Good night. More than 100,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats in the last five years.
Elsewhere, we have the latest on Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight.
The number of migrants crossing the Canal in small boats has reached 100,000 since 2018
Around 600 migrants traveling in at least 11 boats are believed to have arrived on Thursday as people smugglers took advantage of clear skies and calmer seas after four days of rain and strong winds that ruined crossings.
Carlos Hymas reports bringing the total since 2018 to nearly 100,600. This year’s numbers are down about 14 percent from last year, partly attributed to bad weather earlier in the year and in July, a key month.
The record high coincides with the government’s “small boat week”, designed to focus attention on the efforts of Rishi Sunak and his ministers to stop the crossings.
Wilko collapses in administration putting 12,000 jobs at risk
Wilko entered administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk after he failed to secure a bailout deal, report Chris Price and daniel woolfson.
The low-cost retailer, which is privately owned and has some 400 stores that employ around 12,000 people, has appointed PwC after potential buyers withdrew their interest in recent days.
You can follow the latest updates on our Business live blog.
Dissident Republicans claim to have obtained leaked PSNI database
Dissident Republicans claim to be in possession of information leaked online in the worst security breach in Northern Ireland’s history, the region’s highest-ranking police officer has admitted.
After four hours of questioning by the Northern Ireland police board during an emergency meeting this morning, Simon Byrne, the PSNI’s embattled police chief, has also admitted that the force is likely to have to make large payments in the form of regulator fines or compensation.
Evening Briefing: Today’s Essential Headlines
galactic virgin | VSS Unity successfully completed its first space tourism flight and has now landed back on Earth. You can follow the latest updates on our live blog.
