News 06/01/26

Learner drivers may be forced to wait up to six months before taking a driving test under new government plans.

Ministers are considering introducing a minimum learning period for new drivers in England and Wales. The proposal, which will be subject to consultation, forms part of a wider road safety strategy due to be launched on Wednesday

Number 10 has released a statement after Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a declaration of intent ahead of a news conference.

It sets out plans to deploy forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, describing a long term commitment to stand with Ukraine. The Multinational Force for Ukraine would act as reassurance, supporting Ukraine’s forces.

A police force has admitted it mistakenly told the family of a teenage boy that he had died in a car crash, when he had survived.

Police informed relatives of Trevor Wynn that he had passed away after a serious collision on Todwick Road in Rotherham on thirteen December. Later concerns over identities prompted further checks after new information emerged.

Police have released new CCTV images of a convicted murderer and another prisoner who escaped from a prison in Cromhall, Gloucestershire on New Year’s Day.

Avon and Somerset Police said they had sightings of Matthew Armstrong and Daniel Washbourne, who absconded from HMP Leyhill. Armstrong was convicted of murder in Warwickshire in 2009. Washbourne has convictions for imprisonment and violence.

Fresh warnings for snow and ice have been issued across much of the UK this week as Storm Goretti approaches.

The Met Office has issued a yellow ice warning for almost the entire country on Wednesday, plus snow warnings for parts of England and Wales on Thursday and Friday. Hundreds of schools closed on Tuesday after the coldest night of winter recorded.

Two women have been rushed to hospital following a crash on the Berkshire-Buckinghamshire border.

The collision involved a black Audi Q2 and a grey Mitsubishi Outlander near Laurel Court, just before the M25 overbridge, at around 4.15 pm on Saturday, January 3. The driver of the Audi, a woman in her 40s, and the Mitsubishi driver, a woman in her 60s, sustained serious injuries and remain in hospital. No arrests have been made.

Donald Trump says the operation in Venezuela to remove Nicolas Maduro proves the United States has “the most powerful, most lethal, most sophisticated” military.

He added it is “the most fearsome military on planet Earth, and it’s not even close,” insisting that nobody can challenge US military might. The US long has been considered the preeminent military power in the Western hemisphere. Following comments on Venezuela, Trump returned to domestic issues.

A murderer recalled to prison after rapping about his crime has lost a bid for release, but the parole board recommended he be moved to an open jail.

Jake Fahri, 36, was 19 when he received a life sentence in 2009 with a minimum of 14 years for the murder of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen. Jimmy bled to death after Fahri threw an oven dish which shattered on his chin, severing an artery, in a south London bakery on 10 May 2008. Fahri was released on licence in June 2023, and his music under the name TEN was later played on BBC 1Xtra.

A manhunt continues for a Slough wanted man as police urge the public not to approach him.

Thomas Connors, 26, is wanted for failing to attend probation appointments and court appearances relating to post-custodial supervision and other matters. Police previously released an image of Connors on November 21, appealing for the public’s help to trace him.

Elon Musk’s X must urgently address concerns over its AI tool Grok, which has been used to generate “absolutely appalling” fake sexualised images, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has said.

Ofcom raised serious concerns on Monday, warning the AI can create undressed images of people and sexualised images of children. Since the start of the year, users, mainly women, have reported accounts using Grok to produce images of them without clothing. There are also several cases involving sexualised images of children, according to analysis by Reuters.

Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior has confirmed he will become the new head coach of Chelsea.

As freezing conditions continue, the UK will be hit by the first named storm of the year on Thursday. Meteo France has named it Storm Goretti, with the exact track uncertain, according to Sky News meteorologist Christopher England. He says rain and snow are likely.

The Swiss bar that caught fire during a New Year’s celebration, killing 40 people, had not been inspected since 2019, officials said.

Crans Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud apologised, banned sparkler candles indoors, and said venues should receive inspections each year. He said they were profoundly sorry and had no indication checks were missed at the time of the incident.

A woman who fatally stabbed another woman in an Aberdeen crack den has been jailed for 10 years.

Dionne Wilson, 31, killed Sara Irvine, 34, on Auchinleck Road in April 2024, after being convicted of culpable homicide. She was originally charged with murder and sentenced by Lord Mulholland in Livingston on Tuesday, following a trial in Edinburgh in November.

It’s a year since bin workers in Birmingham staged their first walkout, with unions saying there is no end in sight.

One day strikes began on 6 January 2025, before an all out strike in March, leaving waste uncollected and raising public health concerns. The council plans a new summer regime, while Unite demands a fair deal for bin workers.

Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior has confirmed he will become the new head coach of Chelsea.

The forty one year old announced his move to Stamford Bridge at a Strasbourg press conference this morning. The former Hull City manager said he had been given permission to speak to one of the biggest clubs in the world. He said it was an honour to be associated with Chelsea and that it now looks like he will be the next manager of the club.

Snow and ice warnings remain across many parts of the UK, as the Met Office warns disruptive snow could affect southern England later this week.

Northern Scotland remains under amber warnings until Tuesday night, while yellow warnings cover large areas until eleven am. The Arctic cold snap has brought sub zero temperatures, closing schools and disrupting flights and trains.

Nestle has recalled some baby formula products over concerns they may contain a toxin that can cause food poisoning.

The company said specific batches of its SMA infant and follow on formulas are not safe to be fed to babies. It said the products could contain cereulide, which can lead to nausea and vomiting, although there have been no confirmed reports of illness.

Mandatory eye tests for drivers over seventy may be introduced as part of new road safety measures.

Cognitive tests for older drivers could also be considered within a broader strategy designed to reduce deaths and injuries while avoiding limits on independence. The government plans, published on Wednesday, aim to cut road deaths and serious injuries by sixty five percent by 2035, and by seventy percent for children under sixteen. About twenty four percent of drivers killed in collisions in 2024 were aged seventy or older, while older drivers accounted for twelve percent of all car crash casualties.

A careless motorist has been ordered to pay more than twelve hundred pounds by the courts.

Abdul Rahman Ismail was driving on Dorney Hill South between Beaconsfield and Farnham Common when he was caught on fifteenth October last year. The twenty five year old, from Leeds Road in Slough, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. He was fined seven hundred and sixty nine pounds and given nine points on his licence at a hearing at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on eighteenth December.

Men with prostate cancer symptoms will be able to access fast tracked video appointments with doctors through an upgraded NHS app.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he wants healthcare access to be as simple as ordering a cab or takeaway, and to ensure long waits are reduced. The video service forms part of what the government describes as a new online hospital. Prostate enlargement and raised prostate specific antigen levels will be among the first conditions managed.

Donald Trump has repeated his ambitions for Greenland despite warnings the plans could damage NATO.

The US president has spoken openly about taking control of the self governing Arctic island since returning to the White House, despite Denmark being a NATO ally. Speaking after a US raid captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, he told The Atlantic the territory was needed for defence.

Sir Keir Starmer has suffered four defeats in parliament over proposals to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The British Indian Ocean Territory includes Diego Garcia, which hosts a joint US UK military base. The House of Lords blocked elements of the deal, including proposals to lease Diego Garcia back for ninety nine years at a cost of around one hundred and one million pounds annually.