News 09/09/25

Several Middle East and Arab countries have condemned Israel over its strike on Doha.

Qatar called the attack a criminal assault and a cowardly act that violated international law. Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged the kingdom’s full support to Qatar and warned Israel of grave consequences if such actions continue.

A woman has died following small boat activity in the English Channel.

The Coastguard alerted Kent Police just after one o’clock yesterday afternoon. The woman was airlifted to shore but was pronounced dead. Border Force confirmed it responded to reports of a migrant vessel in distress, while police enquiries are underway to establish the full circumstances.

A man has been arrested after what was initially described as a hazardous materials incident at Heathrow Airport.

Terminal 4’s check-in area was evacuated on Monday after around 20 people reported injuries. Specialist officers and firefighters carried out a detailed search before police recovered a cannister believed to contain CS spray.

A Slough drug dealer has been jailed for more than three years after police found crack cocaine and heroin at his home.

Jardelle Gumbs was arrested in February when officers raided his address in The Frithe. They discovered four bundles containing more than 200 individual street deals of crack cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced at Reading Crown Court.

Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker has entered the race to become Labour’s new deputy leader.

Barker, first elected in 2019, is the fifth person to confirm her candidacy. She joins Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Bridget Phillipson, Dame Emily Thornberry and Lucy Powell in the contest. The deputy leadership was triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation, and candidates have until five o’clock this evening to secure the support of at least eighty Labour MPs.

Reports from Qatar suggest an assassination attempt has been made on a senior Hamas figure in Doha.

Witnesses say several explosions were heard in the Katara District, with smoke seen rising over the area. An Israeli official told Axios that the blasts were the result of a targeted strike, while the Israeli military confirmed it had carried out what it called a precise operation against Hamas leadership.

More than twenty civilians have been killed in a Russian airstrike on a village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He said the bomb struck the village of Yarova, calling the attack “frankly brutal.” Zelenskyy urged allies to increase economic pressure on Moscow through further sanctions, saying Russia must be made to pay for its ongoing invasion.

Nepal’s prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, has resigned following violent anti-corruption protests.

His aide confirmed the move, saying a letter of resignation was sent to the country’s president. In it, Oli said he was stepping down immediately to allow for a political solution to what he described as an extraordinary situation. The president has now begun the process of appointing a successor.

Bridget Phillipson has announced she is standing to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.

The Education Secretary becomes the first cabinet minister to enter the race and only the second candidate to declare, alongside Bell Ribeiro-Addy.

The contest follows the resignation of Angela Rayner on Friday, after she was found to have breached the ministerial code over her tax affairs.

The NHS has published its first ever league tables ranking every trust in England.

The Department of Health says the tables will be updated quarterly, covering everything from emergency care to planned operations and mental health services. Trusts will be grouped into four categories, with the best performers gaining extra investment and freedoms, while underperforming trusts will receive targeted support.

Frimley Park NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Slough’s Wexham Park Hospital has ranked 37th.

Files from a so-called “birthday book” compiled for sex offender Jeffrey Epstein appear to include a tribute from the UK’s current ambassador to Washington, Lord Peter Mandelson.

The documents, handed to a US Congressional committee, show Mandelson describing Epstein as his “best pal” and praising his hospitality. The collection also features a drawing of a woman’s body signed “Donald” and a photograph of Epstein with a cheque signed by “DJ Trump”.

The ban on disposable vapes is failing to prevent millions from being thrown away incorrectly, according to the waste industry.

Roger Wright, a senior manager at one leading firm, says the devices are causing more problems and fires than ever before. He warned that cheap reusable vapes are being dumped instead of refilled, fuelling the problem.

The vaping industry insists the June ban has been a success and says any rise in waste is likely down to black market products.

Ofsted has confirmed it will press ahead with a new “report card” system for schools in England.

It replaces the old one-word grading system, scrapped after the death of head teacher Ruth Perry last year. The regulator says the new approach will give parents more detail and will begin from 10 November.

But critics, including Ruth Perry’s sister Professor Julia Waters, warn the plans still pose risks to the health and wellbeing of teachers and school leaders.