NEW plans have revealed the planned makeover for one UK station that sees 14.8million passengers every year.
The busy train station in the North of England is set to undergo a huge overhaul as part of a multi-billion pound project that will transform it into a ‘world-class hub’.
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New plans for Liverpool Central Station have been revealedCredit: LCRThe station is set to be revamped at the cost of £5billionCredit: Liverpool City Council
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The council has revealed ambitious plans to upgrade Liverpool Central Station which first opened in 1874.
Its makeover will be part of a wider regeneration – London-based architecture firm Hawkins\Brown taking charge of the vision across the 86-acre site.
New renders reveal a brand-new look for Central Station with a completely different front, as well as a bright inside with lots of windows and a glass roof to let in natural light.
Other images show what the central plaza could look like in the evening with open spaces, greenery and purple lighting.
The hope is that Liverpool Central will link with nearby Liverpool Lime Street with Merseyrail services connecting with National Rail services.
It would then be easy to reach Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter, its waterfront and Queen Square, which is home to bars, cafes and restaurants.
This will be much like King’s Cross and London St Pancras, which are two separate stations, but used as one hub within the city.
This included the possibility of an underground tunnel between the stations too.
The project to overhaul not only the station, but central Liverpool area, is predicted to cost £5billion with the council hoping it will “create a world-class hub.”
The new central plaza outside Liverpool Central railway station could look very differentCredit: Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Liverpool Central is one of the busiest and most important transport gateways in the country – and the area around it should match the ambition of the city it serves.
He continued: “This is a chance for us to think bigger about the future of one of the key front doors to Liverpool – creating a greener, safer and better-connected gateway that works for residents, businesses and the millions of people who pass through it every year.”
Last year, details emerged for more plans to better connect the city centre.
As part of the wider regeneration of Liverpool, new homes, shops and public spaces will be also created.
Rep. Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, asked Hegseth for an update on the E-7 during a hearing before members of the House Appropriations Committee earlier today. In his question, Cole, who is Chairman of the committee, also highlighted the loss of one of the Air Force’s existing E-3s, also known as Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia in March. That has put new emphasis on the Wedgetail program. The latest conflict with Iran has also just added to the already significant strains on the dwindling fleet of aging E-3s, as TWZ has previously explored in detail.
“Let me ask you a specific question, and you may want to get back to me on this, I don’t know, but we’ve had some discussion over – you know, we lost one E-3. On the ground, thank goodness. Looks like no crew loss,” Rep. Cole said, leading into his question. “This committee has been interested in investing in the E-7. The Pentagon signed the contract for five additional planes. [It is] not in the Air Force budget [for Fiscal Year 2027]. Is there going to be a fix to that? Where are we at on thinking about the E-7?”
As of April, the Air Force had awarded contracts to Boeing for a total of seven developmental E-7s. Versions of the Wedgetail are already in service in Australia, South Korea, and Turkey. The United Kingdom is also set to field a fleet of these aircraft. However, a U.S.-specific configuration is now in the works.
A render of an E-7 Wedgetail in US Air Force service. USAF
“I am well aware of that dynamic. I know our department had taken the position that it was … other satellite ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities] that was probably going to be capable of a lot of that in the future,” Hegseth said in response to Rep. Cole’s question. “But I think that mindset was indicative of a mindset that we’ve shed, which is the divest-to-invest mindset, which was an austerity mindset, that we’re going to get continuing resolution after continuing resolution. So, we [sic] got to get rid of these platforms in order to invest in these platforms. And there are gaps that need to still be filled. And there are systems that still need to be funded that are used on the battlefield right now, say, MQ-9s, A-10s, you name it.”
“And the E-7 is one of those,” Hegseth continued. “So, we’ve actually sent a budget amendment to OMB [Office of Management and Budget at the White House] to add that. I think it has a future. It has a place on the battlefield. And we’ll get more information for you on that, as well.”
The continuing resolutions referenced here are short-term federal government spending packages that Congress routinely approves when it cannot pass a full annual budget.
Secretary Hegseth also touched on the Air Force’s long-term plan, which remains unchanged publicly, to eventually push most, if not all, air moving-target indicator (AMTI) tasks into orbit. His comments today implicitly acknowledge that cancelling the E-7 program would have risked a serious capability gap in the near term, with the hopes of a better solution coming in the future. This is something TWZ had been sounding the alarm on since last year. Despite major investments and prototyping activities already underway, those space-based capabilities are still years away, at best, from becoming a reality. The Air Force’s original plan to replace a portion of its E-3 fleet with E-7s underscored the expectation that airborne early warning aircraft would also continue to play a vital role for years to come.
As a replacement for the E-3, the E-7 is a much more modern and capable aircraft. The Wedgetail is arguably the best airborne look-down sensor platform anywhere in the world at present, which is especially valuable for spotting long-range kamikaze drones, as well as cruise missiles. The Boeing 737-based design is also adaptable to other mission needs, including battle management and serving as a networking node using its own expansive communications and data-sharing suite. TWZ highlighted all of this in March, when Australia announced it was sending one of its E-7s to the Middle East to help Gulf Arab States defend against Iranian attacks.
Northrop Grumman MESA Radar – Boeing E-7 AEWC
Hegseth’s comments today on the change in mindset at the Pentagon do not touch on the argument that he and others made last year, that the E-7 was too vulnerable to be viable in future conflicts. This was despite an accompanying plan for the acquisition of more of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes that the U.S. Navy currently flies to fill airborne early warning capability gaps in the absence of an Air Force Wedgetail fleet. TWZ and others had quickly pointed out that the same survivability questions applied equally to the E-2D, which is also not as capable an aircraft as the E-7, which you can read more about here.
A US Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. USN
When previously arguing for its cancellation, Hegseth and others had also cited cost overruns and delays that had befallen the Air Force’s Wedgetail program since it first kicked off back in 2022.
As noted, Congress had interceded to save the E-7 from purgatory, at least in Fiscal Year 2026, appropriating more than $1 billion in new funding for the program. Of the seven Wedgetails the Air Force has on order now, five were put on contract just this past March. The service had previously ordered two other jets to support rapid prototyping efforts. Even so, the Air Force had continued to sound somewhat noncommittal about the future of the E-7 program.
“We, of course, as we always do, follow congressional direction, and we will do the [E-7] rapid prototypes. We will fund those rapid prototypes,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink told TWZ and other outlets at a roundtable on the sidelines of the Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA) annual Warfare Symposium in February. “They told us to deliver a plan for additional aircraft. Now we will do that.”
“By the way, ‘deliver a plan’ does not mean we’re going to put it in the budget,” Meink also said at that time. “We will deliver a plan of what it takes to do it, and then we’ll have a discussion with them [Congress].”
This is what turned out to be the case, at least initially, with the E-7 again being absent from the Air Force’s proposed 2027 Fiscal Year budget when it was rolled out in full last month.
A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail. RAAF
“The Department [of the Air Force] is committing to work with you to figure out how to adjust the [20]27 budget submission to fund the E-7, and then work the [20]28 [budget] going forward,” Meink said at a separate hearing more recently, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Despite the Pentagon saying its position on the E-7 has now completely changed, when the Air Force might begin flying the jets operationally remains to be seen. The service’s original goal was to have Wedgetails flying real-world missions in 2027, but the schedule had already slipped to 2032 by the beginning of last year. Though it is back underway now, the program was effectively frozen for much of 2025, which could easily have set the timeline back even further. Steps could also now be taken to try to accelerate the acquisition and fielding of the aircraft.
As it stands now, the Pentagon and the Air Force look to have fully dropped their opposition to moving ahead with fielding the already sorely needed fleet of new E-7s.
BBC Breakfast has been hit with complaints by angry viewers following a major shake-up
BBC Breakfast viewers ‘fuming’ as show ‘bins’ popular segment ‘completely in tatters’
BBC Breakfast viewers have been left rather unimpressed following a segment shake-up.
The morning show returned to screens on Saturday (May 9) for another instalment. Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were back at the helm, to discuss some of the biggest stories hitting the headlines.
BBC Newswatch is a weekly show offering viewers and listeners the opportunity to respond to BBC News. The segment sees Samira presenting viewer feedback on the BBC’s reporting of major stories, with audiences either praising or critiquing the coverage.
But fans hoping to watch the latest Newswatch were left disappointed as the segment was conspicuously missing from BBC Breakfast. As the clock approached the typical Newswatch time, Naga and Charlie continued their interview with Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell.
And when the interview stopped and the hosts moved onto the next topic, angry fans soon took to X to fume over there being no Newswatch. One person wrote: “Hope newswatch hasn’t been binned for repeats of the same political news.” A second added: “Never thought I’d be desperate for news watch.”
A third comment read: “Fuming it’s dropped.” Another person penned: “Mean buggers binning newswatch, it’s only 10min long sods.” Someone else said: “Saturday viewing fun completely in tatters lol.”
This is not the first time Newswatch has taken a break from screens. In March, Samira announced the segment would be off air for several weeks – but reassured viewers that it would return to screens.
“We are off air next weekend over Easter but we will be back to hear more of your thoughts about how the BBC covers the news, in a fortnight,” Samira told viewers.
Meanwhile, journalist and broadcaster Samira has 20 years’ experience in print and broadcast and has hosted Newswatch since 2012. In 2020, Samira was named British Broadcasting Press Guild audio presenter of the year.
She has presented many news and arts programmes over the years for BBC TV and radio, including The World Tonight, PM, Sunday Morning Live on BBC One, Night Waves on Radio 3 and The Proms on BBC Four.
BBC Breakfast airs Monday to Sunday from 6am on BBC One.
A video filmed by an Israeli soldier shows widespread destruction in northern Gaza. Before Israel’s genocidal war, the town of Beit Hanoon was home to 50,000 people. Despite a ceasefire, Israeli forces have bulldozed what was left of hundreds of homes.
Iran says ‘passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz’ open during the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.
Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026
The Strait of Hormuz is “completely open” for all commercial vessels and will remain so during the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, Iran’s foreign minister has said.
“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X on Friday.
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A 10-day ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Lebanon late on Thursday.
The passage of vessels through the strait will be on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran, Araghchi added.
United States President Donald Trump confirmed in a social media post that the strait was “completely open and ready for business and full passage”.
We boarded the P&O Cruises sailing around Canary Islands and Madeira with a previous cruise experience in mind – but P&O Cruises offered a completely unexpected holiday
17:22, 16 Apr 2026Updated 17:23, 16 Apr 2026
(Image: Christopher Ison)
‘I get seasick when I am on a rowing boat’.
Those 10 words from my friend Paul filled me with dread as we prepared for our first ever cruise together. He was a cruise virgin having always avoided a holiday on board a ship due to seasick fears and the idea of not being in one place for very long.
My last cruise was 25 years plus ago so we were definitely newbies as we boarded P&O’s Azura in the Port of Santa Cruz following a chartered flight from Gatwick to Tenerife. But we had decided to take the leap of faith in a bid to soak up some winter sunshine, relax and explore the Canary Islands and Madeira.
This kicked off with a trip to Tenerife’s Mount Teide where we were immediately hit by the contrast of winter underfoot and the sunshine hitting our skin. Following a bumpy and exhilarating cable car journey towards the summit of the 3,715 metre high volcano we emerged onto the crisp snow that crunched under every step.
Just minutes earlier we had been at the bottom among ashen, molten rock on a lunar landscape more at home on Mars or the Moon. Our guide explained that they had experienced more rain and snow than in many many a year, but this just added to the breath-taking scenery.
However each destination offers something different with a whole host of excursions available. Regular cruisers told us the excursions and the entertainment on sea days are what sets this cruise apart and we really could not disagree.
Our other excursions on Gran Canaria and then Lanzarote continued the theme of feeling like you are stepping off the boat onto another planet. We visited Timanfaya National Park on Lanzarote where a 40-minute bus tour takes you through lunar landscape shaped by eruptions towards the park’s Islote de Hilario where geothermal demonstrations wow the crowds of tourists and chickens are cooked on BBQs using the volcanic heat. In Gran Canaria we did a two-hour walking guided tour around the edge of a volcano where we again mixed ash, molten rock and thriving greenery before heading to a vineyard to sample local wines and cheeses.
Thankfully the destination days were separated by two sea days which allowed us to recover from exploring the islands and discover everything the Azura had to offer. It is one of the largest cruise liners in the P&O fleet with more than 1500 cabins spread across 14 decks which also include five pools, a gym, a spa, a casino, theatre as well as several restaurants and bars.
It meant there was plenty of opportunity for us to unwind and indulge – and there was not even the smallest of suggestion that Paul was going to be seasick . We spent several hours in the modern and well-equipped gym but it was the spa that was the real special retreat with an adult-only pool, jacuzzi, sauna and plenty of treatments.
The escape from the sun-kissed bustling decks was welcome before the highlight of dining and then on to more exploring – this time trying out the nightlife onboard!
When it came to food, there was an impressive amount of choice, but one must-visit is the sophisticated Epicurean which offers fine dining and makes you feel at home for the black-tie evenings. The dishes are not just beautifully presented but the taste was exceptional and the whole experience felt extremely luxurious.
Other highlights included Sindhu which is a stylish Indian eatery, the Beach House offering Caribbean and Mexican style dishes (which includes the stand-out Fillet steak served on a lava rock), as well as The Oriental featuring a mix of British and global dishes.
It was this variety – not just for dining – but across the whole experience which saw us converted to cruise enthusiasts. There really is something for everyone and something for every budget. You can mix fine dining and extravagant excursions or you can mix the buffet with exploring the islands yourself. You can relax by the pool and bars or head to the spa.
You can work out in the gym and swim or you can soak up the sun on the decks. You can try quizzes, the casino, sports and much more. It seems to be perfect for couples, friends, families, as you truly can make what you want out of the holiday.
In the meantime, I know for sure that I won’t be leaving it another 25 years before I board my next cruise.
Book the holiday
Prices for the Spain, Portugal & Canary Islands cruise (N617) start from £1,299pp, sailing 14-nights on a roundtrip from Southampton on 18 July onboard Ventura, based on two people sharing an inside cabin. Book on pocruises.com.
The U.S Central Command said late Tuesday that its forces have halted all maritime traffic to and from Iran. File Photo by Ali Haider/EPA-EFE
April 15 (UPI) — The U.S. military’s maritime blockade of Iran has “completely halted” sea-based trade with the Middle Eastern country, U.S. Central Command said late Tuesday.
President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran collapsed.
The blockade of 12 U.S. warships, more than 100 fighter and surveillance aircraft and more than 10,000 soldiers began at 10 a.m. EDT Monday, an effort to prohibit maritime traffic to and from all Iranian ports.
According to U.S. military officials, it covers the entire southern coastline of Iran, including ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, between which lies the Strait of Hormuz.
“A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as U.S. forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East,” Adm. Brad Cooper, Central Command commander, said in a statement.
“In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.”
Central Command said earlier Tuesday that no ships had made it through during the blockade’s first 24 hours and that six vessels had complied with U.S. forces’ direction to return to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.
“The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas,” Central Command said.
The blockade comes amid a two-week cease-fire between the United States and Iran that Trump announced on April 8. During the fragile truce negotiations on a permanent end to the war were to be conducted.
However, negotiations with Iran collapsed in Pakistan on Sunday, seemingly over disagreements on Iran’s nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Not long after the war began with the United States and Israel attacking Iran on Feb. 28, Iran sharply restricted vessel traffic to the Strait of Hormuz, an important trade route through which flows roughly 27% of the world’s maritime trade in crude oil and petroleum products as well as 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.
Iran’s control of trade through the strait has caused gas prices to spike, threatening countries with energy crises.
The U.S. blockade appears aimed at financially squeezing Iran by cutting it off from maritime trade revenue.
According to Maid Maleki, senior fellow of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan Washington, D.C., research institute, the blockade could cost Iran about $435 million a day.
“The blockade makes continued resistance economically impossible,” he said in a statement.
