News 18/10/25

Prince Andrew reportedly insisted Virginia Giuffre sign a one-year gag order to prevent her allegations overshadowing the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, according to claims in her upcoming memoir.

The revelations come just hours after Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title and remaining honours, following discussions with King Charles and the Prince of Wales. Both are said to have pushed for an end to the scandal that has dogged the royal family for years. Ms Giuffre’s book, out on Tuesday, is expected to renew focus on the sexual assault allegations and the prince’s ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Hamas says it will hand over the bodies of two more deceased hostages tonight, bringing the total returned to 12.

The announcement from the group’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, comes after Israel said 13 bodies had already been recovered, though one didn’t match any of the missing hostages. Hamas has claimed that recovering the remaining bodies requires special equipment, while Israel has accused the group of deliberately delaying the process. Another 16 bodies are still expected to be returned under the agreement.

Sir David Attenborough has become the oldest-ever winner of a Daytime Emmy Award at the age of 99.

The broadcaster won the prize for outstanding daytime personality for his Netflix documentary *Secret Lives of Orangutans*, which also picked up two other awards. The film follows a group of apes in the jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia. Sir David overtakes actor Dick Van Dyke, who won at 98 last year. The ceremony took place in Pasadena, California — though Attenborough, just months from his 100th birthday, did not attend.

Conservative MP George Freeman says he’s reported a deepfake video falsely claiming he had joined Reform UK.

The Mid Norfolk MP said the clip, widely circulated on social media, was created using artificial intelligence and warned it risked “distorting and corrupting democracy.” Norfolk Police and Facebook have been asked for comment.

President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have left the White House empty-handed after talks with Donald Trump, who stopped short of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The Ukrainian leader said the two had discussed long-range weapons but agreed not to make public statements, as the United States “does not want an escalation.” After the meeting, President Trump urged both Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war. It followed his phone call with Vladimir Putin, where the pair agreed to meet soon in Hungary — a move likely to fuel concern among NATO allies.

A Pakistani weapons smuggler who used a fishing boat to ship ballistic missile parts from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen has been jailed for 40 years in the US.

Muhammad Pahlawan was caught during an American naval operation in the Arabian Sea earlier this year, in which two Navy SEALs drowned. His crew claimed they’d been tricked into joining the voyage, believing it was a fishing trip. At the time, the Houthis were launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and international shipping, with Iran accused — and denying — of supplying the arms.

A new blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer could help transform early diagnosis.

The Galleri test, developed by US firm Grail, identifies fragments of cancerous DNA circulating in the blood. A major trial in North America found it was able to detect over half of cancers at an early and treatable stage — including three-quarters of types that currently have no screening programme. The test is now being trialled by the NHS in England.

Police in Derbyshire say a suspected crocodile sighting turned out to be “more fluff than fear.”

Officers were called to reports of the reptile dumped in a canal in Willington, prompting what they called “the strangest Facebook appeal ever.” The creature, later confirmed to be deceased, sparked dozens of amused comments online — and police are still asking for information about how it got there.