UK

Police Scotland officers are threatening legal action against plans to ban beards on the frontline from this month. Sky News understands the new clean-shaven policy will come into action in the coming weeks, forcing hundreds of staff to shave off their facial hair. The force said the move was to comply with face-fitted PPE masks.

A Nigerian senator, his wife and a medical “middleman” have been jailed for conspiring to traffic a market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney. Politician Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and 25-year-old daughter Sonia stood trial accused of a conspiracy to bring the man to Britain from Lagos for his organ.

King Charles will be crowned on Saturday 6 May 2023, but celebrations will take place all weekend – including processions, a concert and nationwide lunches. Confused about what’s happening where and who’s curtseying to whom? Read on for Sky News’ ultimate guide to the coronation weekend. When and what time is the King’s coronation? The

Polls have closed in this year’s crunch local elections – with results expected to start rolling in from midnight. Voters are deciding who runs services in 230 (out of 317) local authorities in England, with around 8,000 councillors’ seats up for grabs. Mayors are also being chosen in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough in what

The body of a humpback whale has washed up at a loch in the Scottish Highlands. The mammal’s carcass was discovered on a sandbank at Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve, about 30 miles north of Inverness. NatureScot confirmed the death and said it had been reported to the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS). British

“God Save the King” – four words unlikely to be on the lips of many Jamaicans at the weekend during the Coronation of King Charles. “Happy and glorious” – also a long stretch. In a world exclusive, a senior Jamaican government minister has told Sky News that the Coronation of the King has accelerated the

Shakespeare and the Spice Girls were used by environmental protestors to repeatedly disrupt the Barclays annual general meeting (AGM) in central London on Wednesday morning. Activists from Extinction Rebellion, Fossil Free London and Climate Choir were protesting the UK high street bank’s investment in new fossil fuel projects despite heavy security at the AGM venue.

A US Navy vessel which tipped over in a dry dock, leaving dozens injured, is back in the water. Thirty five people were hurt when RV Petrel became dislodged from its holding and toppled to a 45-degree angle at Imperial Dock in Leith, Edinburgh, in March. More than a month later, the 3,371-tonne vessel has

World Health Organization officials have said COVID is no longer a global health emergency. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat.” In May last year, WHO experts said the end

Dogs may be at risk of lead poisoning after “very high” concentrations from shotgun pellets were found in raw pheasant pet food. After testing out samples of raw pheasant dog food, researchers from the University of Cambridge discovered that the majority contained high levels of lead, which could put dogs’ health at risk if they

A body recovered from the River Thames in Gloucestershire has been confirmed as the teenager who went missing over the bank holiday weekend. Jake Smith, 17, from Swindon went missing after playing with some friends in the river near Lechlade-on-Thames on Sunday evening. He didn’t resurface after going into the water. Some of those who

A nurse accused of murdering seven babies at a neonatal unit has denied harming any children as she gave evidence for the first time. Lucy Letby is also accused of 10 attempted murders between 2015 and 2016, allegedly using methods such as injecting air into the babies or poisoning them with insulin. The prosecution alleges

A nurse accused of murdering seven babies has denied harming any children as she gave evidence for the first time, crying at one point as she told the court “everything is just gone”. Lucy Letby is also accused of 10 attempted murders between 2015 and 2016, allegedly using methods such as injecting air into the

Food prices increased by a record high of 15.7% last month as pressure continues to mount on household finances. Fresh food prices saw a record jump of 17.8% year-on-year for April, while the price of ambient products, such as tinned goods and other store-cupboard items, went up 12.9%. The latest figures come as the average

A body has been found in the search for a teenager who went missing in the River Thames near Lechlade-on-Thames. Police were called at around 10pm on Sunday after a 17-year-old boy failed to resurface after going into the water in the River Thames near Lechlade-on-Thames in Gloucestershire. A group of five people had been

Police are continuing to search for a teenager who went missing in the River Thames in Gloucestershire on Sunday evening. The boy had been with three others at the “location together” near Lechlade-on-Thames. Some of the group had entered the water to try to find him, police said. The National Police Air Service, Gloucestershire Fire

The King’s Coronation Concert will feature a Union Flag-shaped stage. Around 20,000 members of the public are expected to attend the event next Saturday where they will be greeted by a stage lit in red, white and blue against the background of the East terrace of Windsor Castle, according to mock-up pictures released by the

Each day Ron and Maxine Flewett wait for the phone to ring, hoping it is the news they have waited 20 months for. Mr Flewett has a health condition causes scarring on the lungs – he relies on a constant supply of oxygen and now he is waiting for a transplant. His wife, who is

England have won the woman’s Six Nations rugby grand slam after beating France 38-33 at Twickenham. England led 33-0 at halftime following a ruthless first half display, scoring five tries. But France came back strongly in the second half, scoring three tries of their own. The Red Roses managed to add another to their haul,

The body of a man recovered by officers investigating the death of a pregnant teacher has been formally identified as her partner David Yates. Police Scotland officers made the discovery at Mugdock Reservoir on Thursday. The search was under way for Yates, 36, after Marelle Sturrock, 35, was found dead in a property in Glasgow’s