With help from the council’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) Fund, East Kilbride organisation Little Brains has created the sensory-regulation space that is able to be used in a calm, dignified way by young people and adults with any level of support needs.

A Regulation Room has been created at an East Kilbride group’s premises to help people of all ages decompress when the world feels too much.

With help from the council’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) Fund, East Kilbride organisation Little Brains has created the sensory-regulation space that is able to be used in a calm, dignified way by young people and adults with any level of support needs.

The organisation’s ASN support groups help families with children aged from five to 16. They currently engage with 67 children with additional support needs, improving their wellbeing, confidence, and inclusion through weekly sessions including sensory spaces, games, crafts and external workshops that build friendships, develop social and emotional skills, and allow them to benefit from sensory regulation.

They also support parents though creating a vibrant, strong, inclusive and compassionate community that enables them to feel less isolated and more supported.

Louise Keegan, Project Director at Little Brains, said: “Spaces like the Regulation Room are not a ‘nice extra’ for our community. For many of the families and individuals who come through our doors, access to a safe, regulated environment is essential for emotional wellbeing, participation and feeling respected rather than managed.

“It means people can stay longer, engage more fully and leave feeling safer and more settled.

“Awards like this one make a huge difference because they allow us to create things that are truly special for our families without taking away from the funds that keep our doors open week to week.

“This support from the Participatory Budgeting Fund hasn’t just helped us improve a room. It has helped us improve experiences, dignity and emotional safety for the people who need it most, and for that we are deeply thankful.”

READ MORE: SGN investing £1.3m to upgrade gas network in East Kilbride

Jackie Taylor, Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “I’m delighted that the Little Brains has been able to use this money to support local people in such a meaningful and effective way.

“As ever, it’s this community-led approach that makes the Participatory Budgeting process so unique; it genuinely hands the decision-making power to those ideally placed to identify local priorities.

“I thank and congratulate everyone, both in our communities and in the council, who work hard together to foster such a spirit of democracy and togetherness.”

More information about Participatory Budgeting is available from the Community Planning website.

READ MORE: East Kilbride couple tell of sheltering in hotel during Middle East conflict

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Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody featured a two-part special which saw a missing person case quickly turn into a murder investigation with an unlikely suspect

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Channel 4 viewers were left stunned by one of the “grimmest” episodes of police documentary 24 Hours in Police Custody ever broadcast.

During a two-part special of the true crime programme, what began as a straightforward missing person case evolved into a harrowing murder investigation with an unexpected perpetrator. This article will contain spoilers for the 2025 episode.

Last year, 24 Hours in Police Custody followed Bedfordshire Police as they investigated the disappearance of 74-year-old Annette Smith. Annette had last been seen by her lodger, who stated she had gone away “for a few days” with a friend but raised the alarm when she didn’t come back or respond to his calls.

The lodger in question, Scott Paterson, was characterised as being “like a son” to Annette following 15 years of living with her and providing care after she had suffered a stroke.

It soon became apparent that Paterson was involved in far more than he was admitting, and viewers were quick to piece together what had happened.

When his confession came, however, Paterson stated it was simply becoming too challenging to continue looking after Annette. He informed police he had suffocated her after she became “very demanding” – and maintained he had an emotional breakdown after contemplating the killing for weeks.

However, a shocking turn of events was imminent as police conducted further investigations. It quickly became evident that Paterson had been dishonest about his motives, which seemed to be financially driven. He had been pilfering jewellery from Annette and pawning it – with police speculating this could have been his motive for her murder, reports the Express.

The case took an even more sinister turn when Paterson – who worked as a butcher, earning him the moniker the Butcher of Suburbia – confessed to dismembering Annette’s body and disposing of the parts in public rubbish bins around town.

Despite having no previous convictions and being spoken highly of by friends, when asked by police if he had ever killed anyone else, his response was chilling – but you’ll need to watch the episode to discover more.

Paterson admitted guilt to Annette’s murder in November 2024 and received a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

24 Hours in Police Custody: The Butcher of Suburbia Part 1 and Part 2 are now streaming on Channel 4’s catch-up service.

In the letter, which was sent to Ferguson on Thursday and set a two-week deadline for her to respond, Democratic Congressman Subramanyam, a member of the House Oversight Committee, said the recent drop of Epstein files by the US Department of Justice had revealed her “close personal and business ties” with the American financier.

Donald Trump has claimed the CIA told him Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei ‘is gay’ during a Fox News interview where he also discussed Iran’s treatment of LGBTQ people

US President Donald Trump has alleged that the nation’s foreign intelligence service informed him that Iran’s new leader “is gay.”

In an interview with Fox News, when asked if the CIA had told Mr Trump that Ayatollah Jr. is gay, Mr Trump responded: “They did say that… I think a lot of people are saying that – which puts him off to a bad start in that particular country.”

Mojtaba Khamenei was named Supreme Leader of Iran following the death of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by US and Israeli forces at the onset of the conflict in the Middle East. The US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran on 28 February. In response, Iran has struck key targets throughout the Middle East, causing turmoil in the region.

Ayatollah Jr. was chosen to lead the country by senior clerics in a system where homosexuality is punishable by death.

According to Fair Planet, a global non-profit organisation focused on reporting on human rights and environmental justice: “Homosexuality is illegal in Iran and carries severe punishment under the country’s Islamic penal code.

“Consensual same-sex sexual activity is considered a crime, and those convicted can face imprisonment, flogging, and even the death penalty.

“The Iranian government has justified its stance on homosexuality by citing religious and cultural reasons, claiming that homosexuality is a sin and goes against Islamic values.”

Mr Trump said during the interview, while referring to the “Gays for Palestine” movement, “They kill gays. They kill them instantly. They throw them off buildings.”

He continued by saying that he actually polled “very well” with the LGBTQ community – even highlighting that the song he used for rallies, ‘YMCA’ by the Village People, is a ‘gay national anthem’.

“No Republican’s ever gotten the gay vote like I did and I’m very proud of it,” he said.

Liberal Democrat councillors in Haxby have met with Postmaster Aran Singh to take a look inside the town’s new Post Office ahead of its official opening on Monday, March 30 at 1pm.

The opening comes after a temporary post office was set up at the Oaken Grove Community Centre after the Morrisons Daily branch, which housed the previous post office, closed last May following nationwide cuts by the supermarket. 

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The new post office will open its doors in the former Dutch Nurseries store, close to the Haxby Surgery.

Haxby and Wigginton’s ward councillors, who were part of the campaign to reopen a permanent post office in the town, have welcomed the news.

Haxby and Wigginton’s ward councillors (Image: York Liberal Democrats)

Councillor Andrew Hollyer said: “It’s fantastic to see the new post office ready to open its doors on Monday. After months of hard work to secure this vital service, it’s great that residents will once again have a permanent facility on The Village. 

“We would also like to thank Oaken Grove Community Centre for hosting the temporary post office, the staff who kept services running during that time, and Haxby Town Council for helping to fund the temporary provision.” 

Four fire engines, ambulances and police rushed to the Radisson Blu Hotel on Old Hall Street after a fire broke out behind the building on March 26

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A fire at the rear of a city centre hotel resulted in plumes of smoke billowing into the air. The blaze erupted behind the Radisson Blu Hotel on Old Hall Street this evening, 26 March.

Guests and staff at the Radisson Blu poured onto the street as fire alarms were triggered, congregating outside as emergency services rushed to the scene. Four fire engines, police cars, numerous ambulances and rapid response vehicles, as well as two NHS Incident Response Units, arrived at the street around 8.30pm, reports the Liverpool Echo..

The back of the hotel was cordoned off as firefighters tackled the blaze, which seemed to have ignited in a wheelie bin near a set of stairs.

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One female Radisson Blu guest, clad only in a short-sleeved T-shirt and leggings, said: “The smoke somehow got inside and the alarms were all going off. They tried to turn it off but they couldn’t get it off, so everybody’s out here now in the cold.

“I think we’ve been out now more than an hour. I don’t know what they are doing.”

“I was sleeping when I heard the alarm. I didn’t take my phone, my jacket, even my socks. I was just running all the way down.”

Other guests returned to the hotel after spending time in the city centre, only to discover the street swarming with police and paramedics. One man said: “As we came around it was a bit of a shock. We could smell something burning in the air.”

Photographs taken at the scene depicted flames and smoke emanating from the rear of the hotel. Additional images showed firefighters amidst a number of fire-damaged wheelie bins, situated behind the hotel off King Edward Street.

One end of Old Hall Street, at the junction of Leeds Street, King Edward Street and Great Howard Street, was cordoned off by police. Brook Street near HM Passport Office was also obstructed by fire engines responding to the incident.

All ambulances had departed the scene by approximately 9.20pm. Radisson Blu guests and staff were permitted to re-enter the hotel at around 9.30pm, and Old Hall Street was reopened to traffic.

Two police cars and several fire engines remained on site. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was contacted for comment.

Despite reports of negotiations between the US and the Iranian regime, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to most oil tankers, with only a small number of vessels being allowed to pass. The result is a loss of roughly 11 million barrels per day (mbd) of oil and petroleum liquids to the global market. This represents just over 10% of global supply.

At first glance, a 10% disruption may not sound catastrophic. But in oil markets, even a 10% imbalance between supply and demand can have very large economic effects.

To understand the scale of the disruption, it is useful to compare it with the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. During global lockdowns, empty roads, grounded aircraft and deserted bus and railway stations became normal as travel and economic activity collapsed. At that time, global oil demand fell by about 8mbd, the largest demand shock in history.

Today’s situation is the opposite. Instead of a collapse in demand, the world is experiencing a large supply shock. But the impact on everyday life could end up looking similar: reduced travel, higher transport costs, slower economic activity and pressure on household budgets.

The reason is that both oil supply and oil demand are very inflexible in the short term. People still need to drive to work, goods still need to be transported and aircraft still need fuel. When supply falls suddenly, prices must rise significantly to force demand down.

For now, the release of emergency oil stocks is helping to cushion the initial impact, particularly in developed economies. Members of the International Energy Agency (IEA) are required to hold emergency stocks equivalent to at least 90 days of oil consumption, and several countries also maintain strategic petroleum reserves.

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Countries such as the US, China and Japan can therefore offset supply disruptions for a limited period. However, these reserves are not a long-term solution. If the conflict continues for months rather than weeks, stockpiles will be depleted.

The situation is much more serious for developing countries. Many countries in Asia, Africa and South America hold very limited commercial reserves and are much more vulnerable to supply disruptions and price spikes. For these economies, elevated oil prices quickly translate into higher food prices, inflation and economic instability.

The first shortages would probably appear not in petrol, but in diesel and jet fuel. Gulf oil producers are major exporters of middle distillates, and their crude oil grades produce large quantities of diesel and jet fuel when refined.

Diesel is particularly important because it fuels trucks, ships, construction equipment and agricultural machinery. So a diesel shortage affects food supply, construction, mining and global trade – not just transport. Petrol shortages would follow as crude oil supply tightens further, and eventually shortages would spread across all petroleum products.

Oil is not just used for transport fuel. It is also a key input into petrochemicals for the production of plastics, fertilisers, chemicals, synthetic materials and many industrial processes. This means the effects of a major oil supply disruption spread across the entire economy.

Shortages or price increases could affect everything from food production and packaging to electronics, construction materials and clothing. The economic effects of an oil shock are therefore much broader than simply higher petrol prices.

Protectionism could make everything worse

One of the biggest risks during a supply crisis is export restrictions and protectionism. Governments often try to protect domestic consumers by freezing prices and banning exports of fuel or crude oil, but this usually makes the global shortage worse.

Government price freezes only discourage production and supply, and encourage consumers to keep burning fuel. Protectionism is even worse. There are already signs of this happening – some countries (China, for example) are restricting exports of petroleum products such as diesel and jet fuel. When countries hoard fuel, global markets become tighter and prices rise even further.

The biggest risk would be if the US restricted oil exports in order to protect domestic consumers. The US is now the world’s largest oil producer, producing more than 20mbd of oil and petroleum liquids. But it is also one of the world’s largest consumers. However, it still exports significant volumes, particularly to Europe.

The US has banned oil exports before. In 1975, following the Arab oil embargo (when in 1973 Arab states refused to supply oil to countries, including the US, that had supported Israel in the Yom Kippur war), the US banned exports of crude oil. The ban was lifted only in 2015. If such a ban were introduced today, it would be likely to cause major supply shortages and price increases, especially in Europe.

If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for a prolonged period, or if the conflict escalates further, global losses of exports from the Persian Gulf could approach the 20mbd of oil and petroleum products.

Under these circumstances, the economic and social effects could be severe. Transport could become more expensive and less frequent, air travel would be severely curtailed, inflation would rise and economic growth would slow significantly. In extreme scenarios, the disruption to daily economic life could resemble the COVID period (and probably worse). But this time it would be caused by a shortage of energy.

For now, markets are relying on emergency stock releases and hopes of a geopolitical de-escalation. But if not, the world economy could face an unprecedented energy shock, with far-reaching and unpredictable consequences.