UK

Team GB has won historic gold medals in cycling and the modern pentathlon, taking Britain’s total to 18. Laura Kenny, 29, and Katie Archibald, 27, won gold in the first ever Olympic women’s cycling madison – giving Kenny her fifth Olympic title and making her the first British woman to win gold at three consecutive

Coronavirus infection rates have fallen in all home nations apart from Northern Ireland, according to the latest estimates. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that in the week ending 31 July, approximately one in 75 people in private households in England (722,300 positive cases) were estimated to have had COVID-19. This compares with

Sir Keir Starmer has led criticism of Boris Johnson after he said Margaret Thatcher gave the UK a “big early start” in its battle against climate change when she closed coal mines in the 1980s. The prime minister made the comment during a visit to Scotland, when he was asked if he would set a

Seven men been been given life sentences of up to 34 years for the murder of a law student mistakenly killed during a botched drive-by shooting. Aya Hachem was said to be in the “wrong place at the wrong time” when she was killed in Blackburn, Lancashire, on 17 May last year. She died in

Police have arrested 11 people in connection with the online racial abuse of England players after the Euro 2020 final. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were targeted by racist social media posts after missing penalties against Italy last month. The age of those arrested so far ranges from 18 to 63. Three live

People who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine are half as likely to be infected with COVID-19, according to a new study. The React trial was based on more than 98,000 randomly-selected people in England and found that if a double-jabbed person came into contact with a person who had COVID-19, only one

Updated advice on coronavirus vaccines for 16 and 17-year-olds across the UK is set to be issued in the coming days, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The first minister revealed the news as she delivered her latest COVID-19 update to the Scottish Parliament. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome

Team GB have won sailing gold in both the men’s 49er and Finn classes at the Tokyo Olympics. In the 49ers, Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell went into the final medal race, where double points are awarded, in second, four points behind New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. But victory for Fletcher and Bithell

There is no prospect of an amber watchlist being introduced at the latest travel review this week, Sky News understands. Government sources have confirmed that Boris Johnson has rejected the idea. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player ‘We have to have

Team GB have won gold in team eventing at the Tokyo Olympics. Laura Collett, Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend secured what is Team GB’s 11th gold at this year’s Games – the team’s 33rd medal in total. All three riders were making Games debuts, but delivered high-class displays to end a 49-year wait for team

A man, a woman and a boy have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a five-year-old boy pulled from a river in South Wales. The boy’s body was found in Ogmore River near Pandy Park in Bridgend at 5.45am on Saturday morning. A 39-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman and a 13-year-old

A volunteer marshal has died after being hit by a car during a race at the Brands Hatch circuit. Police and paramedics were sent to the track near Dartford at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, with an air ambulance landing on the circuit. The crash happened after a car spun off the track during a British

Discounted meals and cheaper cab rides will be offered to customers who get a COVID-19 jab, as part of a government-led attempt to boost the uptake of vaccines. Uber, Bolt, Deliveroo and Pizza Pilgrims are among the brands that will offer incentives to encourage young people to get vaccinated. Almost three million under-30s are yet

An electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer backed by Amazon and Ford is in talks with ministers about building a giant factory in the UK that could include a big state support package. Sky News has learnt that Rivian, which is also backed by the Ford Motor Company and many of the biggest investors in Silicon Valley,

Team GB has won the gold medal in the 4x100m medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics. Their stellar performance at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre is a new world record – coming in at three minutes, 37.58 seconds. Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy and Anna Hopkin finished 1.28 seconds ahead of China who took silver,

The father of a teenager who drowned in South Yorkshire says more people could die if there isn’t enough rescue equipment near open water. Sam Haycock was saving up to buy a moped, and the 16-year-old wanted to be more independent when he started college. He was looking for a part-time job so he could

Two women have been seriously injured after being struck by a falling oak tree as Storm Evert continues to batter the South East of England. The pair, aged in their 20s, were said to have been attending a “private outdoor party” near Heveningham in Suffolk when the incident occurred. It comes as yellow weather warnings

The X Factor was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon when it launched in 2004 on ITV. As well as giving the world some of the most popular artists of all time – such as One Direction and Little Mix – it was also known for its special mega-guest stars, comedic auditions and outrageous scraps.

There has been more glory for Great Britain in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, with gold in the men’s 200m freestyle relay. Fresh off their one-two on Tuesday, Tom Dean led the way with Duncan Scott swimming the anchor leg. James Guy and Matthew Richards completed the line-up – and the quartet finished 0.03 seconds off

Children in the care of Lambeth Council were subjected to “levels of cruelty and sexual abuse that are hard to comprehend”, an inquiry into historical child abuse has found. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s report said the council exposed children to situations where they were at risk of sexual abuse and knowingly kept