National News

Hertfordshire Zoo has announced the hatching of two endangered African penguin chicks, named after Oasis frontmen Liam and Noel Gallagher. The zoo added that their lively and energetic personalities have earned them the nickname “the little terrors”. It said: “These cheeky little birds have captured the hearts of zookeepers and visitors alike with their mischievous […]

The Emir of Qatar is to pay a state visit to the UK hosted by the King, Buckingham Palace has announced. Charles and the Queen will welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the first of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, to London on December 3. They can […]

Sir Keir Starmer’s embattled former chief of staff Sue Gray will miss a meeting of regional leaders seen as key to her new role as she takes a break before returning to work, it is understood. The Prime Minister will on Friday convene metro mayors and representatives of devolved administrations for the first gathering of […]

Assisted dying will be debated and voted on in the House of Commons next month, for the first time for almost a decade. MPs will be able to make their opinions known in the Commons on the controversial subject when they debate the bill on choice at the end of life for people with terminal […]

The police officer who shot Chris Kaba dead says he understands the “distress” caused to his family but that his actions were “lawful, proportionate and necessary” as he was trying to save the lives of his colleagues, a jury has heard. The comments by marksman Martyn Blake are in statements he made as the Metropolitan […]

An Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said. Those killed in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah included a child and seven women, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken. It said several other people […]

The Princess of Wales has made a surprise visit with her husband to meet the bereaved families of the Southport stabbing victims. The unannounced trip to Merseyside was William and Kate’s first joint official outing since the princess’s course of chemotherapy cancer treatment ended in the summer. The couple privately met the families of Bebe […]

A further 65 women have come forward to the BBC with allegations of abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed stretching as far back as 1977. The fresh claims include new details of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape sent to the BBC in the weeks following the airing of the broadcaster’s Al Fayed: Predator At Harrods documentary. Mr Al Fayed, […]

Volodymyr Zelensky presented his “victory plan” to Sir Keir Starmer as pressure mounted on the UK to give Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets in Russia. In three-way talks in Downing Street, the Prime Minister, the Ukrainian president and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte discussed the state of the war. Mr Rutte […]

Police-recorded religious hate crime in England and Wales was up by a quarter over the past year, driven by a rise in offences against Jews and Muslims since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict, official figures show. Hate crimes targeted at Jewish people more than doubled while incidents against Muslims were up 13% on the […]