Millions of people will be able to set their own contactless card payment limits or even have no limit at all, a regulator has confirmed. Banks and card providers will be given the power, from March, to set a maximum - or unlimited - single payment amount without the need to enter a four-digit PIN.more

Pope Leo XIV yesterday appointed Bishop Richard Moth as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the Primate of England and Wales, the Vatican announced. He will replace Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is retiring and has led the local Catholic community since 2009.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has nominated career diplomat Christian Turner as ambassador to the US, the Prime Minister's Office announced yesterday. Turner will replace Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed due to his past ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.more

One London borough has earned the unwelcome distinction of being branded the most miserable place to reside in the UK. Property platform Rightmove released its yearly Happy at Home Index, which polls thousands of inhabitants across more than 200 locations to identify the most content places nationwide.more

Travellers in and around London are being urged to plan ahead as a series of major rail closures, engineering works and reduced services are set to affect journeys over the Christmas and New Year period. more

Human remains found by police have been confirmed as those of a woman who disappeared nearly 20 years ago. Malgorzata Wnuczek, 27, from Poland, was living in Leicester when she went missing on 31 May 2006.more

A number of UK supermarkets have slashed their veggie prices to as little as 5p in a bid to entice last-minute shoppers as they stock up ahead of Christmas.more

British Trade Minister Chris Bryant announced today that the government in London had been the victim of a cyberattack in October. Earlier, The Sun newspaper reported that a Chinese group had hacked into government systems to gain access to Foreign Office data, according to Reuters.more

A London court has postponed its decision on the extradition of Michał Kuczmierowski, former head of the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves (RARS), until 27 February 2026, his lawyer Adam Gomoła announced yesterday. He noted that regardless of the court's decision, both parties will appeal.more

The phrase "ghost jobs" might sound like something from Halloween, but it refers to the practice of employers advertising vacancies that don't exist. In some cases the positions may have already been filled, but in others the job might not have ever been available. It's a real and continuing problem on both sides of the Atlantic.more

Scaredy cat Brits aren't irrational in their fears as they're based on ancient survival instincts, according to a brain boffin. Skittish Brits' fears of heights, snakes and spiders aren't unfounded, with many rooted in evolutionary traits to survive in the wild, a psychologist claims.more

Net migration to the UK could rise to about 300,000 by the end of the decade, a leading government adviser has said. Prof Brian Bell, the chair of the migration advisory committee, said the overall migration figure would jump “in the medium term” from the current level of 204,000 as the numbers of overseas students and workers rose againmore

The weather may seem particularly dull and overcast at the moment, but there have been enough clear skies over the past 12 months for 2025 to rank as the UK’s sunniest year on record.more

The Government is considering offering free TV licences to benefits claimants as part of proposed reforms to the licence fee. More than half of Britain’s poorer households were falling behind with payments, according to a review of the BBC’s Royal Charter.more

The ITAKA Foundation – Center for the Search for Missing People, at the request of the family and in cooperation with the police, is conducting a search for the missing Angelika Drewicz.more

A British citizen fighting in the Ukrainian army has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for ‘mercenary activities’ by a court in Russian-occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, AFP reported today.more

Dentists in England will be paid more to see patients in need of urgent treatment under new reforms published by the Government. It comes as a report suggests dental vouchers worth £150 a year should be introduced in a bid to “end the postcode lottery” of care.more

The final hearing in the extradition case of Michał Kuczmierowski, former head of the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves (he has consented to the disclosure of his name), began today at 10:00 a.m. (11:00 a.m. in Poland) at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, where the trial is taking place.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced yesterday before the House of Commons that he is prepared to release the frozen assets of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, former owner of Chelsea FC, in order to help Ukraine. This was in response to a question from a Member of Parliament regarding the United Kingdom's support for Ukraine.more

London has been named the kindest city in the UK at Christmas, outranking Liverpool and Manchester, according to new research. A study of 2,000 adults commissioned by Santander found that one in three Britons say they are more inclined to carry out random acts of kindness during December.more

Falls in food, alcohol, and clothing prices last month helped drive inflation to its lowest level in eight months in November. The inflation rate fell to 3.2% from 3.6%, a larger fall than analysts expected.more

This year’s Christmas getaway is expected to be the busiest on record, new figures suggest. The AA forecast that traffic for all journey purposes in the run-up to December 25 will peak on Friday when about 24.4 million cars are expected on the UK’s roads.more

The Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, said in an interview with LBC radio that work is underway to create Iron Dome, an integrated air and missile defence system. As he explained, this is related to the ‘evolution of threats from Russia’.more

The United Kingdom will rejoin the Erasmus student exchange programme, the government in London announced today. In December 2020, the UK left the programme as part of its post-Brexit trade agreement with the European Union.more

Resident doctors across England began a five-day strike today, demanding, among other things, higher wages. With the flu season in full swing, hospital directors are warning of overcrowding in medical facilities and numerous difficulties that may affect patients.more