UK

Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and Threads are experiencing widespread problems, locking users out of their accounts and failing to load properly.  Facebook outages reported on Down Detector shot up just before 3pm, with more than 300,000 problems logged. More than 25,000 Instagram outages were also reported via the website, which collates status reports from several sources,

Initial stockpiles of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Wales were “not fit for purpose”, according to the country’s former health minister. Vaughan Gething made the admission in written evidence to the UK COVID inquiry. The inquiry is in its second week of hearings in Cardiff, focusing on decisions taken by the Welsh government during the

One of London’s most famous landmarks is opening the doors to its hidden library, allowing guests the chance to stay overnight surrounded by its literary treasures. St Paul’s Cathedral will allow two lucky guests the chance to immerse themselves in the enchanting world of literature and stay in its “secret” room – as well as

Iran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles as Moscow wages war in Ukraine, Britain’s defence secretary has signalled, accusing Tehran of being a “bad influence” in Europe. Grant Shapps was asked in an interview with a political magazine whether he had any information on Iran‘s reported provision of surface-to-surface missiles to Russia. The senior cabinet

Body cam footage shows the moment police officers kick the door down to rescue people trapped inside a burning building. In the dramatic video, the officers force their way into the building in Kensington, London, as black smoke billows along a stairwell. They then gain access to six flats inside and help rescue residents as

A Ferrari stolen from former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger nearly three decades ago has been recovered by police. Berger was racing in the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix held at Imola in Italy when his Ferrari F512M was stolen alongside another sports car. Police believe the car – a revamped version of Ferrari’s iconic

Being one of the only British Jews playing professional football has only become more challenging for Joe Jacobson this season – and made the Wycombe Wanderers captain a target of hatred. The 37-year-old has revealed to Sky News how – in the aftermath of the 7 October Hamas atrocities and Israel’s war on Gaza –

A guinea pig has been found abandoned at a London Tube station with a note saying: “I need a new owner.” The creature, named DiscoPig, was discovered inside a cage in a part of Canning Town station, east London, not covered by CCTV. Attached to the cage was a note that read: “I need a

The UK car industry has pleaded with the chancellor to help get the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) back on track when he delivers his budget next week, accusing the government of creating an own goal. The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it was clear that the decision to delay the ban

Mortgage approvals have risen to a 15-month high as overall borrowing rose, latest figures show. It’s the most recent sign that the UK recession declared for the second half of 2023 may already be over. Not since October 2022, before the mortgage rate spike in the wake of the Liz Truss mini-budget, have approvals been

Polls have now closed in the Rochdale by-election as political parties wait to see who has taken the Greater Manchester seat. The campaign to replace Labour stalwart Sir Tony Lloyd – who died last month from leukaemia – has been fractious, with the Labour Party withdrawing support for its candidate, Azhar Ali, over allegedly antisemitic

Lee Anderson has accused Sadiq Khan of “playing the race card” as he denied being racist following a row that resulted in his suspension as a Tory MP. Mr Anderson used a column in the Daily Express to hit back at accusations of Islamophobia and racism following his comments about London’s mayor. The Ashfield MP,

Mobile phone customers face either a “huge” mid-contract price rise or a “crippling” exit fee from April, according to a watchdog. Which? says Virgin Media and O2 are expected to hike prices by up to 8.8% in April – the highest increase in percentage terms among major providers. The alternative is a potentially “exorbitant” exit

Adele has been forced to postpone her Las Vegas residency next month due to illness. The singer announced the update on social media, apologising to fans for the “inconvenience” and explaining she had not fully recovered after falling ill at the end of the last leg of her Weekends With Adele residency at The Colosseum

Sony has revealed plans for 900 job losses across its Playstation division, with the company’s operations in the UK among those affected. The Japan-based firm notified staff in an email that the Playstation London studio was to be closed under the proposals. There would be job losses too at its Firesprite Studio in Liverpool, bought

Peers are calling for the House of Lords to increase its wage offer to waiting staff after a job advert was posted displaying rates below the current London living wage. The living wage is calculated independently of the government mandated minimum wage, and is set at £12 per hour for most of the UK, and

The BBC has apologised to the family involved in the Huw Edwards scandal over the way it handled their complaint. The BBC faced accusations it did not respond quickly enough to complaints from the family of a young person, after it took seven weeks for allegations of inappropriate behaviour to be put to Edwards. Image:

The annual rate of shop price inflation has eased to its lowest level for almost two years, according to an industry reading that credits food and fashion prices. The British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Nielsen Shop Price Index showed the pace of price increases slowed to 2.5% over the 12 months to February from 2.9% the previous

A woman who filmed herself killing a cat before putting the animal in a blender has been jailed for life for murdering a man four months later. Scarlet Blake, 25, appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of murder last week. Warning: This story contains descriptions that readers may find distressing

People in their 20s are more likely to be off work with ill health than employees twice their age, new research has revealed. Young workers can end up unemployed or going into low-paid jobs due to the impact of mental health problems on their education, the study found. The data was collected by British think