News
Updates and announcements.
Tue 12 May 2026
JakeArmed police shoot man dead after he pulls weapon during stand-off in Bedford
A man has been shot dead by police after pulling a weapon during a stand-off with armed officers.
Police were called to reports of vehicles being damaged in Bedford, Bedfordshire, at around 10.40pm on Monday.
They found a man in his 40s had barricaded himself in a property in Aylesbury Road and was making threats.
Armed officers, negotiators, as well as paramedics, air ambulances and fire crews all went to the scene and tried to talk the man down for "a number of hours".
Nearby residents were also evacuated from their homes as the stand-off continued into the following morning.
But Bedfordshire Police said "despite sustained efforts over a number of hours to engage with the man and bring the incident to a safe resolution...he presented a weapon before police fired" shortly after 9.30am on Tuesday.
He was immediately treated at the scene by paramedics and officers, but died an hour later, the force added.
Police said a cordon would stay in place on Tuesday evening, but people who were evacuated from their homes are being helped to return.
Bedfordshire Police referred itself to the watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct - a mandatory step whenever officers shoot dead a member of the public.
An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) spokesperson said: "After being notified by the force, we declared an independent investigation and have sent investigators to the scene and the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.
"Our thoughts are with the man's family and everyone affected by this incident."
Wed 29 Apr 2026
Jake Players who cover mouths in confrontations to be sent off at World Cup
Players who cover their mouths in confrontations with opponents to conceal discriminatory conduct face being sent off at the World Cup - after football's rule-makers voted through plans first revealed by Sky News.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in our interview last month he wanted quick action to change the laws of the game following abuse faced by Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr that went unpunished during a Champions League fixture.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced after a meeting in Vancouver, Canada: "At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card."
FIFA will adopt the law change for the World Cup which is being played in June and July across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
A 'presumption' of wrongdoing
The incident in the match in Lisbon in February led to anti-discrimination protocols being activated after Vinicius complained about being racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni after scoring a goal.
It was unclear what Prestianni said because his mouth was covered.
Mr Infantino said after the incident: "If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously.
"There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn't have said, otherwise he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth."
Sun 26 Apr 2026
Jake Explosive device that detonated outside police station 'was sent to kill officers'
An explosive device that detonated inside a hijacked car, parked next to a police station in Dunmurry, "was sent to kill officers" according to the chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the attack in Dunmurry, southwest of Belfast city centre, at around 10.50pm on Saturday, is being treated as attempted murder and the investigation will be led by counter-terrorism police.
Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said in a statement: "A delivery driver's car was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast and a gas cylinder device was placed in the boot of the vehicle. The man was ordered to drive it to Dunmurry police station."
He added the vehicle was abandoned outside the front of the station and officers "immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm's way" and evacuated nearby homes.
He continued: "A number of residents, including two babies, were being taken to safety by officers when the device exploded, engulfing the vehicle in flames and sending debris in all directions.
"Our thoughts today are with all those affected by this cowardly attack, the delivery driver for whom this will have been an extremely traumatic experience."
Brendan Mullan, chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said in a statement that the device "was sent to kill officers and cause maximum harm".
Images circulating on the social media accounts of local media and politicians show what appears to be a vehicle engulfed by flames next to the police station.
Forensic officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were examining the wreckage of a burnt-out vehicle on Sunday morning beside the station in the Kingsway area of Dunmurry.
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said those behind the attack "speak for absolutely no one".
She posted on social media: "They have no vision, no support, and have nothing to offer our society. Our communities deserve peace."
DUP leader Gavin Robinson described the reports as "deeply concerning".
He added: "If this was another attempt by dissident republicans to intimidate communities and target the police, then it must be met with the full force of the law."
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn also said he was "appalled" by the incident, calling it a "shameless and cowardly attack".
Sat 25 Apr 2026
Jake Seven killed in Ukraine after major Russia drone attack, as RAF deploys Typhoon jets over Romania
Russia has launched a major drone attack overnight on Ukraine, killing seven people and injuring more than 30 others, as RAF Typhoon fighter jets were deployed over Romania.
Russia fired 619 drones and 47 missiles, Ukraine's air force said in a statement on Telegram, adding that it shot down 580 drones and 30 missiles.
Five people died in attacks on the city of Dnipro, according to Ukraine's state emergency service while another two were killed in the Chernihiv region.
Meanwhile, two British fighter jets were also scrambled from a base in Romania overnight after radar systems tracked drones near their airspace, according to the Romanian defence ministry.
"Two British Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft conducting Enhanced Air Policing mission scrambled at 02:00 from the 86th Air Base in Fetesti [Borcea Air Base]... The pilots were authorized to engage the drones," it said in a statement.
The Typhoons established radar contact with targets on the country's eastern border and Ukraine, 1.5km from the Ukrainian city of Reni, the Romanians added.
At around 2.30am, an object was reported as falling in the Bariera Traian area of Romania, near the city of Galati, and drone fragments were later recovered.
