National News

Here are the latest stories from the team at Radio News Hub. The links will open in a new page and take you to their website.

• Pope Leo returns to Vatican four days after lung cancer surgery

  “I am better, thank you,” the pope said when asked how he was as he was driven away in a black SUV

• Tear gas used in Paris as protesters rally across France

  Scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police in the French capital

• Harry Styles shares song written for Liam Payne on two year anniversary of death

  Harry Styles has shared an unreleased song written for late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne on the two-year anniversary of his death.

• Sonay Kartal reaches maiden WTA 1000 final as brilliant Wuhan run goes on

  Sonay Kartal’s dream comeback continued as she beat Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets to advance to the biggest final of her career at the Wuhan Open.

• Boy aged 16 and 80 year old man killed in light aircraft crash

  A 16-year-old boy and a man aged 80 have been killed during a light aircraft crash in Scotland.

• Trump waives Russian sanctions as US Ukraine relationship frays

  Donald Trump has waived new sanctions on Russia, as the UK prepares to join a major wargame intended to demonstrate support for Ukraine.

• Teenage gunman who killed four at Oregon school was former student police say

  A teacher threw her phone at the teenage gunman who killed four people at an Oregon primary , then tackled and fought with him – probably saving lives before he was shot by a father who followed him into the building, police said on Friday.

• More than half of shoppers recently encouraged by businesses to pay in cash

  More than half (54%) of people said in September that they had visited a business in the past eight weeks that encouraged them to pay in cash, according to a survey commissioned by ATM and cash access network Link.

• White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is leaving the job after rocky start

  Katie Zacharia is departing as White House press secretary, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, after a short and rocky tenure that was defined by questions about her professional background and lack of polish in fielding questions from journalists.

• PM offers Scotland more powers in bid to move past old politics of conflict

  Andy Burnham said he wanted to “move beyond the old politics of conflict” as he offered to work with the SNP to deepen devolution in Scotland.

• Teenage hitman from Norway locked up for plotting UK murder for Iran backed gang

  A teenage hitman from Norway has been locked up for 20 years for plotting a murder on British soil for an Iran-backed international crime gang for a “thrill”.

• England driven by memory of semi final loss ahead of Tonga World Cup opener

  England captain George Williams is convinced his squad have learned the lessons of their heartbreaking 2022 semi-final defeat as they prepare for a potentially crucial opening game of the Rugby League World Cup against Tonga in Perth on Saturday.

• Sonay Kartal claims victory over Elina Svitolina to reach Wuhan Open semi finals

  Sonay Kartal claimed one of the best wins of her career as she sunk world number six Elina Svitolina to reach the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.

• Ofgem planning action to cushion energy firms from wholesale price swings

  Britain’s energy watchdog has launched a consultation on plans to reintroduce a measure to help protect suppliers from big swings in gas and electricity prices as the Iran war continues to impact wholesale markets.

• Government being cautious about public announcements on Jackdaw and Rosebank

  The UK Government is being “cautious” about making public announcements over its decisions on the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields in order to avoid the “mistakes” of the previous government, the Scottish Secretary has said.

• Bank shares drop on reports Chancellor planning Budget tax raid

  Banks have seen their shares sink lower amid mounting speculation the Chancellor is planning to hike taxes on the sector in his upcoming Budget.

• Visitors return to Yorkshire Wildlife Park six days after man killed by tiger

  Visitors have returned to a wildlife park nearly a week after a young man was mauled to death by one of its tigers.

• Father should never have gone to court over death of son in Cyprus says lawyer

  The case of a British man who admitted recklessly causing the death of his son after the boy fell nearly 40ft from the fourth floor window of a hotel in Cyprus should have “never gone to court”, his lawyer has said.

• Equalities watchdog writes to Green Party to probe impact of Zionism policy

  Britain’s equalities watchdog has written to the Green Party about its “Zionism is racism” policy, in a bid to assess its impact.

• Three children and a teacher killed in US school shooting police say

  A 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon on Thursday, killing three children and a teacher before he was shot by a person at the scene who pursued him into the school, authorities said.

• Marco Rose privileged to lead Bournemouth to victory in first home European tie

  Marco Rose said it was a “privilege” to lead Bournemouth to victory in their first-ever home match in Europe after Sturm Graz were beaten 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

• Murdered Celebrity Traitors contestant happy to leave I missed the kids

  Rob Beckett has said he was “happy” to be murdered on the Celebrity Traitors as he felt he had “done almost all of it”.

• Parts of England in severe drought as water supplies under immense pressure

  Severe drought has been declared in parts of England, amid concerns over dwindling reservoirs as extremely dry conditions continue.

• Meghan reunited with Grenfell ladies on first engagement since return to UK

  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had an emotional reunion with their Grenfell “ladies” as they staged their first joint engagement since returning to the UK.

• Plans aim to help people with terminal illness unlock private pension

  Moves to make it easier for people with a terminal illness to access their private pension savings have been outlined by the Government.