Two migrants died in French waters while trying to cross the English Channel in a small boat. Around 50 people who were also on that boat were rescued and taken to France, a UK government spokesman said.more

Thunderstorm warnings have been issued for parts of the UK, as a plume of heat looks set to make Monday the hottest day of the year so far. The Met Office has issued two yellow thunderstorm warnings which affect Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland tonight and into Monday morning.more

Technology that identifies people at risk of a heart attack in the next 10 years has been hailed as "game changing" by scientists. The artificial intelligence (AI) model detects inflammation in the heart that does not show up on CT scans, which involve a combination of X-rays and computer technology.more

A special set of stamps is being issued to mark the "myth and legend, ceremony and tradition" of the Tower of London. Royal Mail has partnered with Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the Tower, to produce 10 stamps that depict images of the history and buildings of the world-famous landmark.more

The NHS in England has had its busiest summer ever in A&E with 4.6m attendances over the past two months, while 1.5m hospital appointments were rescheduled because of the junior doctors’ strikes, according to the latest figures.more

Organised crime groups have been targeting empty shops and pubs in town centres to grow cannabis on an industrial scale, say police bosses. Over the last year, raids have been carried out in dozens of properties, from an old toy shop in Ayr, Scotland, to a former bank in Welshpool, Powys.more

Asda sales dropped further over the latest quarter as the debt-laden grocery giant lost more customers to its largest rivals. Bosses at the UK’s third-largest supermarket chain admitted it has seen its share of the grocery market shrink in recent months.more

A fisherman from Devon has landed the first shark of its kind - one made of Lego lost at sea off a cargo ship 27 years ago.more

Ocado is testing offering everyday products such as pasta, rice and washing liquid in refillable packaging in a first by an online supermarket. The scheme will trial a reusable vessel that can take food or laundry products with no extra costs for customers.more

The number of overseas workers and students applying to come to the UK has fallen after curbs on visas introduced by the previous government. Workers and their family members applying on skilled worker, health and care, and study visas fell by more than a third in July to 91,300 compared with last year.more

Huw Edwards has been asked to hand back more than £200,000 in salary he earned after his arrest for making indecent images of children.more

Odeon has confirmed it is shutting its Covent Garden cinema this weekend and its Surrey Quays branch a week later, prompting disappointment from film fans. The Covent Garden cinema is closing down on Sunday (August 11), while the Surrey Quays branch will follow suit the following Sunday, on August 18.more

In the UK, the first people who fuelled the riots sweeping the country in recent days with their social media posts were sentenced to prison terms yesterday.more

The largest English vineyards increased their revenues by 15% last year, as wine investors respond to the climate crisis by planting more vines. While the UK still languishes well down the list of the largest wine-producing nations, below countries such as Uzbekistan and Tunisia, the industry’s output has soared in recent years, rising by 77% last year to 161,960 hectolitres, equivalent to 21.6m more

Zoopla puts average viewing time at 49 minutes, as eye tracking study shows focus on mirrors and plants, not floors and walls...more

A new group of Covid-19 variants, known collectively as FLiRT, have driven up infection rates in the UK over the summer. The latest weekly figures show that cases - which have been rising - remained stable.more

Reports of antisemitic incidents in the UK in the first half of this year have reached another record high, according to figures from a Jewish security charity. From January to June 2024, the Community Security Trust (CST) recorded reports of 1,978 anti-Jewish hate incidents, up from 964 in the first half of 2023.more

Banksy’s latest animal-themed artwork has been stolen from London just hours after it went on display. The latest piece is a stencil of a wolf howling towards the sky, painted on what appears to be a satellite dish on top of a building on Rye Lane in Peckham, south-east London.more

British Airways will drop its flights to Beijing from October, as it feels the impact of being banned from Russian airspace. Western airlines have been banned from flying over Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.more

Despite being in the height of summer, tickets for London’s highly anticipated Winter Wonderland are now on sale. On Thursday, August 1, tickets went on sale for the iconic festive event which will return for six weeks from November 21, 2024, through to January 5, 2025.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last night called on police to "keep high vigilance" even as the wave of riots that have swept across the country in recent days appears to be subsiding.more

Cold, wet weather and climate change have led to a lack of wasps across the UK, according to experts. Each summer, wasps across the country capture about 14 million kilograms of insects such as caterpillars and greenfly, making them helpful to gardeners.more

Survey reveals net fall in permanent jobs last month amid lengthening slowdown in employment market.more

Temperatures could soar over 30C in some parts of the UK over the weekend and early part of next week. Sunday and Monday are expected to be the hottest days, with temperatures of up to the "mid-30s" expected in the south east of England, according to BBC Weather.more

Budget airline EasyJet is launching a recruitment drive aimed at people aged over 50. The campaign is called Returnships and the company is offering taster sessions at its London Gatwick training centre.more