The number of people who died with confirmed or suspected coronavirus in Scotland fell in the week to Sunday, according to the latest figures. National Records of Scotland (NRS) statistics show that in the week to December 19, 68 deaths were registered that mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, down 17 on the previous week. As of Sunday,...
Covid-19 booster jabs will be available to millions more people in England this week as cases of the Omicron variant continue to rise. The national booking system will open to everyone aged 30 to 39 from Monday so they can make appointments to get a booster three months on from their second Covid-19 jab. The move comes amid concerns...
Face masks should be worn in communal areas in England’s schools and colleges as part of efforts to slow the spread of the omicron Covid variant, the government has said. Pupils in year 7 and above, plus staff and visitors, are being “strongly advised” to wear a face covering under the “temporary and precautionary” measure, which will take...
The law should be changed to stop the “future prospects” of grooming gang victims being tarnished by crimes committed because of the abuse suffered, a watchdog has suggested. A probe into the police response to child sexual exploitation in Rotherham said many survivors “now have criminal records as a result of their actions when they were being exploited”. The Independent...
Police have named the failed bomber who died in the Liverpool Women’s Hospital explosion. Detectives said they strongly believe the taxi passenger who was carrying the device was Emad al-Swealmeen. The 32-year-old is thought to have lived in a house in Sutcliffe Street where several other men have been arrested. He recently rented a different property, in...
Phone companies could be forced to maintain thousands more phone boxes under new plans by Ofcom. The regulator has proposed stronger rules to safeguard the iconic red boxes and estimates a further 5,000 could be saved from being removed or decommissioned. If Ofcom’s new criteria are adopted, it would mean BT – and in Hull, KCOM, which operates the city’s own...
One of the trains in the Salisbury crash was unable to stop at a red light because it was “almost certainly” affected by “low adhesion between the wheels and the track”, officials have said. Two trains from the Great Western and South Western railway services collided on Sunday evening leaving a train driver with “life-changing”...
The Insulate Britain eco-protest group have continued their protest in the streets, this time in a road in central London. Frustrated drivers were seen exiting their vehicles to confront the eco group. One van driver began to slowly ram the protestors as they stood and sat in the middle of the road. The police were...
The police feel “more let down than anybody” about the murder of Sarah Everard, Home Office minister Damian Hinds has said. Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “I think everybody is shaken by this terrible case. It is also really important to take a moment once again to pay tribute to all the men and women who serve in our policing service...
Wales could lose eight of its 40 MPs under major proposals to change the country’s Westminster constituencies. Arfon, which covers part of Gwynedd, could go and the number of north-east Wales MPs could drop from six to four. Welsh Secretary Simon Hart could face a battle for his seat as Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire...