Author: UK News

LA County medical examiner’s office confirms wildfire death toll rises to 16 The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed the death toll from the wildfires ravaging the area has risen to 16. The total number of confirmed fatalities stands at 16 victims, and the cases remain under investigation. Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire, and 11 resulted from the Eaton Fire, the coroner’s office said in a statement on Saturday evening. The previous number of confirmed fatalities was 11, but officials said they expected that figure to rise as cadaver dogs search levelled neighbourhoods and…

Drug dealer convicted of rival’s murder after refusing to ditch luxury manbag A drug dealer who stabbed a rival to death has been convicted of murder after being snared by his Louis Vuitton-style manbag. Dualla Abdi, 20, was wearing the flash accessory when he knifed Tyreece Scott, 24, in Hounslow, west London, shortly before 1 am on January 16 last year. While he ditched his clothes after the attack, he refused to dump the bag and it was eventually used to help identify him as the killer, the Old Bailey heard. His accomplice and getaway driver Ben Laing, 24, from…

Reeves defiant over China trip in face of growing criticism and economic turmoil following a below par trade deal with China in the week the pound dropped. The Labour chancellor accused of ‘undesirable’ policies and ‘incompatible promises’ released a statement today that suggested the UK got a below average trade deal. As the pound hit a new 14-month low and the cost of government borrowing rose again, Ms Reeves faced calls to cancel her trip and remain home to deal with the market turmoil. But she insisted the visit was “in the national interest” as the government scrambles to boost economic growth.…

Nigel Farage makes a U-turn about Shamima Begum. The Reform leader is putting out fires all over the place, since Elon Musk disavowed him. But now Farage has said that he is “thoughtful” when asked if the UK should consider bringing back Shamima Begum. Mr Farage said that he believes her to be “a lesser part of the equation”. Nigel Farage makes a U-turn about Shamima Begum Nigel Farage ‘thoughtful’ about whether UK should bring Shamima Begum back. In the past he has said while he ‘never wanted’ to bring back Shamima Begum, he is now ‘thoughtful’ about the matter and…

Landlords will soon be banned from asking for more than one month’s rent upfront Moving house can often strike fear into the hearts of renters without thousands of pounds in savings to cover hefty rent and deposit fees, but now, landlords will soon be banned from asking for more than one month’s worth upfront. The Renters’ Rights Bill will now make it illegal to ask tenants to pay more than one month plus a deposit equating to six weeks’ worth of rent – undoubtedly welcome news for those struggling to scramble together copious amounts of money after signing a new…

Friday’s front pages cover the ongoing LA wildfires as exhausted firefighters battle to contain the fires spreading over the iconic city. The front pages reflect the growing death toll and the more than 100,000 homes reduced to ash.

The latest from Downing Street – and the UK economy – also find space on the front pages this morning as the pound sinks to its lowest level since 2023. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing criticism from several publications as she jets off to China amid economic uncertainty. However, the chancellor’s trip is an attempt to revive closer ties with Beijing for economic benefits.


Elon Musk continues to find a scrap of space on the front pages, as the foreign billionaire has said he wants to oust Keir Starmer – and Labour – from power. Elon Musk is an American billionaire who does not live in Britain. His continued interference in British politics continues to infuriate the public. The tech billionaire is also facing a probe by a counter-extremism unit to see if they create a risk to Britain.

Several papers carry a newly released image of Princess Kate, who celebrated her birthday yesterday. Other papers carry images from Jimmy Carter’s funeral – as the previous five American presidents came together.

Reform level with Labour in new poll as Treasury responds to gloomy economy update: Politics live Sir Keir Starmer has been dealt a further blow with a new poll predicting Labour would lose its overall majority if an election was held now. The poll by FindOutNowUK has put Reform level pegging with Labour on 25 per cent and the Tories five points behind on 20 per cent. According to the calculations, if the result was repeated in a general election Labour would lose 173 seats but remain the largest party on 238. Reform would leap into second place from the…

UK snow map: Where and when heavy snow, rain and flooding will hit the strongest A number of weather warnings are in place for parts of the UK on Friday, as more snow is forecast to fall across the country and flooding is expected. The Met Office has issued five yellow weather warnings for snow and ice following a days of wintry conditions across the country weather. A snow and ice warning has been issued from midday on Wednesday to 10am on Friday marning, covering northern Scotland. A warning for ice is in place from 4pm on Thursday until 10am…

Peer suspended from House of Lords for launching tirade at parliament security staff A former Marks and Spencer boss has been suspended from the House of Lords for six months after he was found to have launched a tirade of abuse at members of parliamentary staff. The lengthy suspension was handed down to Lord Stone of Blackheath after he was found to have been rude and aggressive, with the decision noting he poses a “continuing risk to those on the parliamentary estate”. The incident showed the “clear pattern” of the non-affiliated peer’s poor behaviour continued, according to the House of…

Bitcoin miner refused access to landfill site to retrieve £598m hard drive, judge rules A man’s bid to sue a council over his attempts to excavate a rubbish tip to find a Bitcoin hard drive worth nearly £600m has had his case thrown out of court by a judge. James Howells says his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive in 2013, only for it to increase in value over the last year to be now worth an estimated £598m. While the landfill in Newport in Wales holds more than 1.4 million tonnes of waste, Mr Howells said he…

Warning food prices could soar by 20% as pressure mounts on Reeves over flailing economy Rachel Reeves has been hit by a triple whammy of setbacks that appear to have shattered Labour’s dreams of boosting Britain’s economic growth. With the chancellor set to fly to China on Friday, the pound fell amid fears of surging borrowing costs and future tax rises – and a shocking new report seen by The Independent suggested that the price of food and household staples could rise by 20 per cent. The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) revealed that massive problems with supply…

Religion, police and education leaders unite with grooming survivors to demand immediate government action Police chiefs, head teachers, faith groups and charities are among groups urging the government to implement recommendations from the child sex abuse inquiry as the row over grooming gangs continues. A coalition, made up of 65 major charities, community leaders and abuse survivors, says it has “significant concerns” about the government’s failure to act on proposals made by the chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in 2022. The inquiry is back in the limelight after the Tory party backed calls from tech…

Liz Truss lays into Rachel Reeves over economy and trip to China Rachel Reeves has been blamed by Liz Truss for a dramatic drop in the value of the pound which has sparked fears of a new recession. The former prime minister accused the chancellor of pushing Britain “to the brink of economic crisis”. The scathing attack came as both Tory and Lib Dem MPs called on Ms Reeves to scrap a planned trip to China this weekend in which she is to seek closer economic ties to Beijing to revive Britain’s struggling growth. The intervention by Ms Truss marks…

Lammy declares ‘Trump is right’ on defence spending as he warns post-Cold War peace is over David Lammy has declared that the hard-won “post-Cold War peace is well and truly over” as he used his first major speech of 2025 to take aim at Vladimir Putin and Russian aggression. The foreign secretary threw his weight behind demands by Donald Trump that Nato allies significantly increase their spending on defence, while laughing off the president-elect’s expansionist plans for Greenland and Canada. Mr Trump demanded earlier this week that Nato allies commit 5 per cent of GDP to defence spending. While Mr…

Meta oversight board members say losing fact-checking could undermine public trust Two members of Meta’s independent Oversight Board have warned that misinformation will “undermine public trust”, after the social media giant announced it is planning to ditch fact-checkers. Alan Rusbridger, Independent collumnist and former editor of The Guardian, and novelist Khaled Mansour have stressed that the impact on the credibility of sites such as Facebook could be “exorbitant” and could lead to wide civil disturbance. Their comments come after Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta is to scrap its longstanding fact-checking programme in favour of a community notes system similar to…

These are London deals you won’t want to miss Looking for 10 things to do in London? Luckily, there’s lots to do in this city for cheap! At least… There is now. Metro has teamed up with Time Out to bring you the best deals across the capital. Every Friday, 10 new deals will drop, available in the Metro newspaper, on Metro.co.uk, and on our socials. You’ll also find them in our weekly London newsletter, The Slice, in your inbox every Wednesday. This week, treat yourself to a three-course feast with stunning riverside views and a bottle of prosecco for just £30 at Sea…

Truss sends cease and desist to Starmer demanding he stop saying she crashed the economy Liz Truss has sent Sir Keir Starmer a cease and desist letter, warning him to stop saying she “crashed the economy”. The former prime minister’s lawyers have said the remarks – made since the lead-up to the general election – are likely to “cause serious harm to her reputation”, claiming they are “false and defamatory”. They also suggest that assertions made by the Labour leader before the July general election contributed to Ms Truss losing her South West Norfolk seat. Sir Keir has repeatedly claimed…

Tories lose vote on grooming gangs inquiry as Starmer hints at U-turn A Conservative Party amendment calling for a national inquiry on grooming gangs has been rejected in the Commons. The amendment to Labour’s flagship Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill received 111 Ayes and 364 Noes, majority 253. Mrs Badenoch’s amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill called for ministers “to develop new legislative proposals for children’s wellbeing including establishing a national statutory inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation, focused on grooming gangs”. Prime minister Keir Starmer hit out at the Tory leader earlier on Wednesday over “lies and…

Weather UK live: Snow and ice warnings across country as cold snap could see temperatures hit -20C Three fresh weather warnings for ice have been issued by the Met Office as an icy blast continues to sweep the UK. Two of the ice warnings will cover most of England’s east coast, Wales, the Midlands northwest England, and Northern Ireland until 10am on Friday. “Scattered wintry showers on Thursday evening will slowly fade overnight, leading to the risk of icy patches on untreated surfaces as temperatures fall below freezing,” the Met Office says. A snow and ice warning for northern Scotland…

The chancellor is under pressure as the pound has dropped to its lowest level for more than a year and UK government borrowing costs have continued to rise as concerns about public finances and the economy grow.

The ongoing spat between European leaders and American tech companies continues as well as pushback from Europe on Elon Musk’s continued meddling in European politics.

Wildfires are rapidly spreading across Los Angeles, destroying homes and businesses, in the worst fires the county has ever seen. At least 5 people have been killed.

UK weather today 09 January 2025 Thursday will be another cold day with icy stretches to start and a few freezing fog patches may be slow to clear. There will be plenty of sunny spells with further wintry showers possible in the north and west. Another cold night to come with a widespread severe frost and ice forming in places. Wintry showers continue in the north and west, but generally dry elsewhere with clear skies. Source – Met Office

The Independent front page headline: MPs vote against rape gangs inquiry – but PM may U-turn The front page of the Independent says No 10 has confirmed the prime minister will consider a new public inquiry into grooming gangs if victims demand it after a safeguarding minister says it’s still on the table. The paper says the news comes despite a Tory motion in the Commons being defeated. MPs vote against rape gangs inquiry – but PM may U-turn The prime minister will consider a new inquiry into grooming gangs despite MPs voting against a new probe. The news comes…

Metro front page headline: Mum’s tears at rapper’s knife killing. Groomed by gangs … butchered on the bus at 14 “Groomed by gangs… butchered on bus at 14” is the Metro’s headline as the mother of the boy stabbed to death in south-east London speaks to the paper. Mary Bokassa told the paper her son Kelyan was taken advantage of by gangs. The 14-year-old was killed travelling on a bus in Woolwich on Tuesday. Groomed by gangs … butchered on the bus at 14′ Mary Bokassa says her 14-year-old son Kelyan – who was stabbed to death on a bus…

The Guardian front page headline: Mass evacuations in Los Angeles as deadly wildfires wreak havoc A harrowing image of a large home totally engulfed in flames in Los Angeles is the main image on the Guardian front page. The paper says fast-moving wildfires have torn through several neighbourhoods of Los Angeles, killing at least two people and destroying more than 1,000 buildings. The paper says about 70,000 people were ordered to evacuate. Mass evacuations in Los Angeles as deadly wildfires wreak havoc The Guardian leads on the Los Angeles wildfires, which have killed at least two people and seen more…

Daily Mirror front page headline: Teen Knife Victim’s Mum: Groomed by gangs … now he’d dead Daily Mirror leads with the comments from a mother whose 14-year-old son was stabbed to death on a London bus. She opens up about the death of her only son Kelyan who she says was groomed by gangs from a young age. The paper writes there are fears “he was deliberately targeted in a tit-for-tat war”. Groomed by gangs … now he’d dead Mary Bokassa says her 14-year-old son Kelyan was “groomed by gangs” before he was stabbed to death on a bus in…