News 16/09/26

Buckingham Palace has hit back at claims made in an upcoming book by Earl Spencer.

The book claims that following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in September nineteen ninety-seven, the then-Prince Charles said “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough” during arrangements for her funeral procession. In response, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said King Charles is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason.

Microsoft is set to submit plans for a new data centre at the former Langley Business Centre site on Station Road later this autumn.

The site near Langley and Windsor College has been vacant since December twenty twenty-three, following the lapse of a previous outline application approved by Slough Borough Council in twenty twenty-one. However, local residents have raised concerns regarding potential noise, heat generation, and health impacts.

The British armed forces member who died in Ukraine at the weekend has been named as Major Paul Wilks.

The forty-year-old intelligence officer died in a road traffic accident away from the front lines on Saturday, the Ministry of Defence confirmed. Remembered as a man of great intellect, Major Wilks served on multiple tours, including Afghanistan, receiving two Operational Service Medals and a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

Schools in England are to receive around £500m in additional funding towards this year’s teachers’ pay award, reducing the risk of a strike ballot.

Headteachers had been expected to cover part of the three point five per cent pay rise from existing budgets. The National Education Union called the funding a significant step, which the government says will come from pension savings.

Microsoft’s head of AI has warned that Anthropic’s approach to training its Claude model could have a disastrous impact on humanity’s wellbeing.

Mustafa Suleyman said the rival firm risks creating something impossible to control by treating AI like a human, including telling the system it may be conscious. He warned against sleepwalking into decisions the industry could later bitterly regret.

Police searching for missing three-year-old Noah have confirmed a body has been found in Suffolk.

The toddler disappeared from a Brantham playground yesterday afternoon before running down a nearby alleyway. Following a major search operation involving hundreds of volunteers, police, helicopters, and the coastguard, Superintendent Tom Pearse confirmed the body was discovered in Decoy Pond within the village.

A suspect in the Putney pusher investigation has been found dead at his home in west London.

Forty-four-year-old Nicholas Brandram was discovered unresponsive at his Chiswick property last night. He was arrested in June over the May twenty seventeen attack, where a pedestrian was pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge, but was released without charge.

Suffolk Police say there is nothing to indicate any criminality in the disappearance of three-year-old Noah.

Images and CCTV footage have been released showing him at the Merriman Close playground shortly before he vanished. Superintendent Tom Pearse confirmed officers are treating it purely as a missing person investigation, adding there is nothing to suggest anything sinister occurred, though police keep an open mind regarding the circumstances.

Residents of an Oxfordshire village have voted to symbolically become independent from the United Kingdom.

The referendum in Piddington, near Bicester, was held in protest against Home Office plans to accommodate more than one thousand male asylum seekers at a former military base. Out of three hundred and twelve votes cast, two hundred and eighty-five voted to leave, twenty-six voted no, and one ballot paper was spoiled.

British-American author and cultural commentator Bonnie Greer has died at the age of 77 following a brief illness.

Her husband David Hutchins paid tribute to the acclaimed playwright, critic, and commentator, praising her intelligence, courage, and enduring contribution to British cultural life. He described her as his partner, confidante, and inspiration, adding that those closest to her will remember her warmth, generosity, and humour.

Police searching for missing three-year-old Noah Woods in Suffolk have cordoned off Decoy Pond and an industrial estate along Factory Lane.

An officer putting up tape along a nearby wooded area confirmed that it is also out of bounds to the public. Officers continue to search key locations for the missing toddler.

The upcoming budget will be challenging amid global economic shocks, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned.

Speaking to broadcasters, Burnham said the budget will be tough due to global conditions, particularly the Middle East situation. He noted the Iran conflict has created inflationary pressure in the UK and worldwide, but insisted ministers will not take risks with living standards or the wider economy.

The European Union wants Canada to become its first associate member as Canada’s trade war with Donald Trump escalates.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered the arrangement to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during her State of the European Union address. Trump’s tariffs and talk of making Canada the fifty-first state have driven Ottawa towards closer European ties, with Carney seeking a unique alliance to reduce dependence on US trade.

New official figures show UK inflation increased to three point one per cent in August.

The Office for National Statistics has announced the increase, which is up from a rate of two point nine per cent in July. It meets economists’ expectations, given the rising cost of fuel. Inflation is the rate at which prices are rising and is measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Wandsworth Council has announced plans for a record 94% increase in council tax from April 2027.

The south London borough, which previously had one of Britain’s lowest rates, will raise Band D properties by £958. The Conservative administration says government Fair Funding reforms will cut funding by £84m a year.

All remaining support acts on Ed Sheeran’s US tour have quit after rapper Macklemore was dropped over pro-Palestinian remarks.

Departing acts include Finneas, singer Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and Irish folk band Beoga. The departures followed statement from Sheeran saying he would not be drawn into public debate over Gaza and was not responsible for Macklemore’s removal.

At least three people have died after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles near the scene of a fatal bus accident.

Fire officials said another person was taken to hospital in an unknown condition. It remains unclear if all victims were onboard the aircraft, which crashed in Chatsworth just before seven PM local time, three AM UK time.

Emergency services and members of the public are searching for a missing three-year-old boy in Suffolk.

Noah Woods became separated from a relative at a playground in Brantham around three PM on Tuesday and ran down an alleyway towards a housing estate. Police say the toddler is partially deaf, autistic, and non-verbal, urging residents to check gardens, sheds, and outbuildings.