News 15/09/26

Andy Burnham will meet Donald Trump for the first time next week when attending a summit in New York.

The prime minister is travelling to attend the United Nations general assembly taking place in New York City. Downing Street had previously said it was unsure if Burnham would meet Trump due to clashing schedules, but both men will meet at the event on Tuesday.

A search is under way for a three-year-old boy who went missing at a playground in Suffolk.

Police said Noah was at the playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, when he ran off down an alleyway towards a housing estate. He is white with curly ginger hair and was wearing a white Bluey T-shirt. Suffolk Police confirmed he is autistic, non-verbal and has partial hearing loss.

Another Metropolitan Police officer has been dismissed following BBC Panorama’s undercover investigation into Charing Cross station.

PC Mason O’Connor was sacked after a hearing found he breached standards regarding a comment to a female colleague. Reported following the broadcast in October twenty twenty-five, O’Connor is the thirteenth officer sacked since the documentary, which covertly filmed officers making abusive and violent remarks.

Reform UK’s Dan Thomas has resigned as Welsh leader after being arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling behaviour.

Gwent Police confirmed the forty-five-year-old from Aberbargoed was bailed pending further enquiries. In a statement, the Member of the Senedd for Casnewydd Islwyn said he was standing down for personal reasons, adding he was released without charge and had done nothing wrong. Thomas was appointed Welsh leader by Nigel Farage in February.

Denmark has accused a Russian warship of firing two emergency flares at a Danish helicopter during a routine Baltic Sea monitoring operation on Monday.

Summoning the Russian ambassador, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the action reckless and designed to intimidate and divide. Russia promised a thorough investigation, but accused Danish helicopters of dangerous manoeuvres near its vessels.

Ed Sheeran says it was not his decision to drop rapper Macklemore from his US tour.

Macklemore, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was removed after making pro-Palestinian comments in New Jersey, sparking criticism from Jewish groups and pressure on promoters from venues. Sheeran stated he spoke with venues at length to try and build a bridge, but promoters Messina Touring Group ultimately decided to remove the rapper from the bill.

British intelligence has uncovered an Iranian spyware campaign stealing sensitive data from global targets.

GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre says dissidents, activists and journalists were targeted. Cyber actors used spyware to collect screen captures and messaging history. UK spies discovered the plot alongside American and Dutch allies.

Former England footballer Raheem Sterling has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in a Lamborghini.

The thirty-one-year-old also admitted possessing six canisters of nitrous oxide and failing to provide a specimen. He crashed the vehicle on the M3 southbound in Hampshire on the 28th of May. Police confirmed no other vehicles were involved and nobody was injured.

The deaths of some babies at Countess of Chester Hospital could have been avoided, Lady Justice Thirlwall has concluded in her inquiry report.

The long-awaited findings into Lucy Letby’s killings of seven infants strongly criticise hospital management, culture and executives. Lady Thirlwall stated there was a complete failure to protect babies on the neonatal unit. She added that executives repeatedly failed in their duties to parents and were more concerned with protecting the hospital’s reputation.

The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space to guard against hostile adversary action.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink revealed the existence of on-orbit weapons during a speech at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland on Monday. However, he provided no details regarding the type of weapon deployed, whether testing has occurred, or the total number of systems in orbit.

The government plans to tighten residency rules for political donors to ensure those giving significant sums reside in the UK.

The move follows controversy over seventy-two million pounds in donations to Reform UK from two British crypto-billionaires living abroad. Reform leader Nigel Farage said the payments complied with current laws, but could not confirm if they would meet proposed changes. Ministers want to update laws on overseas donations, including a backdated hundred-thousand-pound cap.

Two people have died and four others were seriously injured following a collision involving a car, pedestrians, and multiple vehicles in Doncaster on Sunday.

South Yorkshire Police said a black Mitsubishi L200 struck four pedestrians before colliding with an Audi and a BMW on the opposite side of White Rose Way. Authorities confirmed the two pedestrians died at the scene, while four individuals were taken to hospital. The thirty-year-old Mitsubishi driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been bailed pending further enquiries.

Law enforcement action has been a key factor in reducing small boat Channel crossings, according to the National Crime Agency.

Figures show arrivals dropped forty-one per cent in the first half of twenty twenty-six compared to the previous year. The agency cited increased arrests and seizures alongside French preventative operations and changing demand. However, experts from Oxford University’s Migration Observatory argue it remains impossible to separate government enforcement policies from external factors driving the decline.

Nottingham is set to become one of the first cities to introduce a balaclava ban as new powers targeting intimidation take effect.

Under the restrictions, police and council officers can require individuals to remove face coverings if used to hide identities while committing crimes or behaving anti-socially. Measures include seventy-pound on-the-spot fines, confiscation of coverings, and referrals to an immediate justice programme. Repeat offenders face potential criminal behaviour orders banning them from the city centre indefinitely.

The state pension is likely to rise by £9.40 a week to £250.70 next April, following the latest jobs and pay figures.

Under triple lock rules, the increase relies on average wage growth, inflation or 2.5%, depending on which figure is highest. Official statistics show average wage growth slowed to 3.9% between May and July. Almost thirteen million UK citizens receive the state pension, with forecasts suggesting recipients will pay income tax on it from 2027.

A cross-party group of eighteen MPs and one peer has written to Defence Minister Luke Pollard, urging the government to replace real bear pelts on the King’s Guard hats with fake fur.

The letter, signed by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green politicians, says using Canadian bearskin caps fails to meet today’s ethical standards and is impossible to justify. They called on the Ministry of Defence to proactively work with manufacturers to develop suitable faux fur alternatives, in line with government commitments on animal welfare.

The findings of a public inquiry into how killer nurse Lucy Letby was able to murder and harm babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital will be published later today.

Letby, who is thirty-six, is serving fifteen whole-life terms for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between 2015 and 2016. The Thirlwall Inquiry was not tasked with examining her guilt, but instead investigated how hospital management handled concerns about the neonatal nurse and whether action could have been taken sooner.

Cooler and more changeable weather is moving in across much of the United Kingdom today, bringing spells of rain that will primarily affect northern and western regions.

Forecasters say the rest of the week will remain unsettled with further rainfall. Looking ahead to next week, conditions may turn somewhat more settled with temperatures rising above average for some, although heatwave conditions are currently looking increasingly unlikely.

Nato fighter jets have shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace shortly after midnight.

President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed the aircraft was destroyed after likely entering southern Lithuania from neighbouring Belarus, coming down near the country’s second-largest city, Kaunas. A spokesperson for Lithuania’s national crisis management centre stated that emergency response teams and military personnel are currently working to determine the origin and exact model of the downed drone.