On 10 September, 2023, gamblers at the famous MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas started to encounter a series of strange events.
First, slot machines began freezing, switching off and displaying error screens. Then, when they went to cash points on the casino floor, they were out of order. Credit card payments at restaurants would not work, and suddenly the digital room keys for hotel guests didn’t either.
The same problems were repeated across MGM properties elsewhere in Vegas and across the US, causing anger and confusion among customers, and significant financial losses for the casinos.
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Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: A photo illustration of ‘Ultra Processed’ foods on February 16, 2018 in London, England. A recent study by a team at the Sorbonne in Paris has suggested that ‘Ultra Processed’ foods including things like mass-produced bread, ready meals, instant noodles, fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps are tied to the rise in cancer. (Photo illustration by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2018 Getty Images
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How UPFs linked to quarter of heart disease cases and deaths
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) could be driving a quarter of heart disease cases and deaths, according to new research.
Deaths linked to UPFs
Data published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests deaths will fall if people cut their intake of UPFs.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: A photo illustration of Chicken Nuggets on February 16, 2018 in London, England. A recent study by a team at the Sorbonne in Paris has suggested that ‘Ultra Processed’ foods including things like mass-produced bread, ready meals, instant noodles, fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps are tied to the rise in cancer. (Photo illustration by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2018 Getty Images
Caption: Embargoed to 2330 Tuesday July 29
File photo dated 27/04/25 of a half-pounder burger and chips in a takeaway carton. Academics have found a link between consuming high levels of ultra processed foods (UPFs) and lung cancer. An international team of researchers tracked the health and food habits of more than 100,000 US adults, with an average age of 63. After an average of 12 years the team identified 1,706 cases of lung cancer. Issue date: Tuesday July 29, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Philip Toscano/PA Wire
Photographer: Philip Toscano
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In the study, experts used Canadian modelling data to look at cardiovascular disease. In the UK, 56% of calories are from UPFs, rising to 68% for teens.
What did the study find?
The findings
Analysis showed between 23- 38% of all cardiovascular disease events in 2019 were due to UPF intake.
UPFs and heart disease
This equates to 58,200-96,000 new cases of cardiovascular disease, plus 10,600-17,400 deaths.
(Photo: Getty).
The Department of Health and NHS England plan to free up more GP appointments includes expanding patient access to blood pressure checks at their pharmacy (Photo: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire)
Reducing UPFs
Reducing consumption by 20-50% may have prevented 16,800 -45,900 new cases of cardiovascular disease.
Doubts over the study
“This is a modelling study, not a clinical trial — it does not measure what actually happened to people who ate more or fewer ultra-processed foods.
Professor Alberto Fiore, from Abertay University Dundee
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: A photo illustration of Spaghetti Hoops on February 16, 2018 in London, England. A recent study by a team at the Sorbonne in Paris has suggested that ‘Ultra Processed’ foods including things like mass-produced bread, ready meals, instant noodles, fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps are tied to the rise in cancer. (Photo illustration by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
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Copyright: 2018 Getty Images
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All we know as US continues strikes on Iran
Iran and the US continued strikes overnight as both sides exchanged threats over the fate of the Strait of Hormuz with no end to the war in sight.
Caption: TOPSHOT – This screen grab taken from video footage released on July 16, 2026 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)’s Sepah News website shows a missile being launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. Kuwait’s military said it was responding to renewed Iranian aerial attacks on July 16 as Iran and the United States exchanged strikes over control of the vital Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by SEPAHNEWS.COM / AFP via Getty Images) /
Photographer: –
Provider: SEPAHNEWS.COM/AFP via Getty Imag
Source: AFP
What happened?
Tehran said it struck targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, on the sixth day of resumed attacks between the two sides.
Caption: A munition is launched at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 15, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. OVERLAY AND MASKING AT SOURCE. Verification lines: – Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and the date when the video was filmed. – No earlier version of the video was found posted online before Wednesday (July 15)
Photographer: U.S. Central Command
Provider: via REUTERS
Source: Handout
Caption: TOPSHOT – A woman crosses Tehran’s Enghelab Square on July 15, 2026, past a giant anti-US billboard featuring US president Donald Trump in a coffin with text in Persian reading “We Kill Trump”. Hostilities renewed between Iran and the US, endangering a memorandum of understanding, reached in June with Qatari and Pakistani mediation, aimed at ending the war. The confrontation resumed on July 7 after attacks on ships in the Gulf, which Iran has attributed to Iran. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /
Photographer: –
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The US military said it inflicted a six-hour wave of strikes in multiple locations to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent mariners” in the Strait of Hormuz. The US reportedly hit a tanker in the Gulf as it sailed towards Iran.
Why are the strikes happening?
Hostilities between the US and Iran cooled last month as part of a Memorandum of Understanding.
The latest strikes came after US President Donald Trump warned Iran it had “better behave” or face further military action should Iran not return to negotiations.
US attacks extended into northern areas of the country on Thursday, while Trump has threatened to hit civilian infrastructure.
In pictures: US strikes on Iranian sites
Caption: Smoke rises from an explosion at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 15, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. OVERLAY AND MASKING AT SOURCE. Verification lines: – Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and the date when the video was filmed. – No earlier version of the video was found posted online before Wednesday (July 15) TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Photographer: U.S. Central Command
Provider: via REUTERS
Source: Handout
Caption: Smoke rises from an explosion at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 15, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. OVERLAY AND MASKING AT SOURCE. Verification lines: – Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and the date when the video was filmed. – No earlier version of the video was found posted online before Wednesday (July 15)
Photographer: U.S. Central Command
Provider: via REUTERS
Source: Handout
A video released by US Central Command shows what the US military says is a strike in Iran (Photo: US Central Command Public Affairs/AFP)
Iran’s latest move
Iran has warned it will soon spread the conflict to “new areas” if US strikes continue.
Tehran has also released a US hostage held since 2024.
Iran has ordered the Houthis rebel group to close a second sea route if the US hits its power network.
Analysis
3 min read
news
Hackers jailed for £29m TfL cyber attack
Caption: Undated handout file photo originally issued on 22/06/26 by National Crime Agency of Thalha Jubair , one of two young members of a criminal hacking group who carried out a cyber attack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the organisation millions of pounds that are facing jail. Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, hacked TfL’s online network, resulting in a ?39 million loss, prosecutors previously said. Issue date: Wednesday July 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: NCA/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: NCA
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Two hackers who forced Transport for London to shut down its system at a cost of £29m have been sentenced to jail.
What happened?
Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall, and Thalha Jubair, 20, from east London, pleaded guilty in June to carrying out the 2024 hack which affected TfL’s services for months.
Caption: UPMINSTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 08: Tube trains are stacked at Upminster rail depot on September 08, 2025 in Upminster, England. London Underground workers have begun a strike that impacts most of the network, with limited or no services running on the Tube and DLR between Sunday and Friday. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) voted to strike after failed negotiations with Transport for London (TfL) over pay and working conditions. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
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Copyright: 2025 Getty Images
Caption: Undated handout file photo originally issued on 22/06/26 by National Crime Agency of Owen Flowers, one of two young members of a criminal hacking group who carried out a cyber attack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the organisation millions of pounds that are facing jail. Thalha Jubair, 20, and Flowers, 18, hacked TfL’s online network, resulting in a ?39 million loss, prosecutors previously said. Issue date: Wednesday July 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: NCA/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: NCA
Provider: NCA/PA Wire
Source: PA
Copyright: PA
The two were sentenced to five years and six months in prison at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday with TfL also claiming the hack cost £10m in lost income.
The hackers
MPs and private firms have been given repeated warnings about targeted cyber attacks by Chinese state actors (Photo: Reuters).
Scattered Spider
The hackers were described as computer-obsessed loners who worked in a collective called Scattered Spider.
What they stole
The attack stole the personal data of millions of people and left 27,000 TfL employees needing to reset their passwords.
i revealed last week the UK general election could be undermined by cyber attacks and AI deep fakes emanating from hostile states (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty)
Caption: File photo dated 26/05/22 of a child using a laptop computer. More than 1.6 million social media accounts owned by children are falsely registered with an adult age, a survey by the advertising regulator suggests. Some 93% of young people aged 11 to 17 say they have an account with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter or YouTube, with a quarter (24%) misreporting their age when doing so, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found. Issue date: Tuesday November 29, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story CONSUMER Children. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
Photographer: Dominic Lipinski
Provider: PA
Source: PA
Streaming their crime
The court heard the criminals streamed their 16 hour long cyber attack online.
Cyber attack timeline
Flowers was 17 and Jubair 18 when they started the hack at 5pm on 31 August, 2024.
Here’s what happened:
The attack started on a Saturday night to maximise the hackers’ chances of not being discovered by staff.
They gained access to the TfL data by tricking a phone help desk worker into reseting the password of an employee they were impersonating.
TfL was alerted to the breach by the National Crime Agency, but the criminals had already gained the details of millions of people before they were kicked out.
In total, 148 technology systems became inoperable and services including Dial-a-ride, used by disabled and vulnerable Londoners, were heavily disrupted.
UK economy grows by 0.1% – what it means
The UK economy grew marginally in May, despite the impact of the Iran war on energy costs, official figures show.
Experts are concerned the changes will expose wider flaws in the tax system
Photographer: Jenner Images
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
The Expat Files
4 min read
GDP rose despite Iran war
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said GDP rose by 0.1% in May after a 0.1% decline in April.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference (Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Caption: This is a generic photo of coins on top of an energy bill letter. See PA Feature FINANCE Energy Cap. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA feature FINANCE Energy Cap. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: Alamy/PA. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany FINANCE Energy Cap.
Photographer: Alamy
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The news came as a surprise to some economists, who predicted a consistent decline due to the impact of the Iran war on rising energy costs.
The numbers in more detail
1In the three months to May, GDP rose 0.7% after upwardly revised growth of 0.8% in the three months to April.
2In May, services output was up 0.3% over the month, according to the ONS.
3Scientific research and development was also up 5.1%.
4However, we also saw a 0.5% decline in production, which includes manufacturing, and a 0.8% fall in construction.
Economic forecast
In July, the Treasury forecast an average growth of 1.0% for 2026 and 1.0% for 2027.
The Bank of England will publish its latest forecast later this month amid fears interest rates may go up.
They want to understand how big of a portion they can take from their pot
Caption: Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, during the Bank of England financial stability report press conference, at the Bank of England, London. Picture date: Tuesday July 7, 2026. Doug Peters/Pool via REUTERS
Photographer: Doug Peters
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Buckle up for ‘six-hour Dover queues’ as EES suspension ruled out
French authorities are not planning to suspend Entry/Exit System (EES) border processing at Dover sparking fears of huge jams over the summer holidays, Kent officials have warned.
There are expected to be more than 10,000 vehicles a day at the Port of Dover, the UK’s busiest ferry port, during the peak summer holiday period (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA)
Officials warn of massive congestion
The port is braced for its busiest weekend of the year, with around 10,000 cars heading for France on Saturday and 10,500 outbound vehicles expected on both days next week.
Caption: Traffic queuing for the Port of Dover in Kent. Roads to popular tourist destinations are expected to become congested as the bank holiday getaway begins with the AA estimating 23.4 million car journeys will take place. Picture date: Friday May 22, 2026. PA Photo. Ferry passengers travelling through the Port of Dover during the bank holiday getaway have been warned to expect long queues and possible delays amid EU border checks. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Photographer: Gareth Fuller
Provider: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Source: PA
Caption: A family missed their flight home from a trip to Disneyland Paris after being stuck for more than five hours in queues for new EU border biometric checks.
David Newton, his wife Kimberley and their four-year-old daughter Frankie Mae were forced to go through Entry-Exit System (EES) checks twice in a day after missing their flight due to delays at Charles de Gaulle airport.
Mr Newton, 43, from Stourbridge, West Midlands and his family arrived three hours before their return flight to Birmingham with easyJet on 16 March, but ended up stranded for 11 hours at the Paris airport.
Footage supplied by David Newton
The move has sparked fears of huge six-hour jams over the summer holidays from Kent officials.
What is the EES?
Caption: The EES kiosks where passengers can check in, are pictured at St Pancras International Train Station station in London, on September 22, 2025. The European Union’s new border-check system for non-EU nationals, the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), which will do away with passport stamps, is set to finally launch October 12. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: ADRIAN DENNIS
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
An automated system
The EES is an automated digital border control system used across the European Union’s Schengen area.
Replacing stamping
It replaces traditional manual passport stamping with secure biometric scanning for non-EU nationals.
Caption: A person as their passport scanned whilst using an Automated European Union Entry/Exit System (EES) kiosk during a press preview on the rollout of the EU’s new Entry-Exit System (EES) at Eurotunnel, south east England on September 23, 2025. The European Union’s new border-check system for non-EU nationals, the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), which will do away with passport stamps, is set to finally launch October 12. (Photo by Justin TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JUSTIN TALLIS
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Caption: The EES kiosks where passengers can check in, are pictured at St Pancras International Train Station station in London, on September 22, 2025. The European Union’s new border-check system for non-EU nationals, the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), which will do away with passport stamps, is set to finally launch October 12. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: ADRIAN DENNIS
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Who needs to use it?
Non-EU citizens travelling to the Schengen area for short stays.
How is the Government helping?
The Government has already secured Lydden Hill motor racing track, about five miles from Dover, as an emergency site to hold cars as a last resort if EES queues build on roads to the port and Eurotunnel.
Caption: DOVER, ENGLAND – JULY 21: Queues of lorries and cars move steadily at the Port of Dover as the busy summer travel period begins on July 21, 2023 in Dover, England. State-educated children finish school today for the summer break and many families are heading abroad on holiday. Since the UK left the European Union, post-Brexit passport checks have led to queues of traffic at the Port of Dover. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Officials in Kent have raised concerns about the reliability of handheld tablets to carry out post-Brexit EU border checks at Dover (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Ministers have now approved the planning for a second site along the M20, which will provide a safe area for passengers to get food and water and use the facilities.
Waits cut from 12 to six hours
Modelling previously carried out by the Port of Dover calculated queues from EES could reach up to 12 hours.
However, recently installed extra border kiosks may bring the wait down to six hours.
EES biometric machines for Dover coach travellers. Similar checks have not yet been launched for vehicle passengers (Photo: Stanley Murphy-Johns/PA)
TRAVEL
3 min read
Kent MP’s response:
It’s potentially a nightmare
Sir Roger Gale, the MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich in Kent, said holidaymakers are being used as “guinea pigs”.
Traffic management in Dover as hundred of cars, coaches and lorries as they queue to enter the Port of Dover over the Easter weekend, Friday (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA)
He warned passengers could become seriously unwell if they are stuck in gridlock during heatwaves.
England slump to another World Cup defeat
In what has become normal procedure, England slumped yet again to another World Cup exit after a bitter 2-1 loss to Argentina.
Caption: England fans look dejected following a screening of the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final match between England and Argentina at the World Cup Fan Zone in Times Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Picture date: Wednesday July 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.
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Photographer: Owen Humphreys
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Copyright: PA Wire
How it happened
Caption: Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Semi Final – England v Argentina – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. – July 15, 2026 England’s Anthony Gordon celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Paul Childs
Photographer: Paul Childs
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
England first to score
Anthony Gordon scored at the start of the second half to give England the lead.
Argentina equalise
But Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez equalised five minutes before injury time as England tried to hold their lead.
Caption: Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring their side’s first goal of the game during the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final match at the Atlanta Stadium.
Picture date: Wednesday July 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Nick Potts/PA Wire.
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Photographer: Nick Potts
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Caption: Argentina’s midfielder #24 Enzo Fernandez (hidden) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JEWEL SAMAD
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Injury time goal
Lautaro Martinez laid England’s hopes to rest in the 92nd minute with a crushing winner.
In pictures: Heartbreak at full-time
Caption: ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JULY 15: Anthony Gordon #18 of England looks dejected as he acknowledges the fans with teammates after defeat to Argentina during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Photographer: Sebastian Widmann – FIFA
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Copyright: 2026 FIFA
Caption: England fans look dejected following a screening of the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final match between England and Argentina at the World Cup Fan Zone in Times Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Picture date: Wednesday July 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.
RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Photographer: Owen Humphreys
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Copyright: PA Wire
Anthony Gordon put England minutes from the final (Photo: Getty)
Tuchel blamed for loss
England manager Thomas Tuchel received heavy criticism after the England loss, with former England captain Wayne Rooney saying: “It started from the manager and the decisions he made.”
Rooney also criticised Tuchel for being “too passive” waiting for the final minutes to introduce Ivan Toney and Marcus Rashford.
Jordan Pickford (Photo: Getty)
Tuchel reacts after England are knocked out (Photo: Getty)
‘What was the point of appointing Thomas Tuchel if not for moments like this?,’ asks Daniel Storey (Photo: Getty)
opinion – football
Thomas Tuchel deserves to be sacked for his cowardice
Caption: The i writer Daniel Storey.
i News
Byline
Photographer: Andrew Fox
Provider: Andrew Fox
Source: Andrew Fox
Gareth Southgate ultimately paid the price for failing that final task, despite all his good. In the USA, so too did Thomas Tuchel. Losing hurts so much. Losing in the same way as before hurts three times as badly
Argentina flout Fifa laws with banner
Argentina players controversially held up a banner declaring “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”) after the game.
Caption: Argentina’s midfielder #11 Giovani Lo Celso adjusts a banner reading “The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina,” after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JEWEL SAMAD
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Caption: Argentina’s players hold a banner reading “The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina,” after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: PAUL ELLIS
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Source: AFP
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Fifa’s Stadium Code of Conduct bans “banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature” inside stadiums.
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Caption: Kent, England – 14 June, 2022 – A man enjoying sunshine on a deck chair at Viking Bay in the seaside town of Broadstairs
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Temperatures to drop this weekend – but is another heatwave on the way?
Temperatures are set to drop across the UK this weekend after intensely hot weather, but will we see another heatwave any time soon?
Temperatures to fall
Fresher northerly winds will cause the temperature to drop by several degrees across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England this weekend.
Caption: People use fans and they make an early morning journey towards the centre of Bristol where temperatures are already in the mid 20???s and extremely humid after overnight thunderstorms. A rare red warning for extreme heat has been issued by the Met Office as the UK has sweltered in exceptionally hot and humid conditions. The heatwave, driven by a “heat-dome” settling over western Europe that has brought extreme conditions across the continent, has led to health warnings, school closures and transport disruption. Picture date: Friday June 26, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Photographer: Ben Birchall
Provider: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Source: PA
The Mayor of London has launched the UK capital’s first plan to cope with extreme heat (Photo: Rasid Necati Aslim/Getty)
However, it will generally continue to be warmer than average, including in southern England where the heatwave threshold has now been met or exceeded for 12 days.
Forecast for the next week
Parts of southern England, including London, experienced hours of lightning and thunderstorms early Tuesday morning. Alongside the high humidity and heat warning, there is a further risk from storms this week (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty)
Still no rain
There is still no sign of significant rain in the forecast.
Drop in the north
Scotland and northern England will be 5-7°C cooler.
Sunbathers head to Hastings Beach to cool off as the UK heatwave continues unabated (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA)
(Photo: REUTERS)
Some relief in the south
The Midlands, Wales and southern England will be cooler but some parts could still exceed the heatwave threshold.
Will the heatwave continue?
Despite cooler weather this weekend, temperatures are expected to bounce back quickly.
Scotland and Northern Ireland will hover around 23°C, while southern England could reach 30°C in the middle of next week.
For some parts of England and Wales, the heatwave could continue into its third week.
There have been 25 days above 30°C this year – only the summer of 1995 has higher.
The Met Office prediciton
July and August are key months in the UK for heatwaves. Although we have had three significant heatwaves in the UK already, these have been independent events. But because of the preceding conditions dry soils could provide a feedback making another heatwave a little more likely
Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge
A woman uses hand-held fan to cool down in London. Today was provisionally declared the hottest ever June day – after the record was broken three times yesterday (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images).
Wildfires break out
Firefighters have been battling overnight to contain a wildfire which spread across more than two miles of dry land in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
This comes after official warned multiple parts of the country face increasing threats of wildfires.
Caption: Handout photo courtesy of Duncan Ferguson of a wildfire burning in heathland in the Cairngorms National Park. Residents have been evacuated after the large blaze broke out in the Scottish Highlands, sending large volumes of smoke towards nearby towns. The fire started near Ryvoan Bothy, close to Nethy Bridge, at about 11.50am on Wednesday, drawing four fire appliances and specialist wildfire resources. Issue date: Wednesday July 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Duncan Ferguson/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: Duncan Ferguson
Provider: Duncan Ferguson/PA Wire
Source: PA
Caption: Handout photo courtesy of Duncan Ferguson of a wildfire burning in heathland in the Cairngorms National Park. Residents have been evacuated after the large blaze broke out in the Scottish Highlands, sending large volumes of smoke towards nearby towns. The fire started near Ryvoan Bothy, close to Nethy Bridge, at about 11.50am on Wednesday, drawing four fire appliances and specialist wildfire resources. Issue date: Wednesday July 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Duncan Ferguson/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: Duncan Ferguson
Provider: Duncan Ferguson/PA Wire
Source: PA
news
What do Labour’s property reforms actually mean for homebuyers?
Buying a home in England could soon change significantly under Government plans to overhaul the home-buying process.
Here is everything you need to know.
What reforms are being introduced?
Last month, the Government announced proposals aimed at modernising the home-buying process in England and Wales.
Caption: A drone view shows rows of terraced houses in the constituency of Gorton and Denton ahead of a parliamentary by-election, in Manchester, Britain, February 18, 2026 REUTERS/Phil Noble TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Photographer: Phil Noble
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
The Enterprise Investment Scheme is designed to encourage investment into small, early-stage UK companies (Photo: Aitor Diago/Getty)
A central part of the reforms is the wider use of reservation agreements, under which buyers and sellers each pay a reservation fee and agree to progress the sale within a set timeframe. Ministers also want more information about a property to be available before it is listed for sale.
How will this impact the market?
Caption: File photo dated 29/07/25 of model houses on a pile of coins and bank notes. Councils risk becoming financially unsustainable unless they cut, reduce or overhaul critical services, a watchdog has said, as it warned of a near ?1 billion funding gap. The Accounts Commission said Scotland’s local authorities are facing a combined revenue gap of ?975 million across the next two years amid increasing financial pressures. Issue date: Thursday June 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
Photographer: Joe Giddens
Provider: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
Source: PA
Higher upfront costs
Buyers would be expected to spend more on due diligence before the reservation agreement.
Fewer failed sales
Encouraging buyers and sellers to commit earlier should mean fewer sales collapse.
(Photo: Getty).
Real estate investment and loan, mortgage and refinance concept. – stock photo. (manusapon kasosod/ Getty)
Strain on first-time buyers
First-time buyers could be most exposed as they have to save for a deposit.
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Sir Olly Robbins, a former top Foreign Office civil servant, has launched a legal challenge after he was sacked following the Lord Mandelson vetting scandal. Robbins was fired from his position in April after Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper lost confidence in him, saying he had failed to tell ministers of a recommendation to deny Mandelson security vetting clearance.
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Thousands of miles away, on the other side of the Atlantic, the culprit was sitting in the bedroom of his family’s east London council flat.
Thalha Jubair, then 17, was an unlikely leading member of a cyber crime group known as Scattered Spider, which had unleashed malicious software on MGM and at least 46 other American organisations including its federal courts.
Known as ransomware, the cyber attack worked by shutting down company computer systems and demanding large payments to unlock them and release encrypted data. According to the US Department of Justice, victims paid at least $115m (£86m) in ransom payments.
A criminal complaint charging Jubair with offences including computer fraud and money laundering said that going under online pseudonyms including “EarthtoStar”, “Brad”, “Austin”, and “@autistic”, he had conspired with others to conduct the attack and launder the funds obtained.
But before Jubair could be tried in the US, he was arrested for another cyber attack, this time targeting Transport for London (TfL).
Pandemonium for London transport system
Jubair and other members of Scattered Spider struck in September 2024, a year after the MGM attack, and caused chaos once more. As TfL fought against the intrusion, it was forced to shut down major operation systems to restrict the hackers’ access.
Live Tube information, the Dial-a-Ride service for disabled people and Oyster and travelcard payments ground to a halt. While public transport kept running, there was pandemonium across the systems used across TfL operations. The attack cost the transport network £29m and rendered more than 140 systems inoperable, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Data was stolen from millions of Oyster card holders but unlike in the MGM case, no ransom was demanded for its return. This time, investigators believe, Jubair and his associates were mainly seeking notoriety and kudos within the cyber criminal community.
Jubair, now 20, and fellow Scattered Spider member Owen Flowers, 18, were each jailed for five years and six months at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday after admitting offences under the Computer Misuse Act.
Mr Justice Turner said: “I’m satisfied that your actions were primarily motivated by selfish bravado heedless of the consequences on others.”
Paul Foster, head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) cyber crime unit, said it was the “biggest ever criminal prosecution” of its kind.
“Scattered Spider have, over the last two years, been the biggest criminal cyber crime threat to the UK,” he added. “Their activities and their impact has now been severely degraded as a result of this action.”
Foster said the number of people in Scattered Spider and their locations were still unknown, describing the group as a “loose collective” of English-speaking boys and young men who coalesce in online hacking communities.
Jubair had started offending by the age of 14, and was convicted in 2023 for attacks by the Lapsus$ hacking group on major companies including Nvidia and BT.
“He received an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order, but of course, very quickly he began reoffending,” said Commander Ollie Shaw, of the City of London Police.
Flowers was also known to the authorities before the TfL hack, having been given a “cease and desist notice” by West Midlands Police in October 2023. He was offered training and given advice around computer misuse offences but did not want to engage, the NCA said.
Living with parents, trying to get into college
Outside of the online world, neither of the young men’s lives showed signs of their work as notorious international cyber criminals.
Flowers lived with his grandma and uncle in a three-bedroom property in Walsall, spending most of his time in his room playing computer games and using chat forums.
Jubair lived with his parents, who both worked as carers, in a two-bedroom flat on the third floor of a 21-storey council block in Bow, east London. Before being arrested, he attempted to enrol at a further education college after completing his GCSEs.
In its annual threat assessment, the NCA said teenagers were being drawn into cyber criminality by an “internet-based subculture nicknamed ‘The Com’”, who co-ordinate to conduct a wide range of online attacks for profit and clout.
Chief Crown Prosecutor Lionel Idan said that since the arrest of Jubair and Flowers, the number of attacks attributed to Scattered Spider has “dropped to zero” – a dramatic decrease for a group linked to hundreds of incidents between 2022 and 2025.
But its other members remain active, and NCA officials have not ruled out a resurgence in attacks under a new name or the group’s previous brand. “We’d never be so bold as to say there is no chance going forwards that anyone will be subject to a Scattered Spider attack,” Foster said.