News 23/09/26

Ed Miliband has told the UN Security Council that leaders in artificial intelligence are right to warn about the technology’s ability to do harm.

The Foreign Secretary said executives at major firms are stating clearly that preventing global disaster cannot be left solely to private companies. He added that governments cannot abdicate their fundamental duty to protect their citizens by outsourcing responsibility to commercial businesses.

Blood tests have revealed very high levels of a cancer-causing forever chemical in dozens of residents living near a Lancashire chemical factory.

People in Thornton-Cleveleys have been warned they face an elevated risk of serious health conditions from the substance, known as PFOA. The Environment Agency has investigated local soil and food contamination, linked to the nearby AGC plant which used the chemical for frying pan coatings until 2012.

The Home Secretary has ordered an urgent review into Border Security Command after two migrant boats reached the Kent coast without being intercepted.

Shabana Mahmood branded the beach landings unacceptable following an arrival near Folkestone on Monday and another at Samphire Hoe on Tuesday, where twenty-one people were detained. Five people were detained after Monday’s landing, which was the first undetected arrival in a year.

The Conservatives have pledged to restrict long-term unemployed benefit claimants from spending welfare payments on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling.

Under proposals aimed at cutting the welfare bill, those out of work for over six months would face a thirty percent Universal Credit reduction onto a Back to Work card blocking these purchases. Labour has branded the scheme unworkable.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has suggested trialling a change to the ban on men’s football fans drinking alcohol in stadium stands, calling the restriction discriminatory.

Existing laws prevent drinking in view of the pitch across top English tiers, unlike other sports. While supporters welcomed a review of outdated rules, police chiefs warned against relaxing the law and requested a meeting with the Prime Minister.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has reignited the dispute over the Falkland Islands during his speech at the United Nations.

Mr Milei claimed the islanders do not possess the right to self-determination, arguing Britain imposed the population on the territory. While Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not responded directly to the latest comments, he addressed the ongoing territorial dispute during an interview in New York yesterday.

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for committing a criminal sexual act against a former assistant.

Victim Miriam Haley told the court the assault had a devastating effect on her life and security. Weinstein, who appeared in court using a wheelchair, denied the allegations but apologised for any harm caused. He has already served six years in prison during multiple legal proceedings.

Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses and dash-cam footage following a rape in Slough.

Officers received a report that a man in his twenties was approached by an attacker while walking down an alleyway near Pickford Gardens early yesterday morning. The offender shouted at the victim in a local accent and exposed himself before committing the assault. Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

Two pilots are being treated for minor injuries following an incident involving an RAF training aircraft in North Wales.

Emergency services were called to the scene in the Pencarnisiog area of Anglesey on Wednesday. North Wales Police confirmed that both pilots received attention at the site, adding there are currently no reports of any wider damage or further injuries.

Police are investigating after video footage emerged appearing to show anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas slashing an inflatable boat carrying around fifty migrants in the English Channel.

The group had launched from Normandy and was picked up in UK waters by RNLI lifeboats before being taken to Dover. Thomas live-streamed the incident to thousands of viewers while sailing alongside in a speedboat.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned Emmanuel Macron after the French President criticized Israel’s actions in the West Bank during an address at the United Nations General Assembly.

Macron told delegates that violations were taking place daily in an area where Hamas was not active. Netanyahu described the comments as a grotesque absurdity, citing ongoing attacks against Jewish people, though French diplomats suggested a misinterpretation.

The Defence Secretary has confirmed that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will review the proposed Chagos Islands agreement following talks with Donald Trump.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the US President described the deal to hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius as terrible and ridiculous. Under the proposed ninety-nine-year lease agreement costing up to thirty billion pounds, the UK would retain control of the Diego Garcia military base.

Oasis have announced additional concert dates for their upcoming tour following phenomenal demand.

The band, led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, will return to Knebworth in September 2027, over thirty years after their landmark performances there, adding two extra shows on the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth. The group has also added further European tour dates in Rome on the twenty-sixth of July and Munich on the sixth of July.

At least eleven people have been killed in a mass shooting at a house party in South Africa.

Police said three armed perpetrators entered a property in KwaMakhutha, nineteen miles south of Durban, and opened fire on guests on Tuesday night. A woman believed to be pregnant was among those killed, while three other people were wounded in the attack.

A total of 51 migrants have arrived in Dover on a small boat after spending more than thirty hours at sea.

The vessel arrived at half past twelve on Wednesday morning after protesters gathered in Gosport on Tuesday, where it was initially expected to land. The boat left Normandy on Monday morning, with the French coastguard reporting those on board refused help despite precarious conditions. British rescue vessels collected the migrants, transferring them to Border Security Command.

Doctors at the UK’s first dedicated NHS clinic for ketamine bladder damage have told the BBC that children as young as thirteen are suffering severe complications.

Medics at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, who have received over one hundred referrals since opening last May, say some patients describe shedding their bladder’s protective lining. Experts warned that prolonged misuse can lead to incontinence and kidney failure, with some patients having used the drug for a year or more.

The UK will set up a new centre to stem the tide of disinformation and lead efforts to establish global safety standards for artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Burnham warned Russian agencies are using bots and fake websites to spread lies. Pitching the UK as an honest broker, he added that AI will multiply existing threats following warnings that the technology could threaten humanity.

The US, Denmark and Greenland have signed a defence deal allowing Washington to build two new military bases in the Arctic territory while reaffirming Danish sovereignty.

Speaking before the signing at the UN, US President Donald Trump said development of a large military presence would begin immediately. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen both welcomed the agreement, ending more than a year of regional tension.