Browsing: What happened today?

After a week of glorious sunshine across the UK, this mornings skies are grey and overcast but there’s no need to have a glum start to your week. Grab yourself a coffee, there’s a lot happening across the UK today from politics to the Premier League.

PM Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with Donald Trump dominates much of the UK’s news this Friday. The British Prime Minister met with the US president in what much of the media is dubbing a ‘White House summit’. To almost everyone’s surprise, the meeting appeared to go well, with a UK-US trade deal expected soon, the president backing the prime minister’s Chagos deal, and the president effectively ruling out a US backstop for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer held a “warm” phone call with the new US President Donald Trump. Trump is expected to visit Britain “soon” following their first conversation since the president’s inauguration. The paper says the prime minister became the first European leader to speak to the new US president since he was sworn in.

Britain is set to be hit with torrential rain and high winds as Storm Herminia rolls in. Yellow warnings for wind and heavy rain have been issued for much of Wales and southern England as Storm Herminia hits parts of the UK. The Met Office says Herminia – first recorded in Spain and France – brings with it the possibility of damage and disruption, days after Storm Éowyn left two people dead when it battered the UK and Republic of Ireland.

King Charles will become the first British head of state to visit Auschwitz when he tours the former Nazi concentration camp to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation. The King will travel to Poland to join survivors and other dignitaries for a special service, at the end of which he will lay a light of remembrance to honour those who lost their lives.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been sentenced to 52 years behind bars for murdering 3 little girls and the attempted murder of at least 10 others at a dance class last year in Southport. The judge says it’s highly unlikely Rudakubana will ever be released. Rudakubana pleaded guilty on Monday to the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, and Bebe King, 6. He also admitted to producing ricin, possessing terrorist material, and possessing a knife.

The Met Office has issued rare red weather warnings, meaning there is a danger to life, as Storm Éowyn batters the UK. The worst disruption is due to hit Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland, with gusts of up to 100mph (161km/h) expected in some coastal areas. Millions of people are being urged to stay at home and widespread travel disruption is expected, with some flights and ferry crossings already cancelled.

Prince Harry has settled his case with the owner of the Sun newspaper – News Group Newspapers (NGM). Harry reportedly received a £10+ million payout as well as an apology. The Murdoch-owned tabloid admitted it engaged in illegal practices to source stories about him.

The Southport killer is set to be sentenced today after pleading guilty to three counts of murder and terrorism charges – including making ricin. The 18-year-old is expected to receive a life sentence. An inquiry into the case began after it was revealed authorities already knew about Axel Rudakubana and he had been referred (but denied) to the government’s Prevent scheme – aimed at stopping people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

Leo Ross, 12, was stabbed to death on his way home from school in Birmingham yesterday. The country reacts to the news – amid fears of a growing knife crime crisis. A 14-year-old boy has been arrested.

Storm Éowyn is heading towards the UK with rare weather warnings being issued for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland on Friday.

The prime minister delivered a speech yesterday, following the guilty plea of the Southport killer, saying he will introduce tougher measures for people trying to buy knives online. It was revealed Axel Rudakubana bought the knife he used to murder three young girls on online retail giant Amazon, despite being only 17.

Kyle Clifford has admitted to murdering his ex-girlfriend and her sister with a crossbow and their mother with a knife in an attack at the family home. Carol Hunt, 61, was stabbed to death and Hannah Hunt, 28, and Louise Hunt, 25, suffered fatal crossbow bolt injuries in Bushey, near Watford, on 9 July. Clifford, 26, from north London, changed his plea to the murders during an appearance via video link at Cambridge Crown Court.

The owner of the Sun newspaper has offered a “full and unequivocal apology” to Prince Harry for “serious intrusion” into his private life and agrees to pay him substantial damages. It settles a long-running legal battle between the prince and the newspaper group, moments before it was due to reach the High Court.

Tuesday’s news is dominated by the inauguration of Donald Trump and his first day as the 47th president of the United States. As soon as he returned to office he issued orders including withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization and declaring an emergency regarding the US-Mexico border. Many publications look at what sort of relationship the US and the UK will have over the next four years.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a public inquiry into the murder of the three little girls at a dance class in Southport last year. Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to their murders as well as attempted murder and terror-related charges including making ricin. Many news publications report he had planned to commit the UK’s first school massacre just a week before he murdered the children. Since his guilty plea, it has also been revealed that he was referred to a counter-extremism scheme three times.

The prime minister has said the state failed the victims and an inquiry will be held to understand how this happened.

The release of three Israeli hostages in Gaza dominates the UK news today. Israeli-British citizen Emily Damari was among those released. She lost two fingers during her 15-month ordeal. The ceasefire will also see much-needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as well as the return of 90 Palestinian prisoners (mostly women and teenage boys).

The weekend’s Premier League action leads the social media trending stories for the UK as Manchester United and Spurs lose again and discussions of what keeps going wrong has begun amongst pundits and fans.

The long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza has come into force after a delay of nearly three hours, and thousands of Gazans are beginning to return home. The first three Israeli female hostages are expected to be freed later – Hamas has named them as 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, dual British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28, and 24-year-old Romi Gonen.

Several thousand Pro-Palestinian supporters have taken part in a demonstration in central London. The rally – the latest UK protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the war in Gaza began in 2023 – comes as Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

TikTok has gone offline in the US, hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect. A message appearing on the app for US users said a law banning TikTok had been enacted, meaning “you can’t use TikTok for now”.

A roundup of last night’s Premier League matches dominates the UK news. Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead at home to draw 2-2 with Aston Villa, potentially throwing away any chances of winning the title. Liverpool beat Brentford 2-0 yesterday, going six points clear at the top of the table.

Hassan Sentamu, the 18-year-old who repeatedly stabbed schoolgirl Elianne Andam in a row over a teddy bear has been found guilty of her murder. Sentamu, now 18, admitted manslaughter, claiming he was not in control of his actions because of his autism but the jury, after deliberating for nearly 12 hours, did not accept this defence of diminished responsibility.

The murderer of schoolboy Jimmy Mizen has been recalled to prison after “shamelessly boasting” about his crime, the Probation Service said. Jake Fahri, then 19, was convicted of murder after he threw a large glass dish that shattered, severing an artery in the 16-year-old’s neck, at a bakery in Lee, south-east London, in 2009.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans for a nationwide review of grooming gang evidence and five government-backed local inquiries. She stopped short of launching a statutory national inquiry, as called for by the Conservatives and some Labour MPs, but this marks a clear shift in the government’s position.

Manchester United beat Southampton late on in last night’s Premier League match thanks to a really late hat-trick from Amad Diallo. Erling Haaland has signed a nine-and-a-half-year deal with Manchester City and Utd reject Napoli move for Garnacho.