Ted Hennessey

Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv during his final day as Labour leader, reaffirming the UK’s enduring support for Ukraine following recent Russian strikes. Zelensky expressed gratitude for Britain’s backing as Starmer highlighted the importance of long‑term security assistance and European cooperation. The visit follows UK commitments including participation in the EU’s major loan package, a long‑term partnership agreement, and plans for future security support as Andy Burnham prepares to assume leadership.

Owen Flowers, 18, of Walsall, and Thalha Jubair, 20, of Tower Hamlets, pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to carrying out unauthorised attacks against Transport for London. Prosecutors said the September 2024 attack caused TfL an estimated £39 million loss, exposed customer information and created a significant risk to London residents and the UK economy. Flowers also admitted targeting two US healthcare companies, while a separate password-disclosure charge against Jubair was left on file. Both men are due to be sentenced in July.

Birmingham City striker Marvin Ducksch has been charged with driving with excess alcohol after a three-vehicle collision on the A3400 near Henley-in-Arden. Warwickshire Police said the crash occurred at about 10:30 p.m. on Easter Monday. Ducksch, who had played in Birmingham’s defeat to Ipswich Town earlier that day, is due to appear at Warwickshire Magistrates’ Court on May 20. Birmingham City said he accepted full responsibility, apologised to the club, and had been dealt with internally.

Steven Davies of Birmingham, Dolores Gnapi of Lewisham and Ian Roberts of Wednesbury have been charged after alleged forced entry and extensive damage at a firm’s premises in Fleet, Hampshire. The incident is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing South East after a police officer was assaulted without injury. All three face aggravated burglary and criminal damage charges, while Roberts also faces a charge of assaulting an emergency worker; they were remanded in custody for a Westminster Magistrates’ Court hearing.

The UK is on track to record its warmest year since records began in 1884, with 2025’s average annual temperature currently at 10.05°C, narrowly exceeding the 10.03°C record set in 2022. A Christmas cold spell could still alter the final result, but the Met Office says a new record is more likely than not. Experts note that four of the past five years would then rank among the UK’s five warmest, describing the trend as unprecedented evidence of climate change and urging faster progress toward net-zero emissions.

Solicitor and former independent election candidate Akhmed Yakoob and Birmingham accountant Nabeel Afzal have denied charges of money laundering, encouraging money laundering and failing to apply required customer due diligence measures. The charges follow a National Crime Agency investigation into alleged activity between February 2020 and January 2021. Both defendants were granted unconditional bail and are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on July 15; conviction could carry a sentence of up to 14 years.

A man in his 50s was found dead and another man of a similar age suffered potentially life-changing facial injuries after a double stabbing at an address on Newcombe Road in Coventry. West Midlands Police arrested a 51-year-old local man on suspicion of murder, and forensic examinations and other inquiries remain underway.

Sharjeel Shahzad is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court charged with causing the death of a two-year-old boy by dangerous driving after a suspected hit-and-run crash in Smethwick. Police said a grey Porsche Cayenne collided with a Toyota Auris carrying four adults and the child. Shahzad also faces charges relating to serious injuries to two adults, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and failing to stop after a collision.