The UK's economy grew by less than previously estimated between April and June, according to official figures. It expanded by 0.5%, down from an initial reading of 0.6%, after output in the manufacturing and construction sectors fell by more than first thought. more

A 96-year-old woman has been spared an immediate prison sentence for killing a fellow member of her bridge club when her car mounted a kerb. June Mills struck Brenda Joyce, 76, after applying too much acceleration to her Vauxhall Corsa in Formby, Merseyside, on 2 August 2023.more

The minimum price at which alcohol can be sold in Scotland has risen by 30% in an attempt to keep up with inflation over the past six years. The minimum unit price (MUP) has not changed since it was set at 50p per unit of alcohol when it was first introduced in May 2018.more

Vodafone and Three UK have pledged to cap their lowest-cost mobile plans at £10 for two years, as the companies hope to convince the UK’s competition watchdog to approve their £15 billion merger.more

Eliminating Hezbollah's leadership and taking the lead in the conflict are incentives for Israel to go further and dismantle the organisation altogether, especially as Iran is unlikely to want to risk open war because of it, according to Matthew Savill of the London-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).more

The Conservative Party's annual conference - the first after its devastating defeat in July's House of Commons elections - began yesterday in Birmingham, where the four candidates for the new leadership will present their vision of where the party should go.more

We love London, but even born and bred Londoners have got to admit - being a city the size that it is, it's not the safest place in the country. So if you're wanting something a tad safer while being within reach of the capital, a particular study has got you covered.more

The DWP is introducing changes along with the Post Office, Ofgem and the banking regulator. A series of nine money and rule changes for Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claimants have been unveiled, set to impact UK households from October 2024. Among these changes is the opening of the Winter Fuel Payment phone lines.more

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) carries a lot of potential risks and therefore regulation in this area should not be allowed to be dealt with by the very companies that create it, according to Parmy Olson, a British technology journalist for Bloomberg and author of several books on the subject.more

Plans to expand the Wimbledon Tennis Centre, where the Grand Slam tournament is played, which have already been formally approved by the London authorities, are causing a lot of concern among local residents. These are planning to launch a protest action in the coming days.more

She was a national treasure - this is the most frequently repeated phrase in memories of British actress Maggie Smith, who died yesterday at the age of 89. Sadness at her death and admiration for her achievements were expressed by, among others, King Charles III with Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.more

Two 13-year-old boys who killed a 19-year-old with a machete in an unprovoked attack last year were yesterday sentenced to sentences of at least eight and a half years in prison. They are the youngest killers in the UK since 1993.more

Two Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists have been jailed for throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers painting after they came close to "destroying" the masterpiece. Phoebe Plummer, 23 and Anna Holland, 22, were previously convicted of criminal damage after the contents of two tins of tomato soup were poured on to the priceless 1888 piece at the National Gallery in central London.more

Boris Johnson has revealed that while Prime Minister he tried to dissuade Prince Harry from leaving the UK with his wife Meghan. Harry and Meghan announced in early January 2020 they were stepping back as senior working royals.more

The Malta-flagged but Russian-linked damaged ship Ruby, carrying 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, has moored about 25km off the shores of Kent County in south-east England, shows ship-tracking service marinetraffic.com.more

None of the UK’s large supermarket chains are ensuring their suppliers use antibiotics in the most responsible way, an assessment by campaigners has found, despite heightened concerns about their overuse in farm animals.more

Parts of England have been hit by travel disruption after a night of heavy rain and flash flooding. A section of the M5 near Bristol is flooded and has been closed after motorists needed to be rescued from their cars, and there is rail disruption in parts of the Midlands and southern England.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a speech to the UN General Assembly session yesterday, said that his country was returning to a more active and constructive role in the world. He also stressed that an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East was in no one's interest.more

The results of a recent study by Cambridge University researchers leave no doubt that one way to combat climate change could be to fly planes more slowly. Reducing their speed by 15 per cent would result in a reduction in the carbon footprint they leave behind and lower fuel burn.more

A disturbing interactive map shows just how much rents have increased in London over the past 12 months. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the average cost has gone up by 9.6 per cent, with one London borough experiencing a rise of over a third compared to 2023.more

A man who is accused of committing a sexual offence within hours of being let out of prison under the government's early release scheme was freed in error, the BBC has been told. Amari Ward, 31, was one of 37 prisoners who should not have been eligible for the early release scheme because they had breached restraining orders.more

UK authorities today imposed sanctions on five ships and two associated companies involved in the transportation of Russian LNG, including from Russia's flagship Arctic LNG 2 project.more

The world's richest man Elon Musk has not been invited to this year's International Investment Summit, organised by the UK government, most likely because of posts he made online about anti-immigrant riots in the country, the BBC reports today.more

The RMT union, which brings together rail, sea and road transport workers, announced yesterday that its members had accepted proposals for pay rises. This marks the end of strikes by British Rail for more than two years.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received a symbolic but politically embarrassing blow at the end of Labour's annual conference. Delegates to the conference, in a resolution adopted yesterday, called on the government to reverse its already approved decision to take away winter heating subsidies from pensioners.more