Doctors have reported a groundbreaking success in treating Huntington’s disease, a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that combines symptoms of dementia, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease. A gene therapy trial at University College London slowed disease progression by an average of 75%. This means that a decline expected in one year would now take four, offering patients decades of improved quality of life. The therapy, delivered in a single dose through 12–18 hours of intricate brain surgery, permanently reduces production of the toxic huntingtin protein that kills brain cells. Early treatment may even prevent symptoms from developing. Among 29 trial participants, markers of brain cell death decreased instead of rising, and some patients regained independence: one returned to work after medical retirement. For families like Jack May-Davis’s, who lost his father to Huntington’s and carries the faulty gene himself, the breakthrough brings unprecedented hope. While the treatment will likely be costly, researchers call the results ‘spectacular’ and potentially life-changing.

The long-delayed trial of 'Soldier F’, the only veteran to face charges over the Bloody Sunday shootings in 1972, will proceed after a Belfast judge ruled key statements from fellow soldiers admissible as evidence. Soldier F is accused of murdering James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26, and attempting to murder four others during the civil rights march in Londonderry. Judge Patrick Lynch confirmed that contemporaneous statements to the Royal Military Police and the Widgery Tribunal could be used, despite defence claims they were inadmissible. Prosecutors admitted these statements are the only evidence linking Soldier F directly to the shootings. Relatives of the victims welcomed the ruling with relief, while veterans’ groups expressed disappointment, fearing unfair treatment compared to IRA members who escaped prosecution under the Good Friday Agreement. Bloody Sunday saw 13 protesters killed, a defining moment in Northern Ireland’s Troubles, later deemed 'unjustified and unjustifiable' by the Saville Inquiry. Soldier F, who denies the charges, listened from behind a screen as proceedings continued.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has urged the Labour Party to pursue 'wholesale change' to confront what he described as an 'existential threat' to Britain. Speaking ahead of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Burnham criticised the party’s leadership style under Keir Starmer as 'factional and divisive’. Though often tipped as a future leader, he insisted he was not plotting an immediate return to Westminster, but challenged Labour to present a clear plan to 'turn the country around’. He said he was willing to work with anyone serious about radical reform, citing his efforts to re-nationalise Manchester’s bus network as an example, and suggesting that core services such as housing, energy, water, and rail should return to public ownership. His intervention comes amid political turbulence for Starmer, following Angela Rayner’s resignation over tax errors, the sacking of Peter Mandelson for links to Jeffrey Epstein, and the departure of a senior aide over offensive leaked messages.

The Government’s expansion of free childcare in England, offering thirty hours a week from nine months of age, has been welcomed by some parents but criticised as poorly designed and underfunded. For Alec, a father in Sheffield, the policy reduced his family’s nursery bill by 55%; he calls it the first initiative with immediate positive impact on his life. Yet many providers say the funding does not cover costs, forcing them either to reject places, cap hours, or raise fees for other families. Parents in Oxford, Kent, and Hampshire described waiting lists of more than two years, rising charges, and nurseries unable to offer the full entitlement. Some households not eligible for the scheme reported fee increases of up to 30%, while others reduced working hours or diverted income to qualify. Critics say the expansion risks increasing demand without addressing structural shortages, leaving families with little flexibility and higher costs. While hailed as a major investment, many see the system as unsustainable, a 'sticking plaster' rather than a long-term solution for childcare. See