All young children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine by the NHS from January next year. It will be given as two doses, at 12 and 18 months of age, combined with the existing MMR jab which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.more

The Israeli Ministry of Defence announced today that it will not participate in the DSEI 2025 defence and security equipment fair in London, according to the Times of Israel website. Earlier, the British government announced that it would not invite representatives of the Israeli government and military to participate in the fair.more

Royal Mail is rolling out 3,500 solar-powered “postboxes of the future” across the UK. The new design – the biggest change to the postbox in its 175-year history – features a digitally activated drop-down drawer, meaning that customers can send parcels as large as a shoebox.more

The London branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to put pressure on Israel to stop its attacks on the Gaza Strip and allow foreign reporters to enter the war zone, Sky News reported yesterday.more

he second season of the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, has been released. Over the eight-episode series Meghan opens up about what she misses most about the UK, the meal she cooked on the night Prince Harry proposed, and who said "I love you" first.more

Ryanair will pay airport staff increased and unlimited bonuses of €2.50 for every non-compliant carry-on bag they take from passengers, the airline’s boss has announced. Passengers whose cabin cases exceed the maximum dimensions for a small suitcase are charged fees of up to £75 and their luggage is taken into the hold.more

London is set to be battered by a whole week of rain in a bleak end to the summer. Temperatures are set to stay around the low twenties mark making for what will likely be a humid feel. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain. The warning, which covers all of London, begins at 10pm this evening (Thursday, August 28) and ends at noon tomorrow (Friday, August 29). more

Artisan cheese, sausages and olives could be made cheaper as part of a landmark deal between the UK and the EU to “slash the red tape” on food products. Keir Starmer said in May the “historic” post-Brexit trade deal with the EU will be a “win win” for both sides, boosting Britain’s economy by £9 billion by 2040.more

The number of Britons on jobless benefits has hit a record 6.5 million after jumping by 500,000 under Labour. The tally of people receiving some form of worklessness welfare surpassed six million for the first time after Sir Keir Starmer came to power last summer and has risen by more than half a million since then, according to official figures.more

French police will defy orders to stop small boats filled with refugees leaving for Britain, in another blow to Sir Keir Starmer’s migrant deal. Union chiefs said they would tell border police and gendarmes not to intercept the migrant boats or even enter the water – partly because it was too cold for them.more

Poundland has avoided collapsing into administration after its turnaround plan was approved days before the chain was due to run out of money. The budget retailer had asked the judge to approve a deal, saying it would have run out of cash without it by 7 September.more

Hackers sponsored by the Chinese government infiltrated critical infrastructure in the UK in 2021, including the telecommunications, transport and military sectors, the Times reported today, citing a report by the British Electronic Intelligence Commission (GCHQ).more

The British Labour Party can count on 20 per cent of voter support, which is the lowest level since winning the 2024 general election, according to a YouGov poll published yesterday for Sky News. The right-wing Reform UK party has the highest support at 28 per cent.more

Vapers across the UK could soon be fined between £100 and £1,000 for vaping at bus stops, under new laws being considered by Parliament. The proposed changes would grant authorities such as Transport for London the power to issue fixed penalty notices to people caught vaping in certain public areas. more

Dartmouth Park, a secluded enclave in North London, has been hailed as one of the capital's top spots to live in by 2025, according to lifestyle experts at Muddy Stilettos, with locals quick to agree. more

Gas and electricity prices will rise by 2% for millions of households under the latest cap announced by energy regulator Ofgem. The increase, which is slightly more than analysts expected, means a household using a typical amount of energy will pay £1,755 a year, up £35 a year on the current cap.more

Britain must brace for a rat invasion this winter after a warmer than usual summer has caused a boom in numbers. According to experts, we are seeing more rodents and they are getting bigger thanks to an increased access to food waste.more

From September 1, eligibility to extend Child Benefit for 16 to 19-year-olds will include teenagers who are home educated and those who are unable to attend college (for a minimum number of 12 hours) due to illness or disability. more

A “significant” jump in the cost of grocery staples such as eggs and butter is stoking food inflation, according to data pointing to a renewed cost of living squeeze. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said prices had risen at their fastest pace for 18 months, with food inflation hitting 4.2% this month. This was up from 4% in July and the highest reading since February 2024.more

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) announced yesterday that the number of children born in Scotland fell to a record low in 2024. According to statistics, there were 45,763 live births, 172 fewer than in 2023. This is the lowest level since records began in 1855.more

Topshop is officially back (kind of) – and this time it’s making its comeback in style. While the brand isn’t reclaiming its famous Oxford Circus flagship just yet (now home to IKEA), the British fashion favourite is opening a new concession inside Liberty, one of London’s most historic and best-loved department stores.more

The number of plastic bags Brits are using is on the rise for the first time in a decade – and experts say online shopping is to blame. New data shows that people in England bought 437 million plastic bags in the past year, up 7 per cent from 407 million in 2023/24. more

They are the scourge of the modern commute: passengers who play music or videos out loud. But amid widespread disapproval from fellow travellers, Transport for London (TfL) is trying to appeal to the better nature of “headphone dodgers” by asking them to “be considerate” and plug in.more

Leaders in the hospitality industry have said that more than half of the UK's job losses since the last budget have come from their sector. Job losses in restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels total around 89,000 since last October, according to UKHospitality analysis of Office for National Statistics data.more

A couple who died in a helicopter crash during the bank holiday on the Isle of Wight have been named by relatives. Justyna Czoska, 52, a horse riding instructor, and her partner, Wojtek Kowalkowski, 49, from Bloxham, Oxfordshire, died after the aircraft crash-landed at about 9.24am on Monday between Shanklin and Whiteley Bank. The helicopter had taken off from Sandown airport 20 minutes earlier.more