Jon Di Stefano on the environmental credentials of smaller developers. Plus Mike Leonard on how the future homes standard should ensure low-carbon construction

Craig Bennett of the Wildlife Trusts highlighted some issues with the way UK housebuilders are delivering (or not delivering) housing ( UK housebuilders ‘very bad’ at building houses, says wildlife charity CEO, 1 April ). But should we be lumping every housebuilder together?

In December, the Federation of Master Builders reported that small housebuilders deliver only 10% of new homes today, compared with 40% in the 1980s. This diminished contribution has been called out by the housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, as a top priority for Homes England to address. Competition and innovation beget sustainability, affordability and quality in housing delivery. As someone who has made the jump from a larger housebuilder to a smaller one, I have seen this firsthand.

Park service deletes quote and an image of abolitionist from webpage, instead emphasizing ‘Black/White cooperation’

The National Park Service has removed a quote and an image of US abolitionist Harriet Tubman from a webpage about the Underground Railroad network that helped enslaved people escape captivity – and instead, the page now emphasizes what it describes as “Black/White Cooperation” as Donald Trump’s presidential administration continues its effort to sanitize the country’s history.

Previously , the page in question led with a quote from Tubman, who was the most renowned Underground Railroad operative, along with a prominent image of her. However, the revised page no longer includes these elements, and several references to enslaved people and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which Tubman as well as the Underground Railroad defied have also been removed.

US health secretary continues to send mixed messaging about measles outbreak that has claimed at least three lives

Robert F Kennedy Jr followed up his attendance at the Texas funeral of a child who died from measles by praising two unconventional “healers”, one of whom was previously disciplined by the state’s medical board for “unusual use of risk-filled medications”.

The US health secretary continued to send mixed messaging over the weekend about the measles outbreak that has now claimed at least three lives , including that of two children – first touting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as effective, then extolling the practitioners who have eschewed it in favor of vitamins and cod liver oil.

We asked experts on what are the benefits and risks of taking the highly touted supplement. This is what they said

Fish oil is a perennial wellness topic, partly because there’s so much conflicting information.

“People perceive fish oil to be a wonder supplement,” says Amelia Sherry, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Mount Sinai hospital.

Peter Brooks, 61, broke into Graeme Perks’ house, doused the floor in petrol and stabbed him

A surgeon has been convicted of the attempted murder of a fellow doctor, after he broke into his house, doused the ground floor in petrol and stabbed his victim, who he wanted “out of the way”.

The plastic surgeon Peter Brooks, 61, was convicted of two counts of attempted murder, attempted arson with intent to endanger life and possession of a knife in a public place after the attack on former colleague Graeme Perks in the early hours of 14 January 2021.

US president escalates trade war with China, saying all negotiations will be terminated and additional levies will take effect on Wednesday

• Global stock markets tumble further as Trump insists on tariff ‘medicine’
• Wall Street falls continue – business live
• Which Trump-backing billionaires have lost the most from tariffs?

EU ministers are in Luxembourg to consider the European Union ’s response to Trump’s sweeping tariff regime amid continuing market turmoil and heightened fears of a global economic recession .

It comes after Trump doubled down on his tariff policy in comments aboard Air Force One overnight. He said Europe “has treated us very, very badly,” and “has taken our leaders for a ride”, and declined to hold talks on changing tariffs “unless they pay us a lot of money on a yearly basis” . He also repeated criticism of Europe for not spending a fair share on Nato.

Prime minister says UK faces a ‘changing and completely new world’ after Donald Trump’s global tariffs

• UK politics live – latest updates

Keir Starmer has announced sweeping measures to support the car and pharmaceutical industries, as he said Britain faced a “changing and completely new world” after Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The prime minister warned of an “age of insecurity” as stock markets tumbled for a third day after the US president announced blanket import taxes on countries across the world.

First-weekend takings of $163m in North America puts the adaptation of the wildly popular video game ahead of previous record holder The Super Mario Bros Movie

A Minecraft Movie has broken box office records to record the highest ever first weekend total for a video game adaptation.

According to the Hollywood Reporter , the film took $163m (£128m) on its first three days at the North American box office (including approximately $10m for preview screenings on Thursday), which puts it well ahead of the previous record holder The Super Mario Bros Movie, which took $146m on its opening weekend in the US and Canada in 2023.

A pair of electrifying London shows bagged four prizes at the Olivier awards. Both were developed by Dutch company ITA, which has an eye for British talent

• Olivier awards: full list of winners
• Backstage at the Oliviers – in pictures
• Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph

The Royal Court and Regent’s Park Open Air theatre were among the victorious venues at Sunday’s Olivier awards, which recognise the cream of London’s Theatreland. But there was reason to celebrate in the Netherlands, too. The bold West End productions Oedipus and The Years, which picked up four awards between them, have their origins at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) .

The theatre’s artistic director is Eline Arbo, who adapted and staged a version of Nobel prize-winner Annie Ernaux’s The Years for an all-female cast. After its success in the Netherlands, Arbo was invited to London’s Almeida theatre to direct the show with British actors. Among them was Romola Garai, who won the Olivier award for best actress in a supporting role, while Arbo was named best director. The production received rapturous reviews and has transferred to the West End where its run ( which ends on 19 April ) has been accompanied by regular reports of audiences fainting during its abortion scene.