The suspect has been named as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who had previously attended Annunciation School and was a member of the neighbouring parish church. Westman, armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, died by suicide at the scene. […]

The UK, joined by France and Germany, said they will relaunch United Nations-backed sanctions on Iran over concerns about Tehran’s nuclear programme. The three countries, grouped as the E3, plan to reimpose a broad package of measures that were suspended under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). They wrote to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and notified the United Nations this week, triggering a 30-day countdown before […]

James Bubb, who now uses the name Gwyn Samuels, was found guilty at Amersham Law Courts of raping a child under 13 and committing related sexual offences against a first complainant. Jurors returned verdicts on four counts tied to that person: rape of a child under 13, sexual activity with a child, assault of a child under 13 by penetration, and assault by penetration. He was acquitted of one rape […]

New figures from the UK Health Security Agency show that none of the main childhood vaccines in England met the World Health Organisation’s 95% uptake target for 2024/25. The data also reveal significant regional differences and health officials warn that almost one in five children starting primary school next month will lack full protection against several serious diseases. Among the vaccines, 91.9% of five-year-olds had received one MMR dose, unchanged […]