Heathrow shutdown cause still unknown, report says

The root cause of a fire which led to the shutdown of Heathrow Airport and affected hundreds of thousands of journeys worldwide "remains unknown", an interim report says. Heathrow was closed to all flights for much of 21 March after a fire at a nearby electrical substation, which started the previous night, caused a power outage at the airport.more

England is heading towards a drought this summer unless there is significant rainfall soon, as reservoir water levels dwindle. The government will on Wednesday convene the National Drought Group of water companies, farming groups and other experts to prepare for what is expected to be a dry summer with potential water shortages.more

Britain is secretly preparing for a direct military attack by Russia amid fears that it is not ready for war. Officials have been asked to update 20-year-old contingency plans that would put the country on a war footing after threats of attack by the Kremlin.more

Rafał Trzaskowski would win 39% of the votes in the presidential elections if they were held next Sunday – according to an online survey conducted among Poles living in Great Britain by the portal MyPolska.UK. Second place went to Sławomir Mentzen with 15% support, and third to Grzegorz Braun with 9%. Karol Nawrocki was off the podium with 8%.more

Visa applications from nationalities thought most likely to overstay and claim asylum in the UK could be restricted under a new government crackdown. Under Home Office plans, first reported in the Times, external, people from countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka may find it more difficult to come to the UK to work and study.more

Labour have raised concerns about the Ukrainian flag being banned from flying, while Conservatives have highlighted the initial announcement's exclusion of county flags. Reform says the latter will be allowed due to national heritage.more

Biologist and science populariser David Attenborough turns 99 today. His documentary ‘Ocean’ premiered two days ago. ‘After almost 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but in the sea,’ said the British documentary maker.more

An agreement with the UK will seal our friendship, US President Donald Trump declared today, declaring that the shape of the trade deal has been set. He also announced that a number of other agreements with the UK are close to being finalised.more

Five men detained by police on Saturday intended to carry out an attack on the Israeli embassy in London, the British daily ‘The Telegraph’ reported yesterday. Four of those detained were Iranian.more

The UK is falling behind on international efforts to tackle microplastics, scientists have said, as the pollutants continue to infiltrate food, ecosystems and human bodies.more

London is home to many galleries, from the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, the Portrait and more. Many of the galleries are free to visit and are filled with endless visitors every day, there are some that are forgotten among the tourist hotspots. Like the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London, which is home to both art and a Roman Amphitheatre.more

Poles working in the UK earn more than native Britons. The median monthly earnings of Polish immigrants is around £2,500, while that of Britons is around £2,400, the Economist reported in its latest issue, citing government figures.more

A one-of-a-kind mortgage offering a major financial perk – no repayments for the first three months – has been launched in the UK. The deal, unveiled by Skipton Building Society, is the latest innovation aimed at cash-strapped first-time buyers and is designed to provide them with a bit of breathing space as they settle into their new property.more

Nearly two in five (39%) people are at risk of being unable to cover even their basic needs in retirement, according to a report from Scottish Widows.more

Criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing face segregation in prison cells and longer time in jail under new powers handed to judges. Tougher sanctions across England and Wales will include confinement to cells and less time in the gym among measures to be introduced to parliament on Wednesday.more

The UK government today expressed its readiness to work towards de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the latest attacks that killed 36 people on both sides of the border. France appealed to both sides of the conflict for restraint.more

Any attempt by Israel to annex the Gaza territories would be ‘unacceptable’. - announced British Under-Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Hamish Falconer, quoted by AFP. The statement by the authorities in London comes in response to Israel's plan for a new offensive against Hamas, announced on Monday.more

The European Union and the UK, which leaves the Community in 2020, will agree to hold bilateral summits every year, Reuters reported yesterday. The decision is expected to be announced at an EU-UK summit scheduled for 19 May in London.more

The UK and India announced yesterday that they had reached agreement on a free trade agreement after three years of negotiations, Reuters reported. The British government expects the deal to boost bilateral trade by £25.5bn ($34bn) a year over the long term.more

The south east boasts the cream of the crop of coastal spots, according to the new list. The mercury is rising, with summer just around the corner. Now that May is here, our summer holidays don't seem so far off.more

Power outages across Spain and Portugal sparked travel chaos and left many without water, wifi or any mobile network for hours. But as experts warn the UK has “important lessons to learn” from the nationwide power cuts, we look at what you should do if you’re left facing a blackout at home. more

Drivers must follow strict rules between certain hours of the day or risk having assets SEIZED in a cruel blow under the Labour Party government, it has been warned. Motorists could face having assets seized if they fall foul of the new rules.more

More than half of first-time buyers received financial help from their family to make house purchases last year, according to estimates by estate agency Savills. An average of £55,572 was given in loans and gifts by the so-called bank of mum and dad to buyers, it said.more

Deliveroo, the food delivery app, has agreed to be taken over by US giant DoorDash in a deal valuing the business at £2.9bn. The deal is the latest example of a UK-listed company being taken over by a US firm.more

Almost one in four patients in England have found mistakes in their medical records such as errors over their illness, drugs they have taken or treatment they have received.more

Ukrainian armed forces soldiers took part in a military parade in London yesterday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Crowds of Britons and three generations of the royal family watched the march of more than 1,300 soldiers.more

A new interactive map reveals London’s robbery hotspots as Jenson Button’s wife spoke about how “unsafe” the capital feels after her suitcase with £250,000 worth of jewellery and designer handbags was stolen outside St Pancras station.more

Uber is now allowing passengers across most of the UK to pay in cash. Following trials, the cash payment option was this week extended to all UK cities, except London, where it is being reviewed.more

After a century of Tory and Labour rule, Britain's two-party political system is at risk of collapse. Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party is posing a serious challenge to the main parties, but it is the Conservatives who face an existential threat, British and American media report.more

A 14-year-old boy has died in a fire near an industrial park in Gateshead, while 14 young people aged between 11 and 14 have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Teenager Layton Carr was found dead inside of a building near the Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area on Friday night.more

If the British parliament passes a law allowing euthanasia, 1.3 thousand people could benefit from assisted death in the first year, the Ministry of Health has estimated. It is assumed that consent to terminate life would be obtained by about 60 percent of applicants, the Times reported.more

Eight men, including seven Iranian nationals, have been arrested in two separate counter-terrorism police investigations. Five were arrested at various locations around England on Saturday as part of a "pre-planned" investigation into a plot to "target a specific premises", the Metropolitan Police said.more

An East London council has approved a new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which will see new rules for dog owners and walkers within the borough. Tower Hamlets Council is introducing a PSPO in a bid to tackle dog-related antisocial behaviour (ASB) following several attacks which occurred in summer 2023. more

After losing a court case yesterday, Prince Harry declared that it had become ‘impossible’ for him to travel safely to the country with his family. The court upheld a ruling that the government had lawfully denied the prince protection when he resigned from his official roles in the royal family.more

Ugandan Supreme Court and UN court judge Lydia Mugambe was sentenced to six years in prison by a London court yesterday for forcing a woman to do free domestic work.more

Up to 15,000 cancer patients a year could be treated with a quick injection, NHS England has announced. It is the first health service in Europe to offer patients the injectable form of the immunotherapy drug nivolumab.more