The Makerfield by-election has been confirmed for June 18th 2026, and this is the first episode in a new mini-series following the contest as it gets underway.

Adam is joined by Luke Tryl, director of More in Common UK, and Kevin Fitzpatrick, political reporter for BBC Radio Manchester, to delve deeper into Makerfield, and to look at how the race is shaping up with the candidates who have been announced so far.

A full list of candidates and loads more information about the Makerfield by-election is available on the BBC News website.

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Nato foreign ministers are meeting amid increasing tensions within the defence alliance over the war in the Iran and the global fallout.

The meeting will discuss the preparation for the Ankara summit this summer, spending strategy and support for Ukraine.

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the BBC that reports about the reduction of US troops in Europe would also be discussed, he added that President Trump was ‘disappointed’ with Nato allies over their lack of support.

But earlier the US President announced that he would send 5,000 troops to Poland.

Ahead of the meeting, the Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed President Trump’s announcement of those troops being sent to Poland and Marco Rubio said there had been “slight progress” on Iran.

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Ukraine is claiming back territory at an extraordinary rate and much of its success is thanks to cheap and effective drones.

It comes amid reports Russian President Vladimir Putin is spending much of his time underground, moving between bunkers, due to fears of an attack.

The Security Brief explains how these drones work and why they pose such a risk to mainland Russia.

We speak to Daria, a Ukrainian sniper turned drone commander, who tells us why this war is unlike any other.

Presented by Christian Fraser and former strategic military planner Mikey Kay.

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A major improvement in Ukraine’s air defence system has seen the number of Russian long range drones being intercepted and shot down doubling in just four months.

The new hi-tech interceptor drones are relatively cheap, and they are defeating thousands of Russian attacks.

In the past month Russia launched one of its most sustained aerial attacks on Ukraine, launching more than 1,500 drones within 48 hours. But most were shot down as Ukraine gets better at defending its skies.

Ukraine says its aim is to be shooting down 95% of enemy drones by the end of the year.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Jonathan Beale, from the frontline in Ukraine’s Donbas region.

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Back in 1997, over 5 million pieces of Lego were lost at sea during a storm. Now, almost 30 years later, they’re still washing up on beaches around the world.

What began as a curious mystery turned into a global treasure hunt, but quickly uncovered a bigger issue hiding just beneath the surface.

This is the story of the Great Lego Spill – and what it tells us about plastics in our oceans.

In this video…

00:00 – The brick that changed the world
00:40 – The Great LEGO Spill explained
02:21 – The treasure hunt begins
03:58 – The first pieces are found
05:21 – How many containers were lost at sea?
06:13 – What impact does plastic have on our oceans?
07:56 – Lego responds

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