UK

Anyone organising illegal raves or gatherings of more than 30 people could face a £10,000 fine as tougher rules come into place in England next Friday. Police have been dealing with a surge in unlicensed music events in recent weeks and the government plans to crack down on illegal gatherings ahead of the August bank

Holidaymakers are scrambling to get home before Saturday’s early-morning quarantine deadline, while web searches for flights to Portugal have soared after the country was put back on the UK’s safe list. Travellers hoping to return to the UK from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago before the 4am quarantine deadline are – in some cases

The R number in the UK has risen to between 0.9 and 1.1, the government’s scientific advisory group (SAGE) says. The R number is a measure of how many people on average each infected person transmits the virus to. It is an increase on an estimated range of 0.8-1.0 last week, compared with 0.8-0.9 a

Unpaid household bills built up during lockdown will lead to a spiral of debt for many unless financial support is provided, according to Citizens Advice. One in nine people have reported being unable to keep up with household bills – the equivalent of six million individuals across the UK, according to research by the charity.

Northern Ireland is tightening its coronavirus lockdown restrictions by reducing the number of people allowed to meet, as it fights a rise in COVID-19 cases. In a news conference at Stormont, health minister Robin Swann said groups who meet outdoors would now be limited to 15 – down from 30. Groups meeting indoors will be

Nearly three-quarters of coronavirus patients admitted to hospital suffer ongoing symptoms three months later, new research suggests. A total of 81 patients out of 110 discharged from Southmead Hospital in Bristol were still experiencing symptoms from the virus, including breathlessness, excessive fatigue and muscle aches, after 12 weeks. Many were struggling to carry out daily

Students expecting their BTEC results in the morning will be left disappointed after a last-minute decision to delay their release. With less than 24 hours to go until results day, exam board Pearson has asked schools and colleges not to publish level one and two results for vocational courses. The board wants more time to

The UK’s major city centres are still significantly less busy and Britons are, for the most part, continuing to shun public transport, data shows. Despite a government drive to get people back in shops, restaurants, bars and workplaces, some parts of the country are recovering far more slowly than others from the coronavirus lockdown. Coastal

A police officer has been removed from frontline duties after a video showed a man being told “chill out or I’ll choke you out” during an arrest. West Yorkshire Police said the matter has been referred to the police watchdog after footage emerged of the incident in Halifax. The 45-second clip shows two male uniformed

Leicester’s nail bars and salons can reopen from Wednesday, but health officials have warned that “infection rates remain too high” for the local lockdown to be fully lifted. Outdoor swimming pools will also be allowed to start accepting customers – as can spas, tanning booths, and massage and tattoo parlours. However, people in the area

Marks & Spencer plans to cut 7,000 jobs over the next three months as part of a shake-up in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The move was announced as the retailer revealed a steep drop in sales and said it was acting to reflect a “material shift” in trading prompted by the pandemic. M&S

A-level and GCSE students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be handed exam grades as predicted by their teachers instead of a controversial algorithm. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson apologised following the major government U-turn, which came after growing fury from pupils and Tory MPs about the handling of the results crisis. Ministers have been

GCSE students in Northern Ireland will have their results decided based on teachers’ predictions, after the controversial moderating system was scrapped. Just days before the grades were due to be published, the devolved government announced it wanted to “ease anxieties” among pupils and their families. The move piles pressure on the UK government to follow

Four young men have died after a car crashed into a house and burst into flames on the A4 in Wiltshire, police have said. The “absolutely horrific” crash happened in the early hours of Sunday and all four, who were locals and inside the car, died at the scene. Wiltshire Police say the car crashed

Public Health England (PHE) is set to be scrapped and replaced with a unit that will specifically deal with pandemics, it has been reported. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is set to announce the move later this week, and will merge the NHS Test and Trace scheme with the work done by PHE on the coronavirus

Flypasts by the Red Arrows and vintage Second World War aircraft have been part of poignant commemorations to honour those who fought in Far East. Tributes to veterans and those who lost their lives have been led by Prince Charles on the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, saying they should be “respected, thanked and cherished”.