The number of cigarettes smoked in Britain every year has been revealed in a shocking new study from Cancer Research UK and University College London (UCL). Smokers are getting through an estimated 28.6 billion cigarettes each year on average, equating to 78 million every daymore

The cost of renting in the UK has seen a sharp rise over the last few years, new data shows, increasing by an average of £221 a month in just three years. This makes the cost of renting 21 per cent more expensive than three years ago, the analysis by Zoopla finds, far outstripping inflation.more

NHS bosses are putting patients at risk of harm in the upcoming doctors' strike, the British Medical Association says. The union believes NHS England's plan to limit the number of routine treatments being cancelled will stretch senior doctors covering for striking resident doctors too thinly.more

Former world number one tennis player, American Venus Williams, made a successful return to the courts after a break of more than a year. In the first doubles round of the WTA 500 tournament in Washington, she and her compatriot Hailey Baptiste defeated the Eugenie Bouchard - Clervie Ngounoue (Canada, USA) pairing 6:3, 6:1.more

The parliamentary committee overseeing the activities of the UK's intelligence services (ISC) has announced the launch of an investigation into the leak of personal data of 19,000 Afghans and more than 100 British spies and secret service agents, the BBC reported today.more

In 2026, entrepreneurs will pay almost PLN 153 more per month to ZUS, or PLN 1,836 per year, according to the latest government forecasts, as reported in today's “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”.more

Bryan Mbeumo has moved from Brentford to Manchester United for £65m. The Cameroonian footballer scored 20 goals and made eight assists in the Premier League last season.more

Superbugs, or antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, could kill millions of people by 2050 and cost the global economy an estimated $1.7 trillion a year, says a report published by the think tank Centre for Global Development (CGD). People in China, the US and the EU will be most affected.more

Hunter Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, explained yesterday that his father went badly at last year's presidential debate with Donald Trump because he was given a sleeping pill.more

The UK government has today given final approval for the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, eastern England. The cost of the investment is £38bn. The plant is expected to provide power to six million homes and is scheduled to be operational in the 2030s.more

Magdalena Frech and Magda Linette won their opening matches and advanced to the second round of the WTA hard-court tennis tournament in Washington (prize pool $1.28 million). Both must wait for their next opponents to emerge.more

In 2024, the average duration of working life in the European Union is expected to be almost 37.2 years, according to Eurostat data. Over the past 10 years, this indicator has increased by 2.4 years - from 34.8 years in 2014.more

The UK yesterday announced new sanctions on Russian shipping company Intershipping Services LLC and oil trader Litasco Middle East DMCC. The government explains that this is another blow aimed at an energy sector crucial to Vladimir Putin.more

Wizz Air will launch 11 routes from Warsaw-Modlin airport, most of them from December this year. It will also move two aircraft to Modlin, the airline announced on Friday. Wizz Air stopped operating from Modlin at the end of 2012 due to runway damage and the suspension of flights from the airport.more

Plans to almost triple the size of the Wimbledon tennis site are set to proceed after a campaign group's legal challenge against the decision to grant planning permission was dismissed by a High Court judge. The proposal which had been approved by the Greater London Authority (GLA) includes thirty-eight new tennis courts and an 8-thousand seat stadium.more

Bournemouth has been voted the best beach in the UK, with holidaymakers praising its miles of sand and attractions including a zipline. A survey of 70,000 people found other popular beaches include Bamburgh in the North East, Brighton in East Sussex, St Ives and Newquay in Cornwall, and Llandudno in Wales.more

People retiring in 2050 will be worse off than pensioners today, the government has warned, unless action is taken to boost retirement savings. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is reviving the Pensions Commission, which first reported nearly 20 years ago, to look at how to tackle the issue.more

The cost of applying for a free travel card for older Londoners is to almost double. Transport for London has announce that it will increase the cost of obtaining a 60+ Oyster card from £20 to £35. In addition, the annual eligibility check – an administrative process required to retain the perk – will increase from £10 to £18.more

Foreign ministers from 25 countries, including Poland, today called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the British diplomatic department reported. According to the politicians, the current Israeli model of providing aid to Palestinians ‘deprives them of their human dignity’.more

Iga Swiatek is still ranked third in the world tennis ranking. There was no change in the entire top 10. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka is still the leader, with American Coco Gauff in second place. Meanwhile, Italian Jannik Sinner continues to lead the world tennis ranking. Hubert Hurkacz, currently pausing for health reasons, has moved up from 41st to 38th.more

Job hunters face significant financial losses and potential criminal records from scam advertisements, Lloyds Bank has warned, reporting a staggering 237 per cent surge in "advanced fee" job scams this year. more

From the beginning of this year until 25 May, 211,678 cholera cases and 2,754 deaths have been reported worldwide in 26 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, according to updated WHO data. In Europe, there have only been isolated cases, with some people experiencing them after returning from Ethiopia.more

Liverpool are continuing their transfer offensive. According to the media, the English champions will acquire Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt. The transfer amount is expected to be around €95 million. The 23-year-old French footballer scored 22 goals and recorded 12 assists in 48 games last season.more

Converting Alcatraz Island back into a maximum security prison could cost around $2 billion, the Axios website reported on Friday, citing sources in the US administration. The opening of the prison was announced by President Donald Trump.more

Researchers at Scotland's University of Dundee have found that a routine computerised eye examination can reveal the risk of heart attack and stroke occurring in the next 10 years. The AI-based technology used is able to determine this in less than one minute.more