United Kingdom

    She's just like one of us – almost. The Queen shunned royal transport on Thursday morning to take an ordinary passenger train to Norfolk, where she will be spending the Christmas period at her country estate Sandringham. But unlike other commuters, Her Majesty was, naturally, given VIP treatment and a first class carriage was cordoned off for herself and her husband Prince Philip. As they do most years, the royals took the 10:44am train from King's Cross in north London to King's Lynn in Norfolk. The small train station is located just a few minutes' drive from Sandringham. Eager to kick start the Christmas holidays, the Queen was all smiles as she arrived at King's Cross in the morning. The 89-year-old monarch wrapped up from the winter chill in a blush pink coat and carr...

    David Cameron has been accused of a "migration cover-up" after it emerged that more than a million migrants who have come to the UK in recent years are unaccounted for. Ministers have failed to release data which experts believe could show the true number of EU migrants coming to the UK, claiming that it would be "unhelpful" to Mr Cameron's current renegotiation with Brussels ahead of the in-out referendum. There were accusations that the figures are being suppressed amid fears that releasing the data could lead to Britain leaving the EU. Experts warned that it could mean the number of migrants coming to Britain from the EU is actually hundreds of thousands higher than previously thought. It came as Mr Cameron was left isolated as more than a dozen European leaders spoke o...

    A striking sunset picture taken in Norwich Sands swept to Britain from the SAHARA have caused incredibly vivid blood-red sunrises across the UK this morning. However, the dust storm will bring killer smog and “blood rain” today, it is feared. Asthmatics have been warned to stay indoors – as have people suffering other health problems. A smog alert has been issued for much of the UK as the African sand smothered the land. And Britain could face the warmest December for 70 years as ¬temperatures soar to 16C – 10C higher than the average for this time of year. Experts warned those with chest ¬problems to avoid strenuous exercise. Asthma UK’s Andrew Proctor said: “People with asthma must take extra care this week. “We are facing a perfect storm of asthma triggers, with air pol...

    Future council tenants in England are likely to lose the right to stay in their homes for life, the government has said. An amendment to the Housing Bill, currently going through Parliament, will limit occupation rights for new tenancies to five years at the most. Labour said the move would break up communities. But the government said it would improve the ability of councils to give homes to those who need them most. Up to now, most council tenants have been allowed to remain in their homes for as long as they wanted. In some cases, tenants can even pass their properties to a next of kin. "People will be astonished that ministers are legislating to deny families a stable home," said John Healey, Labour's housing spokesman. "This will cause worry and upheaval for tenants, ...

    A smog alert has been issued for parts of the UK. A cloud of dust from the Sahara will hit Britain on Thursday. Southern and central England will be affected, with eastern areas worst hit. The Department for Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Defra) has issued alerts across southern and central England. A level-8 red warning is in place for eastern regions with toxic fog and dust threatening to engulf the region. Health experts have issued emergency warnings to people with asthma and other conditions to stay indoors and avoid exercise. Asthma UK warned of a "perfect storm" of conditions as Britain prepares for a blast of hot air to send thermometers to 17C. Director of Advice Andrew Proctor said: "People with asthma need to take extra care. "We are facing a perfect storm...

    Rocket blasts into space A rocket has blasted off carrying British astronaut Major Tim Peake to the International Space Station (ISS). He took off in the Soyuz FG rocket at 11.03am UK time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan along with his two colleagues – Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Tim Kopra. He looked at the on-board video camera and gave a thumbs up gesture as the spacecraft completed its first booster stage and the boosters fell away. Zero gravity was reached by the Soyuz spacecraft after nine minutes of travel. The gravity indicator inside the capsule could be seen floating away in the on-board footage. It followed an emotional farewell with his family and friends, during which his young son cried loudly, saying: "I want to go with dadd...

    Contactless cards offer a quick and easy way to pay in shops and restaurants, but could also offer easy pickings to fraudsters if not properly protected. A reader discovered this to his cost when his card seemed to go on a shopping spree without him - and, no, it wasn’t his wife. Desmond, from Wolverhampton, wrote to me after a cash machine displayed an “insufficient funds” message when he tried to withdraw some money. He knew this couldn’t be right as he had been paid just a few days before. So he contacted his bank which confirmed that there had been 13 transactions over the past three days totalling £2,125. Each transaction was an online purchase with his debit card, but Desmond had not made any of them himself. Desmond was not the only victim, by coincidence he discove...

    David Cameron must be granted a Danish-style opt out from free movement rules in order to get his ban on migrant benefits, Boris Johnson says, ahead of a summit this week which will determine Britain's future in the European Union. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the London Mayor said an exemption from EU rules that allows Denmark to ban non-residents from buying homes could be emulated by the UK to impose waiting times on benefits. The compromise plan - which could see welfare restrictions apply to returning British expatriates as well as EU migrants - is being examined by Brussels diplomats as a potential way of saving Mr Cameron's flagship EU reform, it is understood. Downing Street said the idea had not been "formally tabled", but admitted it could be raised during Thu...

    David Cameron is ready to consider a “plan B” to curb EU migration to the UK, which would involve strict new limits on benefit payments to out-of-work migrants rather than those in jobs, as he seeks to cobble together a new deal for Britain in Europe. The prime minister will take centre stage at a working dinner with European leaders in Brussels on Thursday evening, where he will say that concerns about migration are a major issue for the British people and that they need addressing before an in/out referendum to be held by the end of 2017. He is expected to abandon his protracted battle for treaty changes – which would ban EU migrants who are in work from receiving benefits until they have been in employment in the UK for four years – and turn his attention to other measu...

    Shaker Aamer, the last British resident held at Guantanamo Bay, has delivered a blunt message for Islamic extremists living in the UK to get the hell out. Mr Aamer, 48, returned to Britain in October after being held without charge for 13 years at the US military facility in Cuba. During his time in captivity, Mr Aamer's lawyers said he was tortured and held in solitary confinement for 360 days. In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, the father of four spoke out against extremists: "How can you give yourself the right to be living here in this country, and living with the people and acting like you are a normal person, and then you just walk in the street and try to kill people?" He said Islam did not allow the killing of civilians: "Even if there is a war you cannot kil...