News 16/07/25

A driver who killed a mother and daughter while racing through traffic lights at more than 80 miles an hour on Boxing Day has been jailed.

Amanda Riley and her mother, Linda Philips, died at the scene in Shard End, Birmingham, after Mohammed Ibrahim’s BMW crashed into their MG. He had been racing another BMW in a 30 zone when he overtook a quad bike and smashed into the car carrying four generations of the same family. Four other passengers were also injured.

Eight babies have now been born in the UK using DNA from three different people, according to doctors.

The technique, which uses the egg and sperm from the parents and a second donor egg, is designed to prevent incurable mitochondrial diseases. These inherited conditions can starve the body of energy and are passed down from mother to child. Scientists say the early results are promising.

Israeli airstrikes have hit the Syrian Ministry of Defence in Damascus, in the latest wave of attacks linked to renewed regional clashes.

According to Syrian state TV, two warning missiles struck the gate of the ministry, injuring two civilians. It follows further Israeli strikes on army and security vehicles in Sweida, a city with a large Druze population. This marks the third consecutive day of Israeli action against Syrian forces.

The UK is bracing for a burst of heat, with temperatures expected to reach 30 degrees in parts of the country this week.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey says London could hit the 30C mark by Friday, with highs of 28C on Thursday. Southeastern areas will also feel the heat, well above the July average of 23 degrees. Warmer south-westerly winds are being blamed for the rise in both temperature and humidity.

Southend Airport has partially reopened after a plane crash that killed four people on Sunday.

The medical transport aircraft came down shortly after take-off, forcing the airport to suspend all flights. In a statement, London Southend Airport said four easyJet services will now land this evening, along with an empty positioning flight by Eastern Airways. Full operations remain suspended as investigations continue.

Labour MP Rachael Maskell has become the fourth member of Sir Keir Starmer’s party to be suspended today.

She joins Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Neil Duncan-Jordan in losing the Labour whip. All four defied the party line by voting against the government’s welfare reforms, even after the measures had been scaled back. The rebellion highlights growing tensions within Labour’s ranks. During a Commons debate earlier this month, Maskell launched a fierce attack on the proposed cuts, calling them damaging and unjust.

The government’s Prevent programme must urgently adapt to the digital world to remain effective in tackling extremism.

That’s the finding of an independent review published today. The scheme, which aims to stop people becoming radicalised, has faced mounting criticism after recent attacks linked to individuals previously referred to Prevent. The new report, led by Lord Anderson KC, outlines ten key recommendations. Among them, a call to address online radicalisation and extend the programme to those drawn to violence without following a fixed ideology. Lord Anderson took up the role of independent commissioner in January.

Reports this afternoon suggest Sir Keir Starmer is cracking down on MPs who he believes are repeatedly defying party discipline.

It’s understood at least three MPs have already lost the Labour whip, with others reportedly meeting party whips today. The suspended MPs are believed to be Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Neil Duncan-Jordan. All three were first elected at last year’s general election and recently voted against the government’s planned welfare reforms as part of a wider rebellion within the party.

A teenage killer who murdered his mother and two siblings will not have his sentence increased to a whole life term.

The Court of Appeal has rejected a bid to change the punishment for 19-year-old Nicholas Prosper. He admitted killing his mother, Juliana Falcon, and siblings Giselle and Kyle Prosper at their family home in Luton last September. He was jailed in March and must serve at least 49 years, minus time already spent in custody. Whole life terms for 18 to 20-year-olds became possible in 2022 in exceptional cases, but no one in that age group has received one so far.

The boss of Co-op says she’s devastated after a cyber-attack exposed the personal details of all 6.5 million of its members.

Shirine Khoury-Haq gave her first interview since the April hack, telling BBC Breakfast that no financial or transaction data was taken, but names, addresses and contact details were stolen. She said the incident had a huge impact on staff and described the attack as personal, adding that she’s incredibly sorry for what happened.

Labour MP Stella Creasy says she was hassled by a man on the London Underground and has thanked fellow passengers who stepped in to help.

In a post on social media, she urged those who witnessed the incident on the Victoria Line to contact her office if they’re willing to be police witnesses. She said she hoped officers would now take the man’s behaviour seriously.

Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding.

The Harry Potter star was clocked doing 38 miles an hour in a 30 zone in Oxford last July. She already had nine points on her licence. The 35-year-old, now a student, was fined just over a thousand pounds at a short hearing at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court. She did not attend in person.

A stolen JCB dumper has been recovered nearly a year after it went missing.

Thames Valley Police say it was reported stolen in August last year and has now been found by an officer on patrol. The force says specialist training helps officers identify stolen plant machinery and is part of wider efforts to make the region hostile to organised thieves.

At least 20 people have died in an incident in Khan Younis, according to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The US and Israeli-backed group says 19 victims were trampled and one was stabbed during a surge it blamed on agitators in the crowd. The foundation claims armed Hamas-affiliated individuals deliberately stirred unrest. It says firearms were seen for the first time since operations began, with one confiscated. An American worker was reportedly threatened at gunpoint.

Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace says he makes “no apology” for stopping the reporting of a major data leak involving Afghan nationals.

Writing in the Telegraph, Sir Ben said applying for a super-injunction was not a cover-up but was done to protect lives. The leak, involving nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK under the Arap scheme, was discovered in 2023 when some data appeared on Facebook. He said his priority was the safety of those at risk.

Inflation rose slightly in June, climbing from 3.4% to 3.6%, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Economists had predicted it would hold steady at 3.4%. The biggest upward pressure came from transport costs, especially motor fuels. The Bank of England will be closely watching this data, alongside developments in the job market, as it decides whether to cut interest rates next month.

Physician associates and anaesthesia associates should be called “assistants” to prevent confusion among patients.

That’s the conclusion of an independent review, which also recommends clearer uniforms and name badges to distinguish the roles from fully qualified doctors. It says assistants should not be diagnosing patients. The review was ordered by Health Secretary Wes Streeting after growing concern over the expanding responsibilities of PAs and AAs. The BMA welcomed the findings but said the review didn’t go far enough.