UK news

UK news

Jessica Mason went back and forth to her GP and hospital with swelling, bleeding and pain in her vagina but says she was "fobbed off" before "begging" for a scan which revealed cancer requiring urgent treatment. The 44-year-old believes she was only referred for an MRI because she "broke down in tears" to a doctor, adding: "I knew there was something wrong."

LFB Dozens of firefighters have extinguished a fire in the basement of a data centre in east London. London Fire Brigade (LFB) said around 60 firefighters and eight fire engines were called to Nutmeg Lane, Blackwall at 04:50 GMT on Saturday. The fire broke out in a battery room containing lead-acid batteries and was brought under control before 07:00. The cause of the blaze has not been determined.

The case, published on Ofcom's own enforcement register on Friday, centers on two statutory "section 135" notices issued to Meta on July 31, 2024, and June 19, 2025, under the Communications Act 2003. Those notices required Meta to hand over data on how WhatsApp Business competes in the application-to-person messaging market - the unglamorous stuff companies use to ping customers about parcels, appointments, and login codes.

Ahead of the end of the 'tolerance period' of the Electronic Travel Authorisation system (ETA) from February 25th, British dual nationals have been targeted with official messaging suggesting that they will only be able to enter the UK if they have a valid British passport or a pricey certificate of entitlement. Those without the correct paperwork could even be denied boarding or turned away at the border, British authorities have suggested.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

The court has heard a man with a severe mental illness was known to services and assessed by consultant psychiatrists as psychologically stable and safe for the community.

Police have launched a murder investigation after the death of a three-month-old baby boy. Atijus Elertaite, was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition, after police officers found him at a property in St John's Chase, March, in Cambridgeshire, just after 11am on Saturday 3 January. The baby died five days later on 8 January. A post-mortem examination has revealed the preliminary cause of death was a head injury, pending further medical investigation, police said.

Labour said Kathy Gibbon should stand down after she left Reform UK and joined the Tories on Buckinghamshire Council. Gibbon, who represents the Kingsbrook, Bierton and Wing ward, was elected for Reform last year, but announced her defection this week claiming the move would "allow me to work more effectively as part of a strong, experienced team". Reform UK councillor Cameron Anderson said voters would "now feel a great sense of dissatisfaction and injustice", while Labour called for a by-election.

Several members of the public allegedly saw Debella carry out the senseless attack on May 9 2024 before "casually walking away", the court heard. He was arrested within hours of Ms Mukey's death and detectives built a case using CCTV, DNA and evidence from his internet use. Met Police said Debella had an interest in violence, trawling the internet before and after the killing for violent videos, as well as news articles about the stabbing.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would meet the father of a two-year-old girl who died from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. Lyla Story, from Hull, died in May last year less than 24 hours after her mother had taken her to their doctor who diagnosed acute tonsillitis, an inquest heard in September. Her father, John Story, is campaigning for Lyla's Law which would see routine tests for those showing symptoms of type 1 diabetes.

Garcia, 26, has also been given the same bravery award and said it was an honour and "a reminder that what I did was something good." "It brings me so much peace that I was told that without me helping her float and carrying her, she wouldn't have survived." He added that finding out Olubunmi-Adewole had not survived was one of the worst moments of his life and he was pleased the younger man had been recognised posthumously.

Victoria is by the stage, she goes onto the stage, and of course at that point Brooklyn is suddenly, literally, devastated because he thought he was going to do his first dance with his wife. Then Nicola leaves the room crying her eyes out. Brooklyn is stuck there on stage. And then they do this dance and Marc Anthony's going, 'Put your hands on your mother's hips'. It was a Latin thing. The whole situation was very awkward for everyone in the room.

If you had told us five years ago that London's population would be dunking themselves in ice baths and sweating it out in scorching boxes for fun, instead of going to the pub, we wouldn't have believed you. But in 2026, dear reader, that is very much the case, because Londoners have gone absolutely bonkers for saunas. A new map, created by Sauna\\Wave, has revealed all the best locations in south London to take part in the Finnish tradition.

When you have overly-invested parents and a child trying to strike out into the world on their own, conflict is inevitable The fallout of the Beckham family saga has been echoing throughout the entertainment landscape this week - yet family feuds like this can be more common than we might realise, according to leading psychotherapists and counsellors. Rumours of the Beckham family rift have been circulating for a year, but it was officially confirmed by Brooklyn Beckham (26) in an explosive four-page statement on Monday.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

According to BRC-Opinium data, consumer expectations over the next three months the state of the economy improved to -32 in January, up from -38 in December. Consumers personal financial situation improved to -8 in January, up from -10 in December and their personal spending on retail fell to -6 in January, down from +6 in December. Consumers personal spending overall fell to +5 in January, down from +17 in December,

A man who threatened to rape a teenage girl and encouraged her to self-harm has been jailed. Shabaz Khokar, 24, from London, sent the threat to the victim in Staffordshire via social media, along with images of train tickets he booked to travel to her home. He was arrested at a railway station in the county in August when police were alerted.