UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast the UK’s power infrastructure had undergone decades of “woeful underinvestment”.
He said he understood the objections of those living nearby, but added the pylons were “crucial” to ensure the National Grid maintained future resilience.
“I totally accept that people might not like that, but it is critical national infrastructure and it has to be built somewhere,” he said.
“Building any kind of infrastructure in these communities does cause disruption. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t build any kind of infrastructure and I’m afraid in this country, for too long, we have taken that view, and the result is that we have been held back by not having the infrastructure the country needs.”
Shanks added: “Either we go through decades of not upgrading the grid and take the risk that the grid will actually fail, but we also lose the opportunity of cheaper bills, homegrown power connecting.
“We’re not prepared to take that risk.”
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says Britain’s electricity grid was largely designed for an era when power came from coal and gas-fired power stations, and now needs major upgrades to cope with growing amounts of renewable energy.
Ministers say the lack of capacity means some wind farms are sometimes paid to switch off because there is not enough network infrastructure available to carry the electricity to homes and businesses that need it.
Greg Jackson, chief executive of the UK’s biggest domestic energy supplier, Octopus Energy, said the electricity system is inefficient, brittle and expensive.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the discount scheme was a “positive first step”, adding that last year the UK spent more than £1bn paying wind farms to turn off on windy days.
“We should just be giving that electricity more cheaply to the people and businesses who live in the areas where we’re generating it,” he said.
“By doing that, you’d be able to stop wasting that money and instead put the electricity to use cutting bills for those people. But crucially cutting bills for everybody else as well because it’s less wasteful.”
THERE is still a long way to go before kids are back at school and a major attraction is offering free kids visits this month.
Activate is a popular immersive experience and across five London sites it is offering free kids tickets throughout August.
Inside the attractions you will find nine different games including Laser which has laser beams you must dodge and Mega Grid, which tests your speed and reaction time.
There’s also Strike, which makes dodgeball digital with each team having to hit a specific glowing screen on the wall.
To get the offer, every paying adult will be able to bring one child under the age of 16 for free.
Children’s tickets usually cost from £29.50, so for a family of four you could save up to £59.50 on a single visit.
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The offer is available across all peak sessions at Activate venues in London which include The O2, Oxford Street, Vauxhall, Westfield White City and Islington.
According to London TV, Richard Beese, CEO and Founder of We Do Play, which operates Activate in the UK, said: “The summer holidays are all about spending quality time together as a family, and we wanted to make it even easier for people to experience Activate.
“Our Kids Go Free offer gives families the opportunity to enjoy something active, exciting and genuinely different while making their money go further.”
Activate is open to kids over six-years-old and adults must accompany all children between six and 13.
One recent visitor commented: “Activate is a great place for those who like to be active. If you like running around to press buttons, definitely check them out!
“The wrist bands and point collection system was a nice touch too. I had a really fun time!”
While FBI poll monitoring is not new, US lawmakers raise alarm amid Trump’s years-long, evidenceless claims of election fraud.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced it has sent federal monitors to polls in four Democratic-leaning cities in Michigan, amid warnings that the administration of United States President Donald Trump could use such monitors for partisan aims.
The DOJ announced the monitors would be present during Michigan’s primary vote on Tuesday as part of an effort to “ensure free and fair elections nationwide”, according to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
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“The Department of Justice is devoting extensive resources to ensure uniform and nondiscriminatory monitoring,” it said.
While the department has for decades overseen an election monitoring programme to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws, lawmakers and advocates have raised concerns over how such a programme could be used under the current administration.
Trump has for years alleged, without evidence, that US elections have been marred by widespread fraud. He has never acknowledged his 2020 loss to US President Joe Biden.
Michigan has played a major role in those claims.
In a primetime speech delivered in mid-July, Trump re-upped a previously concluded probe into alleged voter fraud in the city of Muskegon as he called on the FBI to reinvestigate the case. Local officials had already determined that several voter registration forms had been fraudulently filled out in the city by employees of a consulting firm attempting to falsely reach their quotas.
No fraudulent ballots were cast in connection with the fake voter registration forms. State officials have highlighted the situation as proof of the efficacy of their election security practices.
The announcement on Tuesday came weeks after the Department of Justice said it planned to monitor 15 jurisdictions across six states: Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Virginia. The DOJ has said it will expand the use of monitors leading into November.
The department did not give a reason for why the four Michigan cities – Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing, and East Lansing – were selected.
Detroit, Lansing and East Lansing are all heavily Democratic leaning. Hamtramck, considered the first Muslim-majority city in the US, has historically leaned Democratic, but has shifted increasingly Republican in recent years.
Residents of the state on Tuesday were casting ballots to determine party nominees in local, state and US Congressional races for the midterm election in November.
Key races include a fierce Democratic Senate race, with progressive Abdul El-Sayed hoping to defeat US Representative Haley Stevens, widely viewed as a weathervane for the party’s future.
Voters will also decide the candidates for the gubernatorial race, with Trump-backed US Representative John James facing off with former presidential candidate Perry Johnson on the Republican side, as Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the current Michigan state secretary, is expected to sail to victory in her party’s primary.
In a letter to the Department of Justice dated Monday, 10 Democratic senators asked for assurances that FBI monitors deployed across the country will not “target jurisdictions in a partisan manner; discourage voter participation or interfere with the voting process; or pressure, harass, or interfere with state and local election officials as they do their jobs”.
They noted the wider context in which the monitors are being deployed, including efforts by the Trump administration to obtain state voter rolls. On Tuesday, a judge ruled the administration could not access Colorado’s voter data, the latest in a string of similar rulings.
Trump has also called for Republicans to “nationalise” elections. Under the US Constitution, state governments administer elections, in a system of decentralisation that advocates have long argued protects against wholesale interference.
The senators said that the DOJ has characterised the monitors as “routine” and “non-partisan”.
“However, it would be remiss not to acknowledge concerns that monitors are being deployed disproportionately to jurisdictions in states governed by Democratic leaders or with Democratic chief election officials,” they wrote.
“Moreover, election monitors are being deployed in the context of President Trump’s ongoing threats to nationalise, militarise, and otherwise interfere with the conduct of free and fair elections.”
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Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon have caused catastrophic destruction and damaged historic landmarks, including the ancient city of Tyre, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements. Rob McBride visited the UNESCO World Heritage site to see the impact first hand.
Published On 10 Jul 202610 Jul 2026
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein hold a joint press conference following their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday. Photo by Ceerwan Azeez/EPA
June 28 (UPI) — The Iranian military launched fresh attacks at U.S. sites in Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday morning amid an escalation of violence that threatens a fragile peace agreement.
Bahraini and Kuwaiti government sources said each intercepted attacks from Iran, including two ballistic missiles in Kuwait’s airspace. Bahrain said one of the strikes damaged a residential building near an international airport, The Guardian reported.
Neither country declared any casualties, The New York Times reported.
The renewed violence came after an Iranian drone struck a Singapore-flagged cargo ship while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. The U.S. military accused Iran of also striking a Panama-flagged tanker carrying oil on Saturday.
The United States responded Saturday with its own attacks targeting Iranian drone sites. U.S. Central Command said the strikes were “in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.”
President Donald Trump announced the U.S. strikes in a post on Truth Social that also threatened further violence against Iran. He accused the country of violating a memorandum of understanding that both he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed earlier this month.
“It is very possible that they will never learn!” Trump wrote of Iran.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”
Shipping via the Strait of Hormuz largely came to a halt in March after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran beginning Feb. 28. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that under the MOU signed June 17, Iran is the sole country responsible for managing the strait.
He warned the United States against interfering in shipping through the waterway, the Times reported. He said that further interference could delay the full reopening of the strait.
“Under the memorandum of understanding, no other entity or country has any responsibility in this regard,” he said at a news conference in Baghdad.
June 27 (UPI) — The United States attacked Iranian drone sites Saturday morning, and Iran hit Bahrain in response.
In Bahrain, two one-way attack drones hit the country, according to the New York Times. One was shot down by a ground-launched air-defense weapon, a U.S. official told the Times, and the other landed without harm in a remote airfield.
“This constitutes a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, a blatant threat to the safety of citizens and residents,” Bahrain’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The United States used six F35 and F16 Air Force jets to hit four Iranian sites in the strait, an anonymous official told The Times.
Ebrahim Azizi, a conservative Iranian lawmaker, said in a social media post that the U.S. attacks on Friday were a “reckless violation of the cease-fire” and warned that the attacks would lead the United States to “retreat and regret.”
Azizi added that the strikes show that President Donald Trump “has no commitment to the principles of negotiations.”
On Friday afternoon, Trump ordered strikes on Iran after it staged a drone strike on a shipping vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The president had made vague threats on Iran and said that the country had attacked ships in the strait.
Vice President JD Vance, who has been handling the negotiations, posted on X that the United States had honored the MOU.
“If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone,” he posted. “But violence will be met with violence.”
Saturday morning, another ship was hit in the strait by an “unidentified projectile” damaging its bridge but causing no injuries to the crew, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center. The organization didn’t say who launched the attack.
Mohsen Rezaei, a former Iranian military chief who advises Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, accused the United States of “continuing to create tensions” in the strait. “The response to the violation of any article of the memorandum of understanding will be swift and decisive,” he said in a post on social media, The Times reported.
Nuclear reactors operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. The state-run utility plans to build three new nuclear reactors over the next decade. Photo by KHNP
June 18 (UPI) — Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said Thursday that it has selected two sites in the country’s southeastern region for the construction of three new nuclear reactors over the next decade.
The state-backed utility noted that its committee, comprising outside experts, chose Yeongdeok County, located about 185 miles southeast of Seoul, and Gijang County, roughly 200 miles southeast of the capital, after a year-long evaluation process.
Yeongdeok County will host two 1.4-gigawatt large-scale nuclear reactors, while Gijang County will be home to a 0.7-gigawatt small modular reactor, or SMR, according to KHNP. Two local governments competed for each project.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said that it aims to secure construction approval for the three reactors in the early 2030s and bring them online by 2037 and 2038.
The incumbent administration was initially skeptical about building additional nuclear plants but later changed its stance as electricity demand surged amid the AI boom and the rapid expansion of data centers.
As of the end of last year, KHNP operated 26 nuclear reactors across South Korea and was building four additional units. Currently, nuclear power accounts for around one-third of the nation’s energy mix.
“We extend our gratitude to all local governments and residents who showed such passionate interest in hosting the projects, and we express our sincere regret to the regions that were not selected,” KHNP said in a statement.
The utility added that residents’ opinions gathered during the selection process, including both support for and opposition to nuclear development, would be reflected in future cooperation plans with local communities.
KHNP is not publicly listed.
June 8 (UPI) — Ukrainian forces struck oil depots in Russian-occupied Crimea as well as other command and ammunition locations in Russia, the Ukrainian military said.
The strikes took place late Sunday, the general staff of Ukraine‘s military said in a Facebook post Monday, according to a translation by Ukrinform.
The Grushevaya oil depot in Krasnodar Krai and the Feodosia and Semikolodezyanskaya oil depots in Crimea were among the targets hit during the attacks, The Kyiv Independent and Ukrinform reported. Ukraine also struck the Krasny Line Production Dispatch Station in Volgograd oblast, which supplies oil to the Volgograd refinery and the Sheskharis export terminal.
Ukrainska Pravda reported that the Grushevaya oil depot is one of the largest oil storage facilities in the Caucasus, holding between 1.3 tons to 1.5 tons of petroleum. The site is used to store and transport oil for maritime export and generates a large amount of revenue for Russia.
There were large fires and billowing smoke reported at the oil depots said to be hit.
The strikes hit Russian drone command posts in various locations in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kursk oblasts. The military also said it hit areas with concentrations of Russian personnel in Donetsk, Zaporizhizhia and Sumy oblasts.
The Russian military said it struck down 310 Ukrainian drones overnight throughout Russia, Crimea, and the Black and Azov Seas.
June 6 (UPI) — The United States said it intercepted several Iranian ballistic missiles and drones shot toward the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, Bahrain and Kuwait Friday night.
The U.S. Central Command said seven missiles were fired toward Kuwait and Bahrain Friday after it shot down four Iranian drones headed toward the strait. It said six of the missiles were intercepted and one didn’t reach its target.
Bahrain and Kuwait said there were no injuries, but Kuwait said there was some “material damage.”
The Kuwaiti Army, attributed to the official spokesperson for its defense ministry Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, posted on X: “The armed forces detected and responded at dawn today to 7 hostile ballistic missiles within Kuwaiti airspace, which were intercepted over several residential areas, resulting in the fall of some debris.
“The Iranian criminal aggression caused material damage with no human casualties.”
CENTCOM also said there were no American casualties.
“There are currently no reports of harm to U.S. personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging U.S. 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” CENTCOM said in a press release.
Kuwait and Bahrain called the strikes a violation of their sovereignty and a threat to regional security. Egypt, Jordan and Qatar also condemned the strikes Saturday.
Iran said it launched the strikes against U.S. military bases in the region after the United States struck Iran. CENTCOM said it hit coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and Queshm Island “to defend against further maritime attacks.”
Iran called the U.S. attacks a “flagrant” violation of the cease-fire, which has been in place since April. It said the American side “not only lacks the will to reduce tensions,” but “seriously endangers the security of the region.”
“These facilities are tasked with safeguarding the country’s border security and ensuring the security of navigation in international waterways,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The attack constitutes a clear violation of the April 8 ceasefire and an act of military aggression against the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iran said the U.S. strikes violate international law.
“This action, which comes as a continuation of the hostile and provocative conduct of the U.S. regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran, demonstrates the complete disregard of the U.S. ruling establishment for the fundamental principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” the foreign ministry said.
Tehran also said the U.S. is responsible for “all the effects and consequences of these illegal actions, as well as any possible escalation of tension.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed the clash started when the U.S. military tried to “illegally” escort oil tankers through the waterway, which Iran has largely closed off during the war.
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the Iranian missile attacks Saturday.
“These treacherous Iranian terrorist acts represent a dangerous and irresponsible escalation, a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and a direct threat to regional stability,” Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said in a statement.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, formed in the 1980s, is an economic pact that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“The Council countries stand in a united and steadfast position alongside the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait, fully supporting all measures and steps they undertake to protect their security, safeguard their sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as ensure the safety of their peoples,” Albudaiwi said.
The US military released footage showing what they say are military strikes on Iranian radar sites.
CENTCOM claims its forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones. Interceptions of strikes were also reported over Kuwait and Bahrain Saturday morning.
Published On 6 Jun 20266 Jun 2026
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While a peace deal between the US and Iran remains elusive, Israel has deepened its offensive into southern Lebanon.
Published On 1 Jun 20261 Jun 2026
The United States military says it has struck Iranian military sites, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has targeted a US base in response, the latest in a series of exchanges as negotiations to end the three-month US-Israel war on Iran are conducted.
US President Donald Trump also on Monday described Iran as eager to reach an agreement.
“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA and those that are with us,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Here is the latest on the US-Iran negotiations as both sides announced on day 94 of the war on Iran that they traded attacks:
AS THE hot weather continues, you might want to find somewhere to cool off and what better place to do it than an aqua park.
Whether you want one that features tonnes of obstacles and adventures or something a little calmer with splash zones for younger kids, the UK is home to many spots ideal for a refreshing day out.
Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.
Around a 25-minute drive from Birmingham, you’ll find Aqualand at Cliff Lakes – often considered one of the biggest inflatable courses in the UK, with eight parks in one attraction.
And a new attraction has just been launched at the site – a mega-slide, which is “officially the UK’s first tower of its kind”.
Called The X Tower, it stretches 12 metres tall and has six slides ideal for visitors to race each other.
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Across the eight inflatable obstacle courses, visitors can experience climbing walls, crossings and more slides.
Part of the course is also called Aqua Chimp, which features 14 obstacles and a bell that visitors have to ring at the end.
Admission costs from £25 per person and visitors get 80 minutes to explore the attraction.
Found not too far from London, Plastic Playground features a number of different water-based experiences including knee-boarding, water-skiing and wakeboarding.
And it doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a pro.
Sessions cost from £35 per person.
Aqua Park in Rutland features a number of different attractions for visitors to explore including the Rutland Mammoth, which is the UK’s tallest inflatable obstacle with a 5.5 metre drop slide.
There’s also Tornado Tower – a 3.5 metre tower that visitors can flip off of into the water.
Other features of the aqua park include launch bags and slides.
A one-hour session costs from £22.44 per person.
The Aqua Park in Sheffield features one massive inflatable obstacle course.
Visitors can explore the inflatables across a 50 minute session where they will experience giant trampolines, inflatable climbing walls, launch bags and a loop design to race around.
There’s also a Wake Park where visitors can try out knee-boarding, water-skiing or wakeboarding.
Sessions at the Aqua Park cost from £22 per person or a session at the Wake Park costs from £20 per person.
At Adrenalin Quarry in Cornwall, there are a number of attractions for all age groups.
Visitors over the age of six can head to the aqua park where they will be able to climb, slide and bounce on obstacles on the water.
On dry land there is also a go- karting track and a zip wire that runs for 490 metres.
Sessions at the attraction cost from £25 per person.
One of Yorkshire‘s largest lakes is ideal for those who want to extend their time in the water as not only does it boast an aqua park but a campsite too.
On the campsite, there’s a mix of hard-standing pitches, grass pitches, glamping pods, a lodge and even two helicopters that have been converted into glamping accommodation.
When it comes to the lake though, visitors can try out three different aqua parks.
The first is The Warrior Aqua Park, which has climbing walls, slides, balance bars and trampolines.
The second is The Wipeout Aqua Park with stepping stones, jumps and swings.
And thirdly, there’s Splash Kingdom, which is ideal for smaller kids.
Other water-based activities include stand up paddleboarding and kayaking.
There are many activities on dry land too, such as laser tag, escape rooms, climbing walls and axe throwing.
The Wipeout and Warrior aqua parks cost from £20 per person and Splash Kingdom costs from £15 per person.
Camping costs from £20 per night.
