News 09/07/26

FIFA has banned England defender Jarell Quansah for two matches after his red card against Mexico.

Under FIFA rules, individuals receive at least a two-match ban for serious foul play. Quansah was sent off during England’s three-two victory at the Azteca Stadium following a VAR review for a high tackle on Jesus Gallardo. The Football Association had considered appealing to the governing body to lift the suspension, following a similar, controversial decision for the USA’s Folarin Balogun earlier this week.

The UK has broken its weather record for the highest number of hot days in a single year, the Met Office has confirmed.

Temperatures have exceeded thirty-four degrees Celsius for the eighth day this year, surpassing previous records of seven days set in 1976 and 2020. The milestone was reached as temperatures hit thirty-five point one degrees Celsius in Wisley, Surrey.

Andy Burnham is on course to become the new Labour leader and Prime Minister, with no other candidate standing against him.

Labour MPs have begun formally endorsing contenders to replace Sir Keir Starmer. If no rivals emerge, the former Greater Manchester mayor will be declared leader next week and will take over at Number Ten on the twentieth of July.

The government has announced that more buildings will soon be able to access financial funding to remove dangerous cladding.

Support was previously restricted to blocks measuring eighteen metres or higher, but will now extend to properties under eleven metres. The change forms part of the Remediation Acceleration Plan, which aims to prioritise buildings based on the safety risks they pose to residents.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Ukrainian forces have targeted two Russian oil depots in the Stavropol and Tver regions, five hundred kilometres from the front line.

Overnight, Ukraine also struck twelve Russian tankers, a tugboat and a dry loader in the Sea of Azov. The military stated the affected vessels were being used to transport petroleum products and supply fuel to Russian troops.

The family of a mother and two children who died in Bedfordshire say they are dealing with unimaginable loss.

The bodies of Nothabo Zandile Tshuma and her daughters, Natalie and Nala, were found in Great Denham on Monday. Their father, Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, is the prime suspect and is thought to have fled to Zimbabwe. Police have warned him that they will find him.

Residents across Slough are being urged to take extra care this weekend after an extreme wildfire alert was issued due to forecast high temperatures.

Slough Borough Council highlighted an increased risk of grass and woodland fires this Saturday and Sunday. The local authority is encouraging people to take simple precautions, including reminding smokers to fully extinguish cigarettes and avoid discarding ends on the ground.

Legendary Welsh rock singer Bonnie Tyler has died in Portugal aged 75, her family has announced.

A statement confirmed she unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital following an illness. She had undergone emergency intestinal surgery in May. Famous for her eighties hits Total Eclipse Of The Heart and Holding Out For A Hero, Tyler was a three-time Grammy nominee.

A key disability benefit is not working for millions of disabled people or the government and needs fundamental change, a review has said.

Sir Stephen Timms told the BBC the interim review of Personal Independence Payments found the process to be dehumanising and not fit for purpose. The disability minister said his final report due out later this year would not make crude payment changes.

The most popular baby names for 2025 in England and Wales have been revealed by the Office for National Statistics.

Olivia held the top spot for girls for the fourth year running, with Lily moving up into second place. Muhammad topped the boys’ list for the third consecutive year, followed by Noah in second and Leo in third place.

Around ninety Iranian targets have been hit in the latest wave of strikes, US Central Command has said.

CENTCOM stated that air defence systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile storage and naval capabilities along Iran’s coastline were all targeted. This follows earlier US strikes on eighty targets after attacks on three commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded on both occasions with retaliatory strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The Metropolitan Police has launched a formal investigation into a £37,500 donation given to Robert Jenrick’s 2024 Conservative leadership campaign.

The Electoral Commission passed information to police in January over claims the money originated overseas, which is banned under electoral law. The force confirmed the inquiry concerns donations connected to a leadership campaign, but has not named anyone caught up in the investigation.

The Prime Minister has heavily hinted that the UK will get an extra bank holiday if England win the World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel’s team play Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday, ahead of the final on Sunday the nineteenth of July. It is widely expected that Sir Keir Starmer will step down the following day, to be replaced as prime minister by Andy Burnham.

A thirty-seven-year-old man has been jailed for twelve years and nine months for raping a teenage girl in Slough.

Travis Moore, of Great West Road, Hounslow, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Monday following a five-day trial. The offence took place in Baylis Park in November 2025. Moore will serve nine years and nine months of his sentence in custody.