Author: UK News

Aberdeen mother and young son die in Mumbai fire Dr Glory Valthaty, 43, and her son Joshua, eight, from Aberdeen, Scotland have died in a fire in India. It’s believed that they were visiting family when the fire broke out in a flat in Mumbai on Monday morning. Dr Valthaty’s husband and daughter were understood to have also been on the holiday. Joshua’s Aberdeen school’s headteacher Susie Webster paid tribute. Webster said: “It is with deepest sadness that Kaimhill School and the wider community have received the shocking news of the death of Joshua and his mum, Glory. “Joshua joined…

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PMQs review: Sir Keir Starmer mocks Tories at PMQs over by-election losses PMQs this week saw Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer mocking PM Rishi Sunak over the Tories’ two by-election defeats last week.  Sir Keir also pressured him on the cost of living crisis.  Labour took both Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire from the Conservatives – overturning huge Tory majorities in a double blow for the government.  “So will he just call a general election and give the British Public a chance to respond? Sir Keir Starmer At today’s PMQs, Sir Keir demanded a general election saying the prime minister was “oblivious”…

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Asylum hotel closures may shift cost to councils, councillors warn Councillors are warning that local authorities may have to house migrants in the very same hotels the government have said they will no longer use. The government announced plans to end contracts with 50 hotels housing asylum seekers by the end of the year. Official figures show hiring these hotels cost the taxpayer £8m a day. The Local Government Association (LGA) told the BBC that this cost may pass down to councils, who are required to house refugees in need. “We’ve got a housing shortage, we’ve got a huge demand…

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Plan to send all-UK astronaut mission into orbit An all-British mission to space could be happening soon, as an American company that organises visits to the International Space Agency is developing a plan to send four UK astronauts. Houston-based Axiom has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK Space Agency to try to make it happen. The project could cost £200m or more but the idea is that it would be funded commercially – meaning the UK taxpayer won’t be footing the bill. The last UK individual to go into orbit was Tim Peake, who flew to the USS…

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Storm Babet: Met Office rain warning issued for flood-hit parts of England Parts of England have been told to expect more heavy rain and further flooding as the death toll from Storm Babet has risen to at least seven. A yellow rain warning is in force across Yorkshire and the East Midlands is set to last until 16:00 BST on Tuesday. There are more than 90 flood warnings in place after Storm Babet, including areas where more rain is expected this week.  Flooding could last until Wednesday in England, the Environment Agency has said. It said around 1,250 homes in…

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Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Paper Talk: Two more hostages released by Hamas Tuesday’s front pages report on the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Two more hostages have been released by Hamas and there is hope more negotiations could take place. More hostages released The i newspaper reports that the release of two more hostages by Hamas has raised hopes that a deal could be struck to secure the freedom of dozens of others being held captive. The Guardian says, citing Middle East reports, that as many as 50 people could be released “imminently” as diplomatic efforts speed up. The…

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A 30kg package of cocaine washed up in Goring (Picture: Eddie Mitchell)

A bag of cocaine worth £2 million has been found on a West Sussex beach – the fourth time a large quantity of drugs has been found washed up this month.

Armed police have started patrolling the section of the shore in Goring, West Sussex, after a member of the public found the 30kg bag of the class A drug yesterday.

Two weeks ago dozens of packages marked ‘POPI’ containing £1.2 million worth of cocaine were found washed up in Ferring, West Sussex.

More sealed parcels were found on beaches in Felpham and Middleton just one day later.

Another batch of cocaine was discovered in Selsey last Thursday.

It comes after a fisherman found kilos of cocaine floating the sea near Durdle Door, Dorset, on October 2.

A group of litter-pickers later stumbled across a second batch on the west coast of the Isle of Wight.

The packages are believed to have been dumped by smugglers in the Solent earlier this month.

Armed police are now patrolling the area (Picture: Eddie Mitchell)

A witness said the parcel found yesterday looked identical to the ones from previous cocaine discoveries.

‘The police quickly bagged it up and whipped it off the beach at about 11am,’ they told MailOnline.

‘There were eight armed officers who helped seal the beach off.

‘I’d heard it was about 30kg or so. It was definitely the same bag as the load found in Middleton and the Isle of Wight.’

Sussex Police said: ‘Police were called to Goring yesterday following reports of suspected drugs washing up on the beach.

‘The packages will be taken for forensic testing along with the substances which were found in Selsey on October 19, Middleton and Felpham on October 13 and Ferring on October 12.

‘An investigation is ongoing alongside partner agencies to find the source of the substances.

‘The public are reminded of the dangers of illegal drugs and urged not to touch or attempt to remove them. Please report any sightings to police by calling 999.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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