News 10/06/26

The UK’s military chief has reportedly written to the Prime Minister, expressing concern that an extra £13bn for defence investment is insufficient.

While the specific contents of Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton’s letter remain private, the intervention highlights the significant challenges facing Sir Keir Starmer as he finalises a long-delayed investment plan. Discussions between the Ministry of Defence, the Treasury, and Number Ten remain ongoing ahead of expected announcements this Friday. A government spokesperson stated that Labour is delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.

US Central Command has confirmed that American forces have begun “self-defence strikes” against Iran, acting under the direction of President Donald Trump.

In a statement posted online, officials said these operations are in response to Iran’s continued and unwarranted aggression across multiple targets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his forces have launched a missile attack deep inside Russian territory, striking a major military facility overnight.

Cruise missiles reportedly hit a drone and missile plant in Cheboksary, more than five hundred miles from the front line. Local officials confirmed three injuries. Ukraine also claimed successful strikes against a Russian oil refinery in Samara, a “shadow fleet” tanker in the Black Sea, and the occupied port of Mariupol.

Actress Lacey Turner is the first celebrity confirmed for the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The EastEnders star expressed her excitement to join the dance floor this autumn. The show will feature new presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe, following the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Protesters have again thrown projectiles at police in Belfast as officers deployed water cannon in response to the disorder.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, has warned against further protests, describing them as ill-advised. He insisted that under no circumstances should people take to the streets following violent clashes in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Ayr yesterday.

Iran’s army has warned of even more severe and widespread attacks if the United States repeats its strikes.

This follows action by US Central Command, which described its recent operations against Iran as self-defence strikes after an Apache helicopter was downed. In response, Iran targeted US assets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The headquarters of Iran’s armed forces has now issued a further warning to the United States via state media.

A fourteen-year-old girl arrested following a knife attack at a school in Manchester has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Officers were called to the Co-op Academy on Tuesday morning, where three people suffered injuries. Police confirmed that the schoolgirl was restrained by staff before being taken into custody. She has now been sectioned for medical assessment in hospital.

Essex Police have confirmed they have received new information and are making enquiries following a joint investigation into West Ham co-owner David Sullivan.

The BBC Panorama and Times report included allegations of sexually exploitative behaviour dating back to the nineteen-eighties, which Mr Sullivan categorically denies. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has held urgent meetings with the Football Association and West Ham after it was revealed that Sullivan was previously banned from contacting women’s and youth teams over safeguarding concerns.

England cricketers Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been dropped for the second Test against New Zealand following a nightclub incident early on Monday morning.

While some expected vice-captain Harry Brook to step in, the England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that Joe Root will captain the side at the Kia Oval.

The victim of Monday’s stabbing in Belfast lost his left eye, a court has been told.

Thirty-year-old Hadi Alodid, who is charged with attempted murder, did not speak during his appearance and was remanded in custody after being denied bail. His next hearing is set for July eighth.

Donald Trump has claimed Iran has taken too long to negotiate a peace deal and will now pay the price.

Writing on Truth Social, the US President described Iran as all talk and no action, declaring the bully of the Middle East is dead.

Two people have become the first to be jailed under a new offence of endangering others during a Channel crossing.

Thirty-two-year-old Mohammad Tajik was sentenced to two years at Canterbury Crown Court after abandoning an overcrowded dinghy when a rescue ship arrived. The boat was operating in poor weather, and several passengers were not wearing life jackets.

Police are searching for a man following an incident on April twenty-fourth where a twelve-year-old girl was touched inappropriately on Pemberton Road.

The suspect is described as an Asian man, aged between twenty-five and thirty, wearing a dark t-shirt and matching tracksuit bottoms.

Three men have been charged following racist assaults in Glasgow after a march by hundreds of masked people on Tuesday.

Police Scotland reported five injuries, including two officers, and stated victims were attacked due to the colour of their skin. This violence followed the charging of Hadi Alodid for an attempted murder in Belfast.

The father of a pilot killed in last year’s Air India plane crash says he will continue to defend his son’s reputation ahead of an investigative update.

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the senior pilot when the Boeing seven-eight-seven crashed in Ahmedabad in June twenty-twenty-five, killing at least two hundred and sixty people.

At least twelve people have been killed in a mass shooting at an informal settlement in Cleveland, Johannesburg.

Police say another nine people were injured in the attack, which occurred late on Tuesday, and a major manhunt for the suspects is currently underway. Officials report that more than ten suspects arrived in a white vehicle near a petrol station before entering the settlement from multiple locations. They moved through the area opening fire on residents and community members before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle.

A thirty-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed article, and making threats to kill following a stabbing in Belfast.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed he will appear in court today. First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the violence, describing attacks by masked men as disgusting cowardice and outright thuggery. Belfast councillor Carl Whyte also criticised politicians for using far-right rhetoric to score points, stating he has been focused on arranging help for those directly affected while others prioritised inflammatory commentary over the needs of the local community.

More than one thousand devices have been lost or stolen from the Ministry of Defence since twenty-twenty-four, at a potential cost exceeding £1.6M.

Figures released following a Freedom of Information request reveal that over five hundred laptops and tablets, alongside seven hundred and forty-four phones, have gone missing. None of the devices have been recovered. While the Ministry of Defence believes over one hundred laptops were stolen, the remaining items are thought to have been lost by staff.

The government may unveil its long-delayed defence investment plan by Friday, though funding disagreements remain unresolved.

The plan is now over six months late, prompting speculation about a potential refresh of last year’s strategic defence review. Although this is not under official consideration, the ongoing delay has led to growing unease regarding the United Kingdom’s efforts to rearm amidst increasing global threats.

Thousands of men with prostate cancer in England will be offered high-powered precision radiotherapy, reducing treatment sessions from twenty to five.

Senior doctors state this technique, known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, will target the disease more effectively than standard methods while reducing side effects. Previously used for lung and brain cancers, this is the first time the treatment will be available for low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients outside of clinical trials.