UK

More than one million children in England were off school last week due to coronavirus-related reasons, official figures show. It is a new record high since schools reopened in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Can

The government will not draw up a list of critical jobs that will be exempt from full self-isolation if workers are “pinged”. Instead, employers will have to apply to government departments to allow workers to effectively circumvent the rules. Boris Johnson announced on Monday that critical workers, who have been fully vaccinated for at least

A Premier League footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences. The player was arrested on Friday and has been bailed while police continue to investigate. His team confirmed he has been suspended pending the police investigation. They added: “The club will continue to support the authorities with their inquiries and will not

All UK adults have been offered a first dose of a COVID vaccine – hitting the prime minister’s target just ahead of schedule, the government has announced. The Department of Health and Social Care said more than 46.2 million people had now had a first dose (87.8% of the population), while 35.7 million had received

There has been a huge rise in clinically vulnerable people seeking support ahead of legal restrictions being lifted in England on Monday and rising COVID case numbers, a group of leading charities have said. Policy director at Kidney Care UK Fiona Loud says there has been a “tidal wave of people getting in touch with

Police have released images of 10 people they want to question over unrest at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium. Detectives went through the “painstaking” process of scouring CCTV and body-worn footage from last Sunday’s final between England and Italy, and are still searching for other people they wish to speak to. Before the

The UK is “not out of the woods yet” when it comes to coronavirus and people should approach the end of most restrictions on Monday with caution, England’s chief medical officer has warned. Professor Chris Whitty said the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 is doubling around every three weeks and could hit “quite

More than half a million people in England were pinged by the NHS Test and Trace app in a week, the highest figure recorded. A total of 520,194 alerts were sent to users of the NHS COVID-19 app in the week to July 7, telling them they had been in close contact with someone who

Animal Rebellion protesters have blockaded a McDonald’s factory in an attempt to prevent it from distributing beef burgers. The “animal justice” campaigners claim around 100 people have blocked access using tall bamboo structures, tents and trucks, including one with spoof McDonald’s branding reading “McMurder”. They believe the Scunthorpe facility to be producing beef burgers for

Detectives have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of a newborn baby in a canal in the West Midlands. A £5,000 reward is also being offered for information about the death of the boy, who was found on May 20. Police have yet to trace the mother of the infant, who was born full

There are more job vacancies now than there were before the pandemic, official figures show, as unemployment edges slowly down after a year of job losses. The number of open jobs between April to June 2021 was 77,500 above its pre-pandemic level in January to March 2020, according to the Official for National Statistics (ONS).

As many as 60,000 people could die from flu this winter and a combination of seasonal viruses and COVID-19 could leave the NHS “unable to cope”, according to a report. The stark warning was made by scientists who say the flu season could be particularly deadly but the enhanced flu jab programme and rapid tests

Patients with long COVID have reported more than 200 symptoms affecting 10 organ systems, according to a new study. Researchers surveyed 3,762 people from 56 countries who joined the Body Politic online COVID-19 support group and reported coronavirus-like symptoms between December 2019 and May 2020. In total they reported 203 different symptoms, with 66 identified

The Metropolitan Police Federation has condemned England supporters who attacked officers after last night’s Euro 2020 final defeat as “thugs not fans”. The body, which represents thousands of London’s police officers, tweeted: “These people should be ashamed of themselves. “They are not fans. They are thugs. We wish our injured colleagues well.” The Met Police

There was widespread praise for the performance of the young England team on the pitch at Wembley on Sunday evening. They had come within reach of winning the European Championship, only losing 3-2 to Italy in a penalty shoot-out. But their performance was marred by the behaviour of a minority of fans, with dozens arrested

Football came home all right. England just didn’t win the tournament. It’s no disgrace. Italy can claim to be the outstanding team of the Euro 2020, and are worthy winners. The guard of honour they formed as England went to collect their silver medals was a nice touch, and in keeping with a tournament which

There was at least one Englishman with something to celebrate on Sunday night. It will go down in the life story of Sir Richard Branson as the day he was officially handed the title of astronaut after his successful trip to the edge of space and back. And if the live feed of the England game

England have been hailed as heroes who should be “so proud” of themselves for their efforts in reaching their first major final in more than half a century. In a nail-biting final of the Euros, the Three Lions faced an agonising defeat in a penalty shootout at Wembley. Prince William, who was at the match

Italy have beaten England on penalties to win the European Championships in a nail-biting final at Wembley, after the game finished 1-1 following extra time. The Three Lions managed to score the fastest ever Euros final goal after Luke Shaw fired home off the back of a Kieran Trippier cross just before the second minute,

Fans have been pictured breaking through security barriers at Wembley and running into the ground ahead of the Euro 2020 final. Dozens of people could be seen suddenly running into the area underneath the stands and up the stairs as staff wearing hi-vis jackets tried to stop them but were overwhelmed. It is believed up