News 30/06/26

Serena Williams has lost on her return to Wimbledon, four years after her move away from tennis.

The 44 year-old American was beaten by Australian Maya Joint, who is twenty-four years her junior, in their round-one clash on Centre Court. Williams, a seven-times Wimbledon champion, lost the match in three sets as Joint triumphed six-three, six-seven, six-three. It was her first singles match since the 2022 US Open.

A patient suspected of having the Ebola virus at a Glasgow hospital has tested negative, sources have said.

Precautionary measures were taken after the patient was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday. If it had been confirmed, it would have been the first case in the United Kingdom since an outbreak in Africa was declared a public health emergency.

The Charity Commission has poured cold water on Slough Council’s plans to merge three of its financially unviable trusts into one.

The council wanted to combine Salt Hill Playing Fields, Langley War Memorial Fields, and Baylis War Memorial Garden because they are not considered sustainable on their own. Income levels are currently failing to cover operational costs, meaning they must be subsidised by general council funds.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced that a fifteen-billion-pound increase in military spending will be funded by cutting investment budgets in other areas.

In one of his final acts as prime minister, Sir Keir confirmed some road and energy projects will not go ahead as planned to help raise annual defence funding to eighty billion pounds by 2029. The Treasury confirmed only ten-point-three billion pounds in savings have currently been identified.

A patient is being tested for suspected Ebola at a Glasgow hospital. It is understood they were admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Tests are underway to confirm whether the individual has contracted the disease. If confirmed, it would be the first case in the United Kingdom since a recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared a public health emergency.

BBC staff could face a real-terms pay cut this year following a proposal sent to workers.

The broadcaster’s annual pay review suggests a one per cent increase, with a minimum of five hundred pounds for full-time staff. With the current annual rate of inflation standing at two-point-eight per cent, unions have rejected the offer, warning that it will leave many employees worse off due to cost of living pressures.

Sir Keir Starmer says the government is already delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the 1980s.

Announcing his new defence investment plan, the Prime Minister confirmed a further fifteen-billion-pound boost, setting a new record. He stated that annual spending will rise from fifty-four billion pounds to almost eighty billion pounds by 2029, representing a real-terms increase of twenty-seven per cent.

The ringleader of a notorious Rochdale grooming gang is set to be released from jail this week and cannot be deported.

Seventy-three-year-old Shabir Ahmed, known to his victims as “Daddy”, was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction in 2012 for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences. Documents state he will be released on Thursday under stringent licence conditions.

A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a twenty-two-year-old man in London.

Police were called at a quarter to two on Tuesday morning to a reported stabbing at the junction of Bath Road and Great Southwest Road in Hounslow. Officers and paramedics found the man with serious injuries, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sir Keir Starmer says the government is already delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the 1980s.

Announcing his new defence investment plan, the Prime Minister confirmed a further fifteen-billion-pound boost, setting a new record. He stated that annual spending will rise from fifty-four billion pounds to almost eighty billion pounds by 2029, representing a real-terms increase of twenty-seven per cent.

The ringleader of a notorious Rochdale grooming gang is set to be released from jail this week and cannot be deported.

Seventy-three-year-old Shabir Ahmed, known to his victims as “Daddy”, was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction in 2012 for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences. Documents state he will be released on Thursday under stringent licence conditions.

A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a twenty-two-year-old man in London.

Police were called at a quarter to two on Tuesday morning to a reported stabbing at the junction of Bath Road and Great Southwest Road in Hounslow. Officers and paramedics found the man with serious injuries, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Four-time winners Germany have been knocked out of the World Cup, losing to Paraguay in a dramatic penalty shootout. Meanwhile, Morocco also advanced on penalties after coming from behind to defeat the Netherlands.

Cody Gakpo scored for the Dutch side following a fast break eighteen minutes from time, but Morocco eventually triumphed in Monterrey to seal their place in the tournament’s last sixteen.

A national inquiry has strongly criticised the NHS maternity system in England, stating it is not set up to deliver consistently safe, high-quality, and compassionate care.

Baroness Valerie Amos, who chaired the government-commissioned review, uncovered unacceptable racism and discrimination embedded within the system. She recommended eight key overhauls, including the appointment of a new maternity commissioner to improve standards across the country.

People who kill a partner or ex-partner at home with a weapon could face an extra ten years in prison under proposed sentencing laws.

For murders where a weapon is brought to a scene, a twenty-five-year minimum sentence starting point applies, compared to fifteen years if a kitchen knife is already present. The Ministry of Justice intends to close this ten-year gap.

Temperatures have fallen from last week’s record highs, but forecasters say another heatwave could build as July begins.

Some forecasts suggest temperatures could reach the mid-thirties in England and Wales next week. The Met Office described the conditions as warmer than average, following a new provisional June record of thirty-seven point seven degrees set in Norfolk on Friday.

A road safety operation in Slough has resulted in vehicle seizures and arrests.

The Roads Policing Tasking Team worked alongside the Slough Neighbourhood Policing Team to target uninsured and non-compliant vehicles. During the operation, twelve vehicles were seized for having no insurance, five for no road tax, and one disqualified driver was reported to authorities.