News 10/08/25

A senior Al Jazeera journalist who had warned he might be assassinated has been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza.

The network says 28-year-old Anas al-Sharif died outside al-Shifa hospital along with reporter Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zayed and Mohammed Nahel. The Committee to Protect Journalists had recently voiced “grave” concerns for his safety, saying al-Sharif believed he was the target of an Israeli military smear campaign that could precede his assassination.

UN ambassadors have condemned Israel’s plans to take control of Gaza City, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted it is the best way to end the war.

Speaking at a press conference he said was intended to “puncture the lies”, Netanyahu promised the offensive would move quickly and would free Gaza from Hamas. He claimed Israeli hostages were the only ones being deliberately starved and rejected accusations that Israel is depriving Gazans of food.

But at an emergency UN Security Council meeting, the UK, France and other nations warned the plan risked violating international humanitarian law.

A man has died after a tractor left fields and ploughed into parked cars following a vintage car show in Gloucestershire.

Emergency crews were called to the Severn Vale Vintage Club annual show in Fiddington, near Tewkesbury, at around 11.25pm on Saturday. Police say the man, in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger suffered serious injuries and received first aid from a member of the public before being taken to hospital.

The man’s next of kin have been informed.

A huge fire has broken out on Arthur’s Seat, with flames and smoke visible across Edinburgh.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says crews were called on Sunday afternoon and remain at the scene. Arthur’s Seat, in Holyrood Park, is a popular climb for visitors and locals, offering panoramic views of the city.

Reports say people were seen running to safety as the blaze spread near the historic Old Town.

A senior UK diplomat has warned both Israel and Hamas to step away from what he calls the “path of destruction”.

Speaking at the United Nations in New York, Deputy Ambassador James Kariuki repeated Britain’s call for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.

He urged that all land routes be opened for essential supplies — including food, baby formula, medicine, shelter, fuel and clean water — warning that the humanitarian crisis is deepening by the day.

TV actor Ray Brooks has died at the age of 86.

In a career spanning five decades, he starred in some of Britain’s best-known television shows. Brooks was the voice of the much-loved 1970s children’s series Mr Benn, and played the lead in the landmark BBC drama Cathy Come Home. In the 1980s he was known for his roles in Big Deal and Running Wild, and later joined both Coronation Street and EastEnders.

In EastEnders, he portrayed Joe Macer — the man who murdered Pauline Fowler.

A Heathrow Airport security manager from Slough has been jailed for almost 20 years for helping to smuggle cocaine into the UK.

47-year-old Junaed Dar from Randolph Road arrived for work three hours early in December 2019 to help two couriers bring in 22 kilos of cocaine from Colombia, with a street value of around £2 million.

Wearing his security uniform, Dar drove an airport vehicle to meet the pair after their flight landed from Bogotá.

Four members of the same UK-based family have died in a car crash while on holiday in Portugal.

Domingos Serrano, 55, Maria Serrano, 51, and their twin sons Domingos and Afonso, both 20, were killed when their car collided with another vehicle in Castro Verde, southern Portugal. Local officials say two others also died — the 19-year-old girlfriend of one of the sons, and the 26-year-old driver of the second vehicle.

The Serrano family lived in Thetford, Norfolk, but were not British nationals.

The UK is bracing for its fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures set to exceed 30 degrees Celsius on Monday.

A yellow heat health alert is in place for most of England from Monday lunchtime until Wednesday evening, covering all regions except the North West and North East. The UK Health Security Agency warns of a likely rise in deaths among older people, increased pressure on health services, and overheating risks for the vulnerable.

Forecasters say Wales could challenge its August record of 35.2 degrees, set in 1990, as the heat peaks on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Justice says more use of electronic tagging and tougher unpaid work sentences will help tackle prison overcrowding.

It follows an independent review earlier this year which called for a greater focus on punishments outside of prison to reduce reoffending and free up space in jails. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she is determined to make community sentences more robust and ensure unpaid work genuinely benefits communities harmed by crime.

One example is the physical work being carried out by offenders at the Nene Valley Railway near Peterborough.

Amnesty International has described as “deeply concerning” the 474 arrests made during a Palestine Action demonstration in London.

The Metropolitan Police say 466 people were detained under the Terrorism Act for showing support for a banned group. A further eight were arrested for other offences, including five for assaulting officers.

The force says it is the highest number of arrests linked to a single operation in at least ten years.

European leaders have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, insisting that no peace deal with Russia can be made without Kyiv’s involvement.

In a joint statement, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission set out their position ahead of Friday’s planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The White House says Trump is open to a three-way meeting including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but for now it remains a Trump-Putin summit, as requested by Moscow.

Zelenskyy says any deal agreed without Ukraine will be a “dead decision.”

A national scheme offering safe spaces for people who feel scared or at risk has been relaunched in Slough.

Venues signed up to the Safe Places initiative provide temporary refuge and support to those in need. Through the Safer Slough Partnership, the town is now listed on the national Safe Places website, making it easier to find help nearby.

Councillor Ejaz Ahmed says it will provide essential support for vulnerable residents out in the community.