UK

The Welsh parliament has voted to set up a COVID-19 inquiry committee – but campaigners say it does not go far enough. There have been calls to establish a COVID-19 public inquiry to focus specifically on the decisions taken by the Welsh government, which often acted at different time and on different advice to the

The owner of Facebook and Instagram has begun rolling out a paid verification service in the UK. Meta’s subscription service can be compared to “Twitter Blue” which gives users of the social media platform a blue tick from £9.99 a month. Facebook and Instagram users can sign up for Meta Verified. The service requires users

An allegation of serious sexual assault made against MP Julian Knight is being looked into by Essex Police, after the case was referred to them by another force. The Metropolitan Police confirmed in December that it was carrying out an investigation into the then-Conservative MP, who had the party whip withdrawn after the inquiry was

A dog which refused to walk had to be rescued from England’s highest mountain by a team of 13 in an operation which lasted more than four hours. The “injured and exhausted” pooch, who was reportedly named Rocky and of the Akita breed, remained “cool, calm and positively regal” throughout the rescue by the Keswick

An investigation has been launched after an 11-year-old boy holding a knife was tasered by police at a holiday park.  Officers were called to Craig Tara Caravan Park near Ayr at about 11.15pm on 22 March after reports of a disturbance. Footage, obtained by the Scottish Sun, shows several police officers approach a boy who

A nurse accused of murdering seven babies photographed a thank you card from the parents of two of her alleged victims as “something to remember”, a court has heard. Lucy Letby, 33, said it was not unusual for her to take photos of cards she had sent and received. She is on trial at Manchester

A former Metropolitan Police officer missed an opportunity to properly investigate two incidents of flashing by Wayne Couzens just hours before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, a policy disciplinary hearing was told today. Former police constable Samantha Lee allegedly failed to make “the correct investigative inquiries” when Couzens exposed himself to female staff

Pat Cullen, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), has called on Health Secretary Stephen Barclay to restart pay negotiations with a double-digit pay rise. RCN members will be balloted again for strike action on 23 May after the existing six-month mandate ran out at the start of the month. Ms Cullen

Sweden has won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, with singer Loreen making history as the first woman to win more than once after first taking the crown back in 2012. The 39-year-old’s win for dance-pop anthem Tattoo also means Sweden has drawn level with Ireland for the country with the most Eurovision wins – seven

The day that Love Island winner Finley Tapp parted company with his childhood club – MK Dons – he cried. He was 19 and his career was over before it had really taken off, or so he thought. Having played in the academy at Milton Keynes from the age of eight and having received his

A woman in her 80s who was hit by a police motorbike that was escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh is reportedly in a coma. Helen Holland, 81, from Birchanger, Essex – named by the BBC – was left in a critical condition after the collision at around 3.21pm on Wednesday in west London. Her family

Police are preparing to dig for the remains of a missing student after an alleged confession to her murder by serial killer Levi Bellfield. The former nightclub bouncer told detectives, in a prison interview this week, that he had hidden her body in woodland 24 years ago. Elizabeth Chau, 19, a computer studies student at

The King has marked his coronation with a new family portrait of himself with his two heirs to the throne, Prince William and Prince George. The photograph of the monarch alongside his son and grandson was shot in Buckingham Palace’s throne room on the day he was crowned in Westminster Abbey. It shows the King

A football club has announced it has retired a shirt number in honour of a six-year-old boy who died suddenly. Tributes have been pouring in for schoolboy Jack Stewart, who died on Sunday. The Sidlaw View Primary School pupil had been a Dundee West FC player from the age of three. As well as retiring

Prince Harry has scored an early victory in his latest phone hacking trial, after the publisher of the Daily Mirror apologised for ordering the unlawful gathering of information. It comes on the first day of the prince’s legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). In court documents released at the start of the trial, MGN

Prices have increased at the world’s largest holiday company and are now “notably higher” than just three months ago. The average selling price at Tui has increased 5%, which the company has described as “notably higher” than the 2% price increase reported in the first three months of its 2023 financial year. In its half-year

The King has undertaken his first official engagement since his coronation by breaking ground for a new laboratory aimed at speeding up the development of net zero aviation. The 74-year-old toured Cambridge University’s Whittle Laboratory, which recently secured funding to develop a new £58m lab. Walking to perform the ceremonial breaking of the ground, where

Lancashire Police will not face any action over its handling of the disappearance of Nicola Bulley after investigations by two watchdogs. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced it will not be taking any enforcement action against the force over its disclosure of her personal information. Meanwhile, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has

The body of a “badly decomposed” minke whale has been removed from a Scottish beach after washing up at the weekend. The mammal’s carcass was cordoned off from members of the public after the alarm was raised in North Berwick on Sunday. The incident follows a number of other recent whale deaths. The body of

A 17-year-old boy has been stabbed to death in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in a “targeted attack”. A second 17-year-old boy was also hurt in the Sunday evening attack but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. Police are searching for four suspects, who all had their faces covered at the time. No arrests have