Category: News Story

STORY

A £28 million Government backed programme has been launched to develop technologies capable of storing clean energy for more than 100 hours. The Ultra Long Duration Energy Storage Challenge will provide grants for projects including advanced battery technologies and underground hydrogen storage, with the aim of allowing renewable electricity to be stored when supply exceeds demand and released when it is needed.

UK Research and Innovation will administer the funding, with applicants expected to develop systems capable of supplying electricity for at least 100 hours, equivalent to more than four days. The programme will focus on new electrochemical storage technologies which are not yet commercialised at scale and on systems which can store hydrogen underground before releasing it for use when required. An initial competition will make up to £3 million available for project development studies.

The Government said improved storage could reduce reliance on gas fired generation during periods when wind and solar output is low. It estimates that underground hydrogen storage has the potential to reduce total energy system costs by between £14 billion and £50 billion between 2035 and 2050. The announcement completes the rollout of £102 million of Clean Energy Challenges, which also include a £74 million programme focused on making electricity demand more flexible.

STORY

More than one million students have received GCSE results across England, with Ofqual recording 5,720,045 results issued on Thursday 20 August. A total of 1,047,750 students at 6,040 schools and colleges received GCSE results. Across students of all ages, the average number of GCSEs taken was five, while 16 year old students took an average of eight.

Among GCSE results issued to 16 year olds, 23.1% were at grade 7 or above and 70.7% were at grade 4 or above. London recorded the highest regional proportions, with 30.2% of results at grade 7 or above and 75.5% at grade 4 or above. In the West Midlands, the corresponding figures were 19.7% and 66.6%. Ofqual said its figures are provisional and results can change following reviews or appeals.

Mathematics was the GCSE subject taken by the largest number of students, with 851,250 receiving a result, followed by English language with 819,260 and English literature with 613,550. Ofqual also recorded 363,210 technical award results and 11,185 technical certificate results at level 1/2 and level 2, alongside the GCSE results issued this summer.

STORY

A Doncaster bar has faced calls for a boycott after publishing a Facebook post which pictured a female traffic warden and criticised her appearance during a dispute over parking enforcement. The post was made by The Harewood, a bar and restaurant on Waterdale in Doncaster city centre, and subsequently attracted criticism from people who accused the venue of bullying and making a personal attack on a worker carrying out her job.

The Doncaster Free Press reported that the photograph of the civil enforcement officer was shared as part of a complaint about parking enforcement but that much of the subsequent reaction focused on the decision to comment on the woman’s appearance. Some social media users described the post as “vile” and “bullying”, while others said any disagreement over parking restrictions or enforcement should have been directed at the council rather than an individual member of staff.

The Harewood is based at 28 Waterdale in Doncaster’s Civil and Cultural Quarter. City of Doncaster Council is responsible for parking enforcement in the city and operates a process through which motorists can challenge penalty charge notices where they believe a ticket has been issued incorrectly. The controversy has prompted significant discussion locally, including calls from some residents for customers to boycott the venue following the Facebook post.

STORY

Nine people have been arrested after Greater Manchester Police carried out 12 simultaneous warrants across Bolton and Tameside as part of an investigation into suspected Class A drug supply. Officers from the force’s Serious and Organised Crime Group, supported by the Tactical Aid Unit, carried out the raids from around 6am on Wednesday 19 August. The investigation began in September 2025 and police said nearly a year of intelligence gathering had led to the operation.

Two men in their 20s were arrested at addresses on Hurst Street and Rishton Lane on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Officers said they found what was believed to be around two kilograms of cocaine at one property. A shipping container at a self storage site on Folds Road in Bolton was also searched, where police seized a safe containing about £2,000, a cash counting machine and four bags each containing more than one kilogram of white powder which was subsequently identified as cocaine.

Police also seized £50,000 in cash from one of the addresses. In total, eight men and one woman aged between 20 and 56 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Detective Sergeant Richard McCorry said the operation was intended to disrupt suspected organised crime activity across Greater Manchester and confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing, with further arrests expected.

STORY

A murder investigation has been launched after a 52-year-old woman was fatally stabbed at an address in Shepherd’s Bush. Metropolitan Police officers were called to Askew Road at 8.19am on Tuesday 18 August following reports of a stabbing and attended alongside the London Ambulance Service. Two women, aged 52 and 32, were found suffering from stab wounds.

The 52-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene despite attempts by medical professionals to save her. Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. The 32-year-old woman was taken to hospital, where her injuries were being assessed. A 48-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. He was taken to hospital as a precaution before being discharged into police custody, where he remained.

Detective Inspector Richard MacKenzie said officers were working to establish the full circumstances of the incident and currently believed it to have been an isolated incident within a residential address. Police officers were remaining in the area to provide reassurance and investigators have appealed for anyone with information, CCTV or doorbell footage which could assist the inquiry to contact the Metropolitan Police.

STORY

Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony after being convicted over statements and social media activity opposing the war in Ukraine. The Pskov City Court sentenced the 63-year-old deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party on 17 August after finding him guilty of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian armed forces and disseminating what authorities described as deliberately false information about the military.

The charges related to Shlosberg’s participation in an online discussion about the war and his sharing of a social media post featuring a Daily Mirror front page showing Vladimir Putin and an injured Ukrainian woman. Shlosberg denied wrongdoing and described the proceedings as a political trial, while continuing to call for an immediate ceasefire. Amnesty International condemned the prosecution as retaliation for peaceful expression and called on the Russian authorities to release him immediately and overturn his conviction.

The sentence came amid wider pressure on Yabloko, which is the only registered Russian political party openly calling for an end to the war. Russia’s Supreme Court barred the party from taking part in September’s State Duma election on 10 August and rejected its appeal against that decision a week later. Amnesty has also called for an end to the prosecution of Yabloko members and supporters and for Russian legislation criminalising peaceful anti-war expression to be repealed.

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Homelessness charity Crisis has welcomed the Government’s new £442 million Rough Sleeping Programme, which aims to ensure that everyone sleeping rough in England is offered a route off the streets before Christmas. The programme combines immediate accommodation and support this winter with longer term settled housing and intensive support for people who have experienced prolonged rough sleeping. More than 1,000 settled homes are expected to be provided over the next three years.

Crisis chief executive Matt Downie said the announcement represented a significant commitment to ending rough sleeping and welcomed the funding for more permanent homes. He said getting people off the streets and into secure accommodation could save lives, pointing to the increased risks of illness, violence and abuse faced by people sleeping rough. Crisis said emergency accommodation should be accompanied by a clear route into settled housing and appropriate support.

The Government has added £102 million to £340 million announced in July, taking the overall package to £442 million over three years. Local authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities will lead delivery, with areas facing the greatest pressures receiving the largest share of funding. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also announced an autumn summit bringing together charities, businesses, faith organisations, health services and other groups to consider their role in reducing rough sleeping. Crisis said it was ready to work with the Government on delivering the programme ahead of Christmas.

STORY

Reform UK has suspended political commentator Tim Montgomerie from the party after he publicly criticised senior figures including leader Nigel Farage and home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf. Reform confirmed that Montgomerie had been suspended in line with party rules following a series of public interventions in which he questioned the conduct and political judgement of figures at the top of the party.

Montgomerie, the founder of ConservativeHome who joined Reform UK after leaving the Conservatives in 2024, had criticised Farage for failing to attend the count at the recent Clacton by-election and had also challenged his response to scrutiny surrounding a £5 million financial gift. He separately criticised Yusuf, arguing that the Reform home affairs spokesperson needed to operate more effectively as part of a team and questioning his handling of relationships with other senior figures.

A senior Reform source said the party’s General Secretary and Chairman had received complaints over Montgomerie’s behaviour and conduct over a period of months and argued that internal disagreements should take place privately rather than through the national media. Montgomerie has said he intends to appeal the suspension and claimed Farage had not known about the decision beforehand. He said the appeal would test whether the party was able to tolerate constructive criticism from within its ranks.

STORY

More than a third of children aged eight to 17 talk or play online with people they only know through the internet or have never met, according to new research published by the Information Commissioner’s Office. An online survey of more than 4,000 children and their parents found that 36% reported this type of interaction, rising to 40% among those aged 14 to 16.

The research also found a substantial gap between parental monitoring and children’s behaviour online. Ninety one per cent of parents said they used controls or monitoring tools, while 41% of children said they had tried to get around them. Of those who attempted to bypass the controls, 49% said they found it easy. More than half of children said they would try to circumvent an age check if they wanted to access a particular platform or service.

The ICO published the findings alongside an update to its children’s strategy. The regulator estimates that changes introduced by several major online platforms following its regulatory work have improved protections for close to five million child users since April 2024. It said parental controls remain useful but should be accompanied by regular conversations between parents and children about their online activity.

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Rail accident investigators have identified a track geometry irregularity at the location where a Southern passenger train derailed near Lewes, although the cause of the accident has not yet been established. The 14:24 London Victoria to Eastbourne service derailed around one mile north of Lewes station at approximately 15:54 on 13 August. The rear three vehicles of the eight-carriage train derailed and overturned, coming to rest on their sides on the railway embankment. Around 150 people were on board, with 30 injured and 20 requiring hospital treatment, some with serious injuries.

Preliminary analysis by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch shows that the train was travelling at around 65mph as it approached the derailment, below the 70mph maximum permitted speed at that location. Investigators said marks on the rails were consistent with the wheels of the rear vehicles climbing over them. CCTV footage from the derailed train and services which had passed through the area earlier that day shows that a track geometry irregularity was present on the immediate approach to the point of derailment before the accident. Investigators have also found evidence of previous track maintenance in the area and have received reports from passengers of rough riding at the same location on earlier trains.

The RAIB said its investigation will examine the precise mechanism of the derailment, the condition, inspection and maintenance of the track and embankment and whether sustained hot and dry weather was a relevant factor. The embankment is constructed from clay over alluvial deposits which can move as their moisture content changes, although investigators stressed that there is currently no evidence of a significant embankment slip immediately before the accident. The investigation will also consider the condition and crashworthiness of the train, the emergency response and any action taken following previous relevant safety recommendations.