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At least 20 people killed after fire breaks out on cargo ship in China port

September 10, 2026 at 12:03

At least 20 people have been killed and five are missing after a cargo ship caught fire while docked in a China port, state media has said.

A total of 42 people had been on the Ocean Melody, which was undergoing repairs in the city of Qingdao - a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast, Xinhua news agency said.

Twelve on board were safely rescued, it added.

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Soldier who plotted to rape baby jailed for 12 years

September 10, 2026 at 12:03

A Household Cavalry soldier who plotted to rape a young girl and a 10-month-old baby has been jailed for 12 years.

Warning - story contains details some may find upsetting

Graham Jarvis, 38, struck a deal with a woman he met online to sexually abuse her children, and planned to travel from his central London barracks to her home in Wales to commit the offences.

However, he was actually chatting with an undercover police officer posing as the mother.

At Southwark Crown Court on Thursday, Jarvis was sentenced to 12 years in prison for two counts of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence.

Jarvis, who was living at barracks in Hyde Park, denied the offences and was convicted at a trial.

He has been ordered to serve at least two-thirds of his 12-year prison term.

Judge Adam Hiddleston told Jarvis it "was not a case of fantasy on your part", and concluded that the soldier was serious about raping the children.

"I have no doubt whatsoever at the time you made the arrangements, you believed the children were real, a seven-year-old girl and a 10-month-old baby, you wanted to meet them and when you did, with the assistance of their mother, you intended to rape them," said the judge.

He said he read Jarvis's messages "with horror", saying they betrayed his "cold and clinical" treatment of the children and willingness to "treat them simply as objects to satisfy your urges".

Telling him he that he may pose an ongoing risk to children, the judge ordered he serve at least eight years of his term behind bars, with two extra years on licence added to his sentence.

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Iceland set to open store in Falklands and become first UK high street retailer on islands

September 10, 2026 at 12:00

Iceland has confirmed it will open a store on the Falkland Islands, becoming the first UK high street brand to operate there.

Earlier this week, its executive chairman Lord Richard Walker said he planned to expand the supermarket's "iconic British frozen quality" internationally.

On Thursday, he confirmed that a new store will open in the capital Stanley in December.

It will be run in partnership with the local supermarket Kelper Stores, which is part of the Fortuna group - a leading company in the overseas territory's fishing industry.

Lord Walker posted on Linkedin: "The Falklands are a special part of the British family, and this is something I've wanted to make happen for some time.

"We've built Iceland around quality, value and making good food more accessible, and I'm proud that we'll now be bringing that to customers in Stanley. It was a real pleasure to meet our partners from Fortuna yesterday.

"They are a family-run Falklands business with a deep commitment to the local community, and I'm delighted we'll be working together.

"This is also an important step for Iceland as we continue to grow internationally - and I'll be heading to the Falklands myself to officially open the store later this year."

It comes after Argentina's president Javier Milei repeatedly asserted the country's claim to the Falkland Islands in a televised address last week.

Milei also announced plans to sanction oil companies working off the islands in the South Atlantic in the speech on 4 September.

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He said there is a "need to recover" the islands and Argentina can take "no other path".

Prior to that, US President Donald Trump failed to commit to helping the UK in a potential Falkland Islands conflict - criticising former prime minister Keir Starmer for his handling of the Iran war.

He told GB News: "Your country was not there to help me. We didn't need help, but I did ask NATO, and I asked your former leader, 'why didn't you send a couple of ships?' He said we don't have any, and it was pretty sad, the whole thing."

At least five dead and more than 80 missing after fire on Philippines ferry

September 10, 2026 at 08:23

At least five people have been killed and more than 80 are missing after a fire on a passenger ferry off the western Philippines.

So far, 43 people have been rescued from the MV June Aster off the municipality of Coron in Palawan province, Philippines Coastguard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said.

According to the manifest, a total of 134 people were on board.

The ferry was afloat but listing after the fire, which started on Wednesday evening and burned overnight, was put out.

Smoke could be seen drifting over the charred vessel by midday, local time (5am, UK time).

Ms Cayabyab said it was unclear what caused the fire, which one survivor said may have begun in the cargo hold.

She said 134 people were on board, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. There was no information about any foreigners onboard.

Large-scale rescue operation

"We are continuing search and rescue operations," she said, adding that high-speed response boats, a military vessel and other government boats had joined a coastguard vessel in the effort, along with private volunteers and fishermen.

As part of a large-scale rescue operation, the coastguard told ships nearby to be on the lookout for passengers and coordinated with coastal villages in case some passengers drifted to the shore.

Life jackets thrown to survivors

Rescue teams were using drift-modelling tools to identify areas where people may have been carried by currents.

Coastguard staff could be seen throwing life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background in pictures published of the scene.

Passengers were helped into smaller boats taking them to shallow water, and body bags were laid out at what looked like a port.

The MV June Aster had left the Philippines capital Manila heading for Coron in Palawan province in the west of the country when the fire started as it neared its destination at around 6.45pm on Wednesday.

Bad weather and big waves made the rescuers' task more difficult. The ferry was around four nautical miles (4.6 miles) off Coron's village of Turda when it sent a distress signal but strong sea currents had dragged it to a distance of 7.68 nautical miles (4.8 miles) off Turda.

Sea accidents are not uncommon in the Philippines, where ferries are often used to travel between islands of the archipelago.

Storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and loose enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces, can contribute to problems.

More than 4,000 people died in the world's deadliest maritime disaster when the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines in 1987.

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Tributes to 'much-loved' cyclist killed in Inverclyde crash

September 10, 2026 at 10:36

The family of a "much-loved" cyclist who has died following a collision with a car in Inverclyde has said he will be missed "every day".

The fatal crash happened on the westbound carriageway of the A8, between the Langbank and Woodhead roundabouts in the Port Glasgow area, at about 7.10pm on Tuesday.

Police Scotland said the incident involved a blue Ford C-Max Zetec and three cyclists.

Iain McTavish, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other male cyclists, aged 27 and 37, were taken to hospital.

The 33-year-old male driver of the Ford was also taken to hospital, but has since been released.

In a statement released through the force, Mr McTavish's family said: "Iain studied at Glasgow University and gained an MA honours and masters in philosophy.

"He was a very active cyclist who competed in events throughout Scotland.

"He was much loved and a valuable member of the community. I will miss him every day."

Mr McTavish was a member of Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club.

In a tribute on social media on Wednesday, the club said: "Today we're all reeling from the awful news yesterday.

"Iain McTavish was killed yesterday evening whilst riding with the bunch.

"This will take a long time to sink in and process, but for now suffice it to say that we are devastated at the loss of one of cycling's good guys."

Police are urging anyone with information about the collision to contact them.

Sergeant Jack Swindells said: "Our thoughts are with Iain's family at what is an extremely difficult time for them.

"Enquiries remain ongoing to establish the full circumstances and we are continuing to appeal to anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward.

"If you were driving in the area at the time, please check any dashcam footage to see if it has captured anything which could assist our investigation."

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