UK

409 migrants crossed the English Channel to reach UK shores in small boats today – significantly breaking the previous single-day record. Hundreds were intercepted while others managed to land on beaches, according to the Home Office. It brings the total number who have successfully made the journey this year to more than 5,600. The previous

A cheap and widely available steroid has been found to reduce mortality in the sickest COVID-19 patients. Hydrocortisone, an anti-inflammatory drug, could save one in every 12 patients and will be recommended for use in NHS coronavirus patients. It is the second drug found to be effective in reducing mortality in those with severe symptoms

Travellers from mainland Portugal and parts of Greece will have to isolate when arriving in Wales but not England. The two nations made different decisions at the weekly point when their quarantine lists are normally updated. There was speculation about what would happen to Portugal given COVID-19 cases there rose to 23 per 100,000 people

Travellers arriving in Scotland from Greece will have to quarantine for two weeks following a “significant” spike in coronavirus cases. The rule will come into force from 4am on Thursday due to “evidence of virus importation”. In Wales, people coming back from Zante will be asked to self-isolate for two weeks, after seven infections were

Male suicides in England and Wales were at their highest rate in two decades last year, official figures show.  The suicide rate for women was also the highest since 2004, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Men accounted for around three-quarters of suicide deaths registered in 2019 – 4,303 compared with

Police searching for missing diplomat Richard Morris have found a body in the forest where he jogged regularly. Detectives have not formally identified the body, but Mr Morris’s family has been told of the discovery. The former UK ambassador to Nepal, 52, vanished on 6 May after setting out on a run from his home

All passengers who were on a flight from Zante to Cardiff have been ordered to self-isolate after seven confirmed cases of coronavirus. Passengers who were on TUI flight 6215 on Tuesday are now being considered as “close contacts” of those who tested positive for COVID-19. The seven cases were from three different parties on board

Police have issued £10,000 fines to at least nine people for their part in organising illegal gatherings this weekend. The heavy fines are the first to be handed out since new rules came into force in England on Friday ahead of the bank holiday weekend. West Yorkshire Police said officers had attended several parties on

Police have been responding to reports of illegal gatherings after rules were brought in just before the bank holiday weekend. The new rules came into force on Friday, prompted by more than 1,000 unlicensed events since the end of June. Anyone in breach of the rules could be fined £10,000. People not wearing masks and

A man who died after being shot in Stechford, Birmingham, on Friday has been named as Murtaza Nazir. Mr Nazir was shot on Bagshaw Road in Stechford shortly before 8pm on Friday and police have launched a murder investigation. His family released a statement through police, saying their lives would “never be the same”. They

Football is back, and it’s magic. That was how it felt to wake up this morning knowing I was going to the match. It was also a bit strange of course to be one of just 2,500 people who were allowed to go to the Amex stadium to watch Brighton play Chelsea in a pre-season

Universities could become the “care homes of the second wave of COVID-19”, a higher education union has warned. In an exclusive television interview with Sky News, The University and College Union (UCU) says the government and universities are risking public health by pushing on with plans to fully reopen campuses in a few weeks’ time.

There could be nationwide restrictions or very extensive local lockdowns in England if there is a second spike in COVID-19 cases this winter, Matt Hancock has warned. The health secretary also said in a worst-case scenario, the UK could be fighting a bad outbreak of flu and a growth in coronavirus as people spend more

Teachers’ unions have reacted with dismay after the government published new COVID-19 guidelines for secondary schools last night – just days before millions of pupils in England are due to return to the classroom next week. If there is a local lockdown in an area with significant numbers of infections, schools could have to bring

For the first time in its history, Europe’s largest street party, the Notting Hill Carnival, takes place virtually this weekend in order to protect lives. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, a physical parade isn’t possible so for the last month organisers have been busy filming hundreds of acts so the event can instead be streamed

A British man has been left with a depleted wedding guest list due to new quarantine rules that come into force this weekend. Oliver, who did not want to share his second name, is from Kent but has lived in the Czech Republic for 11 years. He is due to get married in Prague to