The United Nations has urged the UK to take action to curb racist hate speech, including by politicians, in a report published on Friday. It noted the persistence of hate speech published in mainstream media, online, and spread by politicians and public figures.more

Councillors in Edinburgh have voted for the introduction of a tourist tax aimed at raising up to £50m a year. The city will become the first in Scotland to charge a transient visitor levy (TVL) on stays, with profits used to fund improvements to the capital.more

One of the rarest and largest species of spider in the UK is said to be making a comeback on nature reserves. cvAfter facing near extinction over the last century, the UK’s population of fen raft spiders is steadily increasing, and numbers are at a record high this year, according to the conservation charity RSPB.more

McDonald's plans to open over 200 restaurants across the UK and Ireland over the next four years in a £1bn expansion drive. "Drive to" restaurants - with a car park, a small seating area, and no drive-through - and "other smaller formats" will be tested as part of the new offer.more

Building society staff surprised to receive card believed to date back to 1903 and addressed to Lydia Davies. In the age of next-day deliveries and speedy shipping from all corners of the world, the days of waiting around for a letter or package were thought to be over. In Swansea, however, staff at a building society were taken aback after receiving a postcard that was delivered 121 years late.more

Beauty brand Avon Products, known for its door-to-door saleswomen, became the latest business to file for bankruptcy as a way to resolve mass lawsuits alleging that its talc products contained cancer-causing asbestos.more

Keir Starmer spoke to President Xi Jinping of China yesterday. The Prime Minister began by setting out his priorities for his government, including national security, secure borders and economic stability. The leaders discussed areas of shared collaboration, and potential areas of cooperation between the UK and China, including on trade, the economy and education.more

Voi, which already operates e-scooters in the capital, has said it wants to ‘generate as many rides as possible with as few vehicles as possible’.more

Notting Hill Carnival returns to west London this August bank holiday for the 56th year. Carnival is one of the longest running street parties in the world and the largest street party in Europe. Over two million people, including thousands of tourists, attend each year to follow the three-mile (5km) parade.more

A new Pet Abduction Act law is coming into effect from this Saturday, August 24. Under the Pet Abduction Act 2024, anyone found guilty of stealing a pet in England or Northern Ireland will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.more

Official statistics reveal fewer people are seeking to come from abroad to work in the NHS or in social care. The statistics reveal that the outgoing Conservative government granted some 286,382 work visas overall in the year to June 2024 - 11% down on the previous year.more

Nearly three-quarters of Britons are worried about rightwing extremism after anti-migrant riots, polling has found, with increasing numbers concerned about societal divisions.more

A University of Dundee student is offering a glimpse into 1990’s Poland through a 3D visualisation of her grandmother’s living room. Justyna Butkiewicz emigrated from Poland to Scotland with her parents and sister when she was only seven years old, leaving behind her family and the place she called home.more

Lancashire Police said its officers were forced to shoot the dog to prevent it from causing further harm to others.more

Waitrose is to open up to 100 new convenience stores over the next five years as part of a £1 billion overhaul.more

King Charles will shift the royal fleet of cars to electric vehicles under new plans unveiled by Buckingham Palace. The eco-conscious King intends to swap the royal collection of vehicles for green alternatives in the “next few years” in a bid to reduce the Palace’s impact on climate change.more

The EU is planning to introduce a €7 (£6) EU visa waiver for some non-EU citizens, including Britons, by summer 2025. Under new rules, visitors from a list of non-EU countries, including the UK, will need to apply for a waiver, similar to a US Esta, before travelling to 30 countries in Europe. more

The number of new child benefit claims rose in April, after the government changed the rules on how much parents can earn and still be eligible. There were 86,656 new claims made, which was up 16% on the previous month, a BBC Freedom of Information (FoI) request has found.more

Britain is set for the busiest August bank holiday getaway on the roads in nearly a decade, with severe delays expected on routes towards the Leeds and Reading music festivals, despite overseas tourists continuing to stay away.more

Some of the UK's government-funded development aid to poor countries actually goes to regions with a higher GDP per capita than large areas of the UK, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) think tank pointed out in a report published yesterday.more

Pakistani police yesterday announced that a cyber-terrorism charge has been brought against a man who played a key role in spreading fake news that the 17-year-old killer of three girls in Southport, UK, was a Muslim asylum seeker.more

A 29-year-old woman and her three children - aged nine years, five years and 22 months - died yesterday in Bradford in the north of England in a fire at their home, which police suspect was deliberately set.more

Home Office ministers have promised a "large surge" in returns flights for failed asylum seekers and others with no right to be in the UK. Plans include 100 more new intelligence officers to target people smuggling gangs and reopening immigration removal centres in Hampshire and Oxfordshire, adding 290 beds. more

Two members of cabin crew were injured on an easyJet flight from Corfu to London as the plane was hit by strong turbulence. Pilots on the flight to Gatwick from the Greek island were forced to divert the plane and land at Rome with some 181 people onboard. The crew members who were injured were about to serve food onboard the flight when chaos broke out, reports the MailOnline.more

Tesco has said it is increasing the price of its popular lunchtime meal deal. The price of the deal, which includes a sandwich, pasta or salad, a snack and a drink, currently costs £3.40 for customers with a Tesco Clubcard.more