News 03/08/26

Footage has emerged of a drone crashing into a resort in southern Russia today.

Russian officials said seven people, including three children, were killed and forty others injured in what they said was a Ukrainian attack in Arkhipo-Osipovka, near Gelendzhik. Video shows the drone falling before a loud explosion. Kyiv has not commented, but says it does not target civilians.

Opponents of Fifa president Gianni Infantino are threatening non-cooperation with the governing body unless he steps down, according to senior Uefa sources.

Rebellion figures vow there is no going back while Infantino remains, as fallout over scrapped plans to sell stakes in competitions intensifies. One figure expects a refusal to participate in Fifa meetings. Uefa threatened legal action, while Wales withdrew backing for Infantino, with the FA set to follow.

England and Wales have seen their driest July on record, according to provisional Met Office figures.

Southern England recorded its driest month ever in a series dating back to 1836. Last week, forecasters said prolonged heat, abundant sunshine, and almost no rain in some areas made for a truly exceptional month, as health alerts were issued across most of England.

Microsoft has increased the price of Xbox consoles worldwide, citing rising memory and storage chip costs.

Its premium Series X console with a disc drive now costs £670, when it previously retailed for £500. Meanwhile, a baseline Series S console now costs £430, roughly a 43% increase on its previous £300 price tag. Sony hiked PlayStation 5 prices by £90 in March.

South Western Railway says it is cracking down on fare dodgers who deliberately buy a ticket for only a small part of their journey.

The operator reported widespread misuse of electronic tickets, estimating up to 95% of barcode tickets bought for the four-minute journey between Vauxhall and London Waterloo were used fraudulently by people travelling further. Short-faring puts £31m of revenue at risk.

Lawyers acting for European football’s governing body UEFA say they are actively considering legal action over FIFA’s failed plans to sell off a stake in the World Cup.

UEFA and its fifty-five members opposed the plans, threatening to boycott future FIFA events. A letter from legal firm Dechert informed FIFA of potential legal proceedings, with UEFA stating it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino.

Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice is being investigated by the parliamentary standards watchdog over an allegation he failed to declare an interest.

The inquiry relates to a Commons debate about Israeli influence, where Tice did not mention in his speech on the twenty-second of June that he had taken a trip to Israel funded by a pro-Israel lobbying group last September.

A former X Factor finalist has denied murdering a social media influencer by running her over with a car in central London.

Twenty-nine-year-old Gabrielle Carrington allegedly struck Klaudia Zakrzewska outside a nightclub in Soho on the nineteenth of April. Carrington pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey after the victim died six days later. The trial will begin in January.

A man who kept his mother’s body in a chest freezer for nearly three years while receiving more than £78,000 of her benefits has been jailed.

Christopher Phillips was sentenced to two years and four months for preventing a lawful burial. Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Sylvia Phillips’ body was stored inside a living-room chest freezer.

A man has been arrested following the suspicious death of a nine-year-old girl discovered seriously injured at an industrial estate in Angus.

Police Scotland said officers were called to the Elliot Industrial Estate in Arbroath shortly after midnight on Monday. The schoolgirl was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where she later died. A thirty-five-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

US President Donald Trump has said new talks with Iran will begin on Monday afternoon, after calling off what he described as massive strikes.

Speaking on Air Force One, Mr Trump said Iran knew the extent of the planned attack because they saw it forming. In a social media post, he claimed Iran and Middle Eastern allies asked him to hold off as parameters for a deal had been agreed. Iran is yet to respond.

UK drivers have stolen almost £200,000 of fuel from petrol stations on average every day since the Iran war broke out, according to industry analysis.

Figures from Forecourt Eye suggest incidents of fuel theft have risen by a fifth in the five months since February, with the total value up forty-eight percent due to soaring pump prices caused by Middle East oil supply disruptions.

Amber and yellow heat health alerts come into effect across much of England on Monday, with temperatures expected to reach thirty-four degrees Celsius.

The UK Health Security Agency amber alerts cover London, the South East, East of England, and East Midlands until Wednesday. Officials warn of significant impacts across health services and a potential rise in deaths among vulnerable people. Yellow alerts cover several other English regions.

Wales has become the first football association to officially withdraw support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA President for the  2027 to 2031 term.

The Football Association of Wales cited recent failures in good governance, leadership, and sound judgement following a botched attempt to sell off stakes in the World Cup, stating Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the association.