Smoke has been pictured rising over an area of London with fears a major blaze may be underway in the capital.

Pictures and video shared online show a column of dark smoke rising into the evening sky above a church steeple.

More than 50 firefighters are believed to have arrived at the scene of the blaze with efforts underway to contain the spread of the flames.

The captain of a ship stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has told the BBC what it is like to be caught up in the power struggle between the US and Iran for the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Captain Raman Kapoor says he and his crew contend with “mental not material pressure” as their stranded vessel is assailed by “hundreds” of missiles and the sound of explosions.

It comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepared to make a diplomatic visit to the Vatican in a bid to mend relations with the Holy See

Donald Trump has reignited his feud with Pope Leo XIV with “unacceptable” remarks about nuclear weapons.

It comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepared to make a diplomatic visit to the Vatican in a bid to mend relations with the Holy See.

Trump again accused Leo in an interview Tuesday of being “OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Leo has said no such thing and Catholic Church teaching says the mere possession of nuclear weapons is “immoral.”

And he claimed the Pope’s rhetoric was “endangering a lot of Catholics, and a lot of people”.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Pope Leo hit back at the claims, saying the Catholic Church “for years has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.”

Leo doubled down on his insistence that his call for peace and dialogue in the U.S-Israeli war in Iran is Biblically inspired.

“I’ve spoken from the first moment of being elected, and we’re near the anniversary: I said ‘Peace be with you,’” Leo said as he left his country house in Castel Gandolfo.

“The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let him do it with the truth,” Leo said. “And so I hope simply to be listened to about the value of the Word of God.”

Italy defended the Pope and his call for peace and dialogue in the Iran war.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a social media post Thursday that Trump’s attacks “are neither acceptable nor helpful to the cause of peace.”

In an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump claimed the pontiff is helping Iran and making the world less safe with his comments about the importance of not treating immigrants with disrespect.

“The Pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in the interview on Monday. “And I don’t think that’s very good. I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. I guess if it’s up to the Pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

The Pope has not said Iran should obtain nuclear weapons. He’s called for more peace talks, and criticised war with Iran generally and Trump’s specific threats of mass civilian strikes. The pope also has emphasised that he’s reflecting biblical and church teachings, not speaking as a political rival to Trump.

Regardless, Trump’s latest comments may make Rubio’s task more difficult when he sees the pontiff on Thursday. Rubio has often been called on to tone down or explain Trump’s harsh rhetoric as it relates to Europe, NATO and the Middle East, but the president’s dispute with the pope has domestic political implications in the U.S. with midterm congressional elections approaching.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani added: “I reaffirm my support for every action and word of Pope Leo; his words are a testament to dialogue, the value of human life, and freedom. This is a vision shared by our government, which is committed through diplomacy to ensuring stability and peace in all areas where conflicts exist.”

Rubio is due to meet with Leo on Thursday and is due to see Tajani and Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday.

The State Department said on Monday that Rubio, a practicing Catholic who after this trip will have visited Italy or the Vatican at least three times in the past year, would travel to Rome and Vatican City on Thursday and Friday.

Trump lashed out at Leo on social media last month, saying the pope was soft on crime and terrorism for comments about the administration’s immigration policies and deportations as well as the Iran war. Leo then said God doesn’t listen to the prayers of those who wage war.

Later, Trump posted a social media image likening himself to Jesus Christ, which he then deleted after backlash. He has refused to apologize to Leo and has sought to explain away the social media post by saying he thought the image was of him as a doctor.

The tension has spilled over into Italian politics, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a long-time Trump ally whom Rubio is also expected to meet this week, taking exception to Trump’s comments about the pope.

Trump in return criticised her as his ire against NATO allies expands over what he sees as a lack of support for the Iran war — most recently with the Pentagon planning to pull thousands of troops out of Germany in the coming months.

Wild Horses,”Standing Our Ground-Complete Recordings 1978-1981” (HNE/Cherry Red)- This all encompassing 6 CD set brings together every recording that this relatively short lived rock “supergroup” made during its brief existence, drawing on an assortment of studio albums, demos, singles and live recordings which were captured for posterity at London’s legendary Marquee Club and Tokyo’s Nakano Sun Plaza in 1980. Wild Horses were formed in 1978 when gritty Glaswegians Brian Robertson and Jimmy Bain parted company with Thin Lizzy and Rainbow respectively after contributing to a couple of highly regarded live albums, and their tuneful approach to the hard rock genre often echoed the creative output of Robertson’s previous employers. Their Trevor Rabin produced debut set was a particularly impressive piece of work which found the band striving manfully to establish themselves as a solid commercial proposition via fine tracks such as “Street Girl,” “Criminal Tendencies” and their Phil Lynott collaboration,”Flyaway.”

Joe Martin,”Alone in Valentine” (North Star Records)- The second studio album from Lancashire born singer-songwriter Joe Martin mines a rich vein of instantly memorable Americana, drawing on the invaluable musical contributions of Cal Campbell and Cornelius Webb ,the gifted sons of the late great Glen Campbell and legendary tunesmith Jim Webb of “Wichita Linesman” fame. The refreshingly pure contents were recorded at the Campbell residence in the country music capital of Nashville, Tennessee, with some of the city’s finest session talents playing their parts in underpinning Martin’s creative exploits as the album was essentially laid down live in the space of just seven short days. Authenticity is the name of the game as Martin draws on such admirable influences as Bob Dylan, The Eagles and the criminally underrated Townes Van Zandt in assembling an affecting package which showcases melodic gems such as “Hand Me Down Heart” and “Brown Paper Bag.”

Night Ranger,”Neverland” (Floating World / Voiceprint)- This San Franciscan hard rock quintet rose to public prominence in the early eighties, notching up a string of U.S. hit singles with easy on the ear power ballads such as “When You Close Your Eyes” and “Sister Christian.” This run of chart success wasn’t destined to last too long however, and the then current incarnation of the band finally gave up the ghost in 1989. Night Ranger were tempted to return to the fray with their original five man line up in 1996 and “Neverland” first saw the light of day a year or so later. The eclectic contents are workmanlike rather than inspired, although the muscular contributions of guitarists Jeff Watson and Brad Gillis are certainly well worth investigating.

In April 2008, Brendan Harris, 15, was sentenced to life at Preston Crown Court alongside his co-defendant Ryan Herbert, 16.

Herbert was released on licence in 2022, 15 years after the attack on the Haslingden woman in Bacup.

Harris, now aged 33, was given a minimum term of 17 years and 106 days before his release could be considered, a point he reached in August 2025.

Harris, Herbert and four other teenage boys “savagely and mercilessly attacked” Sophie’s partner Robert Maltby in Stubbylee Park, during the early hours of August 11, 2007.

Gap-year student Sophie rushed to help her boyfriend as he lay unconscious and shouted at his attackers to leave him alone.

Herbert and Harris then turned on her, subjecting her to a “sustained and vicious attack” which involved her head being kicked and stamped on until she too lost consciousness.

Miss Lancaster never regained consciousness and died in hospital 14 days later.

They were attacked because they looked and dressed differently, and Herbert later told people there were “two moshers nearly dead” in the park, according to court hearings.

The sentencing judge determined the attacks were motivated by hostility towards the victims’ appearance as ‘goths’ or ‘moshers’, constituting a hate crime.

The judge described Harris and the group he was with as being akin to a ‘pack of wild animals’.

Now, the parole board has granted Harris release on licence, with conditions including complying with the requirement to reside at a designated address and to be “of good behaviour”.

Additionally, he must submit to an enhanced form of supervision, including drug testing, a specified curfew, a signing-in time, and alcohol monitoring.

Harris told the Parole Board panel that he had been drinking, and he accepted that he threw the first punch at the male victim. He also accepted that he had been regularly violent.

READ MORE: One of killers of Sophie Lancaster to be freed from jail

READ MORE: Sophie Lancaster’s killer could be released from prison before end of the year

The parole board’s risk assessment said: “Having considered the index offences, relevant patterns of previous behaviour and the other evidence before it, the panel listed as risk factors those influences which made it more likely that Mr Harris would reoffend.

“At the time of his offending, these risk factors had included his way of life and choice of friends. Mr Harris had misused alcohol and drugs, and he had struggled to manage extreme emotions.

“The panel noted that he acted without thinking about the consequences and demonstrated poor problem-solving skills.

“Evidence was presented at the hearing regarding Mr Harris’ progress and custodial conduct during this sentence. The panel noted that Mr Harris had spent some time on his sentence in a secure Mental Health Hospital and had attacked and injured a nurse.

“He was sentenced as a result of this for an offence on GBH in 2013. He returned to the prison estate in 2014 and went on to complete an accredited programme to address his use of violence.

“At the time of the panel’s review, Mr Harris was engaging with a specialist regime designed to help people recognise and deal with a wide range of problems.

“The panel was told that Mr Harris’ behaviour in the prison had been good. The panel was told that Mr Harris had been motivated to do well and address his risk factors. All the witnesses at the oral hearing supported Mr Harris’ release.”

Sophie’s mother, Sylvia, launched a foundation in her memory to stand against violence and prejudice, to which Judge Anthony Russell QC, who presided over the case, donated £5,000 in his will. Sylvia died in 2022, at the age of 69.

A spokesperson for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation said: “The late Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE responded to enquiries regarding the perpetrators of Sophie Lancaster’s murder in a personal capacity, and not in her role as chief executive of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. The foundation itself has no comment to make on the perpetrators.

“At this time, we choose instead to remember all victims of hate crime – those, like Sophie, whose lives were taken, and those whose lives have been irrevocably changed by hatred and violence. For many survivors and families, the impact is lifelong.

“We honour Sophie’s memory by reaffirming our mission to Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere, and by continuing our work to challenge hate in all its forms.”

The writer and actor has confirmed that there won’t be a third series of his BBC comedy series.

A BBC star has spoken about concluding his sitcom, acknowledging “it’s healthy to close chapters”.

Mawaan Rizwan introduced his comedy series Juice to audiences in 2023, chronicling his character Jamma as he manages family relationships and his romance with boyfriend Guy (portrayed by Russell Tovey).

The quirky comedy programme, adapted from Mawaan’s 2018 Edinburgh Fringe performance, lasted two seasons, with the second broadcast only last year.

He’s now revealed there won’t be a third series, as he discussed the programme’s future.

Speaking to Radio Times, Mawaan explained: “Five years of my life doing two series, it’s such a privilege being at the epicentre and having creative control of a project like that, but it’s a lot of pressure and a really intense process,” reports the Mirror.

Using a reference from Of Mice and Men, he continued: “You can love the rabbit too much and squeeze it to death.”

He stated: “It will always be my first love and there isn’t anyone involved with that show that I don’t adore, but I think it’s healthy to close chapters.”

In Juice, Mawaan played a young gay man who works at a marketing company and is constantly vying for attention amongst his family, with his real-life mum and brother starring alongside him.

Jamma’s mum Farida is a former movie star who now manages a community century, and often, alongside his younger brother Isaac, outshines him.

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Meanwhile, his dynamic personality contrasts with his older, calmer boyfriend, who is a therapist and seeking more of a stable relationship.

Juice was hailed a “true comedy classic” when it first aired, with one fan writing: “Finally, we have a new British sitcom worth talking about. Juice on BBC3 provided contemporary romantic humour, laugh-out-loud visual gags and hilarious one-liners from the off.”

Another said: “Best sitcom in ages and don’t remember laughing out loud so much since The IT crowd.”

Someone else called it “a worthy and entertaining watch”, while another person said: “A lot of laughs, a lot of heart. Artistic, bold and joyful. Go watch!”

Mawaan previously spoke about how the series, though fictional, had come from “personal” aspects of him.

He told Metro: “I think all art is personal. I write with feeling, I write with stuff that I’ve been through. Even on Sex Education, there was a lot of me in that show. There were experiences that I’ve been through that I’d give to these characters.

“It’s tricky with the show like this because you can’t hide behind it less because you’re in it, so at times it was a bit vulnerable and I think my mum actually surprisingly, helped me be more vulnerable.”

Speaking about Juice, he added: “We had a lot of fun making it because it’s a bit of a visual feast. My character… when his emotions peak, the world around him starts changing literally.

“I wanted to make a character where the physical world around him is like a physical manifestation of his emotions and it meant that we built sets and we did the whole shoot as like a giant playground and we had so much fun, and I really hope that comes across.”

Juice is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Hector Eccles crashed on his Polaris farm bike after drinking at Roggerham Gate Inn

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A teenage boy tragically died in a crash after he was illegally served alcohol in a pub. Anthony Wiazcek, 65, served Hector Eccles, 16, five pints of strong lager and reportedly knew him since he was a baby.

He had also taken him to football matches when he was younger and knew he was under 18, Burnley Magistrates’ Court heard. LancashireLive reported on the two day trial, where it was heard the Burnley teenager had been drinking in the Roggerham Gate in Worsthorne before leaving on his Polaris farm bike on March 30 2024.

But moments later he lost control and crashed causing fatal injuries. His friend and passenger was thankfully not seriously hurt.

The man who served Hector has been convicted of selling alcohol to a person under 18. Anthony Wiazcek, 65, from Todmorden Road, Burnley was the premises licence holder and the Designated Premises Supervisor at the time and the only person behind the bar that fateful night.

Following the trial he was handed a fine of £660 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £264 and £650 towards prosecution costs. His personal alcohol licence was also suspended for three months.

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In a victim personal statement Hector’s mum Wendy Eccles said: “My life has been destroyed beyond repair. The day Hector died I died with him.

“We don’t live our lives now we just exist. People say how do you carry on and the answer is you don’t.

“I am just a hollow shell wanting my old life back every minute of every day. I have gone from loving my life to just watching the clock waiting for the day to be over.

“When I go into Hector’s bedroom, I feel every bit of grief flowing through my body I feel panic like you can’t imagine knowing that he’s not coming home. I know the smell of hector in his room is fading every week and I know one day that smell will no longer be there.

“I have panic attacks worrying if he’s scared. Does he know that he’s died?

“Is it dark as he is scared of the dark like most children are. Every morning I wake up and feel like I have been hit by a train.

“I cry numerous times a day every day since that terrible morning when our life’s were destroyed for ever. I don’t like going out of the house seeing people I just walk looking at the floor hoping people won’t stop me.

“Look at me with pity. Wanting to hug me.

“It doesn’t matter what you are doing or where you are it’s a constant panic and wave of grief that comes over you that is uncontrollable. We don’t sleep at night maybe an hour then you wake up in panic.

“Hector’s dad has never slept more than an hour since that terrible morning. He didn’t come to bed to 12 months just stayed in the chair which resulted him to have slip disks in his back and lost two stone in weight.

“Which resulted to medical attention being needed. How do you carry on when your whole world has been taken from you in one night due to lack of duty of care?

“And you know that this could have been avoided if duty of care was practised that night. Hector never got the chance to take his GCSE‘s never attending his school prom.

“We are having to live through the milestones, watching his friends grow and achieve things. Forever thinking what would Hector be doing now.

“How do I get through Christmas and birthdays? Well, I can tell you I don’t.

“Certain things you can never imagine doing again like playing music in the house which Hector and I did every single morning before I took him for the school bus. Waiting for him to come home from school as his first words were “mum you will never guess what” Hector always had a great story from school or on the bus.

“I can never go out of the house when children are going to school and coming home from school as I just break down thinking that should be my boy. Hector was a happy schoolboy loving life.

“How can we carry on building up a business like we have for years for Hector? As farming was all Hector wanted to do and was extremely passionate about it.

“How do we carry on seeing other boys doing Hector’s job. My heart had been smashed and will never be repaired.”

Licensing Sergeant for Burnley, Rossendale, Pendle and Ribble Valley Steve Dundon said: “I welcome the outcome of this trial. Whilst nothing will bring back Hector, this incident serves to highlight the reasons the sale of alcohol is strictly controlled and the consequences that can follow irresponsible sale.

“We will continue to work proactively with licensed premises to ensure compliance, and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where those responsibilities are ignored.“

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Raducanu last played a match in Indian Wells on 8 March, and has since missed the Miami Open and clay-court events in Linz and Madrid because of her post-viral symptoms.

However, the 23-year-old has been practising in recent weeks at the National Tennis Centre in London and at the Ferrer Academy near Benidorm.

She had been accompanied in Rome by Jane O’Donoghue, a friend and former LTA national coach, and physio Emma Stewart, who perhaps tellingly was with Raducanu during her interviews.

“Coming on to the clay courts is much more physically demanding than potentially other surfaces but I want to come back 100% ready,” Raducanu said.

“I have been building my way up slowly and looking forward to when I get out there.”

We now know she will not be getting out there in Rome this week.

Raducanu has one last chance to play a WTA event before the French Open in either Strasbourg or Rabat in two weeks’ time.

But if she misses the entire clay swing, then Raducanu will have been absent for three months by the time the grass-court season begins.

Even if Raducanu is fit to compete at Roland Garros, which begins on 24 May, she will do so as an unseeded player.

The 2021 US Open champion is currently 30 in the world rankings but only 32 players are seeded – and she will drop several places now she is no longer able to defend the points she earned from a fourth-round run in Rome last year.

Janice Nix, 66, denied killing her stepdaughter Andrea Bernard who died after she suffered 50 per cent burns to her body when she was allegedly forced into the hot bath

A stepmother accused of killing a five-year-old girl with a scalding hot bath allegedly told the child’s young brother that she would not hit him again if he claimed it was an accident, a court has heard.

Janice Nix, 67, has denied manslaughter against Andrea Bernard by punishing her with a hot bath in Thornton Heath, south London, on June 6 1978.

The defendant, of Clapham, south London, has also denied cruelty to Andrea’s brother Desmond Bernard between October 1 1975 and June 6 1978, when he was seven to nine years old.

Andrea’s death was treated as an accident for nearly half a century until her brother contacted police with new information in September 2022, Isleworth Crown Court heard at the trial opening on Tuesday.

During voluntary police interview, Nix gave a “completely different” version of events to the one she provided the coroner in 1978, prosecutor Kerry Broome said. Mr Bernard had approached the force after his sister’s death “had become a burden he could no longer carry”, she added.

The defendant had been in a relationship with the children’s father, also named Desmond Bernard, and was in effect their stepmother, the court heard.

Nix, then called Janice Thomas and in her late teenage years, had the main responsibility for their care as their father was often away working as a chauffeur, jurors were told.

Mr Bernard told police that Andrea “had been blamed for something” on the evening before the bath, but he could not recall what. Consequently, Nix said the girl could not go to school and must stay behind and clean, he claimed.

“Desmond knew this meant Andrea would be beaten, but recalls being relieved it would not be him”, Ms Broome summarised. The boy discovered his sister was at school and assumed she “was no longer in trouble”, the court heard.

“Given what happened later, it may have been… that Andrea had escaped the house and went to school without the defendant’s knowledge, which made her very angry indeed”, the prosecutor said.

Nix was “fuming” when they returned home together – hitting Andrea and shouting that she had told her to remain at home, Mr Bernard told police.

He claimed he went straight to his bedroom and could hear Nix beating Andrea through his bedroom door. He said he then heard her walk into the bathroom next door and water starting to run, around 15 to 30 minutes after the children had arrived.

He allegedly heard Nix call for Andrea to get in the bath, and Ms Broome told jurors: “Desmond could not see what was happening in the bathroom, but he heard Andrea screaming, and saying `it’s hot, it’s hot.

“Janice kept shouting at her to get in. He says `Andrea would not stop screaming and I can’t remember how long it went on for, but then it just stopped’.”

Nix told his sister to wake up before asking him to come into the room, Mr Bernard told police. He claimed she was cradling a “limp” Andrea in a towel and she was not awake.

The prosecution summarised: “Janice seemed scared and asked him to say it was an accident and that Andrea fell into the bath. She promised never to hit him again if he said that, so that is what he did: he told everyone it was an accident, and Janice never hit him again.”

During the inquest, Nix had claimed that Andrea and her brother had looked dirty when they returned from school at about 4pm.

She said she told the children to have a bath upstairs, put on clean clothes and come back to the garden – the boy went first, the court heard.

Andrea was upstairs for about 15 to 20 minutes which “did not really seem a long time to me, she is a bit slow”, Nix said. The girl returned to the garden wearing a dress and complaining of itchy legs, the defendant had claimed.

She added that she “did not hear her call out at all” and it would have been possible to pick that up. Andrea’s skin on her leg was reddish and peeling off as she scratched it, she said.

Nix also told the inquest that Andrea had fainted and an ambulance took her to the Mayday Hospital, Croydon, south London. “She did not say anything on the way to hospital about what had happened to her”, she told the coroner.

Decades later, Nix told police that she had immediately run to the bathroom after hearing Andrea screaming. The girl was scrambling to get out of the bath and Nix lifted her out, she said.

Her neighbour James Henry followed Nix into the house and gave her something to wrap Andrea in, she said. The child had “water blisters” on her skin and Mr Henry drove her to Mayday Hospital, she said.

The defendant also claimed that Mr Bernard made false allegations against her because he felt short-changed by his father’s inheritance.

In addition, she told officers: “Andrea died as a result of a tragic accident caused by a malfunctioning boiler which overheated the water used for the bath.”

It is not disputed that Andrea died in hospital on July 13 1978 as a result of complications from the burn injuries. Silver-haired Nix appeared in court wearing a blue jacket and trousers, a beige blouse, and glasses. For a large portion of proceedings she stared directly at Ms Broome who was speaking.

The trial continues.