UK

Officers investigating a double murder at a lockdown party are looking for five potential witnesses. A lone assailant shot Cheriff Tall, 21, and Abayomi Ajose, 36, dead at an outdoor “spontaneous gathering”, in a car park off Caythorpe Street, in Moss Side, Manchester, on 21 June 2020. The two men – who were not known

A man who made four trips to Scotland to rehome XL bully dogs before a ban on the breed came into force in England and Wales says the new restrictions are “disgusting”. Sammy Wilkinson, 29, believes XL bullies are being targeted “unfairly and brutally”. The 29-year-old, from Birmingham in the West Midlands, drove to and

Wales and British and Irish Lions rugby legend JPR Williams has died aged 74, his former club has announced. He played a big part in Wales’ success in the 1970s – helping them to three Grand Slams – and featured on the triumphant Lions tours to New Zealand in 1971 and 1974 in South Africa.

Sex tapes are alleged to have been taken of Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton and Sir Richard Branson by Jeffrey Epstein, court documents have revealed. Sarah Ransome, who says she was a victim of Epstein, wrote about claims that the Duke of York, the ex-US president and billionaire businessman were filmed by the paedophile US financier.

The energy regulator has warned suppliers over their conduct as a temporary ban on the forced installation of prepayment meters ends. Ofgem said on Monday that it was allowing EDF, Octopus and Scottish Power to resume “involuntary” ‘Pay as you Go’ meter installations. That was because the three firms had met conditions to restart the

Areas hit hard by flooding after Storm Henk will be able to apply for thousands of pounds in government money to pay for recovery work and repairs. The government has announced the financial support will be available to eligible areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding. Schemes include flooded households being eligible for

A yellow cold weather alert across England comes into force at 9am this morning – and will remain in force for most of next week. All of this comes as many parts of the country continue to grapple with the aftermath of Storm Henk, with heavy rainfall inundating homes and almost cutting off communities. As

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the Post Office over “potential fraud offences” after the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters. The police confirmed on Friday that it is looking into the handling of the Horizon IT scandal – “such as the monies recovered from subpostmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions”. Detectives are also separately

No investigation has been launched after Prince Andrew was among scores of people named as associates of Jeffrey Epstein in court papers unsealed by a US court, the Met Police have said. The newly unsealed court documents name dozens of Epstein’s associates, although many of them are not accused of any wrongdoing. In one document,

House prices have risen for the third month in a row, according to new figures from Halifax. The bank said the average cost of a UK home was £287,105 in December. The figure is up 1.1% from the month before and is also the highest level since March 2023. Halifax’s director of mortgages, Kim Kinnaird,

A football club has apologised to its fans after a stadium bar was decorated in the colours of its arch-rivals, days before the teams meet in the FA Cup. Bosses at Sunderland AFC have admitted the club made a “serious error in judgement” after banners saying “Keep the Black and White Flying High” and “We

Police are “extremely concerned” over the disappearance of a woman who vanished in South Ayrshire days before Christmas. Laura Wilkie, 43, was last seen sitting on a bench near Ayr’s Millenium Bridge at around 8.30pm on Monday 18 December. On Wednesday, investigating officers carried out a stop-and-speak operation in the area in an effort to

JD Sports has lost more than a fifth of its stock market value after the retailer downgraded its full-year profit forecast. A trading update by the sportswear chain on Thursday revealed it now expects profit before tax and adjusted items of between £915m and £935m in 2023/24. The figure is down on previous estimates of

Cambridgeshire Police are hunting for a murderer who has breached his licence conditions after being released from prison. Carl Hyde, 67, absconded from an approved premises in Peterborough and is believed to be travelling across the country. He is said to have connections in Reading, Oxford and London. Cambridgeshire Police have released an updated photo

British police are reportedly investigating the sexual abuse of a child’s avatar in the metaverse – prompting the NSPCC to warn that tech firms must do more to protect young users. Online abuse is linked with physical abuse in the real world and can have a devastating impact on victims, the charity’s campaigners said. The

The body of a woman was recovered from a Scots beauty spot on New Year’s Eve. Emergency services scrambled to Den Finella waterfall, near St Cyrus in Aberdeenshire, after the alarm was raised over a woman in the water at around 2pm on Sunday. The popular beauty spot features a 70ft white water drop and

A body has been recovered during the search for a missing fell runner in Cumbria, police have said. Edward Catmur, from the London area, had been reported missing after he had not been heard from since 10am on 31 December. He had been intending to fell run a route to Cross Fell and Hartside Cross,

Rishi Sunak himself declared that 2024 will be an election year – at the least discreet location possible: a Christmas party for political journalists. This year that election will be looming in the background of every issue, whether politicians intend it to or not. The Conservatives – who were last ahead in the polls more

A police officer has been charged with sexual assault on a child. PC Dean Dempster is accused of sexual assault on a child under 13 and misconduct in a public office, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. The 34-year-old, who was posted to GMP’s Oldham district, is due to appear before Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court

Google and Amazon must do more after a British woman made a suicide pact with two people she met online and used the internet to buy poison, a coroner has said. Chloe Macdermott, 43, died in May 2021 after buying a lethal substance from the US on Amazon. An inquest at Inner West London Coroner’s