National News

SpaceX’s Starship – the biggest and most powerful space rocket ever developed – has exploded minutes after blasting off. The launch, which took place from SpaceX’s Starbase in the US state of Texas, came after a stuck valve forced a launch attempt on Monday to be aborted. While Thursday’s launch saw the rocket leave the launch pad and ascend into the sky, the first and second stages of the launch

A seven-year-old “skipped to her death” while being lured to a derelict building where she was brutally murdered in 1992, a court heard. David Boyd, then aged 25, is accused of smashing Nikki’s Allan’s skull with a brick before repeatedly stabbing her through the heart and dragging her body through the ruined building and dumping her in the basement. The 55-year-old, then also known as Smith or Bell, of Chesterton

The long-awaited report into bullying allegations made against Dominic Raab has been received by the Prime Minister. But uncertainty remains over when the review will be made publicly available and what action – if any – Rishi Sunak will decide to take over the Deputy Prime Minister on the strength of its findings. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the questions surrounding the report and

Extinction Rebellion has pledged to help the London Marathon run “smoothly” ahead of protest action on the day of the race. The group is staging a four-day protest outside Parliament Square from April 21 but have been in talks with the marathon race director to ensure minimal disruption. A Just Stop Oil activist also confirmed there are no plans to disrupt the race on Sunday, although they encouraged protesters to attend. An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson

A trove of letters offering a “unique glimpse” into the private life of the late Queen are to go under the hammer in Belfast. The original handwritten letters by Queen Elizabeth II and an emerald and diamond bracelet and ring belonging to Wallis Simpson are among items to be sold at Bloomfield Auctions. The letters from the late Queen to her midwife Helen Rowe in 1950 discuss how they can

Even a brief session of heading a football immediately alters brain function and the way the brain communicates with the muscles around it, a new study has shown. Participants who headed 20 footballs in succession did not improve their performance on a cognitive task with practice, whereas a control group who performed headers in virtual reality did. The heading impacts therefore appeared to impair the ability to improve performance on

Anton Du Beke has guaranteed audiences will have “a great night” ahead of his new one-man show, An Evening With Anton Du Beke. The Strictly Come Dancing dancer and judge welcomed “silly questions” from audience members via text, billing the event as “the only show you can come and see and get your phones out”. Du Beke was joined by members of his ensemble in London on Wednesday as they

The boss of NatWest has said that nearly a quarter of the carbon emissions that its borrowers emit come from farms, despite only a fraction of its loans going to the agriculture sector, as she stressed the importance of working with companies to help them cut their environmental impact. Speaking in a short film made on behalf of charities WWF, RSPB and National Trust, Alison Rose said that her company

Paul O’Grady will be laid to rest on Thursday with a private service featuring a guard of honour with dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and an appearance from the Salvation Army Band. O’Grady, who rose to fame as his platinum wig-wearing drag queen alter ego Lily Savage before going on to host a string of television programmes, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” at his home on March 28 at