'Military jet tripped chaos' and 'A failure for dying people'
A military aircraft error caused a major air traffic control system outage in the UK, while the House of Commons rejected a bill on assisted dying. Additionally, the Reform UK party secured a record £36 million donation from a cryptocurrency billionaire.
Why it matters
These events highlight significant infrastructure vulnerabilities, contentious legislative debates on social issues, and the growing influence of large private donations in UK politics.
Image caption, The weekend edition of the Financial Times reports that a military aircraft entering "spurious" flight data into air traffic control led to a system outage that grounded thousands of planes this week. Four sources have told the paper that a flight plan submitted by a military aircraft led to a shutdown of British skies for several hours, causing a "meltdown" within the wider air traffic control system. The incident has led to "strained relations" between carriers and National Air Traffic Services, the paper writes.
Image caption, Several papers reflect on the fall of the assisted dying bill in the House of Commons on Friday. "Agonising" declares the Daily Mirror, reporting that the "fresh bid" to change the law failed by just 16 votes - a result that the paper declares a "shock Commons U-turn".
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