Many Western cities are facing a growing rat problem, with the animals reproducing faster than ever in a favourable climate, according to research published in Science Advances. Amsterdam, Toronto and New York, among others, are seeing an increase in the number of rodents, and experts warn that the phenomenon may worsen with global warming and growing mountains of waste in cities.more

Darren Cahill, coach of tennis leader Jannik Sinner, assured that the Italian is recovering and will be ready to defend his title in the US Open Grand Slam, which begins on Sunday.more

Notting Hill Carnival is set to take over the streets of London this weekend in a colourful celebration of Caribbean culture. Each year over a million people head to West London to take part in parades, listen to music and eat delicious food.more

Average renters in England are spending more than a third of their income on a home — with cities like London, Bristol and Brighton becoming less affordable, new figures show. People earning a median salary could expect to spend 36.3 per cent of their income on an average-priced rented home in England in 2024, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.more

Barcelona player Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 today, trained full-time with the team for the first time since August 8th, when he suffered a hamstring injury. The Catalan club will face Levante in Valencia on Saturday in the second round of the Spanish top flight.more

Misinformation about benefits, money and government policy has likely been seen by hundreds of thousands of people as fake news has been allowed to feature amongst Google’s top-ranking search results.more

A record 111,000 asylum applications were made to the UK during the year to June, but the government is processing cases faster, new Home Office figures show. This is an increase of 14% from the previous year, and it is higher than the peak of 103,000 in 2002.more

The UK Space Agency will cease to exist as an independent entity to cut the cost of bureaucracy, the government said on Wednesday. It will be absorbed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026.more

Russia announced yesterday that it has imposed an entry ban on 21 people whom it accuses of collaborating with "destructive British media" to spread – as Moscow claims – an anti-Russian narrative.more

The world's oldest living person is celebrating turning 116. Ethel Caterham, who lives in a care home in Lightwater, Surrey, became the oldest living person in April following the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canbarro Lucas aged 116.more

Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud lost to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori 3-6, 7-5, 6-10 in the mixed doubles final of the US Open. The Italian pair were defending the title they won last year in New York.more

Violent political extremism is on the rise in Ireland, Irish police have warned after anti-migrant riots and arson attacks on asylum centres. The Gardai, which is responsible for both policing and state security, said it was maintaining vigilance against the threat, which has been fuelled by the far-Right on social media.more

Britain is in the middle of a wasp boom. Not only have they arrived earlier than expected, but there are more of them than in recent summers. Experts say 2025 is an excellent year for them.more

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced yesterday that the drone that crashed and exploded near Osiny in the Lublin region was a Russian provocation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will protest against the perpetrator, announced Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. The Lublin prosecutor's office is also investigating the explosion.more

London transport is undeniably iconic, but it's not all show, according to a new ranking of global cities' respective public transport infrastructures - it's go, as well. London ranked fifth place overall, in the ranking done by Conde Nast Traveller.more

From Sunday until the end of August, two Polish police officers will be serving alongside the Carabinieri on patrol in Venice and the surrounding area. Both officers are fluent in Italian, and their duties include supporting the Carabinieri in their dealings with Polish tourists, thousands of whom visit the city every year.more

Frenchman Adrien Rabiot and Englishman Jonathan Rowe have been put up for sale by Olympique Marseille following an altercation in the team's dressing room after the first round of the French football league. Their behaviour was described as ‘unacceptable’ in a statement.more

Locals in one of Britain's prettiest market towns say they are “lucky” and “grateful” to have such a thriving high street. Marlborough is a picturesque country town in north-east Wiltshire on the Old Bath Road, the historic road from London to Bath, and the River Kennet.more

The bank holiday weather looks full of uncertainty, with Hurricane Erin potentially bringing unsettled conditions from the Caribbean. But it's not all bad news, writes Sky News.more

Prices in the UK rose by 3.8% in the year to July, driven mainly by a jump in the price of air fares coinciding with the school summer holidays. That means inflation is at its highest level since January 2024 and still far above the Bank of England's target of 2%.more

American Jessica Pegula and Briton Jack Draper will face Iga Swiatek and Norwegian Casper Ruud in the mixed doubles semi-finals of the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on Wednesday night (Polish time).more

New figures suggest that London's council taxpayers are contributing more than ever to fund local policing. more

The last batch of £1 coins bearing the face of the late Queen Elizabeth II is entering circulation, with more than 23 million of them destined for tills and people's pockets. The Royal Mint said the release of the final Elizabeth II coins, dated 2021 and 2022, marks "a pivotal moment in British coinage history".more

Ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel, the only person in the world to have skied down all four eight-thousanders in Karakorum, including K2, is setting off for Mt. Everest for the third time and wants to make a historic ski descent from the world's highest mountain without the aid of bottled oxygen.more

From September 1st, Lidl employees in the UK will earn more. Thanks to the fifth pay rise in two years, Lidl will invest over £70 million in wages, according to industry magazine Grocery Trader. The new rates will apply across the UK and exceed both the real minimum wage and the London minimum wage.more