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Britons will continue to fly from Lebanon on Thursday after more than 150 British nationals and dependents left Beirut on the first UK Government-chartered plane. As Israel continued its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, further blasts hit Lebanon’s capital Beirut, increasing concerns about how long the airport can remain open. The Foreign Office said a “limited number” of additional flights had been chartered, including one on Thursday. Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines is […]

An appeal hearing has begun for two police officers sacked for lying after saying they could smell cannabis during a stop and search of British athlete Bianca Williams and her partner. Former Met Pcs Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks were dismissed in October last year after a disciplinary panel found they lied about smelling the drug when they pulled over Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos and his partner Williams on July 4 […]

A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after a suspected acid attack outside a school in west London on Monday. The Metropolitan Police said the man was arrested on Thursday morning and remains in custody after the incident outside Westminster Academy. A 14-year-old girl who sustained injuries which are “being treated as potentially life-changing” has returned to hospital having been briefly discharged by doctors, […]

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has said interest rate cuts could become “more aggressive”, sparking falls in the value of the pound. He said that, if inflation remains in check, the Bank might be able to be “more activist” over reducing borrowing costs. The pound fell by nearly 1% against the US dollar and the euro – to 1.317 US dollars and 1.193 euros respectively – after he told The Guardian […]

Britain is giving up sovereignty of a remote group of islands in return for securing the long-term future of a strategically important military base. The UK Government said it has reached a political agreement with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, following negotiations which began in 2022. Mauritius will assume sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago while the joint US-UK military base remains on Diego […]

A Russian glide bomb struck a five-story apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, injuring at least 12 people including a three-year-old girl, local officials said on Thursday. The bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building on Wednesday night, igniting blazes, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Firefighters searched for survivors through smoke and rubble. The city of Kharkiv, located around 30 kilometres (18 miles) from […]

Laura Kuenssberg has admitted the incident is 'embarrassing and disappointing' The BBC has cancelled an interview with Boris Johnson after presenter Laura Kuenssberg accidentally sent the former prime minister her briefing notes. Ms Kuenssberg, presenter of the BBC’s flagship Sunday political interview show, said she sent Mr Johnson the notes “in a message meant for my team”. The BBC’s political editor between 2015 and 2022 said it was “embarrassing and disappointing”, adding the […]

There's been a sharp rise since 2021, when disposable e-cigarettes became more popular Around one million adults in England now vape despite never being regular smokers, research suggests. A new study suggests the number of people vaping in England who have never regularly smoked has increased sharply since 2021, when disposable e-cigarettes first started becoming popular. According to the research, as of April 2024 the number has risen to one million, representing […]

The Law Commission is warning urban areas across England and Wales are fast running out of burial space Old graves could be reused under new recommendations put forward to manage the shortage of burial space. Under the proposed changes put forward by the Law Commission, graveyards declared “full” during the Victorian era could also be reopened. The commission warned urban areas across England and Wales are fast running out of burial space. […]