Rents for new lets have increased by 6.6% in the year to April, but this is the slowest annual rise for two-and-a-half years, according to Zoopla. The property portal said the average rent on a new let had risen by £80 a month compared with a year earlier. Although demand had eased, there were still 15 people on average chasing every home for rent.more

The UK construction sector’s recovery gathered pace in May as it grew at the fastest rate for two years, according to new data. Building firms said momentum improved on the back of rising workloads, which drove them to take on more staff and buy more materials.more

Elections to the European Parliament will be held in Poland this Sunday. On the same day, Poles living in Great Britain who registered on the electoral roll by June 4 will be able to cast their votes at 49 polling points designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.more

Amazon has said it will now offer grocery deliveries to all UK customers, after previously only offering the service to Prime members. The retail technology giant said customers in more than 100 towns and cities across the UK would now be able to get same-day delivery without needing to be a member of its subscription service.more

The Nordic countries are “way ahead” of the UK in telecoms infrastructure and the government should look again at planning laws to help improve poor connectivity, the boss of BT has said.more

Wales has been named the second best country in the world for recycling and is within touching distance of the top spot, new analysis shows. Wales is listed just behind Austria in the global rankings, with both countries managing to recycle 59% of their waste.more

Franciszka Themerson documented the wartime experience in a poignant way and now, with the wars close at hand, her work takes on added significance, says Hilary Floe, curator of the Polish artist's exhibition opening in London.more

Earlier this year, the Guardian quoted Conservative MP Danny Kruger as having said the country was in a worse state than it was in 2010 when the party first came to power. With an election a month away, Rishi Sunak’s re-election chances look very shaky given that the public overwhelmingly agree with Kruger’s assessment.more

Imperial College London has been ranked as the UK’s top university and the second best in the world, beating Oxford and Cambridge for the first time. A new international league table reveals that Imperial has ended years of Oxbridge dominance, and risen from sixth place to second in the world – behind only Massachusetts Institute of Tehcnology (MIT) in the United States.more

A cyber-attack thought to have been carried out by a Russian group has forced London NHS hospitals to resurrect long-discarded paper records systems in which porters hand-deliver blood test results because IT networks are disrupted.more

Eight in 10 primary schoolteachers in England are spending their own money to buy items for pupils who are increasingly arriving at school hungry and without adequate clothing, according to new research.more

The First Minister of Wales Vaughan Gething lost a vote of no confidence in the local parliament yesterday. Although it was non-binding and Gething has stated that he does not intend to resign, it will be difficult for him to continue in power effectively.more

On Tuesday, Lieutenant Mieczysław Frąckiewicz (John Franklin), radio operator of the 304th Bomb Squadron, the oldest in Great Britain - and perhaps the last - veteran of the Polish Air Force, died.more

Yesterday, King Charles III of Great Britain, paying tribute to the soldiers who took part in the Normandy landings 80 years ago, emphasized that thanks to their sacrifice, "tyranny was replaced by freedom." "We are all their eternal debtors," recalled the British monarch.more

The medical treatment regulator for England has approved a second drug to combat obesity, giving patients and doctors what it says is a more effective alternative to semaglutide. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) issued draft guidance on Tuesday recommending that very obese people should be prescribed tirzepatide, which is marketed in the UK as Mounjaro.more

Police have arrested a passenger after a flight from Edinburgh had to be diverted to Bristol following reports of a "sexual offence" being committed on the plane.more

Consumer spending growth is at its weakest in more than three years as higher council tax bills and the rising cost of broadband and mobile phones eat into household budgets, a report has said.more

Asda is now the UK’s most expensive supermarket fuel seller, research shows, after the retailer’s private owners ditched its long-held pledge to be the cheapest on the market.more

Two people have been arrested after Nigel Farage had a milkshake thrown over him while launching his personal election campaign in Clacton. The Reform UK leader was leaving a pub after carrying out media interviews when a woman appeared to hurl a McDonald's banana milkshake over his face and suit jacket.more

New banknotes featuring the portrait of King Charles III have now entered circulation, but it may be some time before they are commonly seen in wallets and purses. The new Bank of England notes will gradually replace those which are damaged, or will be issued when demand increases.more

Many medical procedures at several London hospitals were canceled or diverted yesterday due to a major cyberattack that targeted a laboratory testing company, the London branch of the NHS said.more

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have faced off in the first TV debate of the general election, with heated exchanges over tax, the NHS and immigration. The Conservative and Labour leaders got scrappy at times, forcing the host of the ITV event to intervene and urge the pair to "lower your voices".more

All five horses, which were injured when they escaped from a military trial in central London in April and galloped around the city on their own, are recovering, and three of them are likely to take part in the King's Birthday Parade next Saturday, the British Ministry of Defense said.more

Amazon Prime Video has removed a film from its library after receiving one Ofcom complaint. Filipino film Pamasahe, which was released in 2022, was found to be in breach of the regulator’s code, with the removal coming after the recent passing of the Media Bill in the UK’s House of Lords.more

London is full of hidden secrets and forgotten oddities. But to have hidden an island in the middle of the River Thames is a feat impressive even for the mysterious city.more