Thursday’s headlines see coverage of the government’s plans to ease the pressure on prisons across England and Wales, as a report says prisons will run out of space by November. The government has announced a series of measures which include early release for some offenders as part of the plans to tackle the overcrowding. The government also announced they will build three new prisons – but despite the dire state of the prison system, the plans still might not be enough to tackle the problem.

The UK economy grew unexpectedly in the first three months of 2025 – a major win for the government, especially the chancellor, who’s been under increasing pressure over the state of the economy and the government fiscal plans. The ONS said the growth was driven by the service sector and production. But the joy might be short-lived, the figures mark the period just before the US imposed tariffs.

Sir Keir Starmer is in Albania to strengthen measures against migrant smuggling gangs, aiming to reduce both legal and illegal migration levels.

Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, there have been many attempts to implement a lasting end to the violence of its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Maikelys Espinoza, a two-year-old, was reunited with her mother, Yorelys Bernel, in Caracas after being among 220 migrants deported from the US amid ongoing mass deportations by the Trump administration.

Vladimir Putin is absent from the Russian delegation attending ceasefire talks in Turkey, with junior officials representing Russia instead of top negotiators.

Kemi Badenoch’s team acknowledged flaws in post-Brexit plans for returning illegal migrants, highlighting the challenges faced after leaving the EU and the Dublin regulation.