UK

Pressure on hospitals is particularly high this winter, with more than a dozen declaring critical incidents in recent days. Hospitals struggle every winter with additional pressures due to the impact of cold weather, but the early arrival of flu this season and high volume of cases meant Christmas and New Year’s weeks were even busier

Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago. Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday. The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right

Temperatures in northern parts of the UK could fall as low as minus 20C on Friday night as wintry weather continues, the Met Office has said. There are yellow warnings for ice on Friday morning covering the eastern coast of England and Scotland, the South West, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is also a yellow

The Met Office has put yellow weather warnings over snow and ice in place from this afternoon covering much of the UK. The Met had a number of yellow warnings in place on Thursday across the country, but most were initially set to expire by 11am, with only a snow and ice alert in Scotland

A “world first” sanctions regime which specifically targets people smugglers will be introduced by the government this year, David Lammy will announce. The foreign secretary will confirm the measure in a speech on Thursday, saying it is part of Labour’s plan to reduce Channel crossings by targeting criminal networks organising the journeys. Politics latest: MPs

A fresh weather warning for snow has been issued for southern England, with cautions for snow and ice already in place across much of the country. The Met Office’s yellow weather warning for snow covers the southern counties of England from 9am until midnight on Wednesday. The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up

Soldiers working within the UK’s special forces discussed concerns that Afghans who posed no threat were being murdered in raids against suspected Taliban insurgents, an inquiry has been told. One soldier, who was reading operational reports of SAS actions, said in an email in 2011 that they feared that UK special forces seemed “beyond reproach”,

A 14-year-old boy has been stabbed to death on a bus in Woolwich, in southeast London. Police were called around 2.30pm to reports of a stabbing on a bus on Woolwich Church Road near the junction with the A205 South Circular Road. A boy who police said had received stab wounds was treated by paramedics,

A man’s body has been recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire, police have said, as major incidents have been declared in two counties. The body was found near Intake Lane in Beal, close to Eggborough and Knottingley. Police believe the man may have entered the water in the last 24 to 48

A prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has been sentenced to 15 months in jail. Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was on duty at HMP Wandsworth in London when she entered the prisoner’s cell and had sex with him on 27 June. The encounter was filmed by another inmate and lasted

Millions of commuters returning to work and school this morning will face more snow, ice and rain, as several weather warnings remain in place across the UK. More travel disruption is likely due to flooding from heavy rain and thawing snow, the Met Office said, with 67 flood warnings and 262 flood alerts in place.

Elon Musk has said Reform UK needs a “new leader” because Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes”. The X owner posted the tweet on Sunday following days of headlines over his comments about the historic grooming scandal that took place across UK towns and cities more than a decade ago. Mr Musk, who has

Crystal Palace football club has become the first in the world to offer permanent technology for fans who are visually impaired, to improve their match experience. Launched earlier in the football season, the Give Vision headset relies on a private 5G network at Selhurst Park and offers the user live vision of the game, which

An amber warning for snow and ice, with the risk of freezing rain, covers most of Wales and central England until midday on Sunday. Freezing rain, which makes up what are commonly known as ice storms in North America, is a rarity in the UK because the conditions for it are quite specific, according to

Warnings have been issued for heavy snow and freezing rain over the weekend, with icy weather expected to cause disruption across large parts of the UK. Two amber and two yellow alerts have been issued by the Met Office across most of the country for both Saturday and Sunday. Forecasters say power cuts are likely

Neil Young has been confirmed as a headliner at this year’s Glastonbury – despite saying he was dropping out due to the BBC’s involvement in the festival. The 79-year-old musician wrote on his website earlier this week that both he and his band, The Chrome Hearts, were pulling out because the BBC’s involvement was a