School attendance rates are being affected by parents working from home after the pandemic, the head of Ofsted has said. The chief inspector of the schools watchdog in England, Martyn Oliver, told the Sunday Times that the widespread change in working habits after the pandemic had led to a shift in attitudes among pupils.more

Smell loss was a defining symptom of Covid, and for some people, a curse. Most people regain their sense of smell as their infection fades, but some never recover. It means not being able to tell if milk is off, if there’s a gas leak or what your newborn baby smells like.more

Met Office says snowfall may continue briefly in parts of UK before milder conditions well above February average. The UK will have warmer weather this week and sunshine in a number of areas on Monday, forecasters have said. After snow and torrential rain in parts of the country over the weekend, rising temperatures will bring a welcome respite.more

The rapid decline in the number of pharmacies across London has been laid bare by a new map. Nearly 9 in 10 (87 percent) of London boroughs have seen at least one pharmacy close permanently in the last two years due to unprecedented funding cuts, according to data from the National Pharmacy Association. more

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week, a Downing Street spokesman said today. The politicians are expected to discuss trade, investment and security.more

University leaders have urged England’s higher education regulator to rethink its priorities, saying that smaller institutions will be financially harmed by increasing costs of its bureaucracy.more

An advert by fashion brand Next has been banned because the model's pose and the camera angle gave the impression she was "unhealthily thin". The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) compared the advert with other photos of the same model and did not think she looked unhealthily thin in those.more

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is "ready and willing" to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal. The UK prime minister said securing a lasting peace in Ukraine was "essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future".more

Edward Berger's film "Conclave" received four BAFTA awards last night, including best film. Brady Corbet's "The Brutalist" won the same number of awards. Two awards went to the creators of Jesse Eisenberg's "True Pain," shot in Poland.more

Sir John Major has accused Donald Trump of “cuddling” up to Vladimir Putin as he warned that “tin-pot” dictators around the world would be emboldened if the US agrees on a deal that leaves Russia in control of Ukrainian territory.more

Norovirus appears to be peaking in London, new data suggests as hospitalisations jumped by 46 per cent in a week.more

The UK military is "so run down" it could not lead any future peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, the former head of the Army has said. Lord Dannatt told the BBC that up to 40,000 UK troops would be needed for such a mission and "we just haven't got that number available".more

A single UK ticket-holder has scooped a £65m EuroMillions jackpot by winning the draw on Valentine's Day. The winning numbers were 04, 14, 31, 36 and 38 with Lucky Stars 03 and 10.more

Boys born in the UK in 2023 can expect to live on average to the age of 86.7, and girls to 90, latest data suggest, external. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says figures show a continued trend of longer life expectancy for men and women. more

Following a court decision, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that 57,000 benefit claimants will receive payouts totalling up to £5,000.more

Illegal imported sweets that contain banned additives linked to cancer and behavioural problems are “flooding UK high streets”, councils have said. The warning first came from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), which said that demand for American confectionery was being driven by influencers on social media platforms.more

Scores of firefighters took more than five hours to tackle a blaze at a five-star hotel in Marylebone in central London that forced the evacuation of 100 guests. An investigation has been launched over the blaze at the Chiltern Firehouse - a hotel which is a celebrity hotspot and has hosted A-listers including Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp.more

Tickets for British band Black Sabbath's July concert in Birmingham sold out within 16 minutes. The legendary group, formed in 1968, will perform alongside Ozzy Osbourne, who left the band in 1979 to embark on a solo career. The musicians will perform at a benefit concert on 5 July.more

Three people have lived in the deserted cathedral in the past two years, with each occupant — an electrician, a sound engineer and a journalist — paying a monthly fee to live in the priest’s quarters. The cathedral is managed by Live-in Guardians, a company finding occupants for disused properties, including schools, libraries and pubs, across Britain. more

The number of foreign workers seeking help over claims of exploitation, bullying, underpayment and poor living conditions on UK farms significantly increased last year, the BBC has learned.more

Questions have been raised about the accuracy of the chancellor's online CV, and the use of expenses while working at a bank, in the wake of a BBC News investigation. Rachel Reeves and two colleagues were the subject of an expenses probe while she was a senior manager at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) in the late 2000s.more

Private parking rules are set to change to ensure motorists are not unfairly penalised if they do not pay within five minutes.more

British Airways has announced its applications for new pilots are open with those dreaming of a career in the sky encouraged to apply. The airline’s Speedbird Pilot Academy is giving people the opportunity to become a pilot with no cost.more

We are accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine, British Defense Minister John Healey said yesterday, commenting on the conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who announced the start of negotiations to end the war.more

The UK will be keen to convince the US that its steel and aluminium products should be exempt from tariffs because of their key role in the US defence sector and supply chain, UK Trade Minister Jonathan Reynolds announced yesterday.more