United Kingdom

    Investigators have been summoned for emergency talks on the investigation in Salisbury, where the repercussions of a suspected nerve agent attack continue to grow. The home secretary, Amber Rudd, will chair a meeting of the government’s Cobra committee at 3pm on Saturday to receive updates on the police inquiry, Downing Street said. The Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain in critical condition in hospital after being exposed to a toxic substance in the Wiltshire city last Sunday. DS Nick Bailey, who was part of the initial response by authorities, is also in a serious condition. Almost 200 members of the armed forces arrived on the streets of Salisbury on Friday to support police investigating the nerve agent attack on the S...

    More than a million people were issued with penalty notices for claiming free prescriptions the NHS said they were not entitled to in 2017. Hundreds of thousands of NHS patients are being wrongly accused of fraudulently claiming free prescriptions and are being threatened with fines. Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that 1,052,430 penalty notices were issued to patients in England in 2017 – about double the level in the previous year. The fines, which carry a maximum penalty of £100 and are issued to those who wrongly claim free medication, are issued after an NHS exemption certificate has expired. But the data confirms that 342,882 penalty notices were subsequently withdrawn because the patient was entitled to the free prescription. “Thes...

    Theresa May is concerned over reports of bullying of Commons staff by MPs including Speaker John Bercow, a Downing Street spokesman said today. But the PM has confidence in Bercow who has denied any wrongdoing to continue in his role, despite a BBC Newsnight report which claimed one female clerk suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after working for him. The report from Newsnight is concerning, the spokesman said. The prime minister is clear there can be no place for bullying or harassment of any kind in Westminster. Everybody should be free to work in an environment that is safe and respectful. Any complaints that are made should be fully investigated. Kate Emms was appointed as the Speaker’s private secretary in mid 2010. She was signed off sick in ea...

    UK Sergei Skripal, a former colonel of Russia's GRU military intelligence service, looks on inside the defendants' cage as he attends a hearing at the Moscow military district court, Russia August 9, 2006. Picture taken… The nerve agent used to poison ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal was likely to be extremely rare, police sources have said. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the substance before they collapsed in a Salisbury shopping mall on Sunday, police said on Wednesday. They have classified the case as attempted murder. While London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley did not specify the type of nerve agent used, the BBC has quoted a well-placed source as saying that the poison used was likely extremely rare. According to the s...

    Passport applications will cost more in the post than online for the first time Passport applications will cost more in the post than online for the first time after Government proposals were passed in the Commons. Fees will go up across the board, but the increases will be less steep for those applying on the internet in a bid to encourage people to use this route. Currently, a standard first adult passport or renewal costs £72.50 regardless of how the application is made. Under changes scheduled to take effect on March 27, the fee will rise to £75.50 for online applications and £85 for postal applications. Charges for children's passports will go up from £46 currently to £49 online and £58.50 in the post. The £12.50 increase for the postal service represents a ...

    Several people who were trapped at the top of Blackpool Tower have been evacuated after firefighters brought a fire in the building under control. Firefighters spent three and a half hours tackling a blaze which broke out on the roof of the iconic landmark. A number of people had been held in a safe area at the top of the building while the rest of the tower was evacuated, according to Lancashire Fire Service. There are no reported injuries. Firefighters were called to reports of a fire on the roof of one of the tower buildings at 12.39pm. It was put out at approximately 4pm. The people at the top of the tower were allowed down once the emergency services had finished checks to confirm it was safe to move them. Emergency services will maintain a presence at the ...

    Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle smile as they pose for the media in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, Monday Nov. 27, 2017. It was announced Monday that Prince Harry, fifth in line for the British Meghan Markle has been baptised into the Church of England in a secret ceremony with Prince Harry at her side. The intimate 45-minute service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Chapel Royal on Tuesday evening. They were joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, but neither Prince William nor the Queen were present. Miss Markle’s baptism, which formally introduces her into the Anglican faith ahead of her wedding to Harry in two months, marks an important step on her transformation from divorced American actress to future gra...

    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly DOUBLED the budget for their upcoming wedding. The nuptials, on May 19, are one of the most talked about events in the world right now. A source close to Meghan has said that a total of £400,000 has been spent on beauty and fashion for the former Suits star's big day, with the majority of it going on the dress. An insider told Look magazine: "Meghan is like any other bride preparing for her dream day. The wedding dress has been the biggest expense, and the budget has now doubled from what it originally was. It's also reported that Meghan has spent a fortune on post-wedding celebrations. The source added: Then there's the honeymoon, which is £120,000 but that is her gift to Harry. After announcing her engagement to ...

    Saudi's Crown Prince is meeting with Theresa May during a controversial visit which has sparked protests. Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, posed with the Prime Minister outside 10 Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon ahead of talks between the pair. His visit to Number 10 came after lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Others used the hashtag #SaudiPrinceNotWelcome hashtag on social media to express their opposition to his visit. :: Who is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman? Citing anti-terrorism co-operation between the UK and Saudi Arabia, Mrs May told MPs the link between the two countries is "historic, important and has saved the lives of potentially hundreds of people in this country". She added: "Their involvement in Yemen came at the request of the...

    The Brussels analysis of the prime minister’s address, issued to representatives of all 27 member states, described her intervention as a change in tone, but not in substance, warning that all the UK’s red lines remained. And while it said the prime minister had promised clarity on Britain’s hopes for a future trading relationship, it branded the model she proposed as unworkable and double cherry-picking. It also claimed there had been zero progress when it came to ideas for customs cooperation. Like with PM May’s previous speeches, she addressed more her domestic audience, trying to bridge the gaps between the two poles of the debate on Brexit in the UK, the paper concluded. While the speech was long on aspirations, it was short on workable solutions that would re...