84 m. ago Has anyone asked the Chancellor? Treasury launches 'leak inquiry' into Budget... but City watchdog is waiting in the wings

Officials have been ordered to root out the source of briefings that misrepresented economic forecasts the department was being given privately by the OBR watchdog.

Politics

1 hour ago Egypt says thousands of its artefacts in British Museum are 'part of London's identity'

An Egyptian official claimed the stone was taken from Egypt unlawfully during wartime

Politics

2 h. ago Ministers order review of ADHD and autism diagnosis amid alarm that MILLIONS of people are on benefits with 'medicalised normal life stresses'

The Health Secretary said the issue needed to be looked at through a 'strictly clinical lens' as he and fellow ministers look to tackle Britain's ballooning welfare bill.

Politics

2 h. ago ‘Never seen anything like this’: alarm at memo from top US vaccine official

Vinay Prasad memo said at least 10 children had died from Covid vaccination – but offered scant evidence for claimAmerica’s top vaccines official promised, in a long and argumentative memo to staff on Friday, to revamp vaccine regulation after claiming that at least 10 children died from Covid vaccination – but he offered no evidence for that allegation and scant details on the new approach.The top-down changes, without input from outside advisers or publication of data, worries experts who fear vaccines such as the flu shot may quickly disappear and that public trust will take a major hit. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Has anyone asked the Chancellor? Farce as Treasury launches 'leak inquiry' into Budget despite Reeves being at the heart of the furore

Officials have been ordered to root out the source of briefings that misrepresented economic forecasts the department was being given privately by the OBR watchdog.

Politics

3 h. ago Billionaire Issa brothers revive plan to build Britain's biggest Muslim cemetery with 12,250 burial plots despite scheme being thrown out twice by officials

Wealthy siblings Moshin and Zuber Issa have tried to build a 45-acre cemetery with 12,250 burial plots near their hometown of Blackburn for four years.

Politics

3 h. ago Vladimir Putin's grisly murder methods for enemies from 'poisoned tea to punch to heart'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been blamed for organising assassinations of his biggest critics over the years, with many of the deaths never solved and officially put down to accidents or suicides

Politics

3 h. ago Former king speaks for first time about accidentally killing his brother 70 years ago

Juan Carlos I’s memoir paints a different picture to an official statement released at the time

Events

4 h. ago Hardline migration policies are fuelling people smuggling, report finds

As leaders try to break smugglers’ business model, research suggests strategy so far has had opposite effectHardline migration policies adopted by governments across the globe have been a boon for people smugglers, fuelling demand and allowing them to raise their prices, according to a report.The findings, released on Thursday by the Mixed Migration Centre of the Danish Refugee Council, and based on interviews with thousands of migrants and hundreds of smugglers, come as officials prepare to gather next week in Brussels to discuss how best to combat smuggling. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago NHS sounds alarm over 200,000 'unnecessary' A&E visits for hiccups and ingrown toenails

More than 200,000 A&E visits in England last winter were with 'everyday niggles'

Events

5 h. ago EU plan to seize £80billion of Russian assets for Ukraine could be enough to justify Putin going to war with Europe, Kremlin official warns

Dmitry Medvedev, one of the Kremlin's most hardline voices, said on Thursday that Moscow would view the proposal as equivalent to a direct provocation.

Events

6 h. ago ID of Thai agricultural worker's remains leaves 1 final hostage in Gaza

Israeli and Thai officials say remains that militants in Gaza handed to Israel were those of a Thai agricultural worker killed during the attack that started the war two years ago

Events

8 h. ago Revealed: Myanmar junta ‘crony’ given key role behind Fifa peace prize

Inaugural prize expected to be handed to Donald Trump but ‘process’ for choosing future winners to be proposed by controversial tycoon’s committeeIt was the timing that set off the first alarm bells. With Donald Trump brooding over missing out on the Nobel peace prize, and shortly before Gianni Infantino, the president of world football’s governing body, Fifa, was due to meet the US president in Miami, an announcement was made.In a press release and a post on his personal Instagram account last month, Infantino said Fifa would launch its very own peace prize, to be awarded each year to “individuals who help unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions”. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 159 as officials order citywide scaffolding net removal

Police say number of dead may still be revised as ‘suspected human bones’ found during search require forensic testingThe death toll in Hong Kong’s apartment complex fire has risen to 159 as officials ordered all scaffolding mesh in the city to be removed by Saturday.The blaze that last week engulfed Wang Fuk Court in the city’s northern Tai Po district has become the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980. Continue reading...

Events

12 h. ago Hong Kong warns ‘external forces’ working to exploit apartment fire, as death toll rises to 159

Police say number of dead may still be revised as ‘suspected human bones’ found during search require forensic testingHong Kong and Beijing officials have warned against what they claim are “external forces” threatening to exploit last week’s deadly apartment complex fire for political disruption, as rescuers say at least 159 people have been confirmed dead.The fire at the Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong is the city’s worst disaster in 75 years, and the world’s most fatal residential building fire since 1980. The eight-tower complex – home to nearly 5,000 people – was under extensive renovations that have since been found to contain substandard, flammable materials. Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago Ukraine accuses Putin of 'wasting the world's time' after Russian and US officials fail to reach make progress on peace deal

The White House expressed confidence a breakthrough could be achieved, despite peace envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law emerging empty-handed on Tuesday.

Politics

13 h. ago Royal Navy ships hunting Russian submarines have terrifying subsonic 'STRATUS' missiles

In the past two years there has been a 30 per cent surge in Russian ships approaching British waters - sparking a strong response from officials keen to face down Vladimir Putin

Events

13 h. ago Gavin Newsom launches portal for California residents to snitch on federal agents who ‘abuse their authority’

Golden State officials said the tool would help push back against a ‘campaign of terror’ by Trump administration

Events

14 h. ago Labour expected to postpone mayoral elections by two years amid continued Reform poll lead

The Independent has seen briefing notes from officials suggesting that mayoral elections will postponed from 2026 to 2028

Politics

15 h. ago Foreign office failings over death of teen motorcyclist Harry Dunn laid bare by independent review

FOREIGN Office failings over the death of teen motorcyclist Harry Dunn were laid bare by an independent review yesterday. Officials did not treat the crash outside a US military base case as a crisis and withheld information from his family, it found. US state department employee Anne Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of...

Events