The chief executive of Birmingham Children's Trust has welcomed the expansion of the national inquiry into grooming gangs to include Birmingham and Wales, stating it will help raise awareness of child sexual exploitation. A recent trust report revealed up to 98 child sexual exploitation cases are being investigated in the city, while discussions continue surrounding data recording, police responses, and safeguarding vulnerable children.
Summary headline: Grooming gangs inquiry will shine a light on Birmingham, says children's trust chief
Despite political and security tensions, India's trade deficit with China has ballooned from $44bn in 2020 to $112bn, driven by deep reliance on Chinese industrial inputs, raw materials, and components. While India has successfully reduced dependence in isolated sectors like toys through higher tariffs, its broader manufacturing economy remains heavily dependent on Chinese supplies, and Indian exporters continue to face tariff and non-tariff hurdles in the Chinese market.
Trials off the Cornish coast involving scientists from Fishtek Marine, the RSPB, and the University of Exeter show that floating 'scarecrow' devices and bird-of-prey kites can significantly reduce the accidental capture of endangered seabirds like guillemots and razorbills in fishing nets.
Tamworth Road in Long Eaton is set to undergo a week of overnight closures from 19:00 to 05:00 BST starting Sunday until 10 October, as part of a £10m town centre refurbishment project funded by the government's Towns Fund. The closures are required to switch paving installation work from one side of the road to the other.
Summary headline: Overnight road closures planned for £10m Long Eaton town centre revamp
US President Donald Trump has announced a new task force called the 'Super Intelligence Force' to oversee artificial intelligence policy, ensure US leadership in the technology's development, and coordinate government engagement with the public.
A review of five notable stories from the south of England highlights a stolen springer spaniel reunited with her owners after a year, the passing of an American alligator at a zoo in Oxfordshire, a heart transplant recipient thanking his donor's family, the first contestant eliminated from The Great British Bake Off, and a new police sniffer dog team trained to detect spiking drugs.
Summary headline: Weekly round-up featuring a stolen dog's return, an alligator's farewell, and Bake Off news from the South of England
The Redditch and Bromsgrove Talking Newspaper is celebrating 50 years of providing a free audio service for people with visual impairments and physical disabilities. Janet Graham, a volunteer who has recorded for the charity since it began in October 1976, is set to receive a long service certificate. The weekly service reaches over 400 regular listeners and more than 20 care homes across North Worcestershire, delivered via USB memory sticks and online platforms.
Summary headline: Redditch and Bromsgrove Talking Newspaper marks 50 years of service
The New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme is seeking a community cast for Gladstone Girls, a new stage play written by Oscar-winning actress Rachel Shenton. Set in the 1960s pottery industry of Stoke-on-Trent, the production follows female workers fighting to keep their factory traditions. The theatre is looking for adults with or without performing experience, particularly those with real-life pottery industry backgrounds and ceramic decoration skills, to take part on and off stage.
Summary headline: Community cast called for Oscar-winning actor's pottery play Gladstone Girls
BBC News has published a selection of photographs captured by Weather Watchers across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight, highlighting local scenery, wildlife, and landmarks over the past week.
Summary headline: A collection of photographs from BBC Weather Watchers showcases the south of England
Before becoming a Hollywood star, Audrey Hepburn spent three formative years of her childhood living in the Kent village of Elham between 1936 and 1939. Local historians note that her time attending school and taking part in music, dance, and ballet in the village laid the foundations for her performing career before she returned to the Netherlands ahead of World War Two.
Summary headline: The Kent village of Elham that helped shape Audrey Hepburn's early life
Conservationists from The Rock Pool Project have stated that the discovery of a rainbow sea slug at Porthpean Beach in Cornwall serves as an important reminder of climate change. The species, typically found in warmer waters off Spain, Portugal, and France, is increasingly appearing on UK shores as waters warm.
An iconic 1978 photograph taken by Chris Steele-Perkins at Wolverhampton's Culture Centre has led to a reunion of the people featured in it, nearly 50 years later. The image, which shows young people enjoying reggae music and dancing, is being exhibited at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, allowing the previously anonymous subjects to share their stories and have their names recognised.
Summary headline: People captured in iconic 1978 Wolverhampton photograph are reunited for new exhibition
The first anniversary of the twinning between Kennington in Oxfordshire and Musanda in western Kenya is being marked with the opening of a new library and resource centre. The facility, supported by The Nasio Trust and funded in part by a book of stories written by students from both communities, will feature WiFi access and training space. Author Sylvia Vetta and charity founder Nancy Mudenyo Hunt highlighted the collaborative effort and strong friendship between the two villages.
Summary headline: Oxfordshire and Kenya villages mark twinning anniversary with new library
Monday's national newspapers focus heavily on the Conservative Party conference, highlighting Kemi Badenoch's plans to scrap environmental regulations, reset party values, and protect the pension triple lock. Other front-page stories include a drop in global dealmaking, legal action by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor against Thames Valley Police, and reports on child-on-child sexual abuse in schools.
Summary headline: Newspaper headlines cover Kemi Badenoch's Conservative Party conference pledges and other major stories
The New Fountain Inn in Whimple, Devon, which was saved from a 2020 housing and micro-pub plan by a village campaign and taken over by Lee Wheaton and his father Kevin, has won the Exeter & East Devon Camra Rural Pub of the Year award.
Summary headline: Devon pub saved from housing development wins Camra award
Foster for Plymouth has launched a city-wide appeal to collect at least 550 brand-new teddy bears and soft toys by the end of November. The campaign aims to provide comfort and reassurance to children and young people who enter care unexpectedly with few belongings. Donated toys will be placed in a special Bear Adoption Room for children to choose from, with donors asked to give each bear a name.
Summary headline: Plymouth launches teddy bear appeal to support children entering care
Frontman Dan Gillespie Sells has revealed that The Feeling's triple-platinum debut album, Twelve Stops and Home, was recorded in a shed in Horsham as the band mark the record's 20th anniversary. Released in June 2006, the album was largely made in an outhouse at the Sussex home of bandmates Kevin and Ciaran Jeremiah using borrowed microphones and a custom-built computer. To celebrate the milestone, the band are set to perform the album in full during an anniversary tour visiting Eastbourne and Margate in November.
Summary headline: The Feeling's debut album Twelve Stops and Home was recorded in a Horsham shed
A woman from Worksop who bought a husky cross during the 2020 lockdown to tire it out has qualified to represent Great Britain in international sled dog racing. Danielle Marshall now trains a team of four dogs across local woodlands and won a silver medal in the British Sleddog Sports Federation national championships, leading to her selection for the Dryland European Championships in Sweden.
A report discussed by the West Yorkshire Fire Authority reveals that workplace accidents at the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service rose by six percent to 128 incidents between April 2025 and March 2026. The accidents cost the service over £160,000 and resulted in 588 lost working days, though officials noted a significant long-term improvement compared to 300 accidents recorded in 2005/06.
Summary headline: West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service reports six percent increase in workplace accidents
While UK employers are legally permitted to ask job applicants about their current salary, candidates are not obliged to answer. Campaigners and recruitment bodies have urged employers to stop asking for salary history to prevent perpetuating historic pay inequalities, and new EU rules will ban the practice. However, the UK has no current plans for a ban, focusing instead on publishing salary information in job adverts. Experts advise jobseekers to focus on their skills, experience, market rates, and salary expectations rather than disclosing previous pay.
Summary headline: The job interview question you don't have to answer about your salary
