News 28/09/26

A twenty-three-year-old man from County Durham has been arrested on suspicion of rape following an attack in Slough.

Thames Valley Police confirmed the suspect was arrested on Friday in connection with an incident in an alleyway near Lansdowne Avenue on the twenty-second of September. The man has since been released on conditional bail while police investigations continue.

US President Donald Trump says he is surprised that five terrorism suspects arrested near RAF Fairford were released on bail.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump claimed American authorities would not have released them. The Gloucestershire base, which is used by the United States Air Force, remains under heightened security following the arrests.

Pope Leo has warned that artificial intelligence poses genuine risks, rejecting assertions that concerns over the technology going rogue are fake news.

Speaking to reporters on his return to Rome from France, the Pontiff urged international dialogue, directly contrasting recent comments by US President Donald Trump who dismissed potential AI dangers as a hoax.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has signalled a willingness to rethink proposals that would make it harder for foreign workers to achieve permanent UK residence.

Addressing the Labour Party conference, Ms Mahmood acknowledged criticism from trade unions and senior colleagues including Angela Rayner, promising upcoming policy will balance fairness for legal migrants with fairness for British citizens.

The relatively quick release of the Fairford case suspects suggests there is no clear evidence or indication of terrorism, according to policing commentator Graham Wettone.

He noted the outcome also implies no clear proof of explosives or terrorism-related materials was found in their vans. Mr Wettone suggested the suspects may have been asked to test the security response, though he stressed this does not mean the initial arrests were wrong.

SpaceX’s Starship has landed in the Northern Pacific Ocean, bringing an early end to its latest test mission.

The company decided to bring the rocket back to Earth seven hours earlier than originally planned after it lost one of its three main engines shortly after lift-off. A SpaceX official described the splashdown as not quite a soft landing like the previous test, but confirmed it had touched down nonetheless.

John Healey has told delegates at the Labour conference that the financial situation facing the country is vastly different from when the party last took power.

The veteran politician, who served under Gordon Brown, warned that the money New Labour inherited in the 1990s is simply no longer available. Healey noted economic growth back then was double that of subsequent Conservative years, leaving Britain facing far harder times today.

A fatal house fire that killed a mother and her three children in Merseyside was caused by a lithium-ion battery.

Thirty-six-year-old Elisha Brabin and her children died after a rapid blaze at their home on Stone Square in Bootle on September 22nd. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed an electrical event linked to a battery used in e-bikes or e-scooters triggered the fire, highlighting the severe risks posed by the devices.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket is heading into Earth’s orbit for the first time during its fourteenth test flight. 

Standing at over one hundred metres tall, this upgraded version is the largest rocket ever constructed. The launch from Texas is the vehicle’s first morning liftoff since October 2024, with SpaceX describing overall launch conditions as gorgeous despite earlier schedule delays.

The five men arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday are all UK nationals from London aged between 23 and 25, counter-terrorism police have confirmed.

Investigators secured a custody extension until later today after detaining the group on suspicion of Explosives Act offences and preparing a terrorist act. Overnight searches have produced multiple new lines of enquiry into the incident near the military base.

A ten-year-old child and two women have died while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to the UK.

According to French authorities, the tragic incident occurred off Bleriot Plage near Calais. Officials confirmed that one hundred and two other individuals were successfully rescued from the vessel during the operation.

Diesel prices in the UK have reached their highest level on record, according to data from the RAC.

Forecourts are charging an average of 199.18 pence per litre, surpassing the previous record set in June 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The average cost is now nearly double the record low recorded back in February 2016.

The stump of the Sycamore Gap tree is displaying encouraging signs of recovery, three years after it was illegally cut down.

Site owners the National Trust confirmed a thick ring of new shoots is growing around the base along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were previously jailed for criminal damage.

Thousands of illegal vehicle registration plates have been detected by a new camera system being trialled on motorways across south-east England, according to a BBC Panorama investigation.

The adapted plates prevent vehicles from being identified by automatic number plate recognition systems used for speed enforcement, low emission zones, and criminal tracking. A former government advisor warned the plates pose a serious risk to public safety, while affected families described the devastating impact of fatal road accidents involving untraceable vehicles.

John Healey will promise a new age of industrialisation during his first Labour conference speech as chancellor on Monday.

Mr Healey will tell delegates that while traditional coal mines are not returning, the government intends to rebuild Britain’s industrial heritage for the modern age by supporting advanced manufacturing. He is also set to announce new shipbuilding orders for Royal Navy floating docks and a maritime research vessel, amid ongoing pressure to manage government borrowing costs ahead of next month’s Budget.

Hundreds of protesters blocked a road in Portadown, County Armagh on Sunday, preventing a contentious Orange Order march from taking place.

The Drumcree parade, which in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland’s history, was due to go ahead for the first time in thirty years after a series of legal challenges. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill joined the demonstration, while unionist politicians gathered nearby to wait for the road to clear. Most protesters have since dispersed, though some parade members remain.

A vast area of low pressure in the Atlantic is set to draw warm southerly winds across the UK early this week, bringing a temporary rise in temperatures.

Tuesday looks set to be the warmest day, before conditions return closer to the late September average. Much of the UK faces wetter and windier weather from the approaching depression, with the most unsettled conditions likely across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and western areas. However, central, southern, and eastern regions suffering from drought may see far less rain.