UK

Anyone seeking to join the Royal Navy will no longer need to prove they can swim in what one defence source called a “desperate” relaxing of standards to tackle a recruitment crisis. But a Royal Navy spokesperson pushed back on the criticism, saying standards were not being lowered because all recruits would still be required

A man has been charged with the murder of a woman who was killed while pushing her baby in a pram. Habibur Masum, 25, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, was also charged with possession of a bladed article. He will appear at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. Kulsuma Akter, 27, died after being stabbed in Bradford,

A father who murdered his five-week-old baby son – who died after suffering a “snapped neck” – has been sentenced to life in prison. Ollie Davis was found lifeless in his crib in the bedroom he shared with his parents in Leicester in October 2017 with more than 20 broken ribs and fractures to his

The Champions League quarter-finals will go ahead as scheduled amid an alleged terror threat, UEFA says. A media outlet linked to IS allegedly issued a threat concerning all four of this week’s ties. Two English clubs, Arsenal and Manchester City, are playing tonight in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Gunners will host the first leg

A powerful animal tranquilliser plaguing cities in the US has now “penetrated” the illegal drugs market in the UK, a report has warned. Xylazine – often referred to as “Tranq” or “the zombie drug” because of its effect on users – has already been labelled an “emerging threat to the nation” by the White House.

An “evil monster” who cut his wife’s body into more than 200 pieces has been jailed for life. Nicholas Metson had admitted to murdering 26-year-old Holly Bramley in March 2023. Afterwards, he paid a friend £50 to help him dump her remains in a river. The 28-year-old stabbed his wife at least four times before

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender following the fatal stabbing of a woman pushing her baby in a pram in Bradford. West Yorkshire Police said a 23-year-old man had been arrested as part of the investigation. Officers also named the victim as 27-year-old Kulsama Akter, and said that the force

Police have released images of a man wanted over the fatal stabbing of a woman in the centre of Bradford. Habibur Masum, 25, is from the Oldham area and has links to Burnley and Chester. He is described as an Asian man, of slim build. Officers were called to Westgate in Bradford at 3.21pm on

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a human torso wrapped in plastic was found at a nature reserve. A murder investigation was launched after the discovery at Kersal Wetlands in Salford, Greater Manchester, on Thursday. A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday night and remains

Police have launched a murder investigation after finding human remains wrapped in plastic at a nature reserve. Officers were called by a member of the public who found an “unknown item wrapped in plastic” at Kersal Dale, Salford, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. Pathologists and detectives at the scene confirmed it was human remains, which

A key witness who has given crucial evidence in the Madeleine McCann investigation is dying from cancer, a court has been told. It could set back investigators who have struggled for several years to find enough evidence to charge the main suspect, German drifter Christian B. He is currently on trial for unrelated sex crimes

A teenage boy has been seriously injured after he was stabbed in Manchester. Police officers were called shortly after 4.15pm today to reports of a stabbing on Raby Street. The boy, whose age is not known, was taken to hospital with serious and life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made and an investigation is now

Storm Kathleen is expected to bring heavy gusts and rain - and the highest temperatures of year so far, as it hits the UK today. Pushing in from the Atlantic, the storm is set to bring gusts up to 70mph to Northern Ireland and the west of Britain as temperatures could reach up to 22C (72F)

Storm Kathleen has brought disruption to the UK and Ireland, with tens of thousands of people left without power, dozens of flights cancelled and a major tourist attraction forced to close. Gusts of up to 70mph have hit the island of Ireland and parts of Britain – with the conditions leaving planes struggling to land

The UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel, Rishi Sunak has been warned. Three former Supreme Court justices are among over 600 lawyers and academics who have signed a 17-page letter to warn the present situation in Gaza is “catastrophic”. The government has been facing growing calls to suspend arms exports to

The family of British aid worker James Kirby, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, say they are “utterly heartbroken” by his death – while the relatives of John Chapman say he was “subject to an inhumane act”. Three British workers were killed in Gaza by the airstrike – in what the IDF

An 80-year-old man who has been on the run for 27 years has been arrested at Heathrow Airport, police said. Richard Burrows was arrested on Thursday after returning to the UK from Thailand, a spokesman for Cheshire Police said. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Chester Crown Court on

Two of three British aid workers who died in an airstrike in Gaza have been reportedly named as John Chapman and James Henderson. The World Central Kitchen (WCK) volunteers are believed to be among seven aid workers killed on Monday after a convoy they were travelling in was hit as it was leaving a warehouse

J K Rowling has dared police to arrest her as the Harry Potter author lashed out against new hate crime laws that have come into force in Scotland The new measures aim to tackle the harm caused by hatred and prejudice, extending protections from abusive behaviour to people on grounds including age, disability, religion, sexual

More than 250 patients a week in England may have died unnecessarily last year due to very long waits for a bed in A&E, new estimates suggest. A study by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) suggests patients are put at risk by spending hours in A&E, particularly after a decision has been made