UK

A 47-year-old man has been charged with terrorism offences including making or possessing explosives following a raid on a property in Surrey. Asad Bhatti was arrested after officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) carried out a search in Redhill on 8 January. He has now been charged with two counts of possessing an

A new £800 fine for those who attend house parties with more than 15 people present will come into force next week. The penalty will double for each subsequent offence, up to a maximum of £6,400, in a move announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel to crack down on coronavirus rule-breakers. She told a Downing

Boris Johnson has warned there will be more flooding to come next week amid severe “danger to life” flood warnings as Storm Christoph batters parts of the country. There are currently nearly 200 flood warnings in place across the UK – with 162 in England and 23 for Wales. On a visit to Disbury, Manchester,

A 12-year old boy who suffered a “catastrophic” brain injury has raised more than £17,000 to help save the outdoor activity centre that taught him “nothing is impossible”.  Oliver Voysey is undertaking a series of 13-themed challenges in the run-up to his birthday this month to help out Calvert Lakes, which is facing permanent closure.

Downing Street has declined to criticise US President Joe Biden for removing a bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office – despite Boris Johnson having previously criticised “part-Kenyan” Barack Obama for not displaying it. As is customary for new presidents, Mr Biden has put his own stamp on the presidential office in the White

Roger Daltrey says he’s not changed his opinion on the EU and is “glad to be free of Brussels”, despite signing an open letter calling on the government to urgently establish visa-free travel for musicians. A prominent Brexiteer, Daltrey previously told Sky News arts and entertainment reporter Bethany Minelle that Brexit “had nothing to do

Almost 6,500 coronavirus-related offences were prosecuted in the first six months of the pandemic – the majority of which were assaults on emergency workers, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said. Many of these involved police officers being coughed on and spat at – with others kicked, bitten and hit with heavy objects – after

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has signalled pupils could be told in a week’s time if they will be returning to classrooms after the February half-term. Appearing on Sky News, Mr Williamson said his Department for Education would “want to give all schools a clear two weeks’ notice period” ahead of their full reopening. Live COVID

The government is being taken to court over claims its COVID financial support scheme discriminates against women who have had babies recently. The Pregnant Then Screwed charity say that around 75,000 self-employed women who have taken maternity leave in the last few years are getting less help than those who have not. The COVID Self

About 2,000 properties in Greater Manchester were being evacuated overnight due to flooding from Storm Christoph – as heavy snow also hit the region. Four severe “danger to life” warnings are in place in the North West, including in West Didsbury, East Didsbury and Northenden. There’s also a severe flood warning in force at Bangor-on-Dee

A planned shake-up of further education and training in England will tie courses to the needs of employers in local communities, under government plans. The Department for Education (DfE) said the Skills for Jobs White Paper, broadly welcomed by business groups, aims to put an end to the misconception that a degree is the only

Coronavirus infections did not slow down and may have increased instead in the first days of the latest national lockdown, a major ongoing study has found. Researchers also said it will be weeks before the vaccine rollout has a substantial effect. The study from REACT-1 at Imperial College in London said: “During the initial 10

Vaccines being rolled out in the UK and around the world may be less effective against the new South Africa variant, a new study has found. The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, also found the South Africa variant, known as 501Y.V2, contains mutations that may be resistant to immunity from previous coronavirus infection.

Sir Van Morrison is launching legal action against a ban on indoor gigs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The veteran singer-songwriter, who is from Belfast, is starting judicial review proceedings against regulations prohibiting live music in licensed venues in Northern Ireland. It comes after the star was accused of sending a “dangerous” message last year

An online system for booking COVID vaccine appointments has been criticised after claims ineligible people have been using it to “queue-jump” and receive the jab. The Swiftqueue website is being used by numerous NHS trusts to allow health and social care workers and over-70s to sign up for coronavirus vaccinations. Live COVID news from UK

Thousands of bereaved relatives have urged the British and Irish governments to open full investigations into the decades of violence known as The Troubles. Some 3,500 relatives have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Irish premier Micheal Martin urging them to implement a 2014 agreement that included setting up an independent team of detectives