News 08/12/25

A Union flag inspired design for UK trains has been revealed by the transport secretary.

Heidi Alexander says public rail services will begin using the striking look from spring. It forms part of the plan to nationalise most passenger services under the Great British Railways brand. The GBR logo will be shown on Tuesday and the public company is due in 2027.

Patients with a previously untreatable blood cancer are living disease free after a world first gene therapy.

Sixteen year old Alyssa Tapley was the first to receive the treatment in 2022 when she had been considering palliative care, yet she is now healthy. A trial of eight children and two adults shows two thirds remain disease free for up to three years.

Arne Slot says he has no clue if Mohamed Salah has played his last match for Liverpool.

After the 3 to 3 draw at Leeds, the 33 year old said he felt thrown under the bus after a third non start and that his relationship with Slot had broken down. He has been left out of the Champions League squad but faces no action.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has met European leaders in London while facing US pressure for a swift peace deal with Russia.

He held talks with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The meeting came as Washington pushes Kyiv and Moscow toward an agreement while Kyiv remains focused on territory and firm security guarantees.

Japan has downgraded its tsunami warning to an advisory but officials say the country is not yet in the clear after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake earlier today.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says three further quakes have been recorded since the first powerful shock struck. All were smaller than the initial tremor although the agency has not provided magnitudes. It had already warned in a press release that more seismic activity was possible and says additional earthquakes may still occur in the coming days as the region continues to experience instability.

Paramount has launched an eighty one billion pound hostile bid for Warner Bros, directly challenging Netflix which had already reached a fifty four billion pound takeover agreement.

Paramount said it is taking its one hundred eight point four billion dollar cash offer straight to Warner Bros Discovery shareholders and is urging them to reject Netflix’s deal. Netflix announced on Friday that it had agreed to buy the Hollywood studio behind Harry Potter as well as the HBO Max streaming platform.

Two more people have been arrested after an incident described as a pepper spray attack at Heathrow Airport.

It happened shortly after eight o’clock on Sunday when two women were allegedly robbed of their suitcases just after leaving the lift at Terminal Three. The suspects then sprayed what is believed to be pepper spray which also affected people nearby.

The Duke of Sussex’s access to security when visiting the UK is being reviewed.

Prince Harry lost a legal case in May in which he sought to have his police protection reinstated. In a BBC interview after the ruling he said he could not safely bring his family back without guaranteed protection. The Home Office review is expected to consider whether he should automatically receive full police security even though he is no longer a working royal.

Rapper Ghetts has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and to driving dangerously before a fatal collision on 18 October.

The 41 year old was first charged after a collision involving 20 year old Yubin Tamang in Redbridge Lane, Ilford, northeast London, at 11.33pm. Mr Tamang died two days later.

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan has prompted a tsunami warning.

Waves of up to three metres could strike the country’s northeastern coast, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The United States Geological Survey describes the quake as a major to great event, capable of causing significant damage, widespread destruction and loss of life over large areas.

Essex Police say they are assessing a report about alleged misreported expenditure by a political party connected to the 2024 general election in Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency.

The force says the referral came from the Metropolitan Police after claims published in the Daily Telegraph that a former member of Farage’s campaign team had accused him of falsifying election expenses. Reform UK has rejected the allegations and denies that Farage broke electoral law.

Retired footballer Joey Barton has received a suspended prison sentence for sending grossly offensive posts on X to Eni Aluko, Lucy Ward and broadcaster Jeremy Vine.

The 43 year old was found guilty of six counts of sending electronic communications intended to cause distress or anxiety. He was given a six month term, suspended for eighteen months, at Liverpool Crown Court.

Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape, nine of indecent assault and two of sexual assault.

The 68 year old appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday wearing dark clothing. He confirmed his name before sitting in the glass dock. He is accused of raping women and touching them without consent.

Two police officers and another man have been seriously injured in a crash in Cornwall.

The collision involved a police vehicle and two cars on the A30 near Hayle at about eight o’clock on Sunday evening. A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said a number of people were treated by ambulance services and three men, including two officers, were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Their families have been informed.

Severe weather warnings have been issued ahead of Storm Bram which is forecast to hit the UK on Tuesday and Wednesday.

An amber warning is in place with gusts expected to reach ninety miles an hour across north west Scotland, while strong winds will be felt more widely. Heavy rain could bring localised flooding in Wales and south west England where ground conditions remain saturated. Forecasters warn there is a possibility of damage and transport disruption as the system moves through.

Volunteers are being sought to expand a project helping vulnerable people to stay safe in Slough.

The Street Guardians initiative, which began in Langley, aims to provide a visible and reassuring presence for residents, visitors and shopkeepers. Funding from the police and crime commissioner supports work to tackle neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls and anti social behaviour. The group currently has five volunteers and is looking to recruit more to strengthen its role in the community and increase patrols. The organisers say the scheme was created to support safer streets and encourage community engagement.

Donald Trump has said he will be “involved” in the decision over whether Netflix should be allowed to buy Warner Bros, as the $72bn (£54bn) deal draws criticism from the media industry.

The US president told reporters there “could be a problem,” reflecting concerns over the streaming giant’s market dominance, but did not indicate his position. Netflix, already the world’s largest streaming service by market share, has agreed to acquire Warner Bros Discovery’s TV and film studios along with the HBO Max streaming platform.

Parts of the UK could see more than half a month’s rainfall in just 24 hours, the Met Office has warned.

A yellow warning for rain starts at 6pm on Monday and lasts for 24 hours, covering southwest England, Wales, and parts of Herefordshire and Hampshire. A separate yellow warning for high winds is in effect from 10pm Monday to 4pm Tuesday, affecting areas from Dorset to Cornwall and extending up to north Wales.

Defence chiefs have outlined multimillion pound plans for new technology to protect the UK’s undersea cables and pipelines.

The Atlantic Bastion programme, announced in the Strategic Defence Review, will bring together autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, warships and aircraft to identify and counter threats to underwater infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence says the move responds directly to a rise in Russian submarine and underwater activity, including the spy ship Yantar, which was tracked around UK waters last month.

President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet key European leaders in London on Monday as allies consider how to respond to sustained US pressure for Kyiv to accept concessions in peace talks.

The leaders of France and Germany will join Zelensky and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at No 10 as they aim to ensure any agreement deters a future Russian attack. The gathering follows three days of talks in Florida, where Ukraine pressed for changes to a White House proposal viewed by many as leaning toward Kremlin demands. The US and Ukraine reported progress, although President Donald Trump suggested Zelensky had not read the draft.

Thailand has carried out airstrikes and says it has hit military targets along its border with Cambodia, after both countries accused each other of firing first.

Thai army spokesperson Major General Winthai Suvaree said one Thai soldier was killed and eight were wounded, claiming Cambodian forces opened fire into Thai territory. He said Thai aircraft struck several military locations to suppress what he called Cambodian supporting fire.

A water leak at the Louvre in Paris has damaged between three hundred and four hundred works, mainly books, in the museum’s Egyptian department.

Deputy administrator Francis Steinbock said no precious volumes were affected, and repairs to the long known issue are scheduled for next year.