News 10/07/26

Devon and Cornwall Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of former politician Ann Widdecombe.

Officers were called to an address at Haytor on Dartmoor at around eleven-forty yesterday morning. The force confirmed that Widdecombe was found dead at the property and had sustained serious injuries.

The number of people killed in the wildfires in southern Spain has risen to twelve.

Andalusia’s regional president Juanma Moreno provided updates throughout the day and travelled to Almeria. Writing on social media, the regional leader confirmed he was analysing the latest situation from an advanced command post, adding that thirty aircraft and hundreds of personnel are fighting the blaze.

The Top Boy actor Micheal Ward sobbed in court on Friday as he was found not guilty of rape and sexual assault.

The twenty-eight-year-old had been accused of raping a woman in the back of a car after meeting her outside a New Year’s party in east London in January 2023. Ward had denied all five counts, and a jury unanimously cleared him of all charges, prompting shouts of relief from his family and friends in the public gallery.

The High Court has rejected most of the principal allegations brought against five major carmakers in the United Kingdom over the dieselgate emissions scandal.

The long-running case investigated whether sample vehicles made by Mercedes, Ford, Peugeot-Citroen, Renault and Nissan used illegal defeat devices to lower emissions during tests. However, judges made an adverse finding against two devices found in certain Mercedes and Peugeot-Citroen cars, potentially opening the door for owners to claim compensation.

A Ryanair flight bound for Germany was forced to make an emergency landing in Greece on Friday after a passenger was partially sucked out of a window.

The plane had departed for Memmingen airport when a piece of the engine broke off, dislodging and smashing a cabin window shortly after take-off. Industry sources confirmed the mid-air decompression.

Police investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are to speak to Virginia Giuffre’s family.

The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office earlier this year and released on bail. It emerged in May that detectives will consider allegations of sexual misconduct. Andrew served as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 until 2011, stepping down amid controversy over his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Two brothers have been jailed on Friday for murdering a civil servant in 1984 during a spree of violence against men they thought were gay.

Michael Stewart, aged fifty-seven, and Anthony Stewart, aged sixty, were convicted at the Old Bailey in June of killing Anthony Littler in East Finchley. The siblings had denied involvement. Michael, acting as lookout, was sentenced to ten years behind bars, while his elder brother received fifteen years.

Four Britons are feared to be among eleven people killed in Spain’s worst wildfire for more than two decades.

The Andalusian Emergency Agency described the situation as an unprecedented tragedy. The blaze spread rapidly through a wooded area around Los Gallardos in Almeria province, heavily affecting the nearby hamlet of Bedar. Officials stated that residents had been advised to stay inside, and those who died appeared to have tried to evacuate in their vehicles.

Social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok will need to tackle scam adverts under new proposals from Ofcom.

The regulator has published draft measures under the Online Safety Act to protect people from online fraud. Ofcom says more than half of UK adults have encountered potentially fraudulent ads. Tech companies failing to comply with the rules could face fines of eighteen million pounds or ten per cent of their global turnover.

The Metropolitan Police are investigating at least five hundred thousand pounds of donations made to Reform UK, the Times reports.

Fiona Cottrell, whose son is a convicted fraudster, reportedly funded Nigel Farage’s social media staff and security. The Metropolitan Police inquiry focuses on potential offences relating to the evasion of restrictions on political donations. Sources within Reform UK confirm that no party officials have yet been interviewed by investigators.

The former minister, MP and MEP Ann Widdecombe has died at the age of 78.

Born in 1947, the long-time Conservative politician first entered parliament in 1987, representing the seat of Maidstone in Kent. She later joined the Brexit Party in 2019, which subsequently became Reform UK. Widdecombe also gained widespread public attention for her appearance on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

At least twelve people have been killed in a wildfire in southern Spain, emergency services in the Andalusia region have confirmed.

One hundred and fifty firefighters are currently battling the blaze, which broke out in the municipality of Los Gallardos in Almeria province. Regional officials described the situation as an unprecedented tragedy, with the regional leader Juanma Moreno offering his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

An airport in South Florida has officially been renamed after Donald Trump, marking the first time an airport has been named after a sitting US president.

Palm Beach International Airport has been rebranded as the President Donald J Trump International Airport. New signs have been installed as part of the change, and the three-letter airport code will formally switch from PBI to DJT on 18th August.

The UK is set to bake in another day of 35 degree highs, with temperatures expected to remain at heatwave level until the end of next week.

On Thursday, conditions exceeded 34 degrees for the eighth day this year, breaking the previous record set in 1976 and 2020. Parts of the UK could see some respite on Saturday when a north-easterly breeze pulls in cooler air.

Veteran radio DJ Paul Gambaccini has revealed he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The BBC Radio Two and Greatest Hits Radio presenter was given the diagnosis in 2025. In a statement, he noted it is a serious condition with an uncertain future but confirmed he will continue presenting both of his programmes.