Real World News

Reports of an explosion on Merseyside 25 March 2017 From the section UK Image copyright George Beddows There have been reports of an explosion on Merseyside. Merseyside Fire and Rescue said it was responding to a suspected gas leak in the New Ferry area and had four appliances in attendance. A statement is expected shortly from Merseyside Police. Network Rail said police were dealing with an incident, disrupting the line between Birkenhead Central and Ellesmere Port/Chester and services will be su…

Reports of an explosion on Merseyside 25 March 2017 From the section UK Image copyright George Beddows There have been reports of an explosion on Merseyside. Merseyside Fire and Rescue said it was responding to a suspected gas leak in the New Ferry area and had four appliances in attendance. A statement is expected shortly from Merseyside Police. Network Rail said police were dealing with an incident, disrupting the line between Birkenhead Central and Ellesmere Port/Chester and services will be su…

Donald Trump: Tax reform next after healthcare failure 25 March 2017 From the section US & Canada Image copyright AP Image caption "Big tax cuts and tax reform" are next on the agenda, Mr Trump said US President Donald Trump says he will turn to tax reform, following his failure to get his healthcare bill through Congress on Friday. The draft bill would have scrapped the Affordable Care Act of his predecessor Barack Obama, wh…

Douglas Carswell quitting UKIP 25 March 2017 From the section UK Politics UKIP's Douglas Carswell is quitting the party to become an independent MP for Clacton and says he is doing so "amicably". Mr Carswell defected from the Conservatives to join UKIP in 2014. He said he had joined UKIP because he wanted the UK to leave the EU and now "that is going to happen, I have decided that I will be leaving UKIP". Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage had demanded Mr Carswell quit, accusing him of "actively working against UKIP". View the full article

Douglas Carswell quitting UKIP 25 March 2017 From the section UK Politics UKIP's Douglas Carswell is quitting party to become an independent MP for Clacton and says he is doing so "amicably" This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the l…

Douglas Carswell quitting UKIP 25 March 2017 From the section UK Politics UKIP's Douglas Carswell is quitting party to become an independent MP for Clacton and says he is doing so "amicably" This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the l…

Trump blames Democrats for failed healthcare bill 25 March 2017 From the section US & Canada Media captionIn his own words, Mr Trump explains his doomed effort to repeal ObamacareUS President Donald Trump has blamed Democrats for the failure of his healthcare bill. The bill was withdrawn on Friday because it did not have enough support to pass in Congress. Speaking to the Washington Post, Mr Trump said "We couldn't get one Democratic vote, and we were a little bit shy, very little, but it was still a little bit shy, so we pulled it." The last-minute retraction is seen as a h…

US healthcare bill: Blow for Trump as House vote delayed 23 March 2017 From the section US & Canada Image copyright Getty Images A vote on President Donald Trump's new health care bill in the House of Representatives, scheduled for Thursday, has been delayed. The postponement is a setback for the president who had insisted he would win the numbers on Thursday to pass. His key American Healthcare Act is intended to replace parts of the Obamacare health-insurance reforms. Repealing and replacing…

London attack: World leaders show solidarity 22 March 2017 From the section UK Image copyright EPA Image caption Emergency response workers continued to work at the scene into the evening Leaders of countries affected by recent terror attacks have voiced solidarity with the UK after the deadly attack near the Houses of Parliament. A lone attacker was shot dead after he used a car to run down pedestrians, killing two, and stabbed a…

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness dies aged 66 21 March 2017 From the section Northern Ireland Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland's former deputy first minister, has died aged 66. It is understood he had been suffering from a rare heart condition. The former IRA leader turned peacemaker worked at the heart of the power-sharing government following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. He became deputy first minister in 2007, standing alongside Democratic Unionist Party leaders Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster. Obituary: Mart…

Britain's GCHQ agency denies wiretapping Donald Trump 17 March 2017 From the section UK Image copyright PA Britain's communications intelligence agency GCHQ has issued a statement denying it wiretapped Donald Trump during the US presidential campaign. The unusual move by the agency came after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer cited claims first made on US TV channel Fox News earlier this week. GCHQ responded by saying the allegations were "nonsense, utterly ridiculous and should be ignored". …

Orly airport: Man killed after taking soldier's gun 18 March 2017 From the section Europe Image copyright AFP Image caption Police with bomb disposal equipment are now combing the airport A man has been shot dead after grabbing a soldier's gun at Orly airport in Paris, French officials say. He was killed by the security forces in a shop after seizing the weapon in the airport's southern terminal. The airport has been shut down af…

Flight ban on laptops 'sparked by IS threat' 22 March 2017 From the section US & Canada Image caption The UK ban applies to direct inbound flights from six countries; the US ban lists eight countries An aircraft cabin ban on large electronic devices was prompted by intelligence suggesting a terror threat to US-bound flights, says US media. The US and UK have announced new carry-on restrictions banning laptops on certain passenger flights. The so-called Islamic State grou…

Flight ban on laptops 'sparked by IS threat' 22 March 2017 From the section US & Canada Image caption The UK ban applies to direct inbound flights from six countries; the US ban lists eight countries An aircraft cabin ban on large electronic devices was prompted by intelligence suggesting a terror threat to US-bound flights, says US media. The US and UK have announced new carry-on restrictions banning laptops on certain passenger flights. The so-called Islamic State (IS)…