News 26/05/26

Today is officially the hottest May day on record, with the temperature being broken for the second consecutive day.

The Met Office has provisionally recorded thirty-five degrees at Heathrow and Kew Gardens. This is the earliest point in the year the UK has reached this threshold, surpassing the previous record set in June nineteen seventy-six. Yesterday, Kew Bridge saw highs of thirty-four point eight degrees, easily smashing the former record of thirty-two point eight.

A woman who died after being shot outside a bar in Sheffield city centre was an innocent bystander, police have confirmed.

The thirty-year-old victim was found with serious injuries outside One Four One on West Street at around quarter to three on Monday morning and later died in hospital. Chief Superintendent Jamie Henderson said she was on a bank holiday night out. Three people remain in custody, including two arrested near Stockport and one in Sheffield.

A-level students in the UK and several other countries have had their exam papers voided after it emerged they were leaked online.

The exam board, Cambridge International Education, says it has moved quickly to put alternative measures in place. Affected students will now receive assessed marks based on their performance in other parts of the course. A spokesperson acknowledged the incident has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing for students, families and schools.

 

BP chairman Albert Manifold has been forced to step down after board members could not tolerate a series of aggressive outbursts and his executive style.

Company insiders suggest Manifold, who was appointed last July, was ousted amid allegations of volcanic temper, verbal abuse, and bullying behaviour towards senior colleagues. The board, led by Dame Amanda Blanc, reportedly took the decision as a last resort.

A stepmother has been found guilty of manslaughter after scalding a five-year-old girl in a hot bath as punishment.

Janice Nix was convicted today of killing Andrea Bernard in south London in 1978. Andrea’s death was originally treated as an accident, but the case was reopened in twenty-twenty-two after her brother provided a new account of the events.

Four people, including two children, have been killed following a collision between a school bus and a train in the Belgian town of Buggenhout.

Five other children remain in a serious condition in hospital. The crash occurred at eight-fifteen this morning after the driver reportedly broke through a level crossing barrier. Police are currently investigating why the driver proceeded to cross the tracks.

 

The Prime Minister has confirmed that the sentences of two teenagers who avoided jail for raping two girls are to be reviewed.

The fifteen-year-old boys were given youth rehabilitation orders and placed under intensive supervision by a judge at Southampton Crown Court last week. The teenagers raped the girls in separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, between November twenty-twenty-four and January twenty-twenty-five. Footage of the attacks was subsequently shared on social media. Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer has now referred the case to the Court of Appeal following widespread concern that the original sentences were unduly lenient.

Four people have been killed in a crash between a train and a school bus in Belgium.

Transport officials confirmed that two teenagers, the bus driver, and an adult chaperone all died in the collision. Infrabel, the train operating company, stated that the level crossing was closed at the time of impact at eight-fifteen this morning, with red lights warning of the approaching train.

Three teenagers have died in separate incidents at beauty spots across England after getting into difficulties in open water during the bank holiday heatwave.

Police in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Warwickshire confirmed the deaths of two teenage boys and a teenage girl. These tragedies follow the death of a fifteen-year-old boy in a lake near Lincoln on Sunday. Much of England remains under heat health alerts as temperatures hit record highs.

The UK’s aviation regulator has warned that power banks are causing a growing number of serious issues on flights worldwide.

The Civil Aviation Authority says more awareness is needed as portable chargers carry risks of overheating or catching fire. Officials emphasised that restrictions, such as not placing these devices in checked luggage, are essential for safety. This follows an EasyJet flight to the UK being diverted to Rome last week after a passenger packed a power bank in the hold.

It was a very warm night across England and Wales, with Kenley in London recording the warmest May night on record as temperatures failed to drop below twenty-one point three degrees.

This also qualifies as a tropical night, where temperatures remain above twenty degrees. This beats the record set only yesterday morning. Temperatures will rise quickly today, and there is a chance the thirty-four point eight degrees recorded yesterday could be exceeded.

The US military has conducted self-defence strikes on Iran, targeting several sites in the south of the country.

A Central Command spokesperson confirmed the mission targeted missile launch sites and boats attempting to place mines. Officials stated the move was necessary to protect troops from threats posed by Iranian forces, despite the ongoing ceasefire. This action comes after both Washington and Tehran indicated that peace talks have recently progressed, although no final deal has been confirmed.

A dive team has recovered the body of fifteen-year-old Declan Sawyer, who went missing after entering a lake in Lincoln.

Lincolnshire Police received reports that he was having difficulty in Swanholme Lakes on Sunday afternoon. His father, Carl, paid tribute to a funny and outgoing young man who loved fishing and football, adding that he was loved by many and will be missed dearly.

Unfettered exposure to smartphones is as much of a threat to young people’s health as smoking, the government has been warned.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges cited figures suggesting half of all thirteen and fourteen-year-olds have seen beheading videos online. In a submission to the government, which is currently consulting on a potential social media ban for under-sixteens, doctors highlighted cases of children becoming obsessed with violent content or following harmful instructions.

Forecasters warn temperatures could reach thirty-five degrees in parts of England today as a record-breaking heatwave continues.

On Monday, the UK recorded its all-time highest May temperature, as parts of London reached thirty-four point eight degrees. The Met Office described this heat as exceptional, even for mid-summer, let alone May.

Slough councillors are set to discuss plans to demolish the vacant Hatfield Car Park to make way for eighty-four new apartments.

The car park, which closed in March, has been sold to developers Elstree Land, who lodged redevelopment plans last year.