News 17/06/26

Politicians from Oxfordshire have halted plans for a powerful new Thames Valley-wide strategic authority, pulling support at a meeting in Reading yesterday.

Leaders had gathered expecting to sign off on a shadow Foundation Strategic Authority, an interim step ahead of a mayoral authority with elections pencilled in for May 2028. The move puts joint plans for several areas on the line.

The United States has signed a deal with Iran extending the ceasefire by sixty days and reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route.

Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Donald Trump suggested a memorandum of understanding would be signed within forty-eight hours, and a White House official later confirmed the agreement had been finalized by the President.

England made a winning start to their World Cup campaign, securing a four-two victory over Croatia in Texas.

Thomas Tuchel’s side showed immense attacking excellence in the second half but appeared nervous and jittery at the back. While fans can enjoy the front-foot display, the defending gives Tuchel plenty to work on before their next group match against Ghana.

Heatwave conditions are predicted for parts of the UK this weekend, with heat health alerts already in effect ahead of possible highs of thirty-three degrees early next week.

The Met Office says temperatures will climb steadily, with southern England close to thirty degrees by Friday, thirty-two on Sunday, and thirty-three by Monday. Forecasters say some areas will be hotter than Barbados.

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Andy Burnham against launching an immediate challenge to his leadership if he becomes an MP, urging him to focus instead on the election for a new Greater Manchester mayor.

If Mr Burnham wins the Makerfield vote on Thursday, he must resign as mayor, with a by-election expected by the sixth of August. The Prime Minister said a contest would be bad for the country.

United Nations human rights experts have called for the release of a British couple sentenced to ten years in an Iranian jail over spying claims.

The special rapporteurs said proceedings against Lindsay and Craig Foreman from East Sussex were marked by grave irregularities. The couple, who deny wrongdoing, were detained in January 2025 during a motorcycle trip and are now on hunger strike.

The BBC is to cut about five hundred and fifty roles and review broadcast programmes in the first phase of a major downsizing plan.

Director general Matt Brittin told employees on Wednesday that one hundred and sixty million pounds of cost savings will be made from across news, television, and radio teams by the end of the financial year. A review of chief presenter roles will also be carried out.

A former healthcare worker at the London Clinic has been cautioned by the Information Commissioner’s Office over the deliberate misuse of the Princess of Wales’s private medical records.

The employee, who no longer works there, attempted to disclose highly sensitive personal information for financial gain, representing what the watchdog called a clear breach of trust.

Angry scenes have broken out in court as the first group of rioters were sentenced for violence in Cardiff three years ago.

The Ely riots in May 2023 were sparked after teenagers Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans died in an electric bike crash. Nine people were sentenced on Wednesday, prompting disruption and shouting from the public gallery.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he wants Andy Burnham to have a big role in government if the Manchester mayor returns to parliament.

Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Sir Keir confirmed he would offer Mr Burnham a cabinet position despite reports that the mayor is planning a leadership challenge to oust him. The Prime Minister added that he expects to speak with him after the weekend.

A forty-five-year-old man has been charged over a suspected arson attack at a memorial wall.

Ali Fallahi from Ilford is accused of starting a fire at the site in Golders Green on the twenty-seventh of April. The midnight blaze sparked an investigation by counter-terrorism police, though it is not treated as a terror incident. The dual British and Iranian national will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

The UK’s inflation rate has remained at two point eight per cent in the year to May, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The rate measures the pace of price increases for everyday essentials including food, energy and transport. The ongoing rising cost of goods and services continues to have a direct impact on the money people are able to save or earn.

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he has cancer.

The former Top Gear presenter shared his diagnosis in the final episodes of the fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm, which premiered overnight on Amazon Prime Video. The show documents his time farming on his land in Oxfordshire. He had previously warned fans on social media that the latest episodes would be a difficult watch.

England captain Harry Kane has insisted the team will not be getting ahead of themselves this summer.

England are one of the favourites, while the striker comes into the tournament after scoring thirty-six goals for Bayern Munich. The striker says he has not forgotten what it is like to be an England fan and hopes supporters can enjoy the occasion.

A British adventurer has been refused permission to use the Channel Tunnel to complete his thirty-six-thousand-mile walk around the world.

Former paratrooper Karl Bushby set off from Chile in 1998 and has reached Belgium. Eurotunnel declined his request to access a service tunnel for safety and operational reasons. The fifty-seven-year-old from Hull says he is prepared to swim the Channel.