News 05/12/25

England will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia, opening in Dallas or Toronto on Wednesday the seventeenth of June.

They will also face Ghana and Panama in Group L. Scotland return to the men’s World Cup after twenty eight years, starting against Haiti before meeting Morocco and Brazil. Wales or Northern Ireland could join Group B if they progress through Uefa play offs.

The Duchess of Sussex has contacted her estranged father Thomas Markle after reports that he had his leg amputated following surgery in the Philippines.

Meghan has also been estranged since her 2018 wedding after he staged paparazzi photographs, and her spokesperson says she has made previous attempts to reach him.

A doctor has been charged with sexually assaulting thirty eight patients while working at major hospitals in the West Midlands.

Nathaniel Spencer, from Quinton in Birmingham, faces multiple counts including sexual assault, assault by penetration, and offences involving children under thirteen. The charges relate to alleged incidents at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke on Trent and Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley between 2017 and 2021.

The police watchdog is investigating the death of eighteen year old Logan Smith, who was tasered by an officer before being fatally struck by a car on the M5 in Somerset.

He had been in an ambulance heading to hospital around 11pm on Sunday when staff raised concerns and it stopped on the hard shoulder. He then left the vehicle and entered live motorway lanes.

Four people have died in the latest US strike on a suspected drug boat, amid rising questions over the legality of such actions.

The small vessel was hit in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday and is the twenty second destroyed by the US military on suspicion of drug trafficking. It is the first strike after nearly three weeks and brings the reported death toll to eighty seven.

England mounted a late fightback under lights on day two of the second Test in Brisbane but still face a major task after missing five chances.

Australia were heading for a substantial first innings lead until Brydon Carse struck, bowling Cameron Green for forty five and removing Steve Smith for sixty one with a catch from Will Jacks. Australia closed on 378 for six, forty four ahead.

Netflix is close to a deal to buy the film and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery, according to reports.

It has reportedly offered twenty eight dollars or twenty one pounds a share, putting it ahead of Comcast and Paramount Skydance. Paramount had previously bid twenty four dollars a share for the whole company, including its cable networks, but was rejected. Its lawyers have since questioned the process.

Australia will bring in one of the world’s toughest social media rules for children next week, with a ban taking effect on Wednesday.

Meta has started locking users under sixteen out of Instagram and Facebook as it carries out age checks. Other platforms are contacting underage users, asking them to download photos and either delete accounts or freeze them until they turn sixteen. The ban also covers TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, Kick, Threads and X.

The government has announced plans to stop children growing up in B and Bs and to improve childcare access for families on Universal Credit as part of its child poverty strategy.

Ministers say the measures could lift around 550000 children out of poverty by 2030. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned there is uncertainty over how much poverty will fall. Homelessness charities welcomed the plans but called for wider changes.

The UK is deporting sixty delivery riders found working illegally after a nationwide immigration crackdown.

The Home Office says targeted action in the gig economy led to one hundred and seventy one arrests last month. Those detained included Chinese nationals in Solihull, Bangladeshi and Indian riders in east London, and Indian riders in Norwich. Ministers say the drive aims to deter illegal working and discourage unlawful migration.

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia will boycott the twenty twenty six Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was allowed to compete.

They had called for Israel to be excluded over the war in Gaza and concerns about unfair voting. Spanish broadcaster RTVE pushed for a secret ballot in Geneva but said organisers refused. Ireland’s RTE said taking part was unconscionable given the loss of life and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.