The disappearances of missing mother Bennylyn Burke and her two-year-old daughter Jellica are being treated as a murder investigation, Police Scotland has said. Ms Burke, 25, was reported missing from her home in Gloucestershire on 1 March along with two children, including Jellica. A 50-year-old man was arrested at a property in Troon Avenue, Dundee,
UK
New variants of COVID-19 are “very unlikely to send us back to square one” as coronavirus restrictions are lifted in the UK in the run-up to summer, a top scientist has said. Professor Sharon Peacock, who is in charge of tracking strains of the virus in Britain, said the country is well equipped to “stay
Two men have been arrested after the unexplained death of a teenager in South Wales. The 16-year-old girl died after an incident in Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on Friday afternoon. South Wales Police described her death as “sudden”, adding that the cause had not been confirmed. Image: Police were called at around midday after reports
Prince Philip has been moved back to King Edward VII’s Hospital following a “successful procedure” for a pre-existing heart condition. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “Following The Duke of Edinburgh’s successful procedure at St Bartholomew’s Hospital on Wednesday, His Royal Highness has been transferred to King Edward VII’s Hospital this morning. The Duke is
A recommended 1% pay rise for NHS workers has been called “pitiful and bitterly disappointing” by nursing union leaders who said the government was “dangerously out of touch” with health staff. The figure, which covers 2021 and 2022, is contained in a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) document for the NHS Pay Review
Prince Philip has had a “successful procedure” for a pre-existing heart condition. Buckingham Palace said: “The Duke of Edinburgh yesterday underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. “His Royal Highness will remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days.” The Duke of Edinburgh, who
The chancellor has vowed to build a “fairer” country in the memory of those who have died during the coronavirus pandemic after he outlined his budget. In an unprecedented Downing Street news conference following his announcement in the Commons, Rishi Sunak acknowledged the victims and said financial support will continue long after COVID restrictions end.
The legal limit for contactless payments will more than double, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will confirm in today’s budget. The limit for a single contactless payment will rise from £45 to £100 as part of Mr Sunak’s plans to boost businesses as the UK recovers from the COVID crisis. You can watch and follow the budget
The hunt for an unidentified person who tested positive for the Brazil variant of coronavirus has narrowed to 379 households in southeast England, the health secretary has said. In total, six cases of the P1 coronavirus variant first found in Brazil have been discovered in the UK. One has still yet to be identified after
The first assessment of the Brazilian variant of COVID-19, newly identified in the UK, shows it may spread more easily – and evade the immune system. Scientists from Brazil and the UK estimate the variant, known as P1, is 1.4 to 2.2 times more transmissible than previous versions of coronavirus circulating in Manaus, the Amazon
A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines is more than 80% effective at preventing hospitalisation among the over 80s, the health secretary has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Matt Hancock hailed “exciting new data” showing the effectiveness of the two COVID-19 jabs. According to a pre-print study from Public
The Brazil COVID-19 ‘variant of concern’ first detected in the city of Manaus has been discovered in the UK. Three cases of the new variant, known as P1, are understood to have been detected in England – and the Scottish government has said it has found three cases in the north of the country. The
A hunt is under way for one of the first people in the UK believed to have contracted a Brazilian “variant of concern”. The COVID-19 variant, first seen in the city of Manaus, is thought to spread more rapidly than the original virus and to be more capable of evading existing vaccines. Three cases pf
Anyone living with school-aged children in England will be entitled to two rapid coronavirus tests a week when pupils return to the classroom, the government has said. All secondary school and college students will be tested twice a week when they go back on 8 March, according to the prime minister’s roadmap out of lockdown.
A Second World War plane soared over the funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore in a military flypast as his family paid tribute to the 100-year-old veteran whose “message and spirit lives on”. The C-47 Dakota flew over Bedford Crematorium to mark the death of Captain Sir Tom, who raised more than £33 million for
Rising coronavirus cases in a small number of areas in England has led the deputy chief medical officer to warn: “Don’t wreck this now.” Jonathan Van-Tam was speaking at Friday’s Downing Street briefing on the fight against coronavirus. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world As the UK’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues