The Royal Navy has closely monitored a Russian cargo vessel after it spent around fourteen hours stationary above sensitive undersea data cables in the Bristol Channel, just two miles from Minehead. The ship, Sinegorsk, arrived late at night and anchored near multiple telecommunications cables linking the UK with the USA, Canada, Spain,. and Portugal. The vessel’s last recorded port was Arkhangelsk, a key base for the Russian Navy’s northern fleet. Surveillance aircraft and a helicopter were deployed, after which the ship departed westwards. While MoD sources suggested the stop may have been due to poor weather, politicians and security experts described the behaviour as suspicious, given previous incidents involving Russian interference with undersea infrastructure. The episode has renewed concerns over the vulnerability of critical national communications and the ongoing security challenges facing the UK amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

Fresh divisions have emerged within the Labour party after the decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in a parliamentary by-election in Greater Manchester. The move, approved by Labour’s National Executive Committee, has triggered a strong backlash from MPs, party activists and trade unions. Unison general secretary Andrea Egan warned Keir Starmer that the party risked damaging itself through excessive central control and intolerance of internal dissent. Writing publicly, she accused the leadership of factionalism and called for a radical change in direction to prevent further electoral losses. More than fifty Labour MPs from across the party have expressed concern, with local activists also demanding the decision be reversed. Critics argue the move undermines democratic accountability and weakens Labour’s position in a once-safe seat now vulnerable to Reform UK and the Greens. Breaking news: Andy Burnham has said he will accept the Labour decision even though it was hard to take. See

A series of violent incidents across London in late January has left communities shaken, with multiple stabbings, a confirmed murder, a shooting and several serious road collisions reported within three days. Among the most distressing cases are a 10-year-old boy fighting for his life after being struck by a car in Stanmore, and a 17-year-old stabbed in a south London park. Police have also charged a man with the murder of a 58-year-old woman in Ilford, while other knife and gun attacks remain under investigation, with some suspects still at large. The incidents highlight the persistent human cost of violence in the capital, even though recent data suggest that overall homicide and knife crime levels have declined in recent years. Faith leaders and community campaigners stress that reductions in violence are the result of sustained grassroots engagement, mentoring, policing measures and legislative change. However, these events underline the need for continued vigilance, compassion and prevention.

Four members of an organised crime gang have been jailed following the discovery of a vast firearms and drugs operation based in Wigan. Police uncovered an industrial-scale tablet manufacturing set-up capable of producing tens of thousands of counterfeit drugs per hour, alongside viable firearms and ammunition. The investigation was triggered by intelligence from encrypted messaging platforms used by criminals. Millions of tablets were seized from properties, a shipping container, and a hired van, with estimated street values ranging from £57.6 million to £288 million. Officers also uncovered efforts to disguise the criminal enterprise behind a fake business selling tablet machinery. Detectives said the combination of mass drug production and access to deadly weapons posed a serious threat to communities locally and nationally. The sentences, totalling nearly fifty years, underline the determination of law enforcement to disrupt organised crime networks and protect the public from exploitation, addiction and violence.