A mother named Katy quit her job to care for her daughter Molly, who has serious food allergies that once caused a life-threatening reaction. Doctors and charities are asking for wider NHS access to a treatment called oral immunotherapy, which helps allergy sufferers gradually build tolerance to foods they react to.
Key Facts
Molly, Katy’s daughter, has severe allergies to milk, egg, and some nuts.
At one year old, Molly had a dangerous allergic reaction while on holiday in Italy, requiring an adrenaline injection and hospital care.
Katy left her job as a lawyer to care for Molly after another allergic reaction at home and feeling she could not trust others with her daughter's allergies.
Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a treatment where small amounts of an allergen are given over time to help patients build tolerance.
OIT can cost thousands of pounds privately but is not routinely available on the NHS yet.
The NHS is running a trial to gather more evidence on OIT’s effectiveness and developing guidelines to improve allergy care.
Food allergy rates in England have roughly doubled over 10 years, with many young children affected.
Emergency hospital admissions for food-related allergic reactions have also doubled in 20 years.
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Migrant care workers and the Unison union are campaigning in Birmingham against a UK government plan to double the time migrant care workers must wait before applying for settlement from five to ten years. They argue this will hurt care workers and the social care sector, while the UK Home Office says settlement should be earned due to high migration levels.
Key Facts
The Unison union and migrant care workers are leafleting in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham constituency to protest immigration changes.
The government plans to extend the wait time for migrant care workers to apply for settlement from 5 years to 10 years.
Around one-third of all care workers and one-fifth of NHS workers in the UK are migrants.
The proposed rules may require even longer waits for those who entered illegally or claimed benefits.
The union opposes the current employer sponsorship system, which they say can lead to worker exploitation, and suggest a public-sector sponsorship scheme instead.
A consultation on these proposals ended in February and received about 200,000 responses.
Unison says the longer wait risks losing experienced care staff, worsening social care shortages.
The Home Office defends the changes, stating settlement is a privilege that must be earned and highlighting recent high levels of low-skilled migration.
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This news report reveals crime problems on British high streets, including the illegal sale of drugs, cigarettes, and vapes. The story includes undercover investigation footage showing how these crimes are spreading in towns and cities.
Key Facts
Illegal items like Class A drugs, counterfeit cigarettes, and vapes are being sold openly on British high streets.
The report was produced through undercover work to expose these crimes.
Crime is affecting many local shopping areas across the country.
Other related episodes cover crimes like phone theft in London and drug cartel violence in Mexico.
The program is part of a series that investigates different types of crime and law enforcement efforts.
The report was first shown on April 23, 2026, and is available for almost a year on the BBC platform.
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A BBC investigation revealed that some small shops on UK High Streets are selling illegal drugs like cocaine, cannabis, and prescription pills. Police and government agencies say organized crime groups are using these shops to sell drugs and cause violence in local communities.
Key Facts
BBC undercover reporters secretly filmed drug sales in mini-marts across four towns in the West Midlands, England.
Illegal drugs offered included cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas, and prescription medicines like pregabalin.
Organised criminal gangs control some High Street shops to sell drugs and intimidate local businesses.
Investigations found illegal drugs in over 70 shops across various UK locations, including Devon, Norfolk, and Northern Ireland.
A senior Labour MP urged the government to act quickly to stop organised crime harming High Streets.
The Home Office said it is working with police and agencies like the National Crime Agency to take strong action against illegal businesses.
West Midlands Police confirmed they will respond to complaints about drugs and related crime.
In one undercover visit, a BBC researcher bought cannabis and cocaine from a Cradley Heath mini-mart where drugs were kept behind the counter and on call for delivery.
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A protest against the US-Israeli war on Iran took place in London. During the event, some protesters were stabbed, and many blame opposing pro-Shah counter-protesters for these attacks.
Key Facts
The protest was held in London.
It opposed the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Several protesters were injured by knife wounds.
Videos of the incident show multiple people with stab wounds.
Many participants accuse pro-Shah counter-protesters of carrying out the attacks.
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South Korea’s air force apologized for a 2021 collision between two fighter jets, caused partly by pilots taking selfies and filming during the flight. One pilot was disciplined and left the military, and the air force is working to improve flight safety rules.
Key Facts
The collision involved two F-15K fighter jets near Daegu in December 2021.
Pilots were taking selfies and filming during the formation flight without permission.
A wingman pilot made sudden moves to get better camera angles, causing the jets to collide.
The accident caused about 880 million won (roughly $600,000) in damage.
No one was injured in the collision.
The wingman pilot was found mainly responsible and had to repay part of the repair costs.
The air force admitted it had weak control over in-flight filming at the time.
They are now introducing stricter rules to improve flight safety and stop such incidents.
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Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of deliberately targeting and killing a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, in an airstrike and obstructing rescue efforts in southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied targeting journalists, saying they struck vehicles linked to Hezbollah and that they allow rescue teams access.
Key Facts
Journalist Amal Khalil, working for Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.
Another journalist, Zeinab Faraj, was injured in the same incident.
Lebanese officials said the two journalists were deliberately targeted after seeking shelter following an initial strike.
The Red Cross ambulance trying to reach the wounded journalists was prevented from entering due to stun grenades and gunfire by Israeli forces.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called these actions war crimes and said Lebanon will pursue them internationally.
The IDF claimed it targeted vehicles linked to Hezbollah and denied deliberately targeting journalists or blocking rescue teams.
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Khalil’s death and spoke against repeated strikes on locations where journalists were present.
Khalil’s body was eventually recovered by Lebanese emergency teams.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized two international ships in the Strait of Hormuz for alleged maritime violations, the first seizure since the war began in February. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran indefinitely while maintaining a naval blockade, but Iran has not confirmed the truce extension and demands the blockade be lifted for a full ceasefire.
Key Facts
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two ships, MSC Francesca (Panama-flagged) and Epaminondas (Liberia-flagged), for "attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz covertly."
This is the first time Iran has captured vessels since the conflict started in late February.
The US and Iran agreed to an indefinite ceasefire extension announced by President Trump, but Iran has not officially agreed to the extension.
Iran insists that a full ceasefire should only happen if the US naval blockade of its trade by sea is lifted.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the seizure of the ships was not a violation of the ceasefire because the ships were not American or Israeli.
John Phelan, the US secretary of the navy, left his position immediately without public explanation amid the ongoing conflict.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that the US-Israeli conflict with Iran is harming Europe and urged a peace-focused approach.
Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist and wounded others, marking the deadliest day since a recent truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
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Young people from poorer families in the UK are quitting apprenticeships because government benefit rules reduce their family’s benefits when they start paid training. This happens because the system treats apprentices as independent workers, cutting child and disability benefits that parents rely on, which can cause families to lose up to £340 a week.
Key Facts
The rules call a 16-year-old apprentice an “independent worker,” so parents lose child and disability benefits.
Families can lose up to £340 a week in benefits when a child starts an apprenticeship.
If a child stays in full-time education until 18, benefits are not reduced.
Many families and young people avoid apprenticeships because of these losses.
The benefit system was designed when the school leaving age was 16 and does not fit today’s rules that require training or education until 18.
There are 957,000 young people not in education, employment, or training (called “Neets”), and youth joblessness is the highest in a decade.
The government says apprentice wages usually make up for lost benefits but acknowledges the committee’s concerns.
Expert advisers say the current rules hurt poorer children’s career choices by forcing them to choose money over training.
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Members of the UK House of Commons environmental audit committee visited Bentham, North Yorkshire, the town with the highest levels of toxic "forever chemicals" called PFAS. The committee called for urgent limits on PFAS use in everyday products like school uniforms and food packaging, warning that these chemicals build up in nature and human bodies, possibly causing health problems.
Key Facts
PFAS are chemicals that do not break down naturally and accumulate in the environment and living things.
High levels of PFAS contamination were found in Bentham due to firefighting foam production.
PFAS exposure has been linked to cancer, immune system issues, infertility, and developmental problems.
The committee recommends banning PFAS in consumer goods starting next year.
The UK government’s current plan to tackle PFAS was criticized as weak and lacking clear actions.
The committee wants restrictions on entire groups of PFAS to prevent replacing banned chemicals with similar harmful ones.
Industry should get approval before introducing new PFAS substances instead of waiting to prove harm afterward.
Some experts say the report’s recommendations cover only a small part of PFAS exposure, especially ignoring industrial uses.
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Journalists at Czech public broadcasters plan to strike if the government goes ahead with a proposal to end licence fees and fund media directly from the state budget. The move, supported by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s party, is seen as a threat to media independence and would reduce funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio significantly.
Key Facts
The Czech government wants to stop household licence fees and fund public media from the state budget.
The culture minister announced that licence fees will be cancelled.
Journalists say this change would allow political control over media content.
The new budget would cut public media funding by about £48 million in 2027.
Czech Television would lose nearly one-third of its budget; Czech Radio about one-fifth.
Thousands of university students protested against the plan in Prague.
Opposition politicians and media figures criticize the plan as a threat to media freedom.
Licence fees have remained almost the same since 2005, and the new plan would reduce real funding levels to that time.
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Israeli forces killed journalist Amal Khalil and injured another journalist, Zeinab Faraj, in southern Lebanon. The attack involved repeated strikes that also delayed rescue efforts.
Key Facts
Journalist Amal Khalil was killed in southern Lebanon.
Journalist Zeinab Faraj was wounded in the same attack.
The attack was described as a "double-tap," meaning there were multiple strikes in the same area.
Repeated strikes targeted reporters and paramedics.
Rescue efforts were delayed for several hours because of continued attacks.
The incident was reported by Lebanon’s Al Akhbar News.
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Israel and Lebanon are having talks in Washington to ask for a one-month extension of a ceasefire that is about to end. The two countries are trying to stop the ongoing war involving Hezbollah, a group supported by Iran. The United States is involved in the discussions and has imposed a naval blockade against Iranian ports.
Key Facts
Israel and Lebanon met in Washington on April 14, their first meeting since 1993, to discuss stopping the war.
Lebanon wants to extend the ceasefire by one month as it nears expiration.
Hezbollah, supported by Iran, is opposing the talks and is not participating.
The US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran has fired on ships and seized others in the Strait of Hormuz, citing the blockade as reason.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials are part of the discussions.
The United Nations welcomed the US announcement of a ceasefire extension as a positive step.
There are no serious disagreements reported between Israel and Lebanon, but tensions remain due to Hezbollah's role.
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Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters in West Jerusalem burned Israeli flags and held signs against Zionism. This happened during the 78th anniversary of Israel’s founding.
Key Facts
The protest took place in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of West Jerusalem.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews led the protest.
They burned Israeli national flags.
Protesters carried banners opposing Zionism, the movement supporting Israel as a Jewish state.
The event coincided with Israel’s 78th Independence Day.
The protest shows disagreement with the national celebrations by some religious groups.
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The G7 environment meeting in Paris will not discuss climate change to avoid conflict with the United States, according to France's ecology minister. Instead, the talks will focus on ocean protection, biodiversity funding, desertification, and water pollution over two days.
Key Facts
The G7 environment meeting started in Paris without climate change on the agenda.
France left out climate change to prevent disagreement with the United States.
The US is represented by an Environmental Protection Agency official, not a minister.
President Trump’s administration withdrew the US from global climate agreements after returning to office in 2025.
The meeting focuses on ocean conservation, biodiversity funding, and preventing desert expansion.
France plans to announce $800 million for African national parks during the meeting.
Environmental activists criticized leaving climate change off the agenda.
The meeting happens shortly before a global conference in Colombia about ending the use of fossil fuels.
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A new community called Culdesac in Tempe, Arizona, has been built without cars. It includes shops, a restaurant, and a farmer’s market, and encourages walking, biking, and public transportation like free light rail and buses nearby.
Key Facts
Culdesac is a new development in Tempe, Arizona.
The community has no cars allowed inside.
It features shops, a restaurant, and a farmer’s market.
The area is designed for walking and biking.
Free light rail and bus services are available just outside the community.
The development supports environmentally friendly and sustainable living.
It was reported on Earth Day, April 22, 2026.
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In Season 5 of the TV show "The Boys," Ryan, who is Homelander's son, faces a violent attack from his father but survives. After the fight, Ryan recovers and seems to start his own journey, with future episodes likely to explore his role further.
Key Facts
Ryan is Homelander’s son and the first natural-born "Supe" with powers like his father.
In Episode 3, Homelander brutally attacks Ryan during a confrontation.
Ryan is shown injured but still alive when found by Billy Butcher.
Ryan wakes up in Episode 4 and talks with Butcher.
Butcher hints that Ryan has left to pursue his own mission, but it’s not clear where or why.
Ryan might be searching for a powerful version of Compound V, called V1, or looking for Zoe Neuman.
"The Boys" has four episodes left before the series finale airing on May 20.
Ryan is expected to have an important role in the final conflict against Homelander.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has shown a video of its forces capturing a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. This ship was one of two vessels taken by Iran on the same day.
Key Facts
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard released a video of seizing a container ship.
The ship was seized in the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway.
Two ships were captured by Iran on that Wednesday.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key passage for global shipping and oil transport.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is a branch of Iran’s military.
The incident increases tensions in the region, which is sensitive due to strategic shipping routes.
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The UK Parliament passed a law that bans people born after December 31, 2008, from ever buying cigarettes. The new law aims to create the first smoke-free generation by making cigarette sales illegal for future younger generations.
Key Facts
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was approved by the UK Parliament and awaits formal approval by King Charles III.
People born after December 31, 2008, will never be allowed to buy cigarettes.
The law allows the government to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.
It is already illegal to sell cigarettes or vaping products to anyone under 18.
The minimum age to buy cigarettes will rise every year, expanding the ban to more youth.
About 13% of the UK population (6.4 million people) still smoke despite large declines since the 1970s.
Smoking causes around 80,000 deaths annually in the UK and is the leading preventable cause of illness and death.
Similar laws were passed in New Zealand but repealed later by a new government.
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Search teams found the body of one missing crew member from a U.S.-registered cargo ship that overturned near the Northern Mariana Islands during Typhoon Sinlaku. The search continues for the five other missing crew members, with divers and aircrews from the U.S. Coast Guard and other countries involved in the rescue effort.
Key Facts
The cargo ship, named Mariana, capsized near the Northern Mariana Islands due to Typhoon Sinlaku.
One crew member’s body was found; five others remain missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard used underwater drones to search inside the overturned ship.
Japan’s coast guard also sent divers to assist in the search.
The typhoon brought winds up to 150 mph (241 kph) and caused significant damage.
Search efforts covered an area about the size of the U.S. state of Oregon.
The Mariana lost its starboard engine and requested help on April 15 but lost contact on April 16.
Life rafts and safety equipment for the crew are a focus, as they may affect how long survivors can last.
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