Local News

Wealthy aristocrat Constance Marten told police she "debated" whether to cremate her baby girl with a "bottle of petroleum", a court has heard.The 36-year-old and her partner Mark Gordon, 49, are on trial at the Old Bailey in London accused of the manslaughter of their daughter, Victoria.The court had previously been told the child's body was found among other items in a bag days after the couple were tracked down […]

Headteachers in England have been given advice on how to ban mobile phones from school classrooms under government plans dismissed by one teaching union as a "non-policy for a non-problem".Guidance issued by ministers on Monday includes how to search students and their bags for devices "if necessary". Headteachers "can and should identify mobile phones and similar devices as something that may be searched for in their school behaviour policy," it […]

Rail passengers are being encouraged to report sexual offences through a new public awareness campaign launched today.British Transport Police (BTP) says public information and reports are vital to helping catch and convict offenders.A victim, speaking for the first time, explained how an offender sat next to them on a busy train and pretended to fall asleep in order to assault them.Jen, 22, who chose not to reveal her surname, told […]

Two boys, both aged 15, have been charged with the murder of 16-year-old Darrian Williams, who died after being stabbed in a park in Bristol on Wednesday.Darrian was attacked in Rawnsley Park in the Easton area of the city. He ran to Stapleton Road where a driver helped him but he died from his injuries at the scene.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published […]

The King has been spotted smiling and waving to onlookers before going to church with the Queen.The 75-year-old monarch has been staying at Sandringham, in Norfolk, after his first round of cancer treatment in London this week. King Charles arrived at St Mary Magdalene Church and was seen holding an umbrella for Queen Camilla before being greeted by the Rev Canon Dr Paul Williams.It comes a week after the monarch […]

This week's two by-elections had something for everyone - except Rishi Sunak's Conservatives.Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party has now broken into the record books with six by-election gains from the Conservatives, beating New Labour's performance in the run-up to the 1997 Election. Reform UK got more than 10% of the votes in both constituencies.The Liberal Democrats lost two deposits, with less than 5% of votes cast each time. But even […]

Ukrainians who sought sanctuary in the UK after Russia's invasion will be granted an 18-month visa under a new extension scheme.The first visas which granted people three years' leave in the UK under programmes such as Homes for Ukraine, the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Scheme are set to expire in March 2025. But the Home Office has said individuals under one of the visa schemes will now […]

Scottish Labour has unanimously backed an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with MSPs calling for "unequivocal" support and putting pressure on the rest of the party.All delegates backed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's calls for an immediate end to the Israel-Hamas war at the party conference in Glasgow.Politics latest: Backbench Tories deliver message to Sunak after double by-election defeatHe said on X that he was "proud" the party had passed the […]

One person has been arrested in the lead-up to a pro-Palestinian march in central London.The arrest was made on suspicion of support for a proscribed organisation in relation to a placard ahead of the start of the march at 1.30pm, the Met Police said. Between 200,000 and 250,000 people have gathered for the demonstration in central London, a spokesperson for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said.Around 1,500 police officers from forces […]