Stuck between public opinion hostile to the Trump administration, and the economic and defence capability necessities of trying to keep Washington onside as much as possible, many of Europe’s Nato (and EU) nations, lead by France and the UK, are preparing along with other nations, an international maritime patrol and mine-sweeping capabilities for the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities have ended. In the hope, amongst other things, of somewhat placating President Trump.

Alexander Philogenes, 21, died from meningococcal disease which he had contracted while on holiday in Portugal.

An exchange student died from a rare brain disease just hours after boarding a flight across Europe complaining of a headache. Alexander Philogenes was spending six months in Vienna on a university exchange program when he fell ill earlier this month.

Known as Zander, the 21-year-old was admitted to hospital with meningococcal disease after he had enjoyed a few days with friends in Porto. He was in his fourth year of a chemical engineering and finance double degree before he died on April 11, just six days after embarking on the holiday to Portugal.

Zander, from Perth, Australia, texted friends that he wasn’t feeling well as he boarded the plane in Porto. During the three-hour flight, he developed a headache, a rash and was short of breath and dizzy, reports the Mirror.

Moments after touching down in Vienna, Zander went into cardiac arrest at the airport and was rushed via helicopter to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. It was later confirmed that he had contracted meningococcal sepsis – a disease which affects the meninges, the lining between the skull and brain – while on holiday.

Zander’s mum Jessica is still coming to terms with the devastating loss. Speaking to reporters in Australia, she recalled the last FaceTime they shared

She said: “He was living his best life. He looked so happy and healthy. It’s so tragic. We’ve cried a river and still do. He was such a gifted student, highly intelligent, and he had a love of life.”

It is believed that Zander, who was vaccinated, contracted a particularly lethal strain of meningococcal disease currently circulating in Europe. No one he travelled with has reported any symptoms of the disease following the trip.

Following his death, Zander’s family have discouraged young people from travelling alone as they believe Zander may have sought medical treatment earlier if he had someone with him.

Family friend Louise Williams described him as a “truly kind and beautiful soul” on a GoFundMe campaign raising funds for his school. She said: “Our entire community is heartbroken for the Philogenes family, and so many of us are feeling helpless – wishing we could take even a small part of this pain away.

“This is one way we can come together to support them. Any contribution, no matter how small, will support the family through the incredibly difficult days ahead.”

Early symptoms of meningococcal B – the most common and aggressive strain of the disease in the UK currently – can be vague. Like flu, it often begins with a sudden fever, headache, nausea, muscle aches and a general sense of feeling unwell.

Because these symptoms overlap with common viral infections – or even a hangover – cases are sometimes missed in the crucial early hours. A rash that does not fade when pressed is a well-known warning sign, but it is often late – and may not appear at all.

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A man in a white van beeped at a woman as she made her way down a city street and she filmed their encounter

A woman exacted revenge on a man who beeped and shouted at her while was out walking down a city street and potentially landing him a hefty fine.

Aneesa Bhabha, 25, was walking down Newport Road in Cardiff, when a man in a white van started beeping at her repeatedly, before opening his window, leaning out of his van and shouting at her.

She took out her phone and started recording the man and his vehicle as evidence of what had happened.

She decided to put the number plate of the van through an online check to check if the vehicle was taxed or not. When it said the vehicle was untaxed, she reported it via the UK Government.

The DVLA website lists the various level of fines he could face if the offence is proved. Using an untaxed vehicle on a public road could result in a £30 fine, plus one and a half times the outstanding vehicle tax. If that isn’t paid criminal proceedings can follow, which could be £1,000.

She posted a video, including the footage of the man shouted at her and screenshots detailing her revenge, on her Tiktok and Instagram accounts.

The video, titled “Got harassed in Cardiff but karma had my back”, has now reached seven million views, and Ms Bhabha said: “The response across shares and story reposts has been overwhelming.”

“So many women have come forward to share their own experiences, which really shows how common this is,” she said.

“I think the video resonated because this happens so often, but it is rarely spoken about in a way that actually leads to any kind of accountability.”

Ms Bhabha said: “Cat-calling also happens so quickly that by the time you have even processed what has happened, it is already over and too late.

“Trying to seek justice, whether that is within your community, through friend groups, or even through law enforcement, can be incredibly difficult,” she said. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

Ms Bhabha said that recording the video, “allows you to take some form of action and be heard”.

“In terms of how this has changed how I will respond in the future, I think I will be more aware and quicker to take my phone out if something happens,” she said.

However, she has faced backlash online for her actions.

“Even with video evidence, including the more recent video I shared which has nearly 200,000 views with audio, I have received thousands of negative comments, threats, and abusive messages.

“People have told me to leave the country, accused me of faking the video, and called me awful names,” she said.

The marathon runner said: “As a result of speaking out, I have also had to make my Strava private to protect my safety, as I was concerned that people online might try to track my location.”

Social media users have now contacted her to help identify the man and Ms Bhabha plans to report it to the police.

“I hope that helps support their investigation and, ultimately, helps protect other women.”

Ms Bhabha said she will continue to speak out and support other women in sharing their experiences but said: “I do not think the responsibility should fall on women to change how we react.”

“We should be able to exist without being harassed”.

And although Mr Trump extended an uneasy ceasefire, the strategic shipping lane remains a flashpoint, with both the US and Iran imposing their own blockades, bringing the movement of vessels to a virtual standstill, further fuelling a global energy crisis that has seen prices rocket.

Spanish cops carried out the coordinated operation with Police Scotland last month.

One of the leaders of the Lyons mob reportedly evaded arrest during recent police raids, after living in Barcelona undetected.

Spanish cops moved to arrest the British man when they carried out a series of dawn raids in conjunction with Police Scotland on Friday, March 27, reports Olive Press.

Seven people were arrested by cops in Spain after a number of properties were raided but the unnamed man managed to escape.

Spanish news agency Olive Press say he is a ‘senior leader’ of the Lyons crime family

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The man is believed to have been running a network of shell companies from his house in the gothic quarter’s of Barcelona’s old town.

Eight men aged 64, 46, 45, 45, 41, 39, 39 and 35, were arrested in Scotland as part of the operation at addresses in Glasgow, Bellshill, Cumbernauld, Gartcosh, Caldercruix, Coatbridge and East Whitburn. All appeared at court and were bailed.

The head of the family, Steven Lyons, 45, was arrested the following day at Bali Airport on an Interpol Red Notice.

His close pal Steven Larwood, 42, is on the run in Bali with a man named Lewis Wark.

Lyons has since been taken to Amsterdam by Indonesian cops where he was detained at the airport on a European Arrest Warrant and is now expected to be extradited to Spain to face money laundering charges.

His wife Amanda, 38, was next to be arrested two days later when she was nabbed at Dubai Airport.

The Record previously published extraordinary footage showing armed police raiding the homes in Spain linked to the crime network. Body camera footage showed armed police breaking into homes to make arrests and conduct lengthy searches.

In one clip, dozens of police are shown carrying out a swoop of a plush home after smashing their way in and tying a man’s hands behind his back. Several Rolex watches and phones were recovered.

Officers found a large block of white powder during a property search in another video. In another early-morning raid, a man was shown being marched out of a restaurant and into a cop car.

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Norton Railway Level Crossing , between Norton and Malton, will be closed from 11pm on Saturday, April 25, to 8.35am on Sunday, April 26.

The closure is to allow for engineering works.

Coastliner said that due to the closure the first Malton to Scarborough bus at 7.52am would be affected with stops missed at Wold Street, Norton Library, Bowling Lane, Mauldon Grove and Norton Grove Stud.

The retailer is set to become the prime place to snap up a can of this popular Italian spritzer as summer fast approaches.

The pre-made alcoholic drink is available for customers to purchase in-store and online for £2.25 per 250ml can.

Owned by Campari, Aperol with its iconic ‘Aperol Spritz’, is one of Italy’s most famous cocktails and has become a global sensation, ranking among the world’s top-selling cocktails and recognisable for its bright, iconic orange-red hue.

Last year, the brand launched a bottled version of the alcoholic drink, however you still needed a bottle opener and ideally a glass filled with ice to enjoy it.

Aperol Spritz say the launch of the new 5% can let customers ‘enjoy their favourite spritz now, ready wherever you are’.

After Asda posted about their ‘just in time for summer’ launch on Instagram, eager users shared their excitement about the new product.

One user said: “OMG absolutely goals.”

Another added: “Neeeeed.”

A third said: “No way!”

Lisa Kudrow played Phoebe Buffay in sitcom Friends for 10 years, starring alongside Matthew Perry who tragically passed away at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles in 2023

Friends star Lisa Kudrow has said she only appreciated how great the sitcom was when co-star Matthew Perry died.

Lisa, 62, described how the success of the programme only hit home nearly 10 years after it ended. She watched the show again after the passing of Matthew, 54, who was discovered unresponsive at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles in October 2023.

Lisa, who played Phoebe Buffay in the long-running sitcom, said: “After Matthew died I watched the show again. Before, I only saw what I did wrong or could have done better. But for the first time I truly appreciated just how great it was. I felt I did OK, but Jennifer and Courteney? Amazing. David and Matt? They had me laughing so hard. And then Matthew – he was just beyond us all.”

The actress spoke in the wake of the sentencing of a Los Angeles woman dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” for selling Matthew the drugs that killed him. Jasveen Sangha was jailed for 15 years earlier this month.

READ MORE: ‘Ketamine Queen rang me just before Matthew Perry’s death – her double life floored me’READ MORE: Lisa Kudrow’s heartbreaking admission about being forgotten Friend

Now, mum-of-one Lisa, herself born in Los Angeles, has told how Matthew’s death has affected her hugely in the past few years. Speaking to The Times, the actress described Matthew as “a genius”.

But the gifted actor, who was also in Ally McBeal, The West Wing and numerous films, had issues with alcohol well before he was famous and with opioids, cocaine and ketamine thereafter.

Lisa, who become mates with Matthew through their work on Friends between 1994 and 2004, wrote the foreword to the star’s powerful memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Terrible Big Thing. In it, she said she hadn’t realised just how deep his struggles with addiction went.

And so Lisa said rewatching Friends became particularly painful. Despite this, she now recognises just how successful the sitcom was, and has fond memories.

The star, who was in dark comedy film The Parenting last year, continued: “Because there was a genius at work. And whatever any of us do in the future, we will never experience something like that again.”

Ahead of Sangha’s sentencing earlier this month, Matthew’s stepmother Debbie Perry called for her to be given the harshest possible jail sentence. She said: “Please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won’t be able to hurt other families like ours.”

Authorities found dozens of ketamine vials during a raid at Sangha’s home on 19 March 2024, which prosecutors described as a “drug-selling emporium”. Methamphetamine, cocaine and Xanax was also found.

‘Ketamine Queen’ Sangha is the fifth defendant in the Perry to take a plea deal and admit guilt. Five were charged in connection with the case – doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of the star, and Sangha.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending asylum access at the southern border of the U.S., a key pillar of the Republican president’s plan to crack down on migration.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that immigration laws give people the right to apply for asylum at the border, and the president can’t circumvent that.

The court opinion stems from action taken by Trump on Inauguration Day 2025, when he declared that the situation at the southern border constituted an invasion of America and that he was “suspending the physical entry” of migrants and their ability to seek asylum until he decides it is over.

The panel concluded that the Immigration and Nationality Act doesn’t authorize the president to remove the plaintiffs under “procedures of his own making,” allow him to suspend plaintiffs’ right to apply for asylum or curtail procedures for adjudicating their anti-torture claims.

“The power by proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of specified foreign individuals into the United States does not contain implicit authority to override the INA’s mandatory process to summarily remove foreign individuals,” wrote Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden.

“We conclude that the INA’s text, structure, and history make clear that in supplying power to suspend entry by Presidential proclamation, Congress did not intend to grant the Executive the expansive removal authority it asserts,” the opinion said.

White House says asylum ban was within Trump’s powers

The administration can ask the full appeals court to reconsider the ruling or go to the Supreme Court.

The order doesn’t formally take effect until after the court considers any request to reconsider.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, said she had not seen the ruling but called it “unsurprising,” blaming politically-motivated judges.

“They are not acting as true litigators of the law. They are looking at these cases from a political lens,” she said.

Leavitt said Trump was taking actions that are “completely within his powers as commander in chief.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the Department of Justice would seek further review of the decision. “We are sure we will be vindicated,” she wrote in an emailed statement.

The Department of Homeland Security said it strongly disagreed with the ruling.

“President Trump’s top priority remains the screening and vetting of all aliens seeking to come, live, or work in the United States,” DHS said in a statement.

Gen Alpha has gone nuts for a cheap landline-inspired device that connects them with their friends.

In a time when everyone is eyeing the latest $1,000 iPhone, a $100 colorful can-shaped phone for kids is sweeping the nation.

The Tin Can is a WiFi-enabled device that allows kids to talk to their friends and reach the police in emergencies while avoiding strangers, scammers and social media.

“It doesn’t have apps, texting, or games—just real conversation with friends, neighbors, Grandma, or whoever you add to your approved contact list,” an online description of the device reads.

The Tin Can has gone viral since debuting in April 2025 as schools and nostalgic parents embrace an old-school alternative to a smartphone.

“It’s not uncommon for the phone to start ringing within minutes,” Justin Finn said of the Tin Can shared by his two elementary school-aged kids.

“There is a real excitement around it that we have not seen with many other additions within the home,” he told Bloomberg on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of Tin Cans have been sold so far, mostly due to word-of-mouth, Bloomberg reported, citing the company.

Schools, including the Finn kids’ Nativity Parish School outside of Kansas City, are handing out the devices for free to prevent children from becoming addicted to social media, according to the outlet.

YouTube and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, were recently found liable in a Los Angeles case where a young woman testified that her early use of social media caused her to become addicted and worsened her mental health.

Not only may parents be drawn to the Tin Can for its social media blackout, but also for the nostalgia it brings.

“We could have built some modern device and made it look all kid-ified,” Tin Can CEO Chet Kittleson said in Bloomberg’s article. “But I wanted this to be something immediately relatable to the buyer, the parent — something understood inherently that reminded them of their simple childhood because that’s what we’re all yearning for.”

The Independent has reached out to Tin Can for comment.