Whitehall Minute
What vitamin D supplements do – and don’t do
Vitamin D helps control the calcium and phosphate the body needs for healthy bones, teeth and muscles, the NHS says.
IOPC: Met should investigate itself over ‘Putney pusher’ suspect
The man’s family welcomed the decision and said the investigation should be “thorough, independent and unflinching in establishing what went wrong”.
Xi at Trump’s state dinner: ‘You make us feel truly at home’
At the White House arrival ceremony on 24 September, Xi announced that two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, would come to Zoo Atlanta “in a few days”.
Once or twice a week: the exercise that can cut heart risk
The NHS counts 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week as giving similar health benefits to 150 minutes of moderate activity.
Netanyahu at UN: ‘Israel prevented genocide’ as delegates walk out
Türkiye’s delegate later told the assembly that the walkout was a “resounding diplomatic condemnation” of Netanyahu’s policies.
Six to eight cups – and it does not have to be water
Most people should aim to drink enough during the day for their urine to be a clear pale yellow colour, the NHS says.
English Channel boat: Daniel Thomas charged with criminal damage
Thomas, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody to appear before magistrates in Basingstoke.
Two firms fined £1.3m over London coach driver’s death
A window had fallen from the same penthouses in August 2017 and just missed two workers, but key concerns raised in the review that followed were not acted on…
Channel boat damage: man arrested on suspicion of endangering life
The man, who has not been named by police, was held on suspicion of four offences, two of them under maritime safety laws.
Burnham: Alcohol ban in football stands ‘discrimination’
The UK Football Policing Unit has warned that changing the 1985 law without a full review of the evidence would be “incredibly rash”.
UK Tories’ ‘back to work’ card would block alcohol
Claimants would keep the full rate for six months, and after that only if they have built up enough years of paying tax.
The walk after meals that lowers blood sugar
Most of the walking in the studies reviewed lasted between 20 and 60 minutes, at a moderate pace.
What screen time before bed does to sleep
Even the type of screen can matter: e-readers such as the Kindle give off blue light, but less of it than other devices, the Sleep Foundation says.
UK to review Chagos deal without US backing
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, who was in the cabinet that agreed the deal, said the decision still stood, but that the agreement had always needed American support.
Scotland’s drug deaths rise to 1,133, driven by men
Scotland has a higher rate of drug-induced deaths than any country reported by the European Union Drugs Agency, with cocaine now implicated in more than half of all…
Six arrested in Gosport as migrant boat reaches Dover
The six remained in custody after some of those who had gathered in the town turned hostile towards officers, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said.
EU to drop two oligarchs, extend Russia sanctions to 2029
The deal has still to be formally adopted, and Latvia – the last country to hold out – is already preparing national sanctions of its own against the two men.
Migrant dinghy at sea more than 33 hours before UK rescue
HM Coastguard directed lifeboat crews to take the people off the dinghy out of concern for their safety and deteriorating health, the RNLI said.
Trump praises UK’s Burnham as a ‘natural businessperson’
Before the two met in New York, Trump had dismissed Burnham as “extremely liberal” and described the former mayor of Greater Manchester as the “mayor of a town”.
Burnham sends RAF aircraft to refuel Saudi jets
The refuelling agreement is “time-limited” and will be kept under review, Burnham said, without setting out how long the support would last.
Two men held over suspected Manchester Jewish community terror plot
Counter Terrorism Policing said it was working closely with Greater Manchester Police and partners to keep the Jewish community and the wider public safe.
Five foods linked to a better memory
There is no magic pill for a sharp brain with age, Harvard Health Publishing says – what matters most is the overall pattern of eating, not any single item.
El Niño heads towards its strongest level on record
The Climate Prediction Center puts the chance of a very strong event over the northern hemisphere autumn and winter at more than 90%.
Six things that help you sleep
The Sleep Foundation says it is best to talk to a doctor about sleeping problems that are severe or long-lasting, or about sleepiness that lasts through the day.
UK borrowing hits £18.3bn ahead of Healey’s Budget
Borrowing in the financial year to August 2026 is £8.1bn above the official government forecast, the ONS said.
Every A&E in England gets Martha’s Rule helpline
The phased rollout is due to be completed by March 2028, NHS England said.
Borrowed genes may explain deadly Kent meningitis outbreak
The same changes that made the strain so dangerous may also explain why it has not continued to spread since the outbreak was brought under control, UKHSA said.
News outlets take Trump to court over White House ban
Television networks dropped their shared coverage of President Trump on the day the lawsuit was filed, the Fox News Washington bureau chief told pool members.
London doctor charged in UK’s first Rwanda genocide case
Dr Vincent Brown, 65, who was formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, is originally from Kigali in Rwanda, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Irish watchdog fines Google €403m over location data
The decision lists four failures, including keeping users’ location data for longer than necessary.
Air traffic fault at Prestwick delays Scotland flights
The UK’s air traffic control provider said the Prestwick fault had nothing to do with the failure on 8 September, which a preliminary report traced to a software defect.
State Pension payment dates October 2026: your payday
A first State Pension payment comes no later than five weeks after the date a claimant chooses to start it, GOV.UK says.
Christmas 2026 benefit payment dates: when Universal Credit, PIP and State Pension are paid
Payments due 25 to 28 December 2026 are usually paid on Thursday 24 December, and those due 1 to 3 January 2027 on Thursday 31 December, going by GOV.UK’s rule.
US proposes AI incident alert system with China
The talks came before a meeting between Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping at the White House on 24 September.
Merz’s CDU falls to 4.9% in German state election
The AfD won 22 of the state’s 36 constituencies, against 14 for the SPD, the returning officer’s figures show.
Stranded rail passengers can now use another operator’s trains
A ticket is valid on another operator’s train leaving within two hours of the cancelled service, and there is no need to buy a new one, the Department for Transport said.
Specialist rape courts to open across England and Wales
A new Rape Justice Taskforce will bring together criminal justice leaders to tackle the rising rate of postponed rape trials, the Ministry of Justice said.
NHS trust in England to decide future of breast care review
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has apologised again to patients harmed by failings in its breast services, ahead of a board meeting on the scope of…
Moscow hit by largest drone attack yet, mayor says
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 1,600 drones were shot down, 450 of them on the approach to Moscow, as Russia’s defence ministry reported destroying nearly 2,000…
Denmark, Greenland and US sign ‘permanent’ Arctic security deal
The deal, which updates a defence arrangement dating back to 1951, is designed to be permanent and has no set end date, according to its text.
UK Lib Dem leader warns of ‘Trump satellite state’
Sir Ed Davey said the Conservatives and Reform could only offer “anger, division, and another con to line their own pockets”, as the Liberal Democrats’ autumn conference…
UK rents climb at fastest pace since December 2025
Average monthly rent reached £1,400 in the 12 months to August 2026, while UK house price growth slowed for a third consecutive month, according to the Office for…
Astronaut Pikachu heads to UK’s Science Museum
A Pikachu plush that spent 67 days aboard the International Space Station features in a new touring exhibition from the European Space Agency and Pokémon, part of…
Breast cancer drug approved for NHS in England
Around 1,000 people with HER2-low advanced breast cancer can now be offered Enhertu, NICE said, after a new price agreement with its manufacturers ended years of delay.
Human brain is ‘two separate organs’, Stanford study finds
The forebrain and hindbrain grow from separate embryonic cells that evolved independently, according to Stanford Medicine researchers, whose study was published in…
Millisecond software fault caused UK flight chaos, NATS says
NATS said a preliminary report found the defect took about one millisecond to trigger, disrupting more than 2,000 flights and affecting hundreds of thousands of…
Heathrow can only expand if airlines pay to cut emissions
The Climate Change Committee said expansion could only fit the UK’s climate targets if the aviation industry was required to reach zero emissions by 2050.
