Ukraine’s military says Starlink satellite connection stable after recent restrictions

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy offers thanks to US allies for restoring system key to air defence and ‘frontline logistics’

Ukraine’s military has a “stable connection to Starlink”, the Ukrainian government has said, 10 days after its ability to use the satellite communications system was suddenly restricted.

The Starlink satellite terminals, which are produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, are a key component of Ukraine’s military operations. Sudden speed restrictions on the terminals, which capped operations at speeds of 160km/h (99mph), led to the failure of several Ukrainian combat missions earlier this month.

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Northern Olympics campaign to get £7m in Healey’s budget

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Fund will support feasibility study for potential bid to host Games in 2040s, backed by northern mayors and top athletes

John Healey is to announce a £7m fund to examine a potential future bid to host the Olympics in northern England in his first budget as chancellor.

The fund will be used to carry out a full feasibility study for a northern Games, which, if successful, would be held in the north of England in the 2040s.

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Suspect arrested over fire at Hitler’s ‘Eagle’s Nest’ retreat in Bavaria

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About 200 firefighters deployed to tackle blaze at former Nazi mountain retreat in remote part of southern Germany

Police have arrested a 33-year-old German citizen after a fire ripped through Adolf Hitler’s former mountain retreat in Bavaria, leaving the historic Nazi meeting place – known as the Eagle’s Nest – largely destroyed.

About 200 firefighters were deployed on Friday night to tackle the blaze at the Nazi dictator’s remote, purpose-built Kehlsteinhaus residence, a protected building on the peak of Obersalzberg in southern Germany.

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Met says it shared allegations about Meghan’s father with her but not other forces

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Scotland Yard says it shared letter about Thomas Markle Sr allegations in 2019 but did not pass claims to other agencies

The Metropolitan police have confirmed they gave a letter to the Duchess of Sussex in 2019 concerning “alleged offending” involving her father, after accusations arose on Friday about Thomas Markle Sr having child sexual abuse images.

Scotland Yard said it had received a letter in January 2019 making a number of allegations about offending outside Britain.

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Kim Jong-un crosses newly opened bridge into China

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North Korean leader travels over New Yalu River Bridge to meet senior Communist party member

Kim Jong-un has visited China, inaugurating a bridge that connects the two countries and saying he hopes to expand cooperation with his neighbour.

The North Korean leader arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday after crossing the New Yalu River Bridge, according to South Korea’s unification ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, and China’s official Xinhua news agency.

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Israeli soldiers raze neighbourhood in Hebron, driving families from homes

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PM Benjamin Netanyahu vows ‘to destroy this place’ in retaliation for militant attack on army checkpoint

Israeli troops have levelled a neighbourhood in Hebron, driving out hundreds of families in collective punishment for a militant attack on an army checkpoint outside the West Bank city, local Palestinian authorities said.

The Hebron municipality estimated that 35 hectares (86 acres) had been destroyed or marked for destruction and about 1,500 people had been evicted from their homes by Saturday afternoon in the district of Ein Deir Baha. The whole city of 250,000 people was sealed off by checkpoints on every point of entry.

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Additional 178 cases of measles reported by US health authorities amid outbreak

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 4,588 cases across the country, more than double the tally in 2025

Federal health authorities reported an additional 178 cases of measles in the US this week, as the vaccine-preventable illness continues to sicken people across at least 43 outbreaks.

The new data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) comes as experts criticize the agency for lack of transparency, and as health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr takes steps to further upend US vaccine infrastructure.

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Epstein files take back seat in midterms but experts say issue has not gone away

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Other voter concerns have prevailed but return of Congress likely to see renewed focus on late sex offender’s activities

As US voters head to the polls for crucial and fraught midterm elections, some survivors’ advocates in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation have expressed concern that the scandal could recede into the background.

Political experts believe, however, the Epstein issue is not going away permanently and that many voters can balance day-to-day concerns such as affordability and AI with the scandal involving the late financier and accused sex trafficker whose social circle was widespread among America’s elite.

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ICC prosecutor says court making ‘significant progress’ despite US sanctions

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Nazhat Shameem Khan claims some staff are facing ‘banking difficulties’ but their work is unaffected

The deputy prosecutor of the international criminal court has said new US sanctions are beginning to take effect on its staff but insisted they have not hindered the court’s work.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced the sanctions this month, accusing the ICC – a frequent target of the Trump administration – of being a “rogue court” and declaring: “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.”

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New Trump rule allows hunters to bait bears in Alaska with doughnuts, bacon and more

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Critics decry Trump administration rule that lets hunters lure bears with human foods on federal lands in Alaska

A new Trump administration rule allows hunters to bait bears on federal lands in Alaska with bacon, doughnuts, meat scraps or other human foods typically used to help kill the trophy animals at close range.

Opponents say the practice will cause bears to be more aggressive around humans, and allege that the rule change is a political gift to largely rightwing trophy hunters. The rule replaces a 2024 Biden administration rule that banned the practice, and environmental groups criticized the move as “indefensible and inexcusable”.

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Is London really the most-taxed city? Banks accused of cherrypicking data

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Lobby group’s figures, shared with John Healey, are misleading as they do not include major rival Paris, say campaigners

A banking lobby group has been accused of cherrypicking data and trying to mislead the British government by claiming a tax rise for banks at next week’s budget would leave London less competitive than rival financial hubs.

UK Finance, which represents banks including Lloyds, JP Morgan and Revolut, commissions an annual report tallying up all the taxes shouldered by a large bank, including corporation tax, social security, VAT and bank-specific levies.

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No unions, low taxes: why some of Britain’s top chefs are opening outposts in Gulf states

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Leading restaurateur says Gulf countries actively help businesses set up, while east Asia has a better work ethic

Some of London’s top restaurants are opening branches in Dubai because of a “tax tsunami” in the UK and better work ethic abroad, according to a leading restaurateur.

James Robson, a co-owner of Fallow in St James’s Market, regarded as the capital’s hottest restaurant, serving 1,000 people a day, has just signed a deal to open an outpost in the Gulf.

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Medical experts shocked by Tennessee team’s ‘malpractice’ in Christa Pike’s failed execution

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New details of IV team’s attempts to find a vein shared by Pike’s lawyer ‘shocked and disturbed’ practitioners

Medical experts have expressed shock at the apparent incompetence shown by Tennessee’s execution team during the failed lethal injection of Christa Pike, the prisoner who survived a normally fatal dose of pentobarbital, which they say would be considered medical malpractice in any other setting.

New details emerged on Thursday of how Tennessee’s intravenous (IV) team struggled for almost an hour to set up a line into Pike’s arms through which she would be administered the fatal dose of sedative. A blow-by-blow account was released in legal proceedings from Pike’s lawyer, Randy Spivey, who was present inside the death chamber at her 30 September failed execution.

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British woman dies trying to save sons on Bahamas snorkelling trip

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Mother, 36, died after current off North Bimini reportedly swept away two boys, who were later rescued, police say

A British woman has died in the Bahamas while trying to rescue her two sons after a current swept them away as they were snorkelling.

The Royal Bahamas police force said it had launched an investigation after the death of a 36-year-old woman on Tuesday.

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Dónal Lunny, ‘colossus of Irish music’, dies aged 79

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Founding member of Planxty, Lunny went on to play for bands such as Moving Hearts, the Bothy Band and Coolfin

The Irish traditional musician Dónal Lunny has died at the age of 79 from cancer.

Lunny rose to prominence in the trio Rakes of Kildare alongside his brother Frank and Christy Moore. He went on to play in bands such as Planxty, Moving Hearts, the Bothy Band and Coolfin among others and toured the world.

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Iran trying harder to target US personnel in Middle East, intelligence chief warns – BBC

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  1. Iran trying harder to target US personnel in Middle East, intelligence chief warns  BBC
  2. Iran in ‘Advanced Stages’ of Planning Attacks Against Americans, Officials Say  The New York Times
  3. Scoop: U.S. intel memo warns of "advanced" Iranian plots to kill officials abroad  Axios
  4. US discreetly moves diplomats and families from multiple Middle Eastern countries as escalation fears grow  CNN
  5. World in Brief: Iran’s “advanced” plans to kill Americans; Trump to cut more Canada tariffs  The Economist
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Paris shuts museums and police deploy in big numbers for new protests across France – AP News

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  1. Paris shuts museums and police deploy in big numbers for new protests across France  AP News
  2. Ruins of Limoges city hall a symbol of France divided by national protests  BBC
  3. Looting Left Damage and Fear on Paradise Street in Marseille  The New York Times
  4. France's Macron tightens curbs on protests, blaming hard left for unrest  Reuters
  5. Live: France braces for fresh wave of protests amid high tensions  France 24
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Suspect arrested after fire “completely engulfed” Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest mountain retreat in Germany – CBS News

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  1. Suspect arrested after fire "completely engulfed" Hitler's Eagle's Nest mountain retreat in Germany  CBS News
  2. Arrest made after fire at Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat  BBC
  3. Fire breaks out at Alpine retreat built for Hitler in Germany. A person is detained  SFGATE
  4. Suspect arrested as fire engulfs Nazi guest house 'Eagle's Nest', German police say  Reuters
  5. Blaze engulfs Hitler’s ‘Eagle’s Nest’ mountain retreat in Bavaria  The Guardian
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