By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR

Published: 07:03 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 10:09 BST, 24 August 2026

Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv for his first foreign visit today – as he hands over top secret missile plans.

The PM is in the Ukrainian capital for the country’s independence day after travelling overnight by train.

He is announcing that European defence firm MBDA has been given permission to share information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile.

This means the ‘deep precision’ Scalp, a French-produced version of the UK’s Storm Shadow using both countries’ technology, could now be produced locally in Ukraine.

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The weapons are critical for long-range strikes reaching targets in Russia. 

Andy Burnham laid a wreath and flowers at the graves of Ukrainian soldiers at the National Military Cemetery, as part of events marking the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991

The PM is in the Ukraine capital for the country’s independence day after travelling overnight by train

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Mr Burnham laid a wreath and flowers at the graves of Ukrainian soldiers at the National Military Cemetery, as part of events marking the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

During the ceremony, he spoke to Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who told the Prime Minister ‘we are in a war period’ and warned of Ukraine’s difficulties repelling Russian ballistic missile attacks.

Later, Mr Burnham will chair his first meeting of the ‘coalition of the willing’, and accept an award on behalf of the British people recognising the UK’s support.

He is also set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was the first foreign leader to visit 10 Downing Street after Mr Burnham took over from Keir Starmer.

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It follows the Kremlin warning of ‘consequences’ over UK drones being used by Ukraine to strike far into Russia.

Moscow said the deeper Britain became involved, ‘the higher price it will pay’.

Mr Burnham said: ‘On Ukraine’s 35th anniversary of independence, its people should be in no doubt: The UK is behind you.

‘In the fight and the rebuilding to come, we stand with Ukraine. Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down till there is a lasting peace.’

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But Russia said relations with Britain are at ‘an unprecedentedly low level’ as it ordered its ambassador Andrey Kelin back to Moscow after seven years in post.

Mr Kelin has accused the UK of choosing ‘a path of confrontation’ with Russia.

Mr Burnham said: ‘Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve.

‘We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace.’

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But his visit comes as Mr Zelensky faces domestic political strife caused by a rift with his former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who was sacked last month after reportedly falling out with the head of Ukraine’s armed forces.

Mr Fedorov, whose sacking triggered weeks of mass protests, has called for Mr Zelensky to hold elections, arguing democracy ‘should not be the hostage of Putin’.

During the ceremony, he spoke to Finnish President Alexander Stubb (second from left)

He has also called for Mr Zelensky to face questions over what he knew about alleged corruption in his inner circle.

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Last week, Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities said they had uncovered a money-laundering plot, leading Mr Zelensky to sack one of his senior officials over their alleged involvement.

The president has denied any involvement, telling reporters over the weekend: ‘The heads of anti-corruption agencies have zero questions for me.

‘They understand perfectly well that I am not involved in anything like that.’

To claim Child Benefit, your child normally has to live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit toward looking after them

Millions of parents have just one week left to renew their Child Benefit payments before they stop.

Child Benefit is worth £27.05 a week for your first child, then £17.90 for any additional child. You can claim it if you are responsible for a child under the age of 16, or if they are under the age of 20 and they stay on in education or training.

But you must notify HMRC if your child is continuing with education or training – and the deadline for doing this is August 31. It comes after thousands of students picked up their GCSE results last week.

Child Benefit continues for children in full-time, non-advanced education, including A levels, T levels, Scottish Highers, NVQs up to level 3, and certain approved training schemes.

It cannot be claimed for children doing a university degree, a standard apprenticeship in England, or a course that forms part of a job contract.

You can update your Child Benefit claim through the HMRC app or GOV.UK, or by phone or post. Once your child has finished their education or training, Child Benefit payments will continue until whichever of these comes first: the end of February, May 31, August 31 or November 31.

You must inform HMRC if your child leaves education or training before the course is complete, otherwise you risk being paid money that you are not entitled to.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC Chief Customer Officer, said: “Exam results season is a big moment for teenagers deciding their next steps, and it’s the perfect time for parents to confirm those plans with us.

“Child Benefit is a vital source of support for many families and we don’t want anyone to miss out. It only takes a few minutes using the HMRC app or GOV.UK, so make sure you’re receiving the payments you’re entitled to.”

You can claim the full amount of Child Benefit if you, or your partner, earn under £60,000 a year. If you earn more than this, then the High Income Child Benefit Charge will apply.

If either you earn over £60,000, you have to pay back 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 you earn over £60,000. Child Benefit is effectively wiped out once you earn over £80,000.

To claim Child Benefit, your child normally has to live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit toward looking after them.

There is no limit for how many children you can claim Child Benefit for – but only one person can make a claim for Child Benefit for any individual child.

These slender, long-winged raptors make an epic annual migration to Africa in winter and return to Europe to nest over summer, often setting up home in agricultural fields.

But little is known about the behaviour of juvenile harriers once they leave the nest. This year, for the first time, the RSPB has fitted two of the chicks with satellite tags in the hope of providing the birds with better protection.

“It will allow us for the first time ever to work out where they’re going, what migration route, how long they’ll spend there, and will they come back to the UK in the first year or the second year,” said Mark Thomas, head of investigations at the RSPB.

“All of that information is the bit that’s missing from the jigsaw.”

It is also hoped the tagging can better protect the rare birds from having their nests, on the ground, hidden among crops, inadvertently destroyed.

“This is a species right on the brink, and climate change is not helping that. The harvest here, for example, this year, was like a month earlier than in previous years. So it almost puts any Montagu’s harrier nest at the peril of inadvertently being destroyed by farm machinery,” said Thomas.

Cambridge South opened as the city’s newest station in June, but residents have said the announcements are too loud

Cambridge residents living near to the city’s latest train station have said platform announcements are so loud it has ruined the “peace and calm” of their allotments. Cambridge South opened to passengers at the end of June, linking Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the biomedical campus and Trumpington to the rail network.

But residents on nearby Clay Farm say the announcement system is so loud they can hear it from their homes and, especially from the allotments in Hobson’s Park. Philippa Slatter, a resident and former councillor, said there was a lot of concern from residents who go to their allotments for peace and quiet.

The 75-year-old said: “I should not be able to know where the next train is going to, but I can hear it from the allotments and I can hear it from my back garden.”

She said many use the area for a much-needed break from high-pressure jobs on the biomedical campus and the noise has interrupted the peace and tranquility.

She said: “I personally just try to ignore it, but if somebody is feeling stressed it may be even more distressing for them.”

One of the plots was set up by the local GP practice, called Gardening for Health, where patients and staff meet to grow vegetables.

Ms Slatter said: “For some of the people coming to that, on some days it is very distressing, and I’m particularly concerned about them. We never know what other people’s lives are like, we never know what people have left in the ward when they came off duty and for them that bit of stress is quite strong.”

A volunteer from the Gardening for Health plot said: “Some of our volunteers specifically come for the peace and calm of being in nature, and then we hear the station announcements and it completely ruins the vibe!”

One resident, who did not give their name, said their allotment “is no longer a tranquil, peaceful escape”, but another said they will “get used to the noise” and are pleased to have a station “so close to home”.

Cllr Olaf Hauk, of Trumpington, said Cambridge City Council’s officers investigated after concerns were raised but found the noise “did not constitute a statutory noise nuisance”. But, they found some announcements were “clearly audible several hundred metres from the station” and “could potentially cause problems, particularly during evenings and at night”.

The Lib Dem councillor said: “We and council officers have raised this directly with Greater Anglia, who acknowledged that there are still ‘teething problems’ with the station’s sound system and agreed that further work is needed. Their engineers are reviewing the system and individual announcement settings to identify and reduce excessively loud announcements.

“We are delighted to have Cambridge South station in Trumpington and recognise the enormous benefits it brings to the Biomedical Campus and sustainable transport for the wider community. However, a new station of this scale will inevitably have some teething problems.

“As local Lib Dem councillors, we will continue to push hard to make sure these are resolved and that Cambridge South works well for everyone – in particular the residents who live around it.”

A spokesperson for Greater Anglia said they were aware of the concerns and have been in contact with the council’s environmental health team and residents.

They said: “We have met with Cambridge City Council’s environmental health team and local residents, and we are also in contact with Clay Farm residents. We will continue to monitor the announcements and make any appropriate adjustments accordingly.”

Millions of people who receive payments from the DWP for Universal Credit, State Pensions, PIP and other benefits have been reminded ahead of payment date changes due to the August bank holiday next Monday.

While it may be a welcome boost for some people, it will mean the payment has to last longer, and some charities have said it can place extra pressure on already tight budgets.

Why are pension payments changing this week?

Monday, August 31, is a bank holiday when payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) won’t be made.

If you are due to receive a DWP benefit payment that day, you will now receive it this week – on Friday, August 28.

If your payment is due on a different day, it will arrive in your account as normal, and the amount you are due to be paid will remain the same.

Why does this happen?

When a payment date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, the Department for Work and Pensions says the claimant is generally paid on the working day before, but this can vary.

In a new statement, Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said: “We’re pleased to confirm that benefit payments due on the August bank holiday will be paid earlier.

“This will help ensure families and older people receive their money without disruption over the bank holiday period.”

He added: “This Government is determined to ensure people up and down the country have the support and breathing room they need, which is why we’ve acted to take money off energy bills, increase the National Minimum Wage and lift half a million children out of poverty, as well as supporting people into good, secure jobs.”

This bank holiday, we are paying certain benefits early – on Friday 28 August

Find out more: https://t.co/g9Fv2Cn9go pic.twitter.com/C8v4Dg2uqT

— Department for Work and Pensions (@DWPgovuk) August 14, 2026

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These are the benefits that will be affected by the bank holiday weekend:

• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Child Benefit 
• Disability Living Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance 
• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance 
• Pension Credit 
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State pension 
• Tax Credits 
• Universal Credit

While you may be paid earlier in some cases, the money will also have to last you longer, as payment dates will return to normal afterwards.

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Why do payments change in areas that don’t have a bank holiday?

Even when a bank holiday doesn’t fall in all areas of the UK, such as different holidays in Scotland, DWP payments will still be paid earlier. This is because payments are made centrally.

The two remaining bank holidays for 2026 fall on Christmas Day and December 28, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday this year. 

Will you be impacted by the payment date change? Let us know in the comments.

The summer window is set for a lively finish as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool all push for further signings before the deadline. Arsenal continue to chase a deal for Julian Alvarez, who is apparently open to a Premier League return. The Gunners also remain interested in the likes of Victor Osimhen, Kenan Yildiz and Matias Fernandez-Pardo as Gabriel Martinelli heads for the exit, while they could swoop for Eli Junior Kroupi in January. Igor Tyjon has undergone an Arsenal medical and should be followed by Manchester United duo James Scanlon and Habeeb Ogunneye.

Long queues are building on part of the M60 this morning amid reports of a crash.

According to traffic alert service Inrix, all traffic is currently being held on the clockwise side of the motorway.

It is held amid the crash between junction 16 for Pendlebury and junction 17 for Prestwich and Whitefield.

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Motorway cameras show long queues and heavy traffic in the area up to the incident.

Follow our live blog below for the latest traffic updates.

Growers say the drought has left orchards with smaller, malformed apples that are “not fit for purpose.”

This year’s harvest is expected to be the poorest since records began in 1984.

While the cider industry is expected to avoid shortages, with stocks saved from previous years, some smaller producers say the dry summer has forced them to abandon some of their orchards altogether.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Lorraine O’Connor, who runs Cuckoo Valley Cider in Cornwall, said: “We weren’t worried to start with.

“But as the months went on and on with no rain at all, the apples started dropping really early.

“The leaves on our trees turned brown two months ahead of time, and the apples are a lot smaller.

“We have just been hoping and hoping for rain.”

Ms O’Connor had been expecting to harvest 16 tons of apples this season.

Instead, she now expects just 10 tons.

Steve Layton, who runs a family cider business in Herefordshire, said: “It has been relentless.

“All the water sources have dried up.”

Mr Layton said his commercial orchards were down by 40%, with some not expected to produce “any apples at all”.

According to the Environment Agency, 71.3% of England is currently in drought, with the worst-affected areas in the south and Midlands.

The north has also seen extended dry spells, and a sixth heatwave is forecast.

Farmers call on government to take action

The National Farmers’ Union and other industry groups are calling on the Government to offer interest-free loans tied to losses from the drought.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it was taking action to support the industry.

A DEFRA spokesman said: “As the Prime Minister has said, food and farming is part of national resilience and we’re acting now to support the sector.

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“Our recent drought package responds directly to the pressures it is facing with £65m of support.

“We are listening and understand how difficult times are, and we will keep working closely with farmers to protect and promote British-grown products.”

While cider drinkers are unlikely to notice an immediate impact, producers warn that continued extreme weather could threaten future supplies.

Are you worried about the future supply of cider in the UK? Let us know in the comments.

Water is an amazing substance. The human body is made up of more than 50% water. Approximately 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water. We drink it, bathe in it, cook with it, clean with it. It is also used to cool data centres, which is an increasing draw on what is a scarce resource in many parts of the world.

The boom in artificial intelligence (AI) has been fuelling the construction of new data centres worldwide. This is driven by the massive computing workloads required to train and run generative AI models. AI data centres are specialised facilities with the infrastructure needed to support the increased computational demands.

A recent UN report warned that water used by AI data centres is expected to equal the everyday water needs of 1.3 billion people by 2030. Currently, air conditioning systems carry cool air to the server rooms housing the electronic equipment. Water is then used to carry away waste heat from the air to the environment.

But are there other potential ways to cool these facilities, ways that may not consume as much water?

For engineering purposes, water has extraordinary thermal properties. It has a very high specific heat capacity (the energy required to raise its temperature). It also has an exceptionally high latent heat of evaporation (the energy required to turn liquid water into water vapour).

Latent heat is what cools you when sweat evaporates from your skin, an astonishingly powerful cooling mechanism. These properties make water the ideal medium to transport heat, for applications ranging from automobiles and home heating, to large scale thermal power stations.

If you step inside a data centre, your senses are struck by the noise of cooling fans and the feel of swirling airflow on your skin.

The reason that air is used for direct cooling of the equipment is that it is safe, compared to a liquid like water, which could leak and damage electronics. In comparison with water, however, air is very poor at transporting heat even when given a helping hand by noisy cooling fans and churning air flows. The energy required to cool data centres is comparable in scale to the energy consumed by the electronic equipment itself.

Water is used to extract the waste heat from the air conditioning system through something called a chilled water loop. Hot air from the servers is passed over cold water coils. The now warm water is then piped outside the server hall.

A structure called a cooling tower is used to remove this heat from the chilled loop. The water to be cooled is brought in contact with ambient air as a spray, and a portion of it evaporates.

This cools the rest of the water, which is then recirculated. There are other flavours of data centre cooling which also exploit the latent heat of water – using the direct and indirect evaporative cooling of outside air. However, these also consume lots of water.

Is water consumption a bad thing?

Evaporative cooling places a demand on water supplies, but it also serves to reduce electrical energy consumption of the overall cooling infrastructure. In this context, it is important to note that electricity generation itself also requires water.

I am a professor at the University of Limerick, so for Ireland’s mix of energy sources, approximately 0.1-2 litres of water are required per unit of electricity (L/kWh).

Hence, by reducing electricity demand, evaporative cooling could be regarded as a “least bad” option in terms of the overall consumption of energy and water resources.

Of course, sufficient sources of water are required – clearly a critical factor in many parts of the world – and water stress is an issue even in rainy Ireland. However, there is some evidence of collected rainwater being used to reduce the demand on the water network here.

The use of air as the primary coolant for the electronic equipment significantly influences the overall energy consumption of a data centre. Because air is such a poor coolant, it only heats up by 5-20°C when it passes through the equipment.

The cooling infrastructure has to remove large quantities of thermal energy at relatively low temperatures – in the range of 25-40°C. Heat transfer is driven by temperature differences, hence the cooling plant is large, and it requires a lot of electricity to run the associated fans, pumps and compressors.

What if liquid was used to cool the electronic equipment using a “direct-to-chip” scheme? In this case, sealed pipe networks bring the coolant into the equipment, to extract heat from the power-hungry CPUs and GPUs (microprocessors and graphics processors) at the heart of servers.

Here, because a liquid such as water is far superior to air, the water being piped away from the equipment is hotter – closer to the component temperature limits, and potentially 60°C or higher.

Direct-to-chip schemes do reduce the cost of cooling, and offer opportunities to make use of waste energy in the form of heat carried away by water from the server equipment.

So why haven’t all data centres moved to this technology? Some are already using direct liquid cooling, but there may be some resistance to retrofitting an “air driven” facility. The replacement of electronic equipment in data centres is fairly frequent (between 2-7 years), allowing the transition to “direct-to-chip”. But there are costs involved in making the switch and some air cooling needs to be retained for certain classes of equipment.

Direct-to-chip systems would require a smaller, more frugal infrastructure.

Data centres now draw such vast quantities of electrical energy – over 7.5 TWh in today’s Ireland, almost a quarter of metered consumption – that it is imperative to reduce consumption and reuse the resource where possible.