UK

Anyone seeking to join the Royal Navy will no longer need to prove they can swim in what one defence source called a “desperate” relaxing of standards to tackle a recruitment crisis. But a Royal Navy spokesperson pushed back on the criticism, saying standards were not being lowered because all recruits would still be required

A man has been charged with the murder of a woman who was killed while pushing her baby in a pram. Habibur Masum, 25, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, was also charged with possession of a bladed article. He will appear at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. Kulsuma Akter, 27, died after being stabbed in Bradford,

A 24-year-old woman died from long-term complications stemming from her use of nitrous oxide and immobility, an inquest has found. Ellen Mercer died from a pulmonary embolism after inhaling two to three “big bottles” of the substance each day, an inquest heard. “This case has highlighted how hugely dangerous it is to use nitrous oxide,”

The Champions League quarter-finals will go ahead as scheduled amid an alleged terror threat, UEFA says. A media outlet linked to IS allegedly issued a threat concerning all four of this week’s ties. Two English clubs, Arsenal and Manchester City, are playing tonight in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Gunners will host the first leg

There was a time when Terry Evans would dread a knock on the front door. Not because he was in some kind of trouble, but because he might have to invite someone inside – into a dilapidated rented house he’d become embarrassed to live in. His daughter didn’t want to go back there after school.

Human remains found in a park in south London have been formally identified. The remains of Sarah Mayhew, 38, were discovered in Rowdown Fields in New Addington, Croydon, last Tuesday. The family of Ms Mayhew, from Croydon, has been informed of her death and are being supported by family liaison officers. A 44-year-old man and

Home Office asylum decisions are being overturned by more than half of applicants, as Sky News reveals a convicted sex offender was awarded refugee status after a judge ruled he would be at risk of “mob violence” in Afghanistan. The man, who was convicted of “outraging public decency and exposure” in 2017, was placed on

A whistleblower who raised the alarm 18 months ago about alleged sexual harassment and abuse onboard the UK’s nuclear-armed submarines says she feels let down and left in limbo by the Royal Navy. Admiral Sir Ben Key, the head of the navy, ordered an internal inquiry into the claims made in a newspaper interview in

Police have released images of a man wanted over the fatal stabbing of a woman in the centre of Bradford. Habibur Masum, 25, is from the Oldham area and has links to Burnley and Chester. He is described as an Asian man, of slim build. Officers were called to Westgate in Bradford at 3.21pm on

Police say a body found in a caravan is that of a sex offender wanted over a woman’s murder. Richard Scatchard, 70, from Minehead in Somerset, went missing after the death of 61-year-old Kelly Faiers at his home in October last year. A member of the public called police after finding a man’s body inside

Police have launched a murder investigation after finding human remains wrapped in plastic at a nature reserve. Officers were called by a member of the public who found an “unknown item wrapped in plastic” at Kersal Dale, Salford, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. Pathologists and detectives at the scene confirmed it was human remains, which

A teenage boy has been seriously injured after he was stabbed in Manchester. Police officers were called shortly after 4.15pm today to reports of a stabbing on Raby Street. The boy, whose age is not known, was taken to hospital with serious and life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made and an investigation is now

Storm Kathleen is expected to bring heavy gusts and rain - and the highest temperatures of year so far, as it hits the UK today. Pushing in from the Atlantic, the storm is set to bring gusts up to 70mph to Northern Ireland and the west of Britain as temperatures could reach up to 22C (72F)

Storm Kathleen has brought disruption to the UK and Ireland, with tens of thousands of people left without power, dozens of flights cancelled and a major tourist attraction forced to close. Gusts of up to 70mph have hit the island of Ireland and parts of Britain – with the conditions leaving planes struggling to land

The UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel, Rishi Sunak has been warned. Three former Supreme Court justices are among over 600 lawyers and academics who have signed a 17-page letter to warn the present situation in Gaza is “catastrophic”. The government has been facing growing calls to suspend arms exports to

Labour could be swept into power with a landslide of more than 400 seats at the next general election, according to the latest YouGov mega poll. The survey of 18,000 people predicts Sir Keir Starmer’s party will gain a parliamentary majority of 154 – almost double what the Conservatives achieved with Boris Johnson in 2019.

Two of three British aid workers who died in an airstrike in Gaza have been reportedly named as John Chapman and James Henderson. The World Central Kitchen (WCK) volunteers are believed to be among seven aid workers killed on Monday after a convoy they were travelling in was hit as it was leaving a warehouse

Three British aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) has said. Nationals from Poland and Australia were also killed, as well as a dual citizen of the US and Canada – and a Palestinian who was driving the car they were all travelling in. The volunteers were

Rishi Sunak has said people should not be criminalised “for stating simple facts on biology” as he backed author JK Rowling in her criticism of new Scottish hate crime laws. The Harry Potter author, who has become a fierce critic of the Scottish government’s stance on transgender rights, dared police to arrest her as the

J K Rowling has dared police to arrest her as the Harry Potter author lashed out against new hate crime laws that have come into force in Scotland The new measures aim to tackle the harm caused by hatred and prejudice, extending protections from abusive behaviour to people on grounds including age, disability, religion, sexual