Olivia Beeson

Five-year-old Letti Cole was reported missing in Badsey, Worcestershire, on 29 July 2026 and was later found unresponsive in a body of water. Emergency responders were unable to save her. West Mercia Police said there was no third-party involvement and asked the public not to speculate while a report is prepared for the coroner. Letti’s family, described as devastated, launched a memorial fundraiser that had raised more than £7,500 toward an £8,000 target.

UK holidaymakers travelling to France, Greece, Italy and Spain are urged to check that their passports were issued less than ten years before travel and have at least three months of validity remaining after their return. More than one million UK passports may fail these requirements, including over 705,000 with less than three months remaining and 350,000 issued more than ten years ago. Older passports with up to nine months of transferred validity can still be technically valid but may not meet Schengen entry rules, so travellers are advised to renew early.

Scottish swimmer Archie Goodburn finished seventh in the Commonwealth Games men’s 50m breaststroke final after being diagnosed at 22 with three inoperable brain tumours. Despite seizures, numbness and a prognosis that he might not reach 40, new treatments have slowed the tumours and he has continued competing at the highest level. Goodburn used his emotional post-race message to call for the UK Government to appoint a brain-cancer lead, saying improving outcomes for young people and families mattered more than his personal sporting ambitions. Fellow swimmer Michael Jamieson praised his determination, advocacy and return to competition.

A major fire broke out at a historic building on Princes Street in Edinburgh shortly before 3am, sending flames and thick smoke across the city centre. Seven fire engines and specialist units remain at the scene as emergency services continue to tackle the blaze. Significant travel disruption has occurred, with Princes Street and surrounding roads closed and buses and trams diverted or partially suspended. The affected building, a B‑listed site formerly housing Debenhams, had been approved for conversion into a hotel. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Police opened a homicide investigation after a newborn was found dead in a portable toilet at the Electric Forest Festival in Michigan. An autopsy determined the baby was born alive, with fluid found in the lungs and stomach. Authorities have not identified the mother and are appealing for witnesses as the inquiry continues. Festival organisers expressed heartbreak and urged the public to assist police.

Sixteen children were found living in extreme squalor inside a tiny, waste‑covered structure in Hamden, Ohio, leading to the arrest of two parents and two grandparents on multiple felony child‑endangerment charges. Authorities reported that some children were unable to speak or write, and several required urgent hospital care. Officials described the conditions as worse than those for livestock and indicated the family had moved frequently to avoid scrutiny. The accused are being held on high bail as investigators review their movements and potential prior involvement with children’s services.

Two boys aged eight and ten were found dead in a car in the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus after reportedly being left inside to sleep. Their father and stepmother were arrested on suspicion of negligence as medical reports indicated muscle stiffness, burns and possible asphyxiation. British Bases authorities are investigating. The incident occurred amid extreme heat across Europe, where several similar child deaths in overheated vehicles have been reported, including two separate cases in France resulting in the deaths of three children.