UK

A 52-year-old man has been charged with the murders of a mother and her two young children in Kettering, Northamptonshire, police have said. Officers arrested Saju Chelavalel after they were called to his address in Petherton Court on Thursday and found Anju Asok, 35, Jeeva Saju, six, and Janvi Saju, four, with serious injuries. Ms

Hospitals should free up beds by safely discharging patients in advance of “extensive disruption” caused by industrial action by ambulance crews, health chiefs have said. They warned of “a very challenging period” when ambulance crews in England and Wales are due to walk out for two days on 21 and 28 December in a dispute

An investigation has been launched into the deaths of two children after their bodies were found at a residential address in Dagenham, in east London. Emergency services were called at around 2pm on Friday to the property in Cornwallis Road, where the bodies of a two-year-old boy and a five-year-old boy were discovered. Metropolitan Police

Labour has comfortably held on to its seat in Stretford and Urmston, in its second by-election victory in two weeks.  Andrew Western, who is the leader of Trafford Council, retained the Greater Manchester constituency with a majority of nearly 10,000. He secured 69.65% of the votes, up 9.34% on the snap general election three years

Four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull have been named by police. Brothers Samuel Butler, six, and Finlay Butler, eight; their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, were identified by West Midlands Police. Three of the boys, Jack, Thomas and Finlay, died on Sunday after falling into Babbs

Thousands of people in Shetland are facing a fourth day without power as engineers battle to restore supplies amid the threat of further snowfall and freezing temperatures. Some 2,400 homes remain without power in Voe, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland – with engineers warning power may not be restored to some properties until the

NHS nurses are striking today in a dispute with the government over pay and patient safety. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will take industrial action on 15 December and 20 December across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the first time in the union’s 106-year history. Strikes by ambulance staff and some

At least four people have died after a small migrant boat with up to 50 on board capsized in the English Channel off the coast of Kent, near Dungeness. A major search and rescue operation involving helicopters and lifeboats was launched at around 3am and is ongoing, with 43 people rescued alive – some from

Rishi Sunak has promised to bring in new laws to tackle illegal immigration, saying anyone who comes to the UK illegally will not be allowed to stay. Making a raft of announcements in the Commons, the prime minister said the legislation would be introduced early next year and mean people who do not come to

The “tide is turning” in rail unions when it comes to pay offers on the table, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has claimed. Members of the RMT rejected the latest offer from Network Rail yesterday by 64%, with general secretary Mick Lynch calling it “substandard”. The deal would have included a 5% and 4% pay rise

A friend of one of the boys who died after falling through an icy lake in Solihull has told how the events unfolded. Tommy Barnet, 10, said one of the boys got his legs stuck in the ice before his friends rushed over to help him, but they all fell in. Police confirmed on Monday

Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after falling through an icy lake in Solihull, police have confirmed. A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition after the incident at Babbs Mill Park on Sunday afternoon. A search is continuing after unconfirmed reports up to six children fell in, but authorities

Four children are in critical condition after falling through the ice at a Solihull lake, police have said. A search and rescue operation is under way at Babbs Mill Park after the children fell into the water and suffered cardiac arrest. Police did not confirm how many children were involved in the incident – or

Rescuers searching for survivors of an explosion at a tower block in Jersey no longer expect to find anyone alive. Robin Smith, chief of police, said: “It is with sadness that I am confirming that the search and rescue operation had been moved to a recovery operation. Three people are confirmed to have died in

England’s World Cup dream lies in tatters after being knocked out by holders France in their quarter-final clash. Having reached the semi-finals in 2018 and then finishing runners-up at last year’s European Championship, Gareth Southgate’s men were confident of a ticket to the semi-final. Despite going behind to an early first-half goal, England pulled level

One person has died and “around a dozen” are missing after a large explosion at a three-storey block of flats in Jersey. Two “walking wounded” have been taken to hospital as police on the Channel island search the site following the blast at Haut du Mont on Pier Road, St Helier. Officers have said relatives

A pupil at a school in Sussex has died after suffering a suspected infection of the invasive strain of Strep A. The UK Health Security Agency said the child attended Hove Park School and that specialists from the UKHSA are working with the city council following the death. Dr Rachael Hornigold, consultant in health protection

People are facing “dreadful consequences”, a charity has warned, as parts of the UK face plummeting temperatures. The Met Office has issued several yellow weather warnings for snow and ice over the next few days, and the UK Health Security Agency has also issued a level three cold weather alert covering England. Get the five-day

Anne Sacoolas has been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months, for causing the death of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn by careless driving. Sacoolas, 45, was driving her Volvo on the wrong side of the B4031 in Northamptonshire, a two-lane road with a 40mph limit, when she hit Harry, 19, who was

Prince Harry has described the “feeding frenzy” surrounding his relationship with Meghan in the couple’s much-anticipated documentary series – with the duchess saying the press would always “find a way to destroy” her. The first three episodes of the couple’s six-part Netflix series Harry & Meghan were released on Thursday morning, with the Royal Family