For the first time in Great Britain, there are more over-16s using vapes or e-cigarettes than smoking cigarettes, according to the Office for National Statistics. Some 5.4 million adults use vapes daily or occasionally, compared with 4.9 million using cigarettes, an ONS survey for 2024 suggests.more

British Airways has announced it will provide free onboard wifi fast enough to stream videos after its parent company signed an agreement with Elon Musk’s Starlink.more

Two major benefits will be abolished early next year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed, with claimants being urged to ensure they don’t miss the deadline to switch to alternatives.more

A British court today found Julia W., a Polish woman who falsely claimed to be Madeleine McCann, a girl who went missing years ago, guilty of harassing her parents and sentenced her to six months in prison. At the same time, she was cleared of the more serious charge of stalking.more

McDonald's will bring in new sexual harassment training for managers in strengthened measures agreed with the equality watchdog to protect its staff from abuse. The move was "in response to serious allegations raised", the watchdog said, after it initially intervened in the company.more

The United Kingdom today removed Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara and Interior Minister Anas Khatab from its sanctions list. Last night, the UN Security Council decided to lift sanctions against both politicians.more

A commission operating within the US Congress investigating the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein yesterday asked Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former British Duke of York, to undergo questioning as part of the investigation.more

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he is "angry and frustrated" over the mistaken release of prisoners, adding "it's our job to fix this".more

King Charles III's stripping of his brother Andrew's titles has been formally published. The Gazette, the UK's official public record, shows the taking away of Andrew's titles as prince and Duke of York, which came into effect when it was announced last Thursday.more

Buckingham Palace will open the largest exhibition of Queen Elizabeth II's outfits in history on 10 April, according to The Times. The exhibition will feature clothes she wore as a child, ball gowns and raincoats.more

London is bracing itself for 10 days of consecutive rain after a few days of sunshine as we head into autumn. Sunny intervals this week are expected to lead to a pleasant weekend for Londoners, as Saturday promises to be a day of almost complete sunshine with temperatures hitting a peak of 15C, repeating the same feat on Sunday.more

Lidl was the cheapest supermarket in the UK in October, with an average household basket full of groceries and other essentials coming in at £120.38, a study by consumer group Which? found.more

Britain could face its worst flu season on record, the head of the NHS has warned. Sir Jim Mackey said he expected hospitals to be “at capacity” this winter, with far too many patients left enduring long waits. He warned recent flu trends across the globe could be repeated in Britain, in what would be the worst season for decades.more

The number of households in England where the oldest person is aged 85 and over is projected to jump by nearly half a million in a decade, at the same time as a drop of 600,000 in households with children, figures suggest.more

The British Royal Society of Science has issued a new report warning against the use of solar geoengineering, explaining that while it may reduce global warming, it will also contribute to more frequent droughts and hurricanes.more

Data from over 1.1 million children measured across state-maintained schools in England during the academic year 2024/25 show that whilst the majority of children remain a healthy weight (75.4 per cent in reception, age 4-5 years, and 62.2 per cent in year 6, age 10-11 years), 10.5 per cent of children in reception and 22.2 per cent of year 6 children are living with obesity.more

The first update of the UK's Red Data Book of Plants in 20 years has revealed that 26 percent of native species are threatened with extinction, The Times reported. These include the wild meadow hyacinth and the snow gentian with its pale blue flowers.more

A long-hoped-for footbridge across the River Lea could be built in 2027 – after nearly £10million was put up by two councils to fund it. The Mayer Parry Bridge would connect the Leaway footpath in Canning Town with Leven Road in Poplar, with plans to build it having been in the works since at least 2021.more

If economic trends continue, Poland could overtake the United Kingdom within a decade, said Robert Jenrick, a member of the British Conservative Party, in a commentary published yesterday in the “Telegraph” daily.more

Police have launched an urgent manhunt for a second foreign prisoner freed mistakenly, two days after the justice secretary, David Lammy, brought in stronger checks for jails.more

People turn to family and friends for money more often than Buy Now Pay Later loans, a new survey has suggested, and for most of them it was for less than £250. more

The main adversary of the British counter-terrorism police is ‘the big three, namely Iran, Russia and China,’ said the head of the unit, Deputy Commissioner Laurence Taylor, as quoted by the UK Defence Journal.more

Gopichand Hinduja, an Indian entrepreneur and billionaire, the richest man in the United Kingdom, died yesterday at the age of 85, according to the British daily Financial Times. The net worth of the businessman's family, who shunned publicity, is estimated at £35.3 billion.more

The daily “Telegraph” obtained an internal BBC report which indicated that the editorial team misled its viewers in programmes concerning the 2024 US presidential election. According to the newspaper's findings, the station displayed a biased attitude towards Donald Trump, the Republican candidate.more

Former England football captain David Beckham was knighted yesterday at Windsor Castle. He was knighted by King Charles III. The British monarch recognised his contribution to the development of sport and his charitable work.more