UK

A further 86 cases of the new Omicron COVID variant have been reported in the UK, taking the total to 246. This compares with a total of 160 yesterday – an increase of more than 50%. The UK Health Security Agency, which publishes the figures, says 18 of the cases are in Scotland, taking its

There will be a national investigation into the murder of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. It comes as deputy prime minister Dominic Raab told Sky News: “The most vulnerable in our society need to have the maximum protection.” The boy, from Solihull, West Midlands, was poisoned, starved and beaten by step-mother Emma Tustin, 32, and his father

All international arrivals to the UK will again be required to take pre-departure COVID-19 tests to tackle the spread of the new Omicron variant, the health secretary has announced. The rule applies to all travellers visiting the UK or returning from a holiday, regardless of vaccination status, and will come into force from 4am on

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes should have been a top priority for social services but was “missed” during the coronavirus lockdown, a child protection boss has said. The six-year-old from Solihull was poisoned, starved and beaten by step-mother Emma Tustin, 32, and his father Thomas Hughes, 29, in a prolonged campaign of “evil abuse”. He was left with

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being used in the UK as boosters prompt the best overall response, according to a UK trial. The study, published in the Lancet, involved almost 3,000 people aged 30 and over, and it found that the mRNA vaccines gave the best boost to antibodies and T-cells, particularly after two initial

France has rejected the idea of a joint British-French patrol in the English Channel to deal with the rising number of migrant crossing – but said Paris officials are “ready to pursue our operational cooperation” with the UK. Writing to Boris Johnson, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told his British counterpart that his country “cannot

Around 500 leaseholders from across the UK have told Sky News about the extreme mental health impact and financial toll of having to live in an unsafe building.  Our research has exposed the devastating consequences the national building safety crisis is having on flat owners who can’t afford to fix the problems with their homes.

A new drug which can reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID by 79% has been approved for use in the UK for people aged 12 and up. Xevudy – also known as sotrovimab – has been given the greenlight by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after being found to

One of the UK’s leading COVID experts has told Sky News that if people are “sensible” with wearing masks and social distancing in the coming weeks then they should all be able to enjoy Christmas. But Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) also cautioned that this may

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has suggested the possible impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will be known in a fortnight’s time and ahead of the government’s three-week review of fresh restrictions. The government has responded to the discovery of the Omicron variant by reimposing compulsory mask-wearing in England in shops and on public transport,

The government plans to offer booster vaccines to everyone over the age of 18 by the end of January, Boris Johnson has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news briefing on Tuesday, the PM said the rollout of booster programme will go in age order, and that there will be more than 1,500 community pharmacy

Three more cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant have been identified in Scotland, taking the UK’s total to 14. Scotland’s health secretary Humza Yousaf said there are now five cases in the Lanarkshire area and four in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Scotland hosted South Africa in a rugby international at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium on

A judge has ruled that a 14-year-old convicted of shooting schoolboy Keon Lincoln can be now identified. The decision comes as the teenager and four other youths convicted of killing the 15-year-old await their sentences. The judge at Birmingham Crown Court lifted reporting restrictions and Yussuf Mustapha can now be named as the boy who shot

Six cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been found in Scotland, authorities have confirmed. They are in addition to the three already detected in England. Four cases are in the Lanarkshire area and two have been identified in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. Scotland’s health secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This will be a

A third person infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in the UK, health officials have said. The individual, who is no longer in the country, tested positive after travelling to Britain and “is linked to travel to southern Africa“. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is now carrying out targeted testing where

A snow and ice weather warning is still in place after Storm Arwen battered the UK over the past 48 hours. Some areas are expected to struggle to get above -10C (14F) this morning and on Monday morning, according to the Met Office. Three people were killed by falling trees as wind-speeds of almost 100mph

Boris Johnson has said that people who come into close contact with anyone who tests positive for coronavirus with the new Omicron variant will have to self-isolate, regardless of their jab status, as he delivered a press conference in Downing Street. The prime minister warned the Omicron variant could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, as

No cases of the new COVID variant have been detected in the UK, but it is highly likely it has now spread beyond southern Africa, the health secretary has said. Sajid Javid warned the new strain could be more transmissible than the Delta variant and there is a “possibility it might have a different impact

A rare red “danger to life” weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for Storm Arwen – with winds so strong they could destroy homes and buildings, disrupt travel and bring down power lines and trees, it says. The Met Office issued its highest alert, warning that gusts in excess of 80mph are

Britain is bringing in travel restrictions for six African countries due to a new COVID variant that UK experts have called the “worst one we’ve seen so far”. Health Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: “UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) is investigating a new variant. More data is needed but we’re taking precautions now. “Six African countries

The number of COVID cases the UK has seen since the start of the pandemic has passed 10 million, official figures show. According to government data, the number of people to have tested positive in the latest round of daily figures is 47,240. This takes the total number of coronavirus infections to 10,021,497. Please use

An alleged victim of a Hull grooming gang has told how she was bitten, beaten and burned during a violent rape – and that police and her school had concerns she was being abused but failed to stop it. Warning: This article includes graphic content The teenage girl’s mother was so worried after her daughter

A new and more infectious version of the Delta variant now accounts for 15% of coronavirus cases in the UK, according to the latest government data. AY.4.2 is an evolutionary spin-off of the original Delta variant first found in India. The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) designated it a ‘variant under investigation’ on 20

Those who kill emergency service members will face mandatory life sentences after the government decided to back a law change prompted by the death of PC Andrew Harper. The government will introduce “Harper’s law” as soon as possible, to bring in mandatory life sentences for those who kill an emergency worker in the line of

Scotland will not be expanding vaccine passports to pubs, cinemas and theatres, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. There had been speculation that the scheme would be extended but today the first minister told MSPs “we have decided not to extend the scope of the scheme”. She said the Scottish government had taken into account the situation

A man is facing life in jail for murdering a vulnerable woman after following her off a bus in east London. Maria Rawlings, 45, suffered multiple injuries in the attack by 21-year-old Valentin Lazar who then left her in undergrowth in Romford. Ms Rawlings was killed after she visited accident and emergency following a fall.

The UK could be hit by a wetter-than-normal winter with households urged to be prepared for the risk of flooding. A Met Office outlook predicts plenty of rain over the next three months, with the wetter conditions most likely in January and February next year. The Environment Agency is urging people to check their flood

Shamima Begum, the Bethnal Green schoolgirl who fled to Syria and joined IS, has told Sky News she was groomed by friends and older men she met online before joining the terror group. Speaking from a prison camp in Syria, Begum said she wanted to go on trial in the UK and invited British officials

The taxi driver who survived the Liverpool terror attack has said it is a “miracle that I’m alive” in his first statement since the explosion on Remembrance Sunday. David Perry and his wife Rachel have thanked the public for their “amazing generosity” in the wake of the attack outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital one week ago.

People aged above 40 are being urged to get a booster jab to help keep their family and friends safe during the Christmas period, amid a rise in cases in Europe. The National Booking service will now be open to people who are aged 40-49 for their booster jab, as well as young people aged

Spiking coronavirus infections across Europe show the “critical” need for people in the UK get vaccinated, a government scientific adviser has told Sky News. Soaring cases on the continent underlined “how quickly things can go wrong”, said Professor John Edmunds, who pointed out there were still “many millions” across Britain, who were still not fully

Double child killer Colin Pitchfork has been arrested and recalled to prison, the Ministry of Justice has said. It comes two months after he was released from jail. Pitchfork was returned to custody on Friday over a breach of his licence conditions, and his re-release will be a matter for the Parole Board, it is

London is on track for the worst year of teenage murders on record. “The people who are in the gangs don’t seem to have any care for life in the way the general public do. They just don’t care,” says PC Jim Hare. He is part of a Metropolitan Police unit specifically tasked with targeting