News – World and UK

Astronomers have unveiled an image of a giant cloud of space gas and dust that creates the illusion of a wolf-like silhouette against a colourful cosmic backdrop. Nicknamed the Dark Wolf Nebula, the cloud is in the Scorpius constellation near the middle of the Milky Way, around 5,300 light-years from Earth. This image takes up an area in the sky equivalent to four full moons, but is actually part of […]

Farmers will have to stump up hundreds of thousands of pounds under Labour’s inheritance tax plans, the Conservative Party has claimed. Shadow business secretary Kevin Hollinrake warned Labour MPs who intend to have a pint in a local pub and a chat with farmers this weekend to “think again” following yesterday’s Budget. Greg Smith, Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, also described the Budget as a “full-frontal financial attack on our […]

Chinese online retailer Temu is facing a European Union investigation over suspicions it is failing to prevent the sale of illegal products, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm has said. The European Commission opened its investigation five months after adding Temu to the list of “very large online platforms” needing the strictest level of scrutiny under the bloc’s Digital Services Act. It is a wide-ranging rulebook designed to clean up online […]

A rise in the number of people sleeping rough in London by almost a fifth on the same period last year has been described as “shameful”. A total of 4,780 rough sleepers were seen on the capital’s streets between July and September, according to the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) statistics which described it as a record level. This is an increase of 18% from 4,068 people in […]

The ballot of Conservative Party members closes at 5pm today Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick’s race to replace Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader is nearing its end, with the member ballot closing on Thursday. One contender has declared the contest “close” just hours ahead of the contest’s 5pm ballot deadline. The winner of the race will be announced on Saturday, almost four months after the general election defeat that triggered […]

The death toll could rise as search efforts continue with an unknown number of people still missing. Survivors of the worst natural disaster to hit Spain this century awoke to scenes of devastation on Thursday after villages were wiped out by monstrous flash floods that claimed at least 95 lives. The death toll could rise as search efforts continue with an unknown number of people still missing. The aftermath looked eerily similar […]

The zones in England and Wales come into force today Silent prayer will not be automatically banned in new protected zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales coming into force on Thursday. Instances will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with police and prosecutors deciding around the intent or recklessness of the person involved. Pro-choice campaigners had called for a total ban on silent prayer within the zones, arguing a […]

Rachel Reeves says the £40 billion tax rises were a chance to 'wipe the slate clean' after the Conservatives' time in power Rachel Reeves has said she does not want to repeat the £40 billion tax rises she implemented in her first Budget “ever again”. The fiscal announcement was a chance to “wipe the slate clean” following the Conservatives’ time in power, the Chancellor told broadcasters as she defended the Budget on Thursday morning. […]

They're offering tips to help avoid tooth decay while trick or treating Children should be given stickers instead of sweets at Halloween to save their teeth, leading dental surgeons have said. The Royal College of Surgeons of England has offered tips to help children avoid tooth decay as children prepare to collect a bounty of sweets while trick or treating. This includes avoiding lollipops and sticky sweets. Meanwhile, the public can do their part by […]