Toby Codd

Greenock and Inverclyde Council are seeking roughly 750 migrants a year from Africa, Ukraine and Afghanistan to counter severe depopulation and fill vacancies in health and social care. The town has lost 22,000 residents since 1981, while 1,500 jobs have disappeared in four years and major employers including IBM, Amazon and EE have left or relocated. The council offers language tuition, integration events and anti-racism education, but residents report limited employment, few amenities and difficulties finding work compatible with childcare. Council leader Stephen McCabe says repopulation is working and welcomes migrants who want to work, while acknowledging unease over asylum-seeker arrivals and arguing that Inverclyde has received a disproportionate allocation under the Home Office dispersal scheme. The article also notes a previous planned neo-Nazi attack on the Inverclyde Muslim Centre.

NATO aircraft shot down a Russian drone after it entered Romanian airspace near Galați during a broader wave of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine that killed one person and injured 16. Romania said Spanish F-18s intercepted the drone over an unpopulated area, while NATO consultation procedures could be triggered by the violation. The incident follows other Russian drone incursions and has heightened concerns about the war spreading beyond Ukraine.

A late-July heatwave is forecast to push temperatures above 30C across ten locations in England, with London, Ipswich and Norwich expected to reach 32C. WX Charts predicts widespread heat extending from midday into the evening, affecting much of the East of England and surrounding regions. The rest of the UK will also experience unusually warm conditions, continuing a record-breaking year in which average temperatures have been significantly above normal. Met Office data highlights unprecedented heat and sustained high humidity, with 2026 surpassing historic temperature records across multiple months.

A 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, West Bengal, was found dead in a pond after allegedly being abducted and gang raped by four individuals. Two suspects have been arrested, prompting widespread protests involving road and railway blockades and clashes with police. Demonstrators reportedly killed a young man believed to be connected to the suspects. Authorities have increased police presence, and the Inspector General of Police pledged that all involved will face strong punishment. The victim's body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and tensions remain high in the region.