“I saw one come in from my synagogue, and it was talking not about the great services we put on, the outreach to local communities, the wonderful art and charity that we do, but about a series of kits we’ve just received that will help the community if there’s an attack to stem the flow of blood, or if there’s a chemical attack, that is the situation we’re facing.”

Amy Jones, 27, from Liverpool is searching for the man who refused to let two strangers take her to an unknown house

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A woman who claims she was spiked during a night out with friends in a city centre is appealing for help in tracking down the taxi driver who came to her aid. Amy Jones, 27, had been at a club in Liverpool on March 14 when she began feeling unwell during the early hours of Sunday, March 15.

Amy departed the nightclub on Stanley Street and headed to get a kebab on Dale Street. While inside the takeaway, her vision failed her, she felt nauseous and knew something was wrong. The Liverpool John Moores University student rang her friend to say she was heading home, but has no recollection of what happened afterwards.

She said: “My friends didn’t want to leave me but I insisted I would be fine, I wanted to meet a girl at the club and told them to go home. I went to meet her at Superstar Boudoir.

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“[Inside the nightclub] I told the girl I was going to the bar to get a drink and when I came back everyone had gone. I decided to go home because I was on my own and that’s when I went to get a kebab. I phoned my friend to tell her I was getting some food and coming home, it was around 2.45am.”

While inside the restaurant, Amy said she “started to feel strange”. She added: “I was paranoid I could hear people saying my name. I remember saying in the kebab shop ‘I think I’ve been spiked, can you help me.’” Amy, distressed and frightened, decided to walk home when she claims she was approached by a man on Dale Street who offered to help her. She said: “I was scared, I told him to leave me alone but he told me he wanted to get me home and seemed genuine.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.

“He waved a black cab down and asked for the taxi driver to take me home. But then he and another guy got in the taxi. They gave the taxi driver an address that wasn’t mine. I don’t really remember the taxi drive, my vision of everything outside the window was blurry, I couldn’t see anything but it felt like we were gone for a while.

“I remember I felt sick and I could hear them chattering about how f***** I looked. They started making out to the taxi driver like they knew me. He asked if I was ok and they said something like ‘no she’s always like this, she’s just drunk’.

“They got out when the taxi stopped and tried to get me to go inside a house with them. I had no idea where we were, the taxi driver refused to let me go inside and demanded to take me home. I have no idea what would have happened if I’d gone inside that house.”

Amy says the taxi driver allowed her to charge her phone and it was after 4am. She has no recollection of what occurred during that period from calling her friend and is urging the taxi driver to come forward and help her. She said: “I don’t know how to find him. All I remember seeing was ‘cab 66’ but I don’t know what that means. If it wasn’t for that taxi driver I don’t know what might have happened, I want to find him so I can ask him details of that night.”

Amy reported the incident to Merseyside Police. A spokesperson for the force stated: “We can confirm that we received a report of an alleged spiking in the early hours of Sunday, 15 March, although at this stage there is nothing to corroborate that any criminal offence has taken place.”

Are you the taxi driver who helped Amy? Email: megan.banner@reachplc.com.

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The girl died after she was found bleeding in a quiet residential street in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Hero neighbours have told of how they desperately tried to save the life of a teenage girl who was stabbed to death in the street.

A 64-year-old grandad administered CPR to the 16-year-old who he believes was stabbed in the neck and back. She was found unconscious in the street in the early hours of Saturday morning but tragically died later in hospital.

A murder investigation has been launched following the youngster’s teeth. Three adults and one child have been arrested in connection with the incident, reports the Mirror.

Police desperately tried to find the identify the teenager with a public appeal. Eventually they found out she lived with her mum and family in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, 16 miles and half an hour away from the crime scene.

On Sunday she was named locally as Chloe Watson, with friends paying tribute on social media, after her family had been informed.

Two grandfathers had tried to save Chloe, who they discovered wounded in their quiet street. Wayne Mallows, 64, described waking up at 5am, but had seen or heard nothing until a knock at his door 50 minutes later.

He said: ”I was called out of the house about 5.50am on Saturday morning by a dog walker. She said that my neighbour was outside doing CPR on a young girl.”

Mr Mallows said that his neighbour, who had been carrying out the CPR, lives across the street. The girl was on the pavement directly opposite his neighbour’s home on Kennerleigh Avenue, in the Crossgates area of East Leeds.

Mr Mallows, speaking near the quiet street of bungalows with neat gardens, said he “went out” and could see his neighbour “was getting tired”.

He said: “I asked if they’d rung an ambulance and then I realised that a phone was on the ground and he had it on loud speaker. Ambulance control were giving him instructions.”

Mr Mallows, who works in audiology for the NHS, said he’d received mandatory training in CPR on a mannequin, but never performed it in person.

“I took over until the ambulance arrived ten minutes later,” he said. “When the ambulance arrived around 6am the paramedics got all the kit out and tried to reactivate the heart and they were doing chest compressions.

“They did that for about five minutes and then got her into the ambulance. Police were arriving all the time.”

He said she had been stabbed in the back also said there was a wound to her neck. Mr Mallows said he is struggling to get the girl’s face out of his head.

“In my mind I have a picture of her face,” said Mr Mallows. “To me she looked very young, younger than 16.:”

Mr Mallows confirmed that Kennerleigh Avenue and neighbouring streets are normally very quiet, saying: “It is mostly elderly people in the bungalows, they come here to retire.”

Officers said they were called at 5.55am on Saturday to the quiet residential area in Leeds, where she was found with serious injuries.

Initially West Yorkshire Police took the unusual step of releasing her description to ascertain her identity; describing her as a 5ft 2in slim woman aged in her late teens.

But now her friends and family have posted about their devastation and named her on social media, with one saying they were “heartbroken” and said she had so much love for her little sisters.

Paying tribute to the teen, her pals wrote: “Your bubbly personality, your weird laugh, your cringy jokes will forever be unmatched. You always made sure everyone was feeling litty and loved…it’s truly devastating.”

Four people – two women aged 18, a man aged 20 and a 17-year-old boy – were all arrested from a nearby address on suspicion of murder and remain in custody, police said.

Detectives said on Sunday the girl has been positively identified as a 16-year-old from the Cleckheaton area. Her family have been notified and are now being supported by specially-trained officers.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Marc Bowes, said: “Following our appeal for further information yesterday, we have now identified the deceased as a 16-year-old girl from the Cleckheaton area.

“Her family have been informed and we are supporting them as they try to come to terms with what has happened.

“Our inquiries into the incident which led to her death are continuing, and I would appeal again to anyone who was in the Kennerleigh Avenue area in the early hours of yesterday morning to come forward if they have any information which could assist our investigation.”

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Every year the minimum wage increases in April

Workers are set for a welcome increase in minimum wage rates from next month as the new financial year begins. Rates are to increase on April 6, giving a pay rise for millions of workers.

The Government confirmed the new rates for 2026 at the Budget in November.

Rates of this legal minimum increase annually in April at the start of the new financial year. This year, they are set to rise by 4.1% after Chancellor Rachel Reeves accepted recommendations from the Low Pay Commission so that those on low incomes are “properly rewarded” for their work.

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Ministers have been determined to deliver “a genuine living wage”, according to the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) remit for increasing the so-called National Living Wage – the UK‘s minimum wage for workers aged 21 and older.

The LPC has said it will consult with employers, trade unions and workers on narrowing the gap between the 18–20-year-old rate of the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage and will put forward recommendations on achieving a single adult rate in the years ahead.

From April the National Living Wage will rise by 4.1% to £12.71 an hour for eligible workers aged 21 and over, which the Government said will increase gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the rate by £900, benefiting around 2.4 million low-paid workers.

The National Minimum Wage rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will increase by 8.5% to £10.85 an hour, narrowing the gap with the National Living Wage.

This will mean an annual earnings increase of £1,500 for a full-time worker, which the Government said marks further progress towards its goal of phasing out 18 to 20 wage bands and establishing a single adult rate.

The National Minimum Wage for 16 to 17-year-olds and those on apprenticeships will increase by 6% to £8 an hour.

On Star Treatment, Alex Turner once declared that he “just wanted to be one of The Strokes”, and now, nearly 10 years later, we have Cruz Beckham intoning that he “wants to be John Lennon”, which is… well, not quite as realistic but you have to applaud the sheer audacity of the sentiment. He’s evidently not lying either – the influence of The Beatles coats much of the set, whether on the psych pop of genuinely very good third single For Your Love or the bluesy grooves of new standout Jackie. His guitar strap is emblazoned with Get Back while, later, a two-piece brass section transition from the self-reflective balladry of Loneliest Boy into the inimitable opening parps of All You Need Is Love.

The maximum temperature on Monday is expected to be around 11 °C.

It may feel like we have had all four seasons in one lately, and the weather outlook remains a mixed picture for the week ahead.

According to the Met Office, we can expect a few showers on Monday morning, turning mainly dry in the afternoon.

The maximum temperature is expected to be around 11C.

Monday:

A few early showers on Monday, mainly over northern counties. Otherwise mostly dry with sunny spells. Becoming cloudy with some patchy light rain and drizzle in the evening. Maximum temperature 11C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

Mainly dry, mild, and cloudy on Tuesday. Early rain on Wednesday, then brighter with the odd shower. Dry, bright Thursday morning, rain arriving from the west later.

Long-range outlook:

Across the UK, a broad northwest to southeast split is most likely next weekend. The northwest is likely to be more unsettled with low-pressure systems moving in at times, bringing periods of strong winds and showers or longer spells of rain.

In the southeast, high pressure will have a greater influence, with more settled, drier weather as a result.

Temperatures overall are likely to be near to or slightly above normal, but there remains the chance of some overnight frost.

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While checking if your passport is valid is crucial, you’ll need to make sure you have enough time left on it to travel to some countries.

That’s because the length of time needed on a passport to enter some countries varies, so it’s worth knowing exactly how much you need and whether you should renew your passport before your trip.

His Majesty’s Passport Office shared a warning to Brits on X: “Planning a last-minute summer getaway?

“Remember that many countries require your passport to be valid for several months after your return date.”

How long do you need on your passport to travel?

The Post Office’s website explains: “Different countries have their own rules about passport validity.

“Some countries might ask that your passport’s valid for your whole time away and even a bit longer, sometimes up to six months.”

It adds: “Passports issued after 2018 are valid for exactly 10 years.

“But if your passport was issued before September 2018, it might be valid for up to 10 years and nine months.

“This is because, before 2018, the passport office would add up to nine extra months from your old passport to your new one.

“This means some people have passports that haven’t officially expired and are still valid for travel worldwide.

Planning a last-minute summer getaway? Remember that many countries require your passport to be valid for several months after your return date. If you need to renew, visit https://t.co/AUxlAmPXx1 #GetTravelReady pic.twitter.com/2iigrae1fA

— His Majesty’s Passport Office (@HM_Passport) March 27, 2026

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“The exception is travel in Europe, where passports must be less than 10 years old.”

The Post Office said that to travel to Europe and Schengen countries, your passport will need to have been “issued less than 10 years before your departure date” and it has to be “valid for at least three months after your planned return date”.

These are the passport validity rules for UK passport holders who are entering countries that are not Europe or Schengen countries:

• USA and Canada – your passport must be valid for your entire stay, but six months left is a good idea
• Australia – from your entry date into the country, your passport must have at least six months left on it
• New Zealand – your passport must have at least three months on it after the date you intend to leave the country
• Japan – your passport needs to be valid for your trip’s duration. There’s no rule about extra validity, but it’s wise to have some extra on it
• China, UAE (including Dubai) and India – from your entry date, your passport must have at least six months’ validity
• Thailand and Indonesia – your passport must be valid for six months after your entry date

Before travelling, check the latest advice and the latest passport requirements.

How long does it take to get a new passport?

You can expect to get your passport back in three weeks, but it’s worth thinking about it in plenty of time before your trip to avoid disappointment.

If the Passport Office needs more information or you need to be interviewed, the process can take longer than three weeks, but you will be informed about it.

The process begins when the Passport Office receives your documents.

Urgent passports are available too.

6 tips for cheaper family holidays

How much does a new passport cost?

If you find you need to renew your passport before travelling, you might wonder how much it will cost.

Prices for passports vary depending on which one you need, and they’re expected to rise from April 8.

Currently, the new fees are waiting for approval from Parliament, but the government has shared a first look at what the prices could increase to.

Here are what are thought to be the new prices:

Standard online application:

• For adults – £102 (up from £94.50)
• For children – £66.50 (up from £61.50)

Standard postal application:

• For adults – £115.50 (up from £107)
• For children – £80 (up from £74)

A Premium Service (one day) application made from the UK could cost £239.50, up from £222.

Recommended reading:

A standard online application that’s applied for from overseas could cost £116.50 for adults (increased from £108) and £75.50 for children (up from £70).

If you apply from overseas for a new standard passport by post, you can expect the price to jump from £120.50 to £130 for adults and from £82.50 to £89 for children.

Have you booked a holiday this year? Let us know where you’re heading in the comments below.

ABOARD THE CRESCENT (AP) — There’s something melodic about watching the sun rise over a rural stillness broken only by the rhythms of steel wheels on tracks. Or so we tell ourselves.

In this case, being aboard a train at all owed more to politics than poetry.

Congress and Donald Trump were mired in their latest budget stalemate, one rooted in the Republican president’s immigration crackdown and the tactics of federal forces he has sent to U.S. cities. But this impasse has upended a foundational constant of American life today: easy air travel.

In Atlanta, my hometown airport, cheerfully marketed as the world’s busiest, had descended into organized chaos. Unpaid federal employees called out from work, leaving a diminished security staff to screen travelers frustrated by hourslong waits in line. I wanted to get to Washington for the NCAA basketball tournament. So I eliminated the risk of a missed flight and booked the train overnight and into game day across a 650-mile route.

In this fraught moment in U.S. politics, I slowed down and thought about things we take for granted. Who ever ponders the conveniences of that 20th-century innovation, the airplane, that makes 21st-century hustle possible? We book and board. An unconscious, first-world flex of modernity. It’s even rarer to grapple with the inconvenience.

My decision had taken me further back, to the 19th century and another defining innovation: the long-distance train.

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CCTV video shows the moment quick-thinking bystanders rush to the aid of multiple people who were left seriously injured after a car ploughed into them in Derby city centre

Sobering footage captures the aftermath of a car rampage horror in a city centre which left seven people hurt.

Heroic members of the public rushed to the aid of victims who were left seriously injured after a car ploughed into pedestrians in a city centre. Seven people were hurt after the horrific incident, involving a Suzuki Swift, in Derby at around 9.30pm on Saturday evening. Police have since launched a major investigation and are being supported by counter-terror officers.

CCTV footage from a nearby store shows people walking along the road before the crash, when suddenly, after the crash, members of the public are seen worryingly looking down the street before rushing to the scene.

Several bystanders can be seen coming into shot, or out of buildings, before looking down the road and to help the victims, while some are seen on the phone, possibly calling 999. The footage didn’t capture the incident, but caught the quick reactions from people in the city centre.

A car was driven into pedestrians in a city centre street and struck several people in Friar Gate. The injured were treated at the scene before being taken to Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. Police have said the victims’ injuries are serious but non-life-threatening, and that no one died in the incident.

A 36-year-old man, who is described as being originally from India but has lived in the UK for a number of years, was found a short time later and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, causing serious injury through dangerous driving, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and dangerous driving.

He remains in police custody. Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred said the suspect was arrested seven minutes after the incident, after being stopped on Station Approach near Pride Park.

Takeaway owner Muharem Celebi told the Mirror of his shock after seeing the aftermath of victims mowed down by the car. Mr Celebi, who was working at the time, said he heard no shouting and screaming but was alerted to commotion outside by sirens, adding: “It was terrible!”

He added: “I ran outside and saw about six people on the floor – on the road and the pavement. Some had blood pouting form their head, it was a terrible thing to see, and shocking.“By the time I was outside and offering my help the police and ambulance were already there. Someone else had raised the alarm and the emergency services responded very quickly.”Mr Celebi, who runs the Derby Grill, said: “It was a busy Saturday night as it always is, and it’s so sad that people enjoying some fun time end up hurt in this way. It is a scary sign of the times we are living through.”His business has CCTV which captured brief images of the suspect’s black Suzuki Swift car fleeing the scene.He said: “The footage didn’t extend to the incident just a bit down the road but I think it shows the black car speeding away. Everyone is just thankful police have caught the man believed to be responsible so soon, and he can’t hurt anyone else.”Medical student Mike McCluskey, whose 60-room accommodation block is at the top of the short street where the incident happened, said: “It is an awful thing to have on our doorsteps and in a busy area.”The mature student, 39, said: “It is very scary. I didn’t see anything but heard the sirens and saw blue flashing lights. I thought nothing of it as you often get police sirens sounding in the area.“But I realised something bad had happened when a fellow student texted me to say ‘Hope you’re OK! It was only when I saw the local news that I found it.“We don’t know who the victims are and we hope that no university students are involved but it could be anyone. I often go for runs along these streets to go out shopping and it could easily have been me out there in the wrong place at that time.”

Derbyshire Police said counter terrorism officers are assisting with the early investigations, but that this “does not mean the incident is currently being treated as terrorism.”

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Witnesses at the scene described seeing chaos and horror unfold in the aftermath. One person described it as “absolute carnage,” as people ran through the streets in panic. Another witness said: “There was like blood leaking from their head and stuff.”

Shocked Mark Lucas, who was on the scene soon after the horror, said: “It was carnage. There were people lying injured on the ground with blood pouring from their heads. It was a sight I wish I’d never seen. It was sheer horror.”

Welder Mr Lucas, dad of a 13-year-old son, raced to the scene in busy Friar Gate in Derby last night after hearing the “blaring of police and ambulance sirens.”

The local resident said: “I live around the corner and by the time I got there the street full of bars, clubs, restaurants and takeaways had been sealed off.

“There was lots of commotion and I could see some people lying … on the ground badly injured. A few had blood pouring from them and others were trying to help. The scenes were chaotic and terrifying.”

The 47-year-old added: “I don’t know who the victims or perpetrator are or whether it was a terror style attack.”

Officers were on the scene just seconds after the collision, and credited eyewitnesses with helping locate the suspect.

“This swift action would not have been possible without eyewitnesses,” Chief Superintendent Aldred said.

She added: “Firstly I would like to send my best wishes to the people who were injured, their friends and families, and to the public who witnessed what will have been a very traumatic thing to see.

“I know this incident will have sent shockwaves through our communities but I would like to reassure people that we have a dedicated team of detectives working on it.”

The city was left reeling, with one local saying: “Everyone was talking about it and panicking… it’s so sad, everyone is so shook up.” Another described an “eerily quiet” city centre where “a corner of it has fallen silent.”

Police are appealing for witnesses, urging anyone who saw a black Suzuki Swift or has information to come forward, quoting incident 1131 of March 28.

Further details from the scene showed the scale of the aftermath, with shoes and blankets littered the scene and debris scattered across the road as forensic investigators worked beyond the cordon. Pictures showed multiple police officers in Friar Gate as the area remained sealed off for hours.

One witness said: “We were walking down the street when it happened. There was screaming and yelling. It was horrendous. It’s sickening. People were being treated all over the pavement and the road. God knows how that has happened.”

A taxi passenger said he was “shaken up” after his driver had to swerve to avoid the damaged car, describing how it was going the wrong direction with heavy damage on it.

Businesses and residents were impacted as Friar Gate and some surrounding streets were closed while an investigation into the circumstances of last night’s incident continues, with drivers told they would not be able to retrieve vehicles until the scene was lifted.

Officials and organisations also reacted to the incident. Derby County Football Club said it was shocked and saddened, adding: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, their families, and the wider community at this difficult time.”

The University of Derby said it was “not aware that any of our students or staff were involved” but had offered support.

Police later confirmed the cordon had been lifted and “all businesses are able to reopen,” thanking the public for their “patience and support” as the investigation continues.