UK

After Super Saturday at London 2012, there was Magic Monday in Tokyo as British athletes won three gold medals in the space of a few hours. Adam Peaty was Britain’s banker and did not disappoint, storming to victory in the 100 metres breaststroke to become the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title. The

The COVID-19 pandemic is “a warning from the planet that much worse lies in store unless we change our ways”, a leading UN environment figure has said, ahead of the publication of the biggest climate report in almost a decade. “While the climate crisis, together with biodiversity loss and pollution, has indeed been under way

After almost a week of falling case numbers, there are tentative signs that the spread of COVID-19 in the UK is starting to slow. Reported cases, which include tests from a number of days previously, point to a decline in infections. But numbers based on tests conducted in the previous 24 hours do not show

White and mixed ethnic groups do not live as long as other ethnic groups on average, a government study has suggested. Experimental data from the Office for National Statistics found that between 2011 and 2014, people from white and mixed ethnic backgrounds in England and Wales had a lower life expectancy at birth than all

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton has pleaded not guilty to assaulting his wife. The Bristol Rovers manager is charged with assaulting Georgia Barton by beating at a home in Kew, London, on 2 June. On Monday morning, the former Premier League footballer appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court in southwest London via video link. The court

Parts of London and the South have flooded after torrential rain and the Met Office has issued an amber storm warning. Areas including Hackney Wick, Newham and Barking were affected by the downpours, with videos showing cars driving through deep water and people walking nearly knee-deep at times. Another video shows Pudding Mill Lane DLR

The government’s Nationality and Borders Bill will only bring more “chaos and delay” to the UK’s “dysfunctional” immigration system, Amnesty International has said. The bill passed its second reading in the Commons on Tuesday evening by 366 votes to 265. It would allow the UK to send asylum seekers to a “safe third country” and

The UK has recorded 46,558 new COVID-19 cases and 96 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, according to government data. It is the highest number of fatalities since 24 March when 98 were reported. The latest figures compare with 39,950 new cases and 19 deaths announced on Monday, and 36,660 cases and 50

More than one million children in England were off school last week due to coronavirus-related reasons, official figures show. It is a new record high since schools reopened in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Can

The government will not draw up a list of critical jobs that will be exempt from full self-isolation if workers are “pinged”. Instead, employers will have to apply to government departments to allow workers to effectively circumvent the rules. Boris Johnson announced on Monday that critical workers, who have been fully vaccinated for at least

A Premier League footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences. The player was arrested on Friday and has been bailed while police continue to investigate. His team confirmed he has been suspended pending the police investigation. They added: “The club will continue to support the authorities with their inquiries and will not

All UK adults have been offered a first dose of a COVID vaccine – hitting the prime minister’s target just ahead of schedule, the government has announced. The Department of Health and Social Care said more than 46.2 million people had now had a first dose (87.8% of the population), while 35.7 million had received

There has been a huge rise in clinically vulnerable people seeking support ahead of legal restrictions being lifted in England on Monday and rising COVID case numbers, a group of leading charities have said. Policy director at Kidney Care UK Fiona Loud says there has been a “tidal wave of people getting in touch with

Police have released images of 10 people they want to question over unrest at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium. Detectives went through the “painstaking” process of scouring CCTV and body-worn footage from last Sunday’s final between England and Italy, and are still searching for other people they wish to speak to. Before the

The UK is “not out of the woods yet” when it comes to coronavirus and people should approach the end of most restrictions on Monday with caution, England’s chief medical officer has warned. Professor Chris Whitty said the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 is doubling around every three weeks and could hit “quite

More than half a million people in England were pinged by the NHS Test and Trace app in a week, the highest figure recorded. A total of 520,194 alerts were sent to users of the NHS COVID-19 app in the week to July 7, telling them they had been in close contact with someone who

Animal Rebellion protesters have blockaded a McDonald’s factory in an attempt to prevent it from distributing beef burgers. The “animal justice” campaigners claim around 100 people have blocked access using tall bamboo structures, tents and trucks, including one with spoof McDonald’s branding reading “McMurder”. They believe the Scunthorpe facility to be producing beef burgers for

Detectives have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of a newborn baby in a canal in the West Midlands. A £5,000 reward is also being offered for information about the death of the boy, who was found on May 20. Police have yet to trace the mother of the infant, who was born full

There are more job vacancies now than there were before the pandemic, official figures show, as unemployment edges slowly down after a year of job losses. The number of open jobs between April to June 2021 was 77,500 above its pre-pandemic level in January to March 2020, according to the Official for National Statistics (ONS).

As many as 60,000 people could die from flu this winter and a combination of seasonal viruses and COVID-19 could leave the NHS “unable to cope”, according to a report. The stark warning was made by scientists who say the flu season could be particularly deadly but the enhanced flu jab programme and rapid tests