News – World and UK

Household water bills in England and Wales will increase by an average £31 a year over the next five years, regulator Ofwat has announced. The increase is significantly higher than the expected average rise of around £20 a year per household, outlined in the regulator’s draft proposals in July. Ofwat said the increase would pay for a £104 billion upgrade of the water sector to deliver “substantial, lasting, improvements for […]

Disadvantaged pupils in England find it “increasingly difficult” to catch up as they progress into secondary school, a report has suggested. The Government should prioritise early intervention but also carry out continued interventions throughout pupils’ schooling to reduce the disadvantage gap, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has said. The think tank’s report highlights significant variation in the attainment gap between disadvantaged learners and their peers in different areas of England. […]

There has been a “catastrophic” rise in deaths caused by drinking, leading public health experts have said. The Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) has called for urgent action from the Health Secretary to redress the “alarming trend”. In a letter to Wes Streeting, the Alliance – which is made up of medical royal colleges, charities, treatment providers and academics – highlights how deaths caused “solely by alcohol have increased by a […]

Sea slugs making a home in the UK due to climate change are among the species spotted around the country’s coasts in 2024, The Wildlife Trusts said. Sea monitoring by volunteers and conservationists this year also revealed invasive species such as Pacific oysters and showed some wildlife making a comeback, including St Piran’s hermit crabs along the south coast – which were wiped out by the Torrey Canyon oil spill […]

Not guilty pleas have been entered on behalf of the teenager accused of killing three children at a dance class in Southport after he failed to speak in court. Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, appeared via videolink at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday and failed to reply when he was asked to enter pleas to 16 charges he faces. Judge Mr Justice Goose said he was satisfied the defendant could […]

A teenager has been jailed for killing three of his friends after inhaling laughing gas behind the wheel and speeding at more than 100mph. Thomas Johnson, 19, was driving a BMW when it crashed into a lamppost and a tree, killing three passengers, on the A415 in Oxfordshire, last year. He was jailed for nine years and four months at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday for causing the deaths of […]

The wife of physical trainer Amie Gray who was “butchered” to death on Bournemouth beach has said she can now “rest in peace” after a student was convicted of her murder. Nasen Saadi, 20, of Croydon, south London, was also found guilty at Winchester Crown Court of the attempted murder of Ms Gray’s friend, 39-year-old Leanne Miles, as the pair were enjoying a late-night chat next to a small fire […]

Actress and model Cara Delevingne plays Sir Elton John in a new video for his classic festive song Step Into Christmas. The video is a reimagining of behind the scenes of the original version, which was released more than 50 years ago, with Delevingne 32, sporting an identical-looking suit and glasses as worn by Sir Elton. On its initial release in November 1973, Step Into Christmas reached number 24 in […]

Tyson Fury has vowed to “annihilate” Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh on Saturday as the first step towards ruling the heavyweight division. Fury was considered the standout fighter in his weight class until he lost his WBC belt on a split-decision to WBA, IBF and WBO king Usyk when they clashed for the first time in May. The IBF title is no longer at stake after it was stripped from the […]