UK

An aircraft hangar and fuselage have been hired by the Home Office for security officials to practice forcing asylum seekers on to deportation flights to Rwanda, it has emerged. Guards have undergone special training programmes to deal with “disruptive” people, according to The Times. This includes individuals resorting to violence to prevent being put on

The family of a 16-year-old who has been missing for more than a week have pleaded for her to “let someone know” she is safe. Julia Skala left her house in south London at about 1pm on 8 January and has not been heard from since, with police increasingly concerned for her welfare. Officers are

Lincolnshire Police has referred itself to the police watchdog after a two-year-old boy was found starved to death alone next to his father who had suffered a fatal heart attack over Christmas. Bronson Battersby’s body was found with his father Kenneth’s at their home in Skegness on 9 January. The police force said in a

Detectives investigating the disappearance of a Royal Navy sailor more than 37 years ago are searching a car park in Gibraltar after receiving new information. Simon Parkes, from Bristol, was last seen in December 1986 when the ship he was serving on, HMS Illustrious, was docked in the territory. His disappearance has previously been part

Former Liverpool footballer Jordan Henderson has been told he can leave Saudi Arabia, less than six months after his much-criticised move to play for a club there. Al Ettifaq, the Saudi Pro League side he controversially signed for last summer, agreed to end his contract on Wednesday. He is returning to England to look for

Some of the oldest fossils of “complex life” in the world have been found in a quarry in Wales. It is the first time such fossils have been precisely dated by scientists. The research shines a light on a key moment in Earth’s history, when the seas became full of new forms of life. For

An organic biscuit collection and crispbreads have been recalled by Daylesford Organic because of the presence of moth larvae. Daylesford Organic, which has a farm in the Cotswolds and four shops in London, is recalling its Daylesford Organic Rye, Spelt and Raisin Crispbreads with a pack size of 120g and its Daylesford Organic Savoury Biscuit

The annual rate of inflation has surprisingly risen, official figures show. The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation stood at 4% in the year to December, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). A fall, to 3.8%, had been expected by economists polled by Reuters. But instead inflation rose from 3.9% in the

The King will go to hospital next week where he will be treated for an enlarged prostate. The 75-year-old monarch’s condition is benign but his public engagements will be postponed while he recuperates after the corrective procedure, Buckingham Palace announced this afternoon. In a statement, it said: “In common with thousands of men each year,

People in Scotland have been sharing their stories of how the pandemic has affected their lives – as the UK COVID inquiry resumed in Edinburgh. It is the first time the hearings, chaired by former judge Baroness Hallett, have taken place outside of London since the inquiry began in 2022 – and will focus on

Wales’s Louis Rees-Zammit has quit rugby union for America’s NFL ahead of the Six Nations. The 22-year-old, who has also previously been selected for the British and Irish Lions, said he had taken the decision “after careful consideration”. In a statement on social media, he said he would be joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway

A hospital in the West Midlands has reportedly declared a critical incident over a bed shortage – just 24 hours after two Sussex hospitals were forced to divert ambulances. Russells Hall in Dudley declared the critical incident on Monday afternoon, according to reports. Diane Wake, the chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust,

A body has been recovered three weeks into the search for a missing father feared drowned in a Christmas fishing tragedy that claimed the life of his friend. Greig Stoddart, 44, disappeared following an overnight fishing trip to Gartmorn Dam in Clackmannanshire with Ian McBurney, 55, on 23 December last year. The alarm was raised

Average house prices have jumped by about £4,500 this month – but experts are still predicting that 2024 will be a “smoother year” for buyers. According to Rightmove, the typical asking price for a British property now stands at £359,748, which is 0.7% lower compared with a year ago. The number of new houses coming

Operation Span was hailed as “a fantastic result for British justice”. On the face of it, it was a success; in 2010 an investigative team had turned things around after a failed investigation into a grooming gang in the south of Manchester, Operation Augusta, and by May 2012 with renewed vigour had convicted nine men

Drivers could end up stranded or delayed this week as freezing temperatures hit the UK – with National Highways issuing a “severe weather alert” for snow. The travel warning covers northwest England on Tuesday and coincides with four days of Met Office warnings for snow and ice. Temperatures 5-6C lower than normal are forecast, with

Reading’s League One match against Port Vale was abandoned after around 1,000 home fans protesting against the club’s owner invaded the pitch. The start of the game at the Select Car Leasing Stadium had already been held up for three minutes when tennis balls were thrown onto the playing surface. Referee Ross Joyce then took

A League One match between Bolton Wanderers and Cheltenham Town has been postponed following a medical emergency in the crowd. The game at the Toughsheet Community Stadium was halted after 29 minutes in the first half after a fan fell ill in the stand. Home club Bolton said in a statement a supporter in the

An American lawyer who fought a years-long battle in the 1970s to prevent John Lennon from being deported from the US has died aged 90. Leon Wildes, whose health had been declining since he suffered a series of strokes, died on Monday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, his family said. His name became part

A former police officer has been jailed for 16 years for a “brutal” attempt to kill his ex-girlfriend after he learned she was planning to start a relationship with another man. James Riley, 28, strangled PhD student Ellie Moxham and left her unconscious in a hotel room in Manchester on 10 November 2022 before calling