She was a national treasure - this is the most frequently repeated phrase in memories of British actress Maggie Smith, who died yesterday at the age of 89. Sadness at her death and admiration for her achievements were expressed by, among others, King Charles III with Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.more

Two 13-year-old boys who killed a 19-year-old with a machete in an unprovoked attack last year were yesterday sentenced to sentences of at least eight and a half years in prison. They are the youngest killers in the UK since 1993.more

Two Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists have been jailed for throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers painting after they came close to "destroying" the masterpiece. Phoebe Plummer, 23 and Anna Holland, 22, were previously convicted of criminal damage after the contents of two tins of tomato soup were poured on to the priceless 1888 piece at the National Gallery in central London.more

Boris Johnson has revealed that while Prime Minister he tried to dissuade Prince Harry from leaving the UK with his wife Meghan. Harry and Meghan announced in early January 2020 they were stepping back as senior working royals.more

The Malta-flagged but Russian-linked damaged ship Ruby, carrying 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, has moored about 25km off the shores of Kent County in south-east England, shows ship-tracking service marinetraffic.com.more

None of the UK’s large supermarket chains are ensuring their suppliers use antibiotics in the most responsible way, an assessment by campaigners has found, despite heightened concerns about their overuse in farm animals.more

Parts of England have been hit by travel disruption after a night of heavy rain and flash flooding. A section of the M5 near Bristol is flooded and has been closed after motorists needed to be rescued from their cars, and there is rail disruption in parts of the Midlands and southern England.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a speech to the UN General Assembly session yesterday, said that his country was returning to a more active and constructive role in the world. He also stressed that an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East was in no one's interest.more

The results of a recent study by Cambridge University researchers leave no doubt that one way to combat climate change could be to fly planes more slowly. Reducing their speed by 15 per cent would result in a reduction in the carbon footprint they leave behind and lower fuel burn.more

A disturbing interactive map shows just how much rents have increased in London over the past 12 months. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the average cost has gone up by 9.6 per cent, with one London borough experiencing a rise of over a third compared to 2023.more

A man who is accused of committing a sexual offence within hours of being let out of prison under the government's early release scheme was freed in error, the BBC has been told. Amari Ward, 31, was one of 37 prisoners who should not have been eligible for the early release scheme because they had breached restraining orders.more

UK authorities today imposed sanctions on five ships and two associated companies involved in the transportation of Russian LNG, including from Russia's flagship Arctic LNG 2 project.more

The world's richest man Elon Musk has not been invited to this year's International Investment Summit, organised by the UK government, most likely because of posts he made online about anti-immigrant riots in the country, the BBC reports today.more

The RMT union, which brings together rail, sea and road transport workers, announced yesterday that its members had accepted proposals for pay rises. This marks the end of strikes by British Rail for more than two years.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received a symbolic but politically embarrassing blow at the end of Labour's annual conference. Delegates to the conference, in a resolution adopted yesterday, called on the government to reverse its already approved decision to take away winter heating subsidies from pensioners.more

The Piccadilly line is London’s dirtiest tube line, an FOI has revealed. If you didn’t already wash your hands as soon as you leave the Underground, these findings might convince you to start.more

Labour has promised to crack down on benefit fraud by reintroducing “snooper’s charter” proposals mooted under the last government that would allow welfare officials to request information from claimants’ bank accounts.more

London will be drenched with 17 hours of heavy rain, according to the Met Office. It is set to pour from 5pm tomorrow (Thursday, September 26) to 10am on Friday, September 27.more

Poland will want to organise an EU-British summit during its upcoming EU presidency on the issue of London's announced reset of relations with Brussels, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said.more

The British government appealed to British citizens to leave Lebanon immediately amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iranian-subordinate Shiite Hezbollah, and announced that it would send some 700 troops “within the next hour” to Cyprus to assist in any evacuation.more

Londoners visiting Royal Parks are being urged to stay away from rutting deer trying to attract a mate to avoid being seriously injured. Between late September through to early November, stags are engaged in dramatic displays of power and aggression, including roaring and clashing antlers.more

Businesses that break work visa rules will be banned from hiring employees from abroad under a new immigration plan, the Prime Minister announced on Tuesday. Sir Keir Starmer told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that his government will reduce migration and Britain’s dependency on foreign workers. more

The real cost of the Royal Family to taxpayers is £510m a year - nearly six times more than the £86m of state funding from the annual Sovereign Grant - anti-monarchy campaigners claim. The Republic group says its higher total includes other factors such as security, not counted in the Sovereign Grant, which it estimates as £150m.more

Poland has a convergent outlook with the UK on many issues, including security, but we hope that the Labour government's announced reset in relations with the European Union will further improve bilateral Polish-British relations, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna announced.more

Fake news websites registered in the UK and made to resemble trusted British outlets are allegedly spreading disinformation about western companies operating in Ukraine. The suspected Russian propaganda operation has prompted calls by parliamentarians for a change in the law to force UK-registered news websites to reveal their ownership, as happens in the EU.more