UK

Websites showing pornographic content may have to use credit card checks and photo ID matching to confirm users are over 18, as part of the Online Safety Act. Regulator Ofcom has published draft guidance for platforms on how to protect children from pornography to ensure firms comply with the new internet laws. The recommendations include

Boris Johnson will appear before the COVID inquiry this week to face scrutiny about the decisions he made during the pandemic. The former prime minister is expected to issue an apology on behalf of the government about the early handling of the crisis but insist he got the big calls right. He is expected to

Heavy rain is expected to bring travel disruption to parts of the UK with more than 40 flood warnings in place. Forecasters said there was a decreasing risk of snow, with temperatures expected to rise above average in the coming days and conditions set to be “more wet and windy”. The Met Office has issued

A law change is being sought by a Tory MP to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their titles over the royal racism row. Condemning the “poisonously insidious” smear against senior members of the household, Bob Seely wants to update wartime powers that would pave the way for the couple to be Mr

A fresh amber snow warning is in place for parts of the North West region of England as the UK’s frosty start to December continues. The warning covers the coastal area of west Cumbria, and central and western parts of the Lake District and falls within a wider area already covered by a yellow warning

Weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across swathes of the UK as temperatures plummeted below freezing overnight. Forecasters have warned the wintry conditions could affect some road and rail journeys with icy surfaces posing the risk of injury from slips and falls. Glasgow Airport has suspended flights due to heavy snow, with

Charlotte, not her real name, wanders back and forth with her empty coffee cup held out towards the tide of commuters coming through the barriers. Rush hour at Whitechapel underground station is the best time of day for the small, frail, 23-year-old to earn enough change to pay for her next hit. She’s agitated, but

Sarah* was a “smug married” woman with a “middle-class, middle-everything life”, before a knock on the door brought her world crashing down. Early one morning, the day before her son’s birthday, she awoke to find police officers in her bedroom. Her husband was standing there with the police – their “really average” life would never

Parts of the UK could see up to 5cm of snow today, with temperatures set to fall as low as -10C (14F) in some areas. Three yellow weather warnings are currently in place, with Met Office forecasters warning that colder conditions will persist into the weekend. The whole eastern coast of the UK, stretching from

Buckingham Palace is considering whether it should take action after the King and Princess of Wales were named in the Dutch version of a new book as senior royals who questioned what skin colour Prince Archie would have. When the unsubstantiated allegation first surfaced two years ago, the palace described it as fiction. And there

The mother of an 18-month-old boy and her former partner have been found guilty of his murder. Alfie Phillips died after being beaten in a night where he suffered 70 injuries to his body. He suffered broken ribs, arms and a leg, and traces of cocaine were found in his body. His mother, Sian Hedges,

A 13-year-old boy has been sentenced to two years in custody at a young offenders’ institution for causing the death of a grandmother by dangerous driving. Marcia Grant was run over with her own car in Greenhill, Sheffield, on 5 April. The offender, who was 12 at the time and cannot be named for legal

The four teenagers killed in a North Wales car crash died as a result of drowning, an inquest opening has heard. Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17 and Hugo Morris, 18, were all pronounced dead at the scene of the collision near the village of Garreg in Gwynedd. None of the teenagers’

Louis Theroux has shared an update on his facial hair loss – revealing his famously expressive eyebrows have been affected.  The documentary maker had previously shared a photo on social media earlier this year that showed gaps in his facial hair, and said it “probably” resulted from alopecia. On Monday, the 53-year-old posted a clip

Yellow weather warnings have been issued, with parts of the UK told to prepare for “hazardous conditions” as snow and ice is forecasted. The Met Office has said roads and railways are likely to be affected, with the warnings issued from tonight until Thursday morning. Warnings cover parts of Scotland and northeast England. Forecasters warned

A new strain of swine flu has been detected in a person for the first time in the UK. It is understood a person in North Yorkshire was diagnosed with the illness as part of routine national flu surveillance after visiting their GP with breathing problems. The person involved is not known to have worked