Most key NHS targets have been missed for at least seven years across the UK, BBC News research shows. The review of records going back 20 years also reveals Northern Ireland and Wales have never met the four-hour accident-and-emergency (A&E) target. The analysis focused on the three key hospital targets, covering A&E, cancer and waiting times for planned care.more

Sainsbury’s won shoppers from all its major grocery rivals this Christmas but sales at its Argos chain dived, in a worrying sign for high street rivals. The UK’s second-biggest supermarket reported an 8.6% rise in grocery sales in the six weeks to 6 January but Argos sales fell 4.2% in the same period as shoppers reined in spending on electrical goods and furniture.more

Grant Shapps suggested yesterday that a retaliatory attack against Yemen's Houthi rebels for their shelling of merchant ships and warships was imminent, British media report.more

More than 700 British postal workers wrongly accused of theft years ago and convicted will be cleared of the charges through an act of parliament and will receive financial compensation, announced Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.more

The number of child sex abuse offences in England and Wales has more than quintupled in the past 10 years - from 20,000 in 2013 to 107,000 in 2022 - and more than half of these were committed by other children, according to a police report published yesterday.more

The British media describe the recent events in Poland related to the arrest of Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik as a "dramatic escalation" and "unprecedented", although their reports are rather informative, without indicating who is right in the dispute.more

Sadiq Khan has confirmed when Transport for London (TfL) fares will go up. The Mayor of London also responded to questions over whether the way customers pay could become 'dynamic'.more

In December, the final episodes of the hit series 'The Crown' hit the Netflix streaming platform. However, this is not the end of the attractions prepared by the creators of this production about Elizabeth II and the British royal family. On 11 January, the London auction house Bohnams will launch an exhibition of nearly 450 costumes, props and set pieces from the series.more

Rogue social housing landlords could be forced to repair mouldy homes within 24 hours as part of government proposals after a toddler's death. Campaigners have demanded reforms after two-year-old Awaab Ishak died from mould exposure at his Rochdale home in 2020.more

London is the world's slowest city for drivers because of widespread 20mph speed limits, analysis suggests. Journeys of 10km (6.2 miles) in central London took an average of 37 minutes and 20 seconds last year, according to location technology company TomTom.more

British Airways has extended its minimum connection time between flights at Heathrow Airport. It has been increased from one hour to 75 minutes in an effort to reduce the number of passengers who miss onward flights.more

Amazon faces fresh industrial action in the UK, after members of the GMB union at a new fulfilment centre in Birmingham voted to strike over pay and conditions later this month.more

The Scottish government presented a draft ban on conversion therapy for public consultation yesterday. However, the draft was immediately controversial, with its critics pointing out that it leads to restrictions on freedom of speech, religious freedoms or parental rights over children.more

The case of more than 700 postal workers wrongly accused of stealing money and convicted years ago has returned in the UK in what is believed to be the most serious miscarriage of justice in the country's history. Yesterday, Justice Minister Alex Chalk promised swift redress for the victims.more

More than 1 million people in England died prematurely in the decade after 2011 owing to a combination of poverty, austerity and Covid, according to “shocking” research by one of the UK’s leading public health experts.more

Shoppers and retailers are set for a "challenging" year ahead, according to a leading trade body. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that higher living costs will continue to squeeze household budgets. Its boss pointed out that firms will also face higher business rates as well as potential disruption to shipments via the Red Sea.more

Tube customers are due to see significant changes to services on the Northern line later this year as full closures are planned at multiple stations. These will last for more than a week in April. Afterwards, more closures are scheduled for three weekends in June. Services will not be able to travel north of Golders Green station in North London.more

Almost 250 flood warnings and alerts remain in force in England as Hurricane Henk passed through the country last week. A yellow or orange alert is also in force throughout the country until Friday due to low temperatures.more

The UK could soon see its highest-ever rate of Covid infections thanks to the new variant JN.1, according to experts. Professor Christina Pagel, of University College London, said the rapid spread of the strain means we have yet to reach the peak of infection while Professor Steve Griffin said it could outstrip previous waves of infection.more

A weight restriction is being introduced on a west London bridge this week to stop it from facing a similar fate to Hammersmith Bridge. Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) is bringing in a three-tonne weight restriction on Albert Bridge from Thursday, January 11, with heavy goods vehicles fined for crossing the structure.more

Britain’s largest manufacturers believe the UK is increasing its competitiveness as a global hub for manufacturing, despite high energy costs, worker shortages and political instability holding back progress.more

With the coming into force of the ban on breeding and owning American XL Bully dogs in England and Wales, interest in other potentially aggressive breeds has increased by more than a third, the Liverpool Echo reported.more

Three-quarters of Britons believe their country is in worse shape today than it was in 2010, when the Conservative Party took power, according to a poll by the YouGov center released yesterday. Up to 68 percent of its voters hold this view.more

Ryanair has said that it has seen a drop in the number of tickets it has been able to sell after a number of major online booking websites stripped the budget carrier’s flights from their listings.more

Snow has started hitting parts of the UK, with other areas being warned of potential flooding. South-east England will see a mix of snow, sleet and rain on Monday, BBC Weather says. The Met Office has warned of ice and snow across southern England and Wales from Monday afternoon, which could cause travel disruption. more