Monica Lennon, Michael Marra and Joe Fagan are seeking to replace Anas Sarwar as Scottish Labour leader after he joined the UK government. Nominations close August 17, with members and affiliated supporters due to vote before the result on September 19.
Russia released former US Marine Robert Gilman on August 11 after more than four years in custody. US President Donald Trump said Moscow sought no one in return, while Russian officials offered no immediate public account.
Ukrainian drones struck Nizhnekamsk, an oil hub in Russia's Tatarstan region, on August 10, killing 13 people and injuring at least 75, regional authorities said. Ukraine said its forces hit the Taneco refinery, while Russian officials said a drone struck a worker hostel where nine people died.
Norfolk police said on August 13 that they had made 21 arrests over disorder in Thetford, England, linked to opposition to a proposed asylum site at nearby Barnham Camp. The UK government has not made a final decision on the site, while police continue to investigate attacks on officers and residential properties.
Overnight strikes killed five people in Russia's Belgorod region and two in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on August 9, local authorities said. The attacks also injured civilians and damaged homes and other buildings on both sides of the border.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on August 5 for talks centered on Iran, Ukraine and Gaza. Afterward, Miliband declined to revisit his past criticism of US President Donald Trump and called the United States the United Kingdom's closest ally.
Hungary kept one turbine at the Paks nuclear plant running at 240 MW on August 3, avoiding an expected full shutdown. Record-low Danube levels had cut the plant to 12 percent of its usual 2,000 MW output and prompted emergency conservation measures.
Russian missile and drone attacks killed 17 people and wounded at least 44 in Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight into August 5, Ukrainian officials said. None of the incoming missiles was stopped, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said interceptor deliveries had fallen sharply.
Drone attacks killed seven people at a Russian Black Sea resort on August 3 as strikes across Russia and Ukraine caused more civilian casualties. Two Turkish-owned ships were also hit after leaving Novorossiysk, extending the danger to merchant shipping.
Reform UK proposed on August 3 that British military forces intercept migrant boats in the English Channel and return their passengers to France or Belgium if the party wins power. The plan depends on cooperation from neighboring states and would assign border operations to military units whose capacity and legal authority remain disputed.
Two crew members died when firefighting helicopters collided near Athens on August 2 as strong winds drove new evacuations in Greece. France allowed most people displaced by the Gironde fire to return, but hot spots and fires elsewhere in southern Europe remained active.
Russia's embassy in Rome said on August 3 that five people were killed and 19 injured in a bombing at a Moscow restaurant two days earlier. An initial Russian security committee report listed three dead and 21 injured, while the intended target remains unconfirmed.
Spain installed a 500-meter sea barrier off Ceuta on August 1 after mass crossings from Morocco left at least 67 people dead. Spanish authorities said 48,300 people had returned to Morocco, while 22 European Union governments sought a coordinated response.
The UK High Court rejected a residents' challenge to planning permission for China's proposed embassy at Royal Mint Court on July 31. The dispute centers on whether planning conditions can be enforced at diplomatic premises and whether the approval process was fair.
The UK Supreme Court granted Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori permission on July 29 to pursue one ground of appeal against the group's proscription. The court refused a second ground, while the ban and its criminal penalties remain in force pending the appeal.
The High Court in London dismissed privacy claims by Prince Harry and six other public figures against the Daily Mail publisher on July 7, 2026. Associated Newspapers says it incurred £34.5 million in costs, but the recoverable sum and assessment basis remain undecided.
A Greek judge ordered Afghan boxer Sharif Ahmadzai held pending trial after prosecutors charged him over the death of Scottish aid worker Elizabeth-Jane Ross. He denies killing Ross but acknowledges moving her body, according to British media reports from Athens.
French and British crews rescued 173 people from an inflatable boat after its engine caught fire and the vessel capsized off northern France on August 4. The incident followed a 165-person crossing in July and renewed concern about the number of people placed on each vessel.
Irish police charged a National Museum of Ireland employee and a law student after intercepting a viable explosive device in County Monaghan on July 22. Court evidence described 394 grams of Semtex, a timer switch and a working detonator.
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on July 23 that a government review had found no definitive link between Irish alumina and Russian weapons makers. The review also could not rule out such a link, leaving Ireland and the European Commission to consider controls beyond a direct product ban.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi commander-in-chief on July 21, replacing Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi after days of protests. Drapatyi inherits demands to change the command structure while keeping battlefield operations running without interruption.
Firefighters remained at Arthur's Seat on July 20 after working overnight to contain a grass fire at the Edinburgh landmark. The response came as a very high wildfire warning was extended across parts of Scotland through July 24.
Former BrewDog shareholders have complained to the United Kingdom’s privacy regulator after James Watt contacted them about his bid to buy back the brewer. Watt says the data was obtained lawfully, while owner Tilray says it neither supplied the shareholder records nor helped with the messages.
