UK News

Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson has said it is “quite a relief” sharing the news of the third book with the world, adding the upcoming Gruffalo Granny reflects the fact she is a “big fan of grandmotherhood”. The third instalment comes more than 20 years after author Donaldson’s last foray into the deep dark wood with 2004’s The Gruffalo’s Child, a sequel to 1999’s best-selling original The Gruffalo. The first image […]

Beavers are set to be released at two sites in south-west England as part of efforts to reintroduce the species into the wild. Natural England said it has issued two further licences to release the semi-aquatic animals, which engineer the landscape with dams, ponds and channels that boost other wildlife and help counter flooding and drought. One of the releases is happening at the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate in Exmoor […]

Suffolk strangler Steve Wright has been told he will die in jail after being brought to justice for the abduction and murder of schoolgirl Victoria Hall more than 25 years ago. Wright, 67, had admitted the kidnap and murder of the 17-year-old, who disappeared early on September 19 1999 in a village on the outskirts of Felixstowe. Only the night before, Wright had attempted to abduct newlywed Emily Doherty, 22, […]

“There’s no end in sight”, forecasters have said after announcing rain has fallen every day of 2026 in south-west England and South Wales. Meanwhile, Aberdeen has seen no sunshine for two weeks – the longest period for the area since records began in 1957, with the gloom set to continue. South-west England and South Wales experienced a far wetter than average January, with 50% more rainfall than usual. It will […]

There have been 36 clinical reports of children suffering symptoms consistent with toxin poisoning linked to recent baby formula recalls, the UK Health Security Agency has said. The UKHSA said it and partner agencies had received 24 notifications in England, seven in Scotland, three in Wales, one in Northern Ireland and one from the Crown Dependencies of children who had consumed implicated batches and developed symptoms. On January 5, the […]

Diagnosis rates of autism are “more or less equal for men and women”, a new study suggests. Previous work on gender and autism suggested that for every four men or boys diagnosed with autism there would be one woman or girl. And a study in 2017 suggested this figure may be closer to three men to one woman. Now academics have examined diagnosis rates of autism for all people born […]

Criminals are using AI to clone people’s voices and set up unauthorised direct debits over the phone, National Trading Standards (NTS) has warned. NTS said “advanced” voice cloning was part of an organised criminal operation that appeared to be targeting older people. Fraudsters began the process by asking victims to participate in a so-called “lifestyle survey” phone call, which was actually designed to gather personal, health and financial details. The […]

MPs have approved the release of documents relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as British ambassador to the United States. It comes after the Prime Minister backed down from his original plans for top civil servant Sir Chris Wormald to decide which documents could not be released on national security grounds or because they could prejudice international relations. Under pressure from Labour MPs, led by former deputy Prime Minister Angela […]

Testing period blood for signs of cervical cancer could be a new, accurate way of screening for the disease, researchers say. A regular sanitary pad topped with a blood sample strip can pick up human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer, and could be used by women at home, according to a study. At present, most women undergo cervical screening under the care of a medic, who collects […]