News 14/10/25

England have secured their place at next summer’s World Cup with a dominant 5-0 victory over Latvia in their latest qualifier.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have been imperious in Group K, winning all six of their matches so far and not conceding a single goal. Tonight in Riga, the Three Lions were already 3-0 up at half-time thanks to Anthony Gordon opening the scoring and Harry Kane adding two, including a penalty. This result makes England the first European team to qualify for the 2026 tournament, with two games still to play.

In the United States, conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The honour, the highest civilian award in the US, was received by Kirk’s widow Erika at the White House. Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on 10 September while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. He founded Turning Point USA and was well-known for touring university campuses, debating students on current affairs and political issues.

Former education secretary Sir Gavin Williamson has admitted mistakes were made during the planning for COVID school closures.

Speaking to the UK COVID-19 inquiry on Tuesday, Sir Gavin said the Department for Education had not acted sharply enough in response to emerging scientific evidence, adding that he accepted full responsibility. He also criticised the government’s overall focus during the early stages of the pandemic, saying errors in judgement had clearly been made, and apologised for his department’s failings.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested after an alleged assault and attempted kidnapping in Slough.

Police say it happened around nine o’clock last night on Carlton Road. A vehicle stopped and engaged with a man walking in the area before a second car pulled up. Occupants from both vehicles then assaulted the pedestrian, a man in his thirties. Officers are continuing their investigation and appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.

In Washington, President Donald Trump has issued a sharp warning to Hamas during talks at the White House.

Speaking alongside Argentina’s President Javier Milei, he said if the group doesn’t disarm, “we will disarm them — quickly and perhaps violently.” Trump claimed he’d received word from Hamas “through my people” that it would disarm, and suggested the group had already “taken out a couple of gangs” in Gaza, which, he added, “didn’t bother me much.”

The government is introducing tougher English language requirements for migrants coming to the UK.

From January 2026, applicants for skilled worker and scale-up visas will need to speak English to an A-level standard. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says the change is part of plans to reduce immigration and ensure people who come to the UK “learn our language and play their part.” The rules follow a white paper published earlier this year setting out wider reforms to the immigration system.

The International Monetary Fund has revised its global economic forecasts, predicting faster growth than it did six months ago.

Previously, the Fund warned the world economy faced a serious slowdown due to trade tensions and US tariffs, forecasting global growth of just 2.8 percent this year. Today, the IMF says growth will reach 3.2 percent, with improvements both in the United States and worldwide. Its World Economic Outlook report highlights stronger-than-expected performance across key sectors, suggesting that the impact of tariffs may be less severe than feared, though analysts caution uncertainty remains over inflation and interest rates.

A DNA test has shown conclusively that a woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann is not the missing child, a court heard.

Julia Wandelt, 24, of Poland, and her co-defendant, 61-year-old Karen Spragg from Cardiff, are on trial at Leicester Crown Court charged with stalking Kate and Gerry McCann. Jurors were told the DNA result was given to Wandelt in Peterborough Prison in April 2025, which she disputed. Both women deny the charges, and the trial continues with witnesses being questioned over months of alleged harassment.

Israeli officials say Gaza’s Rafah crossing will remain closed tomorrow, and aid deliveries into the enclave will be reduced.

The decision follows claims that Hamas has failed to hand over the bodies of all the dead hostages. So far, four bodies have been returned to Israel, while the families of twenty-four others are still waiting. Humanitarian groups have warned the move could deepen the crisis, with the Norwegian Refugee Council saying all southern crossings must reopen to avoid what it called a “worsening catastrophe” in Gaza.

One of two inmates accused of murdering convicted paedophile and former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has refused to attend court.

Twenty-five-year-old Rashid Gedel and forty-three-year-old Samuel Dodsworth are charged with murder following an alleged attack at HMP Wakefield on Saturday. Emergency crews were called to the prison, but forty-eight-year-old Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene. He had been serving a twenty-nine-year sentence for multiple child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.

A man who arrived in the UK on a small boat and threatened to kill Nigel Farage has been jailed for five years.

Twenty-six-year-old Fayaz Khan made a gun gesture and pointed to an AK-47 tattoo on his face in a TikTok video naming the Reform UK leader. The court heard Khan, an Afghan migrant, had given authorities a false name and was actually thirty-one-year-old Fayaz Husseini. Speaking outside Southwark Crown Court, Mr Farage said it was a win that a “violent criminal” had been taken off the streets.

Vodafone says yesterday’s nationwide network blackout was not caused by a cyber attack.

Hundreds of thousands of customers lost access to broadband, 4G and 5G services for several hours on Monday. The company says the problem was triggered by a non-malicious software fault from one of its suppliers, which has now been fixed. Vodafone confirmed the network is fully restored and apologised to customers for the disruption.

Two dogs have been seized and taken to safety in Slough following welfare concerns.

Police worked with the council and dog wardens to remove the animals as part of the Chalvey, Upton and Town Centre neighbourhood policing update. Officers also arrested two wanted people for separate offences and seized an e-scooter during the same week of operations.

Former Premier League referee David Coote has admitted making an indecent image of a child.

The forty-three-year-old appeared at Nottingham Crown Court over a Category A video recovered by police earlier this year. Coote, who was charged in August, pleaded guilty to creating the image, which includes downloading or sharing abuse material. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

The Israeli military says it opened fire after several suspects crossed the line of withdrawal and approached its forces in northern Gaza.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire, Israeli troops have pulled back but remain in control of around fifty-three percent of the territory. The IDF described the incident as a “violation of the agreement,” adding that attempts were made to distance the suspects before shots were fired. Officials say the forces acted to remove the threat after the suspects failed to comply with instructions.

The jobs market continued to show signs of slowing, with official figures revealing 9,000 fewer vacancies in the three months to September.

This marks the 39th consecutive period of falling job openings, a trend that makes it increasingly difficult for jobseekers to find work. The Office for National Statistics also reported a surprise rise in the unemployment rate, up to 4.8% from 4.7% a month earlier, driven largely by younger workers, even as a record number of people over 65 remain in employment.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned that businesses face a “make-or-break moment” ahead of next month’s budget.

The British Chamber of Commerce urged the chancellor to avoid raising levies on firms, as tax hikes could stifle growth. Ms Reeves raised taxes by forty billion pounds last year, and the BCC says confidence has yet to recover. Director-General Shevaun Haviland said last year’s budget “took the wind from their sails,” leaving many companies struggling to regain momentum. Economists say striking the right balance between funding public services and supporting growth will be crucial.

US President Donald Trump has hailed what he called a “historic day” that he hopes will lead to the rebuilding of Gaza, after a peace deal was signed at a global summit in Egypt.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on his way back from Sharm el-Sheikh, Mr Trump said the agreement had answered the “prayers of millions” and marked the start of a new chapter in the Middle East. Asked if it could lead to a Palestinian state, he said he was “not talking about one state or two states, but about rebuilding Gaza.” The deal has secured a ceasefire and seen all living Israeli hostages reunited with their families.

Thousands of homes fitted with insulation under a government scheme now need major repairs to prevent damp and mould.

A report by the National Audit Office found “clear failures” in the Energy Company Obligation scheme, designed to tackle fuel poverty and reduce emissions. It says weak oversight and poor workmanship have led to unsafe installations, with some even posing fire risks. The watchdog blamed subcontractors and a lack of government monitoring, while campaigners warned the system had “let cowboys through the front door” and must be fixed to bring down energy bills.

Concerns are being raised over how long Slough Borough Council is taking to deal with complaints against councillors.

Two formal investigations are currently underway for the 2024–25 period. One complaint, from May, accuses a councillor of acting in an “intrusive and aggressive” way towards a resident. Another, filed last October, alleges a councillor “exerted undue influence” and “undermined impartiality.” The council says both cases remain under review.