News 31/07/26

FIFA’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, says staff were deceived by Gianni Infantino over his plans for a World Cup private investor scheme.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Lamour said staff deserve better than contempt and intimidation, calling the project the work of one person. Stopping short of resigning, he urged football leaders to take action after two years of constant surprises.

Two men who piloted overcrowded small boats across the Channel have been jailed for endangering others.

Thirty-four-year-old Afghan national Omar Heidari received a two-year sentence for steering a dinghy carrying ninety-five people in June. Eighteen-year-old Sudanese national Manas Yuk was sentenced to eighteen months in youth detention after piloting a boat carrying eighty-one people, including several children. The men were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court.

A passenger on a British Airways flight that issued a distress call on approach to Heathrow has described rising fear inside the cabin.

Edward Killiwick was travelling from Dusseldorf on July 6th with his partner when the landing was aborted. He described a violent manoeuvre, fearing a crash as passengers panicked. The aircraft landed safely, and British Airways is assisting an official investigation.

Petrol prices have hit their highest level since the start of the Iran war, reaching 159.97p a litre.

Figures from the RAC show forecourt costs rose by 0.42p in twenty-four hours and 27.1p since the conflict erupted in February. Diesel has reached 178.97p a litre, below its 191.54p peak, but the RAC warns it could hit 185p within the next few weeks.

About 60,000 migrants have crossed into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta from Morocco in 24 hours, with at least 34 dying during the crossing.

The influx follows a Supreme Court ruling preventing summary returns. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as an attack, promising all illegal migrants will be returned as soon as possible. Over 25,000 have already returned voluntarily.

England and Wales are on course for their driest July on record, according to the Met Office.

England has seen just 5.6mm of rainfall up to 30 July, representing eight per cent of its long-term average and less than half the previous 1911 record. Wales has recorded 7.9mm of rainfall, with the UK as a whole facing its driest July since 1868.

Robert Bush has been sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Finishing his sentencing remarks at Hull Crown Court, Mr Justice Hilliard said the total sentence was one of twenty years imprisonment. The judge said forty-eight-year-old Bush will serve half of his sentence before being released on parole. Although there were proposals to reduce this to one third, he added that this has been paused.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Gianni Infantino was the wrong man to lead FIFA after a senior adviser to the president resigned and a third confederation opposed his plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors.

Burnham called the proposal an outrageous suggestion, adding that the idea it could even be brought forward shows he is the wrong man to lead the organisation. Burnham was speaking hours after the Asian Football Confederation said it stands in solidarity with counterparts in Europe and North, Central America and the Caribbean.

The boss of Thames Water has claimed targets the company has been set over things like leakages are not realistic.

Thames has been criticised for its performance in recent years following a series of sewage discharges and leaks, and last year was fined a record one hundred and twenty-two point seven million pounds by regulator Ofwat, mostly for breaching sewage spills rules. Chris Weston said Thames wanted to do better but said some of its targets were not achievable. Ofwat said company targets were intended to be ambitious, while an environmental group said sewage pollution should not be accepted as inevitable.

Two scout leaders have become engaged following a surprise proposal at an international jamboree for Scouts and Guides.

Twenty-seven-year-old Chris Falkner proposed to his girlfriend, twenty-nine-year-old Hannah Williamson, at the week-long Wings Jamboree at Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, which runs until Saturday. The proposal, codenamed Operation Ring, was carefully arranged as a surprise. Chris said he had been planning it for a while, asking what better place for two scout leaders to get engaged than a massive jamboree like Wings 2026.

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Construction of a new Chinese super-embassy in London can go ahead after a High Court challenge against planning permission was dismissed.

The development has faced opposition from local campaigners, the Conservatives and Reform UK, who suggested the site could be used to spy on Britons. The embassy will be close to critical communications cables, but intelligence services have assured the government that necessary safeguards are in place and have approved the location.

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been charged with multiple offences involving prison staff at HMP Belmarsh.

The nineteen-year-old faces allegations linked to three separate incidents during 2025. The charges include two counts of assault on an emergency worker, attempted grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon in prison. He was charged on twenty-eighth July and is due before Westminster Magistrates’ Court by videolink on the eleventh of September.

A senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino has resigned in protest over plans to sell stakes in the World Cup.

Carlos Cordeiro said the proposals would be bad for football. His departure is another setback for Infantino after reports he was rapidly losing support within world football. Cordeiro is a former president of US Soccer and previously served as a vice chairman at Goldman Sachs.

Sainsbury’s has revealed it is selling Argos under a business as usual deal worth at least £120m, allowing it to concentrate on its core grocery business.

Sainsbury’s paid £1.4bn for the chain back in 2016. Shareholders in buyer Swift Partners include Richard Pennycook. Sainsbury’s emphasised the transfer will cause no visible job losses.

BP has placed its North Sea oil and gas business up for sale as part of a portfolio review under its new chief executive.

The UK-based firm operates five major production hubs, including the Clair oil field on the continental shelf. The decision comes as the government under Andy Burnham signals a willingness to allow new drilling licences amid energy security concerns.

A man has been arrested in Cyprus as part of the first investigation using the National Security Act for alleged offences in an overseas territory.

Dual UK and Azerbaijani national Rashad Sultanov, of Islington, was arrested on Friday, 17 July by Cypriot authorities. He is held in custody as extradition proceedings progress, with the Crown Prosecution Service authorising charges under the Act.

Apple has warned it is seeking alternative memory chip suppliers as very significant constraints threaten future key device sales.

Shares fell by more than five per cent in US trading when forecasts for revenue growth came in weaker than expected. Chief executive Tim Cook admitted bottlenecks in advanced chips meant Apple was struggling to get parts needed to deliver products, adding there is limited supply chain flexibility.

FIFA has defended its plan to sell stakes in its competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.

Governing officials denied selling football, insisting this is not something FIFA would ever entertain. It added it respects public feedback, but blamed incorrect media reports for disrupting its consultation process, as UEFA announced European nations are prepared to boycott the tournament.

A woman with advanced ovarian cancer has become the first patient in the world to receive a pioneering new therapy, in what is hailed as a landmark moment.

Fifty-eight-year-old Tracy Tomlinson was given the drug at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. The treatment, ZI-MA4-1, will be tested on several cancers, offering hope to patients with few options for survival.

President Donald Trump says the Board of Peace has reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.

A senior Hamas official confirmed they agreed to the plan, with an official statement expected, while Israel has yet to comment. Trump said Israel will withdraw as disarmament completes, calling it a critical step towards new Palestinian governance.