Police officers smash through the back doors of a bright, modern barber shop in the market town of Shrewsbury.

Inside they immediately detain two men - who we are later told are Kurdish asylum seekers. Both men are later released.

It is the first of six raids that day where police seize thousands of pounds in cash and illicit vapes.

The officers are here with a warrant to search the premises because of suspected money laundering. They say their intelligence also suggests the shop is linked to sale of illicit cigarettes and vapes, illegal immigration and drug-dealing.

Det Insp Daniel Fenn, on his ninth raid of the week, says some barber shops such as this are claiming income of £100,000 to £150,000 a month. "They aren't getting that amount of customers to warrant that amount of money."

CCTV in other barbers that have been raided has shown they do not have many customers, so footage of this one will also be examined, DI Fenn says.

The raid in Shrewsbury was one of 265 carried out across England last month as part of a crackdown on High Street businesses - often Turkish-style barbers, vape shops and mini-marts - suspected of being fronts for international crime gangs.

Politicians and members of the public have raised concerns about many of these businesses which have boomed even while High Streets appear to be in decline. The average number of barbers per person in England and Wales has doubled in the past 10 years, according to commercial property analysts Green Street.

Now the National Crime Agency (NCA) says it has launched the crackdown, called Operation Machinize, in response to growing intelligence reports that some of these shops are being used for money laundering - where gangs falsely present the proceeds of criminal operations as if they were earnings from legitimate businesses handling large amounts of cash.

Despite these shops operating openly for years on High Streets and attracting widespread local suspicion, this is the first co-ordinated action of its kind by police, tax and immigration inspectors and Trading Standards officers. We were given exclusive access to dozens of raids carried out by Greater Manchester and West Mercia Police.

Det Insp Melanie Johnson, who led the operation for Greater Manchester Police, said her own local High Street had 10 barbers and a mini-mart, which was "not sustainable".

"As a mum to young children, I want them to grow up feeling safe, in a community that isn't derelict, a High Street that isn't falling apart, and isn't populated by criminality," she said.

During the operation:

• Police targeted a series of linked mini-marts in Rochdale that they suspect are "fronts" for illegal activity, staffed by Kurdish, Iraqi and Iranian asylum seekers. Officers later said some of the staff were working in the UK illegally
• A cannabis farm was found in Leigh and over 150 plants seized. Also found during raids across Greater Manchester were brown powder believed to be heroin, vials of testosterone, nitrous oxide, Xanax tranquilliser and a machete
• 35 people were arrested, and 55 suspected illegal immigrants were questioned. Three potential victims of modern slavery were identified
• Bank accounts and assets worth over £1m were later frozen and £40,000 in cash was seized

The Shrewsbury raid was on a barber shop in the centre of town, one of five close together which were also targeted in the operation.

"Members of the public are angry. They can see these fronts are there," says Det Insp Fenn. "The criminals feel they are hidden here. They think they can come to sleepy areas such as Shrewsbury and Telford and won't be found."

It looks like the two men detained here have been living in the rooms above the barbers - there are clothes, shoes and food scattered on the floor as we move from room to room. The flats are barely furnished, with just a mattress and blankets on the floor.

Det Insp Fenn says organised crime groups are different all over the country, but here he has been seeing familiar patterns of shops staffed with asylum seekers or illegal immigrants, many of the people in the barber shops being from Kurdish backgrounds.

The detective says that behind the front of a High Street business "the main criminality may be modern-day slavery, exploitation and drugs".

Despite the barber shop's supposed high revenue, police find an unpaid £7,000 gas bill along with the seized cash and illicit vapes.

Legitimate barbers say they want to see a registration scheme and a crackdown on unscrupulous operators. Gareth Penn, chief executive of the Hair and Barber Council, said the rise of illegal barbers has led to fungal infections, such as ringworm, from improperly cleaned equipment.

"This has a massive impact on legitimate businesses as they can't compete against those with few of the costs genuine barbers have," said Mr Penn.

The NCA estimates that £12bn in illicit cash is laundered in the UK every year, some of it through criminal front organisations on the High Street. Their numbers appeared to surge as shop vacancies grew in the wake of the pandemic, creating an opening for criminal gangs.

Politicians began to demand action, prompting law enforcement, tax, immigration and Trading Standards agencies to develop this co-ordinated response.

The NCA now has to analyse what Operation Machinize has uncovered for evidence of fraud and money laundering, to try to trace the networks behind these shops and stop the flow of criminal cash.

Rachael Herbert, deputy director of economic crime at the NCA, said the presence of criminal front organisations "gives the perception from the local community that criminals have the run of the High Street" and contributes to the demise of shopping centres.

"Money laundering is not a victimless crime. It's associated with some of the most high-harm and violent crimes on the street," she said.

The NCA believes some barber shops or mini-marts are used as fronts for drug-trafficking, people-smuggling, modern slavery and child sexual exploitation. These kinds of shops have also been linked to the illicit importation of tobacco, vapes and firearms.

In 2023, it secured the conviction of one Iranian Kurdish barber shop owner, Hewa Rahimpur, who was using his shop in London as a base for a far-reaching criminal organisation which smuggled 10,000 people to the UK in small boats.

"These businesses also evade an enormous amount of tax. That is money that doesn't go to the exchequer to be used for local communities," Ms Herbert said.

Seeing illicit products like vapes, cigarettes and tobacco on sale is also a red flag to the investigating teams.

In Rochdale, the sniffer dog shakes with excitement, her tail wagging frantically, above a hole concealing dozens of boxes of illegally imported tobacco products in one shop.

"We could hit this shop every day for a week and we'd still find stuff. It's non-stop," Dennis Chalmers from Trading Standards says. "These shops are just set up to do this."

Outside on the street, Mr Chalmers gestures to half a dozen shops on the street which he has visited and believes to be linked. "They seem to be popping up everywhere. There's like five, six hairdressers in one row."

He estimates across Rochdale there are more than 20 businesses that are fronts for criminal organisations and he says he sees many of the same people from Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan working in them.

In one shop, a worker who says he is Kurdish claims he has only worked there for two days.

"Two days?" asks Mr Chalmers. "Even though I saw you here last week?"

The shop worker tells the Trading Standards officer he doers not know his boss's name.

Mr Chalmers tells us: "The danger is, because you don't know who is behind these businesses, as the employee doesn't know who the owner is, when we try and chase them they just keep changing, changing."

Companies House documents show the shop address has been used to register four almost-identically named businesses since 2019, three of which faced action to strike them off the company register for failing to file accounts properly.

Immigration officers say the Kurdish man in the shop has been in the country for four years, but has been granted the right to work while he waits for his asylum application to be decided.

Close by, police and Trading Standards officers show us more mini-marts that have been left empty - they say staff disappeared as soon as police arrived.

Outside one, a man approaches us laughing. It is clear he is not put off by the police action. He tells us he is from Iran and, when questioned, claims he does not work in the shop. We return later and see him inside the mini-mart, apparently working.

"We see him every day," says Mr Chalmers in frustration. "It's just a game to them. A dangerous one."

He says he would like more resources to get on top of the issue and greater powers to shut down these premises more quickly.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the operation "highlights the scale and complexity of the criminality our towns and cities face".

"High Street crime undermines our security, our borders, and the confidence of our communities, and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to bring those responsible to justice," he said.

But so far only 10 of the shops that were raided last month across England have been shut down. The majority of the shops we visited were back up and running within minutes of the police leaving.

In Rochdale, we watched as Trading Standards officers identified a man they said was linked to the mini-marts walking from shop to shop with a backpack, which they believed contained illicit tobacco to restock the shelves.

The challenge for authorities now is to stop the problem at its root and dismantle the suspected serious organised crime gangs - which may have been profiting in plain sight for years on our High Streets.

Additional reporting by Rebecca Wearn

Donald Trump has said there will "always be transition problems" and "difficulty" as markets fell again amid continued uncertainty over the US president's global tariff war.

His statement on Thursday comes hours after the White House said that tariffs on China would reach 145% for some products due to a pre-existing 20% levy imposed on those producing the drug fentanyl.

Despite this, Trump said he was still hoping to secure a deal with China. "I think we'll end up working something out that's very good for both countries. I look forward to it," he said.

Meanwhile, markets continued to face a turbulent time on Thursday, following Trump's 10% tariff announcement for all countries except China.

Trump on Wednesday paused his threat to impose tariffs as high as 50% on "worst offender" countries, but pressed on with his trade war with China.

Beijing has shown no sign of backing down, this week increasing its retaliatory tariffs to 84% on American products.

The three major US stock markets managed to regain some initial ground early on Thursday. However by closing, the S&P 500 lost 3.6%, the Dow Jones 2.5% and the Nasdaq 4.31%. Warner Bros Discovery shares fell 14% on Thursday, while Amazon and Apple who were both down 7%.

• Will iPhones cost more because of Trump's tariffs on China?
• Trump may have backtracked, but this is far from over
• What does Trump's tariff pause mean for global trade?

In a televised cabinet meeting, Trump said there would "always be transition difficulty" but added that "it was the biggest day in history in markets".

He said that investors were happy with how the US was running and that they were "trying to get the world to treat us fairly".

He claimed that "everybody wants to come and make a deal" to reduce tariffs.

Echoing Trump's statements in the meeting, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that many countries were coming to talk and that they'd come with "offers they never would have" if it was not for the president's policies.

"We're getting the respect we deserve now," he added. "I think you're going to see historic deals one after the other."

Trump said the US would "love to be able to work a deal (with China)", adding that he had "great respect for President Xi" and thought that they would "end up working something out that's very good for both countries".

However, he repeated his claims that China had "taken advantage" and "ripped off" the US "more than anybody" for a long time.

China announced that it would cut the number of American-made films shown in its cinemas, and claimed the tariff dispute has dampened audience appetite for Hollywood.

Beijing already restricts US releases to 34 a year, and Hollywood has become less important in China as homegrown films increase in popularity.

The European Union meanwhile said it would be pausing the countermeasures it had planned to impose on the US from 15 April also for 90 days.

Twenty-six EU member states – all bar Hungary – had voted to impose retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday if the US imposed its levy of 20%.

In a statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU wanted "to give negotiations a chance".

Registration to vote in May's local and mayoral elections in England is to close on Friday.

Anyone who wants to vote has until 23:59 BST on Friday to submit an application to register.

There are local elections to 24 of England's 317 councils as well as some mayoral authorities on 1 May.

It's the first big set of polls since Labour's landslide victory in last year's general election.

About 1,650 seats will be contested on 14 county councils, eight unitary authorities, one metropolitan district, and in the Isles of Scilly.

There will also be mayoral elections in the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and - for the first time - in Hull and East Yorkshire, and Greater Lincolnshire.

Elections to all 21 county councils in England had been due to take place.

But last month, the government announced elections would be postponed in nine areas, where the councils are undertaking reorganisation and devolution.

On the same day, there is also a Westminster by-election in the Cheshire seat of Runcorn and Helsby.

There are no local elections scheduled in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Niki Nixon, director of communications at the Electoral Commission, said: "Tomorrow is the last day to register to vote ahead of the upcoming local elections on 1 May.

"You need to be registered before the deadline at midnight on Friday so you can have your say.

"If your details have changed or you've moved home since the general election last year, you'll need to register again.

"It only takes five minutes, and you can do it online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

"And if you want to vote by post or by appointing a proxy to vote on your behalf, you'll need to apply before the deadlines next week - but you must be registered to vote first."

The areas where there are elections to county councils include: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The other elections are to the unitary authorities of Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire, plus Doncaster Metropolitan Council and the Isles of Scilly, which has a unique governance structure.

The family of one of the three teenagers killed in a crash involving a car and a bus near Heathrow Airport on 31 March, have said they are "completely devastated" at their loss.

They have been named by police as 17-year-old Star Tomkins, 18-year-old Harley Woods and 17-year-old Jimmy Savory.

Metropolitan Police officers found both the car and the bus alight when they were called to Bedfont Road, Feltham just before midnight.

A fourth person in the car was taken to hospital, as well as two bus passengers. Their condition is not known. Other bus passengers were treated at the scene.

'Heavy hearts'

The family of Harley Woods said in a statement: "We are completely devastated by the loss of Harley.

"We ask if we can be left in peace to grieve and find a way through this."

A fundraising page for Star Tomkins' funeral costs states: "It is with very heavy hearts that we share the unexpected passing of Star Tomkins."

"She was a beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and best friend. She had a heart of gold and will be deeply missed by many."

A police investigation into the collision is still ongoing.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

At least one person is dead after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York, authorities said on Thursday.

The New York police department said at least two people were pulled from the water, though their condition remains unclear, an official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. It is not clear if the person reported dead was one of the two people pulled from the river.

Marine and land units are on the scene of the crash but it remains unclear how many people were on board.

Video circulating on social media shows some debris floating in the river.

The crash which occurred around 15:15 EDT (20:15 GMT) happened closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

The site of the crash appears to be near Pier 40 in New York City.

Boat traffic and street traffic in the area has been stopped.

A BBC journalist who was at the top of the World Trade Center at the time of the crash said there were about a dozen boats surrounding the site of the crash.

Tourists atop the building had gathered on one side of the tower to look down at the site of the crash, he added.

A Palestinian man jailed by Israel for an attack when he was 13 has been released after nearly a decade in prison.

Ahmed Manasra, who is now 23, became a symbol of a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence that began in 2015.

Surveillance footage showed him and his 15-year-old cousin, Hassan, brandishing large kitchen knives in a Jewish settlement in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. Hassan wounded a 13-year-old Israeli boy and an Israeli man before he was shot dead by police.

Manasra's case has long been a focus of human rights groups. Amnesty International said he endured "shocking ill-treatment", including nearly two years of solitary confinement, causing him to develop serious mental illness.

His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa told the BBC he was freed after serving his sentence.

Israelis saw the young age of Manasra and his cousin at the time of the attack as evidence that they had been indoctrinated by propaganda.

After the stabbings, Manasra fled the scene and was hit by a car. A graphic video widely shared on social media showed him as he lay bleeding profusely on the street and an Israeli bystander jeered and heckled.

This footage provoked outrage in the Arab world and many assumed the boy was dead. However, days later Israeli authorities published a photo of him being treated in hospital.

Later, Manasra was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in jail.

Doctors say that he developed schizophrenia behind bars and tried to harm others and himself.

Repeated legal appeals for his early release were denied on the grounds that he was convicted of a terrorist offence.

Since his release, his family has declined to speak to journalists.

"Until now, Ahmed's health state is unknown, and the family's priority is to diagnose and treat him and follow up on his health situation to lessen the side-effects that Ahmed might face," Khaled Zabarqa said.

Amnesty International and the Israeli NGO, Adalah, accuse the Israeli authorities of breaches of international law throughout Manasra's case.

They point to his interrogation at age 13 - without a guardian or lawyer present.

Leaked video showed Israeli security staff shouting and insulting him as he became visibly distressed.

"Manasra's rights were systematically stripped since his imprisonment. He has only been allowed to see his immediate family through a glass wall, without any physical contact," Adalah said in a statement.

"He has been completely denied the right to education and stripped of other basic rights. His right to dignity was violated, including through two years spent in solitary confinement, and his right to health was disregarded due to ongoing medical neglect by the Israel Prison Service."

The prisons service says that all detainees are held in accordance with international law and that any allegations of abuse are investigated.

Recently released Palestinian prisoners say that conditions inside Israeli jails have become much harsher since the deadly Hamas-led assault on southern Israel in October 2023, which triggered the Gaza war.

Many of those freed during the recent ceasefire in Gaza appeared thin and sick, and some needed immediate hospital treatment.

They have described beatings, severe overcrowding, insufficient medical care, scabies outbreaks, and poor sanitary conditions.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has boasted of ordering tight restrictions on security prisoners.

Last month, a 17-year-old Palestinian boy from the occupied West Bank who was held in an Israeli jail for six months without charge died after collapsing, in unclear circumstances.

Walid Khalid Ahmed became the first Palestinian child to die in Israeli detention.

An Israeli doctor who observed the post-mortem examination found that he was suffering from extreme malnutrition.

More on the Israel-Gaza war: