‘New era’ in history of passports will see King’s coat of arms on the front The King’s coat of arms will be on the front of all new passports from December, the Home Office has announced. Pages on the inside of the passport have also been changed as part of the revamp and will feature
Man who murdered teenage Syrian refugee detained for minimum of 23 years A man who stabbed a teenage Syrian refugee in the neck after he “innocuously” brushed past his girlfriend on a crowded shopping street has been detained for life with a minimum term of 23 years. Alfie Franco, 20, was found guilty of murder
Man who burned Koran in London wins appeal against conviction A man who burned a Koran in London has won an appeal against a conviction which campaigners had criticised as an attempt to bring back blasphemy law. Hamit Coskun was found guilty earlier this year of a religiously aggravated public order offence having shouted “f***
Thousands line streets of Manchester in tribute to Ricky Hatton Ricky Hatton’s funeral cortege was led by the famous Reliant van from Only Fools And Horses as thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester to pay their respects to the “Hitman”. The former boxing world champion was a big fan of the Del Boy
Raising income tax is ‘least damaging’ option for Reeves New economic analysis Hiking income tax would be the “least damaging” option for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, whereas raising VAT could push down harder on people’s real incomes, according to new economic analysis. The Government is under pressure to raise revenues and balance the books ahead of
250 million free bus journeys taken Travel scheme for young people in Scotland Children and young people have taken more than 250 million free bus journeys since the Scottish Government introduced free travel for those under 22 three years ago. The scheme was launched in January 2022 offering free bus travel to those under 22
Patients left in corridors for ‘dangerously long periods’ Experts warning NHS patients are being left in hospital corridors for “dangerously long periods” and missing timely access to specialist care, health leaders have warned. The Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) said new data shows fewer than one in five acutely unwell patients are receiving their first
Tim Westwood charged with rape and sexual assault Former Radio 1 DJ charged with offences between 1983 and 2016 Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood has been charged with rape and sexual assault. The Metropolitan Police said the 68-year-old is accused of offences against seven different women as young as 17 years old. He is
Five water firms provisionally allowed to raise bills By further 1% to 5% Five water firms are to be provisionally allowed to raise their bills by between 1% and 5% more than previously granted by regulator Ofwat, the competition watchdog has said. Five companies – Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, South East Water, Southern Water, and
Three UK universities make top 10 in prestigious world rankings The University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and Imperial College London have grabbed some of the top spots in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, with Oxford coming first for the 10th year in a row. Cambridge rose to joint third from fifth