News 25/11/25

A fifteen-year-old boy has been arrested after a sixteen-year-old was shot on a busy stretch of London Road in Sheffield shortly before twenty past five on Monday evening.

The area was crowded with rush hour traffic when the attack took place. The victim was taken to hospital and remains in a life-threatening condition. South Yorkshire Police say the teenager who has been detained is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder as detectives work to piece together what led to the shooting. Officers are continuing to gather evidence and speak to witnesses in an effort to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Donald Trump has confirmed that envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to meet Vladimir Putin, while army secretary Dan Driscoll will head to Kyiv for talks aimed at finalising a potential peace plan.

The US president announced the moves on his Truth Social platform and repeated his view that only a small number of disagreements remain between the two sides. He said he looks forward to meeting both leaders when a deal is either agreed or in its advanced stages, signalling his belief that progress continues to be made in the negotiations.

The national minimum wage for eighteen to twenty-year-olds will rise by eight and a half percent to ten pounds eighty five an hour, while the rate for sixteen to seventeen-year-olds and apprentices will increase by six percent to eight pounds an hour.

For those aged eighteen to twenty, the government says the uplift amounts to an annual gain of around fifteen hundred pounds for full time workers and represents another step toward eventually removing age bands and creating a single adult rate. Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to ensure people on low incomes are properly rewarded, adding that the cost of living remains the biggest concern for working households.

The British Army has halted use of its new Ajax armoured vehicles after around thirty soldiers reported vibration and hearing problems during a training exercise.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson says the exercise was stopped immediately and most of those affected have now been medically cleared and returned to duty. The pause will remain in place for two weeks while further checks are carried out on the fleet.

A woman in her forties has been treated in hospital after suffering facial injuries in an assault by a cyclist in Slough.

The attack happened between twenty past two and three o’clock on Friday twenty first November at the junction of Meadow Road and Redington Drive in Langley following an altercation. Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses. The suspect is described as a white man, around five foot eight to five foot ten, wearing a balaclava, black trousers with two white stripes on the left leg, a grey and black long sleeved jumper and either a black coat or a navy puffer jacket.

It has been a fast-moving day in the diplomatic effort to secure a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, with discussions described as intensifying as a coalition of countries continues meeting.

A Ukrainian official told Reuters that Kyiv supports what was described as the essence of a proposed peace deal following talks with US officials in Geneva last weekend and further negotiations in recent days. The official added that Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to discuss some of the most sensitive unresolved issues soon, signalling that the coming days may prove critical in determining whether any wider agreement can be reached.

Heathrow’s thirty three billion pound proposal for a third runway has been chosen as the preferred plan for expanding the airport, according to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

The decision means an alternative idea for a shorter runway, put forward by hotel tycoon Surinder Arora, has been rejected. Heathrow says the expansion will be entirely privately financed through higher airline costs and will not require taxpayer funding for the runway or associated infrastructure. Alongside the new runway, the airport plans to spend a further fifteen billion pounds upgrading existing facilities.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has confirmed plans to expand sugar taxes ahead of tomorrow’s Budget.

Addressing MPs, he said obesity robs children of the best start in life, disproportionately affects the poorest families, and increases long-term health problems. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be widened to include bottles and cartons of milkshakes, flavoured milk and milk substitute drinks, extending the range of products subject to the tax.

Justice Secretary David Lammy is proposing major changes to the long-standing right to a jury trial, restricting guaranteed access to cases involving offences such as rape, murder and manslaughter, or those that meet a public interest test.

An internal Ministry of Justice briefing confirms plans for a new tier of jury-less courts in England and Wales, dealing with most cases currently heard in Crown Court. The MoJ says the government has not yet taken a final decision.

Scientists say the brain progresses through five distinct phases in life, with key turning points at ages nine, thirty two, sixty six and eighty three.

Scans of around four thousand people aged up to ninety revealed how connections between brain cells change over time. Researchers at the University of Cambridge say the brain remains in an adolescent phase until the early thirties, after which it peaks, findings that may help explain differing risks of mental health disorders and dementia across a lifetime.

The boss of the communications regulator fears that sport could lose future female stars because of growing levels of online abuse, and is urging major social media platforms to act.

Ofcom has called on companies including X, owned by Elon Musk, and Meta’s Instagram to introduce stronger protections to limit misogynistic abuse and coordinated pile-ons. Dame Melanie Dawes, the chief executive of Ofcom, told Sky News that it is important for tech firms to step up and take responsibility for creating safer environments. Her comments follow a year in which several high profile female athletes have spoken publicly about the volume of hatred and harassment they receive through social platforms, warning that such abuse risks discouraging women and girls from taking part in sport at every level.

Rachel Reeves has urged Labour MPs to unite behind this week’s budget, while acknowledging that some may not support every policy.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Labour Party last night, the chancellor described politics as a “team sport” and insisted that tomorrow’s announcements will be fair. Backbenchers are reported to be increasingly frustrated at the prospect of further tax rises, which come amid falling opinion poll ratings. Ms Reeves urged colleagues to view the budget as a complete package, rather than a “pick ‘n’ mix” where MPs “like the cola bottles but not the fruit salad,” stressing the importance of party unity at this critical moment.

Overnight drone strikes have killed at least five people in Russia and Ukraine.

Officials in Kyiv said a “massive” Russian attack on the city killed at least two people and injured six more. The strike also hit two residential buildings, causing fires and disrupting electricity and water supplies in the early hours of Tuesday. Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported that at least three people were killed in a Ukrainian strike in the Rostov region. The exchanges underline the ongoing intensity of the conflict and the continuing toll on civilians.

A teenage boy is in a life-threatening condition after being shot in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Police said the 16-year-old was taken to hospital following a gunshot wound on Monday evening. The incident occurred shortly before 5.20pm on London Road. Officers will remain in the area overnight, carrying out extensive enquiries to identify those responsible, and increased patrols are planned in the coming days to reassure the community and prevent further incidents.

Bus journeys in Slough have become easier with the launch of tap-on, tap-off contactless payments and new ticket machines.

Thames Valley Buses introduced the changes on Sunday, allowing passengers to pay simply by tapping a card or device when boarding and alighting. The system calculates the best value fare automatically and caps payments at the daily ticket price for the zones travelled. The rollout aims to make travel simpler and more convenient for commuters and casual passengers alike.

Luxury cars will no longer be available through the Motability scheme, the government has announced, while more funding will be directed to British manufacturers.

Motability allows people receiving personal independence payments to exchange part of their benefits for a rental vehicle. Vehicles provided under the scheme are eligible for tax breaks. The changes come amid criticism over rising numbers of recipients without visible disabilities and increased PIP uptake, though the announcement is not expected to have any impact on government finances.

A new post office has opened in Slough town centre, replacing the branch that closed in 2024.

The branch at Unit 39, Queensmere Observatory Shopping Centre, was officially opened on 21 November by Tan Dhesi, MP for Slough. Previously, the post office operated inside the WHSmith store on the High Street, which closed in May 2024. The new branch, located next to JD Sports and TK Maxx, is run by an experienced team and aims to provide accessible services for local residents.