The 66-year-old suspect was arrested in the Dunmurry area under the Terrorism Act on Tuesday. He faces charges including attempted murder, possessing explosives with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, possession of articles for use in terrorism and hijacking. It comes after a delivery vehicle was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast on Saturday. A gas cylinder device was placed inside the car and the driver was ordered to take it to Dunmurry police station near Belfast. The vehicle exploded outside the station as residents were being evacuated, including two babies. Nobody was injured. The man who has been charged is expected to appear before Lisburn Magistrates' Court on Saturday. As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. Read more from Sky News:Woman who murdered sister and took her Rolex watch jailedSuperdry co-founder guilty of rape The Irish ​News newspaper quoted dissident republican group the New IRA ​on Tuesday as claiming responsibility for the attack. The New IRA is among a number of active groups opposed to a 1998 peace ⁠deal. The Dunmurry incident took place weeks after an attempted car bomb attack on Lurgan police station. On Monday, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) released footage of the moment the Dunmurry car bomb exploded, after political leaders and the chief constable Jon Boutcher jointly condemned the "reckless" attack. The footage shows a person walking along a path before a large flash of light erupts ahead.

The 44-year-old pop star was charged with a single misdemeanour count of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, a district attorney's office in California said. Spears will be offered the chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol and/or drugs - a common resolution for someone ​who has shown a willingness to undergo treatment. A representative for the star said earlier this month that Spears had voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation facility. She will not have to attend a court hearing scheduled for Monday and her lawyers can instead appear on her behalf. On 4 March, Spears was arrested after she was pulled over for driving her black BMW fast and erratically near her home, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said. At the time, the CHP said the singer was arrested and taken to a Ventura County jail after taking a series of field sobriety tests during which she seemed to be impaired. Read more:Former Spandau Ballet singer jailedKimmel versus Trump feud explained In a statement issued to Sky News' US partner NBC, a representative for Spears described the incident as "completely inexcusable". "Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long-overdue change that needs to occur in Britney's life," they continued. "Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time." The representative added that the singer's loved ones were "going to come up with an overdue-needed plan to set her up for success for wellbeing". Spears had been under a conservatorship that controlled many of her personal and financial decisions until a judge ended the arrangement in 2021. Fans had launched a "Free Britney" movement, while the singer's family argued suffered from mental illness and that the conservatorship was meant to protect her and her $60m estate.

The UK's national threat level has been moved up to severe following a terror attack that saw two Jewish men stabbed in north London. Golders Green latest: PM met by protesters in wake of double stabbing There are five different threat levels, with the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) responsible for deciding at which level the UK should sit. The five terror threat levels are: • Low - an attack is highly unlikely • Moderate - an attack is possible, but not likely • Substantial - an attack is likely • Severe - an attack is highly likely - this is the UK's current level • Critical - an attack is highly likely in the near future JTAC is based at MI5's headquarters in London and is comprised of representatives from 16 government departments and agencies. It brings together counter-terror experts from the police, government and security agencies. JTAC also works especially closely with MI5's international counter-terrorism branch, which manages investigations into terrorist activity in the UK. In deciding on the UK's threat level, JTAC considers: • The level and nature of current terrorist activity, in comparison with events in other countries and previous attacks. • What is known about the capabilities of the terrorists in question and the method they may use based on previous attacks or from intelligence. • The overall aims of the terrorists and the ways they may achieve them including what sort of targets they would consider attacking. • How close an attack might be to fruition. How has the threat level changed over the years? The system was first made public in 2006 and, since then, it has most often been at the severe level, and not been lower than substantial. The critical level has been in place four times: in August 2006, after a plot to detonate explosives on transatlantic flights; in June 2007, after an attempted car bomb attack at Glasgow airport; and in May and September 2017, after the Manchester Arena bombing and the Parsons Green District line attack, respectively. It was downgraded to severe a few days after the Parsons Green incident and remained there until being lowered to substantial in November 2019. The last time the level was raised to severe was in November 2021 after two incidents in the space of a month, the murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess in October and a car explosion outside a Liverpool hospital on Remembrance Sunday. It was downgraded back to substantial in February 2022.

Leclerc set two lap times quick enough to top the only practice session to beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.297s, with the early indications suggesting Mercedes no longer have the outright fastest car going into Sprint Qualifying at 9.30pm later on Friday, live on Sky Sports F1. Oscar Piastri was third but his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris appeared to be more competitive and would have been close to Leclerc without traffic and a near-miss with Williams' Alex Albon. Miami GP: UK schedule and how to watch on Sky SportsF1 2026 Calendar | F1 2026 Standings | F1 Gossip ColumnDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 Lewis Hamilton was 0.467s adrift of Leclerc and trailed his Ferrari team-mate throughout the 90-minute practice session - a continuation of the last F1 race weekend in Japan at the end of March. Mercedes have won the opening three Grands Prix and are unbeaten in competitive sessions this year, but have brought the fewest upgrades of the top teams. The Silver Arrows only have a revised front corner and new tailpipe compared to the new floors on the McLarens, Red Bulls and Ferraris. Russell was nearly eight tenths off the pace in sixth, behind Antonelli who set his best time on the hard tyres as a power unit problem prevented him from doing a soft tyre run. That power unit issue will be Mercedes' biggest concern after Russell earlier reported a strange noise from the turbo that sounded like a "steam engine". Antonelli leads Russell by nine points in the Drivers' Championship but the two Mercedes may not have everything their own way this weekend in Miami. "What have Mercedes got in their pocket?" said Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok. "Has George Russell been sandbagging? Has he got a set-up issue he's not happy with? "That's the question mark coming out of this session as, otherwise, we've suddenly got three other teams in that fight." Have upgrades changed the pecking order? The five-week gap since the last F1 race in Japan has given the teams the opportunity to work hard on development and every team, apart from Aston Martin, have brought upgrades to Miami. Ferrari have the most, with 11 new parts, and it seems to have paid off given Leclerc's blistering pace in a car that was already strong in the corners. The new floor and suspension on the Ferrari appears to have given them even more downforce, while McLaren and Red Bull have also come to Miami with effectively new cars. McLaren already made gains on Mercedes at the last race in Japan, but Norris in particular shone in practice on Friday in Miami and will be hopeful of a second victory at the track he took his maiden Grand Prix win at back in 2024. Red Bull were, on average, just over one second off the pace, but may have closed down that deficit to give Verstappen a more balanced car which he can push harder. Team principal Laurent Mekies told Sky Sports F1: "Honestly, we only looked at ourselves during that session. It was so important after the big break and with all the big changes on the car to try to assess us against us, really that was the main purpose. "In China and Japan, regardless of where the competition was, there were a lot of things that were stopping Max and Isaac from pushing, and that's what we're trying to fix. "The gap to competition we'll look at a bit later, but certainly on Max's side there is a sign that we have something he can push a bit more with." Sky Sports F1's Miami GP schedule Friday May 17.25pm: F2 Qualifying8.10pm: Team Bosses' Press Conference8.40pm: Miami GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 9.30pm) Saturday May 22.55pm: F2 Sprint4pm: Miami GP Sprint build-up5pm: MIAMI GP SPRINT6.30pm: Ted's Sprint Notebook8pm: Miami GP Qualifying build-up*9pm: MIAMI GP QUALIFYING*11pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook* Sunday May 35.25pm: F2 Feature Race7pm: Miami GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*9pm: THE MIAMI GRAND PRIX*11pm: Miami GP reaction: Chequered Flag*12am: Ted's Notebook* *Also on Sky Sports Main Event Formula 1 is in Miami for a Sprint weekend as the 2026 season resumes, watch live on Sky Sports F1 with Sunday's Grand Prix at 9pm. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

James Broadnax, 37, was pronounced dead on Thursday after a dose of lethal injection in Huntsville, around 70 miles north of Houston, Texas. Broadnax had said prosecutors misused rap lyrics he wrote to secure his death sentence. His emotional British wife, named in various reports as Tiana Krasniqi, screamed "I love you" before Broadnax stopped breathing. During the execution, she leaned up to the death chamber window with arms spread and had to be helped out of the prison. Earlier in the day, the US Supreme Court had denied a request by Broadnax's attorneys to stop his execution. Broadnax was convicted for the fatal 2008 shootings of two men outside a Dallas music studio. Prosecutors said he and his cousin, Demarius Cummings, had shot and robbed Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler in the parking lot of Butler's recording studio in Garland. Cummings was sentenced to life without parole. In his final statement, Broadnax protested his innocence but asked for forgiveness from the victims' relatives, some of whom, including the parents of each of the victims, were present. He said: "I prayed to God for your forgiveness. Despite what you think about me, I hope to God that prayer was answered. "But no matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I'm innocent. The facts of my case should speak for itself. Period." As the lethal dose of the sedative, pentobarbital, began, Broadnax urged his supporters to keep fighting, saying "don't give up". He was stopped in the middle of another sentence by a gasp. He also shook his head briefly and all movement stopped, before he was pronounced dead 21 minutes later. Prosecutors said he had confessed to the shooting and told reporters during jailhouse interviews that "I pulled the trigger" and that he had no remorse. In his final appeals, Broadnax's lawyers focused on two issues: that Cummings had recently confessed to being the shooter and that his constitutional rights were violated because prosecutors eliminated potential jurors from his trial on the basis of race. In a video recently recorded with a view to stopping the execution, Cummings said from prison: "I'm really gonna tell it like it's supposed to be told, that it was me, that I was the killer. I shot Matthew Bullard, Steve Swan." In an earlier appeal, Broadnax's attorneys had also argued that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by using rap lyrics he wrote to portray him as a violent and dangerous person in order to secure a death sentence. Rappers including Travis Scott and Killer Mike had filed briefs at the Supreme Court in support of Broadnax's appeal. Theresa Butler, Matthew Butler's mother, had asked that the execution proceed. She wrote in a post on social media: "This so called confession from cummings is just a stall tactic by Broadnax's desperate defense team. Its all a lie." Read more:Man appears in court over Golders Green stabbingSuperdry co-founder James Holder guilty of rape Broadnax was the tenth person put to death in the US this year, and the third in Texas, which has historically held more executions than any other state. According to the Death Penalty Information Centre, there were 24 executions in 2023 and 25 the following year. Last the year the figure rose to 47.

The writer was involved in a confrontation with Sophia Brooks outside the Battle Of Ideas conference in Westminster on 19 October 2024. The 57-year-old was cleared of harassment against Brooks in November, but found guilty of criminal damage. However, a judge overturned the conviction on Friday after a two-day hearing at London's Southwark Crown Court. Mrs Justice Amanda Tipples said she couldn't be sure the damage to the phone was caused by Mr Linehan. She explained there was no evidence showing the condition of the handset immediately before the incident or after it. The judge said Ms Brooks' initial report had also made no mention of any phone damage, and only referred to the harassment claim. Linehan - known for shows including Father Ted, The IT Crowd and Black Books - smiled and turned to his supporters in the public gallery when the verdict was revealed. Speaking afterwards, he said the "case should never have got to court" and accused police of failing to "properly and fairly investigate". Linehan said there was a "troubling pattern" of police believing trans-rights activists "even when there has been overwhelming evidence that complaints have been made against gender critical campaigners in bad faith". "I have suffered greatly in my fight to protect women and children from what I believe to be a dangerous ideology," he added. The verdict came after the court was shown video from the phone in the run-up to the incident. Ms Brooks, a trans woman - who was 17 at the time, approaches Linehan and asks: "Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?" Linehan is heard calling her a "sissy porn-watching scumbag," a "groomer" and a "disgusting incel" - to which she responds: "You're the incel, you're divorced." Another clip appears to show Linehan gabbing or slapping the phone out of her hands. Linehan's lawyer, Sarah Vine KC, told the court Ms Brooks was "misusing the justice system" and was "determined" to get the writer convicted due to his anti-trans activism and high profile. Ms Brooks was not in court for Friday's verdict. During the November trial, the prosecution addressed the complainant by their "affirmed gender name", while Linehan maintained the "complainant is male". The judge in that case called Linehan's social media posts directed at her "deeply unpleasant, insulting and even unnecessary" but said they weren't "oppressive or unacceptable". Read more from Sky News:Superdry co-founder James Holder guilty of rapeWoman who murdered her sister and stole her Rolex jailed Prosecutors also dropped a criminal probe into Linehan last year after the Metropolitan Police said it would stop investigating "non-crime hate incidents". It came after armed police arrested him on suspicion of inciting violence with his posts when he landed at Heathrow from his home in the US. Linehan said he had to go to A&E after his blood pressure reached "stroke territory" during questioning and the arrest was widely criticised.

The guarantee ensures the state pension increases every April in line with whichever is highest out of three options: the total earnings growth in the year from May to July of the previous year; Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation in September of the previous year; or 2.5%. But in a new report, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) calls for the triple lock to be scrapped to prevent the state pension rising faster than earnings growth. It labels the current system "outdated, increasingly unaffordable, and too rigid for the way people live and work" because it concentrates state-supported income support at retirement. What's the alternative? The former PM's thinktank argues a "lifespan fund" should be established instead, providing a flexible model that builds entitlement through activities including work, caring and study. It says annual contributions to a notional fund would provide up to 20 years of state-backed support at the level of today's state pension. Individuals could then be offered some flexibility, including accessing some of that entitlement while still working, to support them through "critical periods" such as unemployment, retraining or caring. People who choose to access this support would automatically pay higher national insurance contributions when they return to work, creating a "default path to rebuild what they had drawn down". Tom Smith, director of economic policy at the TBI, said: "We can't keep pouring money into a system that is increasingly unaffordable." The report highlights that the number of pensioners will rise from 12.6 million today to nearly 19 million by 2070. He called on political party leaders to show "leadership" to tackle the issue. Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch have both said they would keep it, as has Nigel Farage, who said he'd cut welfare to do so. Read more:Why are there two different state pensions?Premier Inn and Beefeater owner to cut 4,000 jobs Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said the triple lock should be retained into the next parliament – saying it has helped some of the poorest pensioners. "Going forward, we need a national debate to determine the purpose and appropriate value of the state pension as, at present, it is set too low to provide those reliant on it with a decent standard of living throughout their later lives," she said. A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said: "Supporting pensioners is a priority, and our commitment to the triple lock for the rest of this parliament means millions of pensioners will see their yearly state pension rise by up to £2,100." It added that the pensions commission "is already examining how we can ensure secure retirements for tomorrow's pensioners and for those that have not reached state pension age but need extra support".

The 48-year-old head coach emerged from a review of a disappointing season at Matfen Hall on Thursday believing that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which holds an 85 per cent stake in the club, are still committed to the ambitious vision set out when they took control in October 2021. His "constructive" discussions with Yasir Al-Rumayyan - chairman of both Newcastle and PIF - came as the Saudis announced their decision to stop funding LIV Golf, into which they have ploughed more than $5bn (£3.7bn), at the end of the 2026 season. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Newcastle news & transfers⚫⚪Newcastle fixtures & scores | FREE Newcastle PL highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Newcastle games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 Asked if he had been given any assurances about PIF's future financial support, Howe said: "No, and I didn't seek any either. "But I'd say that what came through was the determination to succeed and to continue to grow the club in every aspect. "The desire is unchanged, to try and get to the top of the Premier League, to try and win as many trophies consistently as possible. I don't think while PIF are, our owners, or part owners, majority owners that will change. They are very ambitious for the football club. "A lot of things they need to do to elevate the club will take a bit of time. We are going back to the stadium, the training ground, these things don't happen with the click of fingers because everything of course is interlinked to income. "As much as everyone wants to fast forward that, sometimes these things, to get it right, take a bit of time." LIV Golf Q&A: What does the future hold without Saudi backing?'A number of paths are possible' - what next for LIV Golf's future?'Long-term vision there for Newcastle' On meeting the club's owners, he added: "There was challenging conversations, challenging questions, but that's all part of it. "Those meetings, I've had that every year, regardless of our league position, where you'll be challenged and probed on certain decisions that you've made, how we've ended up in certain scenarios, and then you explain the process behind it. "This year, of course, slightly more difficult questions because of our league position, there's no getting away from that. But the process behind it was exactly the same as it has been every year. "It's always constructive because they clearly care so much about the football club, the long-term planning that's clearly going on, on a number of levels. "It's very exciting times ahead for the club, regardless of what happens short-term. The long-term vision is clearly there." Howe has twice guided the club into the Champions League and ended Newcastle's 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy during his four and a half years on Tyneside, but admits this season's league form has not been good enough and that was reflected during Thursday's talks. 'I have confidence I'll be here next season' Howe's own future has been a topic of intense debate in recent weeks following a run of nine defeats in 12 Premier League games which has left Newcastle in 14th place in the table, eight points shy of European qualification, but separated from the relegation zone by the same margin. While he knows a continuation of that run - they face Brighton at St James' Park on Saturday - could prove problematic for him, he insists he remains fully focused on taking the club forward. He said: "I've never needed clarity in my head [on the future], in the sense that I'm here, I'm working and I'm committed. A football club has to do what a football club has to do. "The football club needs to see we are going in the right direction and there's a positive feeling and fighting on all fronts. You can talk as much as you want but the proof is in how the team performs. I'm under no illusions that needs to be positive. "I don't need reinvigorating. I'm invigorated. My motivation levels are really high. "I think you learn a lot from these moments we are in. I'm learning a lot currently. Difficult runs force you to really revaluate everything and improve. Sometimes in the most disappointing moments are the times when you improve the most." "I have to retain that confidence [that I'll be here next season]. It's doesn't serve anybody, not to have that long-term vision. But we need to win games. "I feel there's unity within the football club. But in my position, I'm under no illusion, I have to get results - to keep that feeling and that trust. It's a responsibility that comes with the job." Midfielder Joelinton is available after serving a two-match ban, while Anthony Gordon could return from a hip flexor injury. Neville's backing for Howe Last weekend, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville backed Howe at Newcastle despite a poor recent run of results that has taken the Magpies from the European football picture to the bottom half of the Premier League table. "It's a really disappointing season," he told The Gary Neville podcast. "The transfer business at the end of the window in the summer was a real problem for them. They ended up with [Nick] Woltemade and [Yoane] Wissa and that's just not paid off yet. "I think full faith and trust in Eddie Howe is the way to go. "They've got a really good manager. Where at some clubs it's easier to say 'let's shift the manager and keep the players because they've got five or six-year contracts', [it's] absolutely the other way around at Newcastle. "They will be thinking 'if we lost him [Howe], we've lost an eight-and-a-half out of 10 manager, someone who's a real solid performer - reliable, consistent, someone who's got a great attitude'. "I hope they're sitting down with Eddie Howe and they're going through [the squad] and he's saying 'these are the players I want, he's a shift for me, these are the players I'm going to buy into for next season, I want to get these four or five in, and I want our business done early while everyone's thinking about the World Cup'. "They're a really good side, I like watching them and they're going to need to back their manager properly, buy into him, back him. "That's what I'd do if I were Newcastle because I think they've got one of the very best there and I think he'll get them back up challenging for Champions League next season." Howe knows support won't last forever Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downie: "Eddie Howe was fresh into his press conference from yesterday's top-brass meeting at the exclusive Matfen Hall in Northumberland. "Word I was getting overnight was that majority owners PIF are supportive of Newcastle's plight and understanding as to the reasons why this season has been largely disappointing. "And nothing Howe said today went against that. He described the unity at the club and underlined PIF's ambition to get to the top. Sitting 14th in the Premier League table though, Newcastle seem a long way away from those lofty heights. "He did say that he was asked "challenging questions. More difficult questions [than usual] due to their league position." But he also got the feeling there was support and understanding to his mitigation. "Howe said again that he needs no clarity on his future, he needs no reinvigoration. Despite that, it still doesn't feel nailed on he will be here next season. And that outcome depends on what happens between now and the summer. "Four games left, having lost five on the bounce. "I'm under no illusions, we need to win games," he repeated a number of times. In football things change quickly, and Newcastle need to start winning pronto. "He may have the backing of PIF for now, but he knows that won't last forever if Newcastle keep losing football matches."