A new alternative education school has opened next to Gloucester Rugby's premiership ground, aiming to teach around 40 pupils who struggle with mainstream education. The partnership between Gloucester Rugby and not-for-profit organisation The Busy School focuses on core subjects, life skills, and E-sports to help students who have dropped out of standard education pathways.
Summary headline: Gloucester Rugby partners with The Busy School to open alternative education facility
Student loan rules vary across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, typically comprising a tuition fee loan paid directly to the university and a means-tested maintenance loan for living costs paid to the student's bank account. Repayments depend on the specific loan plan, earnings thresholds, and interest rates, with remaining balances eventually written off after a set number of years.
Summary headline: How student loans work for tuition fees and living costs across the UK
A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder after emergency services were called to a property on Curzon Road in Rochdale, where another man died at the scene.
Summary headline: Murder arrest in Rochdale following man's death at property
A national review by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford has found that more than one in five baby deaths in the UK were potentially avoidable with different care. Examining investigations into 4,110 baby deaths in 2025, the report identified maternity care issues in 93% of fatalities, with recurring problems including late booking, inadequate foetal growth surveillance, and staffing issues during labour.
Summary headline: One in five baby deaths potentially avoidable, major UK report finds
A police manhunt is underway following a suspected stabbing incident at a property in Borough Green, Sevenoaks, which left three people injured. Kent Police armed officers responded to the scene on Sevenoaks Road following reports of a domestic incident, deploying a police helicopter and setting up road cordons as forensic investigators examined the area.
Summary headline: Police manhunt launched after three injured in Sevenoaks suspected stabbing
Amy Keely and Charlotte James have been found guilty of murdering 52-year-old Helen Bloomfield at her flat in Braintree, Essex. Bloomfield sustained 44 injuries after being stabbed and smothered with a pillow on 20 March 2024, before the defendants ate cereal in her home. Her body was discovered a month later on 19 April 2024. Both women face life sentences when they are sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 16 October.
Summary headline: Two women found guilty of murdering vulnerable friend Helen Bloomfield in Braintree
Irish building materials firm Kingspan has been fined €40m (£33.9m) by the European Commission for providing incorrect and misleading information during a 2021 merger investigation into its planned takeover of rival Trimo. The commission found Kingspan committed four separate breaches of rules, which obstructed the review process. Kingspan stated it will appeal the decision in full.
Summary headline: European Commission fines Kingspan €40m for misleading competition investigation
Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell has revealed that between 40 and 50 serving police officers are currently suspended while being investigated for alleged offences relating to violence against women and girls. The announcement follows a series of high-profile cases involving former officers convicted of sexual offences, leading to an independent review of vetting procedures and ongoing re-vetting of approximately 8,000 officers under new regulations.
Summary headline: Up to 50 Scottish police officers suspended over alleged crimes against women
Argyll and Bute Council is facing a shortage of 13 drivers out of the 72 required for its winter maintenance programme, which runs from this month until April. The local authority may need to prioritise resources, potentially suspending services like refuse collection during severe weather, and is relying on contract driver assistance and training to manage the deficit.
Summary headline: Argyll and Bute Council faces driver shortage for winter gritting and maintenance
Southend-on-Sea City Council's Labour-led cabinet is set to consider what powers it has to address an excessive concentration of vape, mobile repair and barber shops on its High Street. Following a motion tabled by Reform UK, the council will explore restricting such businesses in council-owned commercial properties like the Victoria Centre, with council officers preparing a report for a future cabinet meeting.
Summary headline: Southend-on-Sea City Council to consider powers to curb vape, mobile and barber shops on High Street
Asda has taken a step closer to opening an Express convenience store in long-vacant ground-floor units at Nottingham's Broad Marsh development, submitting a licensing application for the premises to start on 30 October.
Summary headline: Asda licence bid lodged for empty Broad Marsh units in Nottingham
Home Office figures show that hate crimes in England and Wales increased by 7% to nearly 150,000 offences between April 2025 and March 2026, driven primarily by a rise in offences motivated by race and religion. Racially-motivated offences accounted for roughly 74% of recorded hate crimes, while religious hate crimes rose by 13%. Officials noted increases in attacks targeting both Muslim and Jewish communities during this period.
Summary headline: Hate crimes rise in England and Wales due to increases in race and religion-motivated offences
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has rejected proposals for new train services connecting London with Wrexham, Rochdale, and Blackpool. The regulator concluded that adding more trains to the heavily used West Coast Main Line would reduce network resilience, increase delays, and raise the risk of disruption for passengers.
Summary headline: Office of Rail and Road rejects bids for new train services on the West Coast Main Line
A 15-year-old boy and a man in his 50s are in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed multiple times by two masked men who forced entry into a house on Station Road in Thurnby, Leicestershire. A woman in her 40s was also assaulted, sustaining minor injuries, and has since been discharged from hospital. Police have launched an investigation and appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage.
An investigation is underway after Hampshire police received reports of four suspicious broadcast messages containing threats transmitted over VHF radio to lifeboat volunteers in Portsmouth Harbour. The incident occurred during a rescue operation where 149 migrants were brought ashore in Gosport by the RNLI and a French vessel. Local rescue services and the Home Office condemned the abuse, while police and the RNLI coordinate to address the inappropriate use of maritime communications.
Summary headline: Investigation launched after lifeboat volunteers receive threats during migrant rescue
Carlsberg Britvic has announced proposals to close the historic Marston's Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent and its primary logistics operation next summer. The company cited a sharp decline in UK cask ale volumes over the past decade as the reason for the proposed closure. While priority brands like Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn are expected to remain in the portfolio, smaller ale brands may be transitioned to specialist or local ownership.
Summary headline: Carlsberg Britvic plans to close historic Marston's Brewery in Burton
Clear skies and a chilly morning across Scotland prompted BBC Weather Watchers to submit photographs of gleaming sunrises from various locations. Weather presenter Joy Dunlop noted the beautiful imagery on BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, while warning that sunny and dry conditions may soon deteriorate as wind and rain approach.
British Army veteran Craig Wood, who became the first triple amputee to sail solo, non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean, has been nominated for the inspiration award at the Variety Disability Sports Awards.
Summary headline: Doncaster veteran and record-breaking solo sailor Craig Wood nominated for disability award
A teenager has sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a Mazda car on Ladywood Road in Kirk Hallam, near Ilkeston. Derbyshire Police reported that emergency services attended the scene at approximately 08:00 BST on Thursday. The driver, a woman in her 20s, stopped at the scene and is assisting police with inquiries, and no arrests have been made. Ladywood Road was closed for several hours, causing bus diversions.
Summary headline: Teenager seriously injured in collision with car near Ilkeston
An inquest has heard how a maintenance man investigating a water leak discovered the body of 31-year-old Laura Marshall in an overflowing bath at her Lurgan flat in April 2016. The flat showed signs of a disturbance, including a smashed sink, blood, and bruising on the victim's body. A man previously charged with her murder had the case against him dropped in 2018, and the current inquest is examining the circumstances of her death.
Summary headline: Lurgan inquest hears maintenance man found Laura Marshall dead in overflowing bath
