News 19/09/25

Donald Trump says Russia’s reported violation of Estonian airspace could spell “big trouble.”

Speaking from the Oval Office, the US president confirmed he was awaiting a detailed briefing on the incident and would comment further later. Asked for his immediate response, Trump admitted he “didn’t love it” and warned that the situation could escalate depending on what the intelligence shows.

A man has died after falling from a hot air balloon in West Sussex.

Police say he fell near Newpound Common, Wisborough Green, on Friday morning. His body was later discovered in a field after a search that lasted several hours. The man was part of a group travelling from Billingshurst to Dunsfold when the tragedy occurred. Authorities have launched an investigation into how he came to fall.

A British Airways flight attendant caught naked and high on drugs during a transatlantic flight has avoided jail.

Forty-one-year-old Haden Pentecost admitted being impaired while on duty and was handed a six-month sentence, suspended for a year. Judge Hannah Duncan told him he had “let himself down” and frightened passengers who saw him in that state. Pentecost must also complete 80 hours of unpaid work and pay £150 in costs.

NATO says it has responded after Russian military jets violated Estonian airspace.

According to the Estonian government, three MiG-31 fighter jets flew near Vaindloo Island in the Gulf of Finland for around 12 minutes without clearance. NATO confirmed its aircraft intercepted the Russian jets, describing the incident as another example of reckless Russian behaviour, while stressing its ability to respond swiftly to any breach.

A man has been jailed for carrying out sexual offences against dozens of children he targeted online.

Stuart Latham, from Wigan, posed as a 14-year-old boy to lure young people into sending indecent images, offering cash or gift cards in return. Detectives say the 22-year-old is among the most dangerous child predators they’ve encountered. At Preston Crown Court he was sentenced on 49 offences, including rape, blackmail, and causing children to engage in sexual activity.

South Yorkshire Police ignored the names of known abusers in Rotherham for over a decade, allowing further offences to take place.

That’s according to a new watchdog report, which says police inaction meant more children were harmed before convictions were finally secured. Rotherham became notorious after the Alexis Jay Report in 2014 revealed at least 1,400 children had been groomed between 1997 and 2013. The new findings follow complaints from whistleblowers who accused senior officers of failing to protect children, with their claims now upheld.

Two ambulance workers have been arrested as part of an investigation into the deaths of six adults.

Wiltshire Police say a man in his thirties was held on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and ill-treatment of patients, while a woman in her fifties was later arrested on similar charges. Both work for South Western Ambulance Service and have been released on bail as enquiries continue.

The Taliban has rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that the US could retake Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

The site was once the hub of NATO operations but fell to the Taliban after America’s withdrawal. A foreign ministry official said any future US presence was completely ruled out. Trump, however, told reporters it could be possible because, in his words, “they need things from us.”

An elderly British couple detained by the Taliban earlier this year have been released.

Seventy-six-year-old Barbie Reynolds and her husband Peter, who is 80, were taken into custody by the Taliban’s interior ministry in February while travelling to their home in Bamyan province. A month later, they were transferred to a maximum security prison in Kabul where they were held without charge. On Friday, they were finally freed and flown to Doha following mediation led by Qatar.

A man who threw a kitten to its death from a balcony in Slough has been sentenced.

Abdul Amir killed the very young kitten on 3 September last year by hurling it from the third-storey balcony of his flat at The Warehouse in the Horlicks Quarter. The kitten died on the concrete below. Witnesses alerted the police, who recovered the animal’s body and contacted the council. Amir has been given an 18-month community order and banned from keeping pets.

The UK military’s focus is defending the country, not stopping asylum seekers in the Channel, a cabinet minister has said.

It comes after Donald Trump suggested military intervention could be used to stop small boats during his state visit this week. Trade Secretary Peter Kyle dismissed the idea, saying policing borders is the role of the UK Border Force. It follows reports that hundreds of people attempted the crossing earlier today, as a second deportation under the government’s “one in, one out” deal with France took place.

Harriet Harman says Peter Mandelson should be barred from returning to the House of Lords, warning it would damage the reputation of Parliament’s upper chamber.

It comes after Lord Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to Washington over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The prime minister removed him last week, citing new information that showed the peer’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different” from what was known at the time of his appointment.

An Eritrean man has been deported from the UK under the government’s “one in, one out” deal with France, after a last-minute court challenge failed.

He becomes the second migrant to be removed under the scheme, which was launched last month to deter small boat crossings. The man was escorted by Home Office officials on an Air France flight from Heathrow to Paris.

It follows the first removal under the agreement on Thursday, when an Indian national was flown back to France.

Donald Trump has urged Sir Keir Starmer to use the military to stop migrants crossing the Channel.

The US president made the comments at Chequers during a joint news conference with the prime minister, bringing his state visit to a close. Mr Trump said illegal migration is “going to destroy countries from within” and suggested calling out the military to deal with small boats.

He also praised his own record of stopping crossings on the US-Mexico border.

US talk show host Stephen Colbert has condemned the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel’s programme as a “blatant assault on freedom of speech”.

ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live after he made comments about the assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. The move has been widely criticised, with the Disney-owned network accused of bowing to pressure from President Trump.

Jon Stewart also weighed in, mocking Mr Trump’s redesigned White House set with a parody version on The Daily Show.

An Eritrean man who arrived in the UK by small boat last month is being deported back to France today.

It’s the second removal this week under the government’s “one in, one out” agreement with Paris. The deal allows migrants with rejected asylum claims to be returned, in exchange for people with links to Britain applying through the French system.

The Home Office confirmed the man is due to leave on a 6.15am flight after the government won a legal challenge.

The renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster is taking on two projects that will unite his passions for football and royalty.

The 90-year-old is known for designing some of the world’s most iconic buildings, including London’s Gherkin, the Millennium Bridge, and the Great Court at the British Museum. Now, his firm Foster and Partners has been commissioned to create a national memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

It adds to a career filled with landmark projects, many of which have sparked global debate and admiration.

Britain’s trees are set to put on an especially vibrant autumn display this year.

Forestry England says the warm and sunny summer has allowed trees to produce more sugar in their leaves, meaning brighter reds, oranges, and golds.

The colour change is expected to begin in mid-September, with displays lasting well into November across some parts of the country.