News 09/03/26

The UK should urgently accelerate plans to increase spending on its armed forces or risk vulnerability to missile and drone attacks, an author of the government’s defence review has warned.

General Sir Richard Barrons told Sky News that politicians would need to make “very difficult choices” to shift investment away from peacetime priorities such as health and welfare. He said that following the eruption of war between the US and Israel against Iran, the world has become even more dangerous than when his review was published last June. The Ministry of Defence has faced questions about its readiness after failing to deploy a single warship rapidly from Portsmouth to protect two British sovereign bases in Cyprus amid threats from Iranian strikes. Iran has carried out its first missile attacks under new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to state broadcaster IRIB’s Telegram channel.

Cancer death rates in the UK have fallen to a historic low, Cancer Research UK has announced.

The charity said rates have dropped by 11 percent over the past decade, with 247 deaths per 100,000 people annually. That represents a 29 percent fall from the peak of 355 per 100,000 in 1989.

Iran has carried out its first missile strikes under new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to a post on state broadcaster IRIB’s Telegram channel.

An image showed what appeared to be a projectile marked with the words “At your service, Sayyid Mojtaba”. As the conflict in the Middle East continues into its tenth day, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to reassure the public during a visit to a London community centre, where he will discuss the impact of the situation on people in the United Kingdom.

Several gunshots have been fired into Rihanna’s home in California, with one round penetrating the wall of the property.

Police in Los Angeles say a thirty year old woman has been arrested after the incident in Beverly Hills on Sunday afternoon. Officers believe seven to nine rounds were fired from an AR fifteen rifle, with four striking the house. The singer was reported to be at home at the time, although it is not known if her partner A$AP Rocky or their children were inside.

Qatar’s prime minister has described Iran’s strikes on Gulf countries as a dangerous miscalculation.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani warned the escalation could destabilise the region and send shockwaves through the global economy. Speaking after Qatar faced repeated missile and drone attacks, he said the country had entered a very difficult period but praised the professionalism of its defence and security forces during the crisis.