News 23/08/26

Train operator CrossCountry will run a full train service on Monday following major disruption to services across the country.

The operator said it plans to run a very limited number of trains from around six o’clock on Sunday evening, and a full service tomorrow. It comes after a power outage affected its control centre in Birmingham, resulting in mass cancellations across the network on Sunday. A spokesperson said their priority is restoring a near-normal service for customers.

A thirty-four-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a fatal fire in west London.

The Metropolitan Police were called to a residential address on Berkeley Avenue in Hounslow on Wednesday, where a forty-eight-year-old woman died and eight others were injured. Another woman, aged forty, remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition. Kent Police arrested the suspect on Sunday while he was travelling to France by train.

Reform UK has announced plans to prioritise British-born workers under thirty-five when allocating social housing if elected to government.

Deputy leader Richard Tice will set out proposal details to build fifty thousand social homes annually, claiming the policy requires no new borrowing. Former military personnel and married couples with children would also receive priority. A Labour spokesperson called the proposal unserious and unworkable, accusing Reform of pushing gimmicks that target long-term UK residents.

The six Nordic football associations of Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Norway and Sweden have announced they have lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In a joint statement, the nations raised serious concerns over governance and decision-making within football’s world governing body. Norway FA president Lise Klaveness accused Mr Infantino of management by fear, with most of the Nordic associations indicating they will not support his re-election in March.

Investigators say police abandoned the pursuit of a car seconds before it crashed heading the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough, killing seven people.

Passengers Michael Robert Cahill, Jacob Matusiak, Theo Rae, Makai Saddington and Cole Robert Worthy died alongside officers PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough. The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed officers had been pursuing the Volkswagen Passat following reports of numerous incidents.

A large hunting knife and drugs have been seized by police during targeted patrols at Upton Lea Recreational Ground in Slough.

Officers from the Slough East neighbourhood team discovered the items while carrying out stop searches in the area. One person was arrested and charged to appear in court. Thames Valley Police thanked the public for their support, emphasizing that removing weapons helps make local communities safer.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed England bowler Brydon Carse is under investigation following a reported incident at a Derby nightclub on Saturday.

Social media footage appeared to show the Durham player being led away in handcuffs by police officers, alongside team-mate Matthew Potts and former captain Ben Stokes. Carse was not on national duty at the time ahead of joining the Test squad.

Five young men who died in a collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough yesterday have been named as Makai Saddington, Michael Robert Cahill, Jacob Matusiak, Cole Robert Worthy and Theo Rae.

Two police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, were also killed when their vehicle collided with the group’s Volkswagen Passat. Police said officers had spotted the car driving suspiciously on the wrong side of the road in South Bank.

US President Donald Trump has claimed Canada wants the benefits of being a US state without being one, following the collapse of trade negotiations.

Speaking after the breakdown of talks triggered new fifty per cent US tariffs on Canadian goods, Mr Trump alleged American farmers had faced massive tariffs for years. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the action as a miscalculation intended to divide, confirming dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs from the eighth of September.

Rail operator CrossCountry has cancelled services across the UK following a power outage at its Birmingham control centre.

The operator said the cut has rendered systems used to manage the railway unavailable, causing severe disruption on routes stretching from Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester. Disappointed passengers have taken to social media to express frustration, with some forced to arrange alternative coach travel before transferring to other train operators.

A small UK power plant was shut down for four days following a cyber attack last month.

The government confirmed there was no risk to the national energy system, though the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has advised power firms on cyber risks. Reports suggest Iranian-backed hackers were behind the incident. Officials withheld details of the facility for security reasons, confirming it was not an essential service like a major power station.

The mother of a twenty-three-year-old British woman unlawfully killed after being shot by her father in Texas says she has felt abandoned by British authorities.

Jane Coates is preparing to travel to the United States to convince prosecutors to reopen the case into the death of her daughter, Lucy Harrison. The fashion buyer from Warrington, Cheshire, was killed in January last year, the day before she was due to return home. Her mother is now urging the government to back her campaign.

Prisoners jailed for violent and sexual offences could be restricted to designated local areas upon release under new government plans.

Victims will be allowed to help set the boundaries to reduce the likelihood of encountering offenders, whose movements will be monitored using GPS tags. According to ministers, the initiative aims to provide victims with greater reassurance. The Mirror reports that the upgraded exclusion zone policy will be rolled out next month.

Andy Burnham is expected to unveil new powers allowing regional mayors to override local council planning decisions.

Under proposals set to be announced next week, mayors will be permitted to call in applications, directing authorities to approve or reject them. They will also have authority to grant upfront planning approval for developments exceeding one hundred and fifty homes, commercial spaces over fifteen thousand square metres, or buildings taller than thirty metres.

Two men arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of a soldier found in the River Tyne have been released on bail.

The suspects were detained after Coldstream Guardsman Liam Potts was discovered on Tuesday, following a search triggered by his disappearance on a night out. The soldier was last seen heading towards Wylam in Northumberland early on Saturday, the fifteenth of August.

Actress Lucy Davis has thanked fans for their support at a London sci-fi convention following her diagnosis of incurable breast cancer.

The fifty-three-year-old star spoke at ExCeL London to discuss her role in the film Shaun of the Dead, making her first public appearance since sharing her diagnosis online.