National News

Protesters are taking to the water at 12 bathing spots around the UK to demand an end to sewage discharges into the country’s seas and rivers. Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) organised the demonstration which was led by paddle-boarders, kayakers, swimmers and paddlers at Brighton beach in East Sussex. Other locations include Tinside Beach East, Plymouth Hoe, and Gyllyngvase beach, Falmouth, South Bay in Scarborough, Portobello Beach in Edinburgh and Penarth

Rishi Sunak has met Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 summit in Hiroshima after the Ukrainian president closed in on obtaining the F-16 fighter jets he wants to fight off Russia. “Good to see you,” the Prime Minister said, slapping him on the back after they greeted each other with an embrace. “You made it.” Asked by reporters if it was a good day for Ukraine, Mr Zelensky smiled, nodded and

Renowned composer Sir Karl Jenkins has broken chart records by reaching more than 1,000 weeks in the UK Official Classical Artist Albums Chart. The milestone was reached by Sir Karl’s popular mass The Armed Man – commissioned in 1999 by the Royal Armouries to mark the millennium. It comes after the composer recently went viral at the King’s coronation when his striking appearance caught the attention of the public. It

Def Leppard have returned home to help save The Leadmill as they rocked the famous Sheffield venue with a one-off show ahead of the European leg of their world stadium tour. The Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame inductees returned to band’s home city on Friday night to thrill the 850 fans who packed into the under-threat club – three days before the band plays to 44,000 at Sheffield United’s nearby Bramall

Thomas Frank said the uncertainty that hung over Ivan Toney and Brentford due to the striker’s FA charge of breaking gambling rules was allowed to run on for too long. Toney was charged with 262 betting offences in November and December last year, with the 27-year-old admitting to 232 of them in February, but it took until Wednesday for an eight-month ban from football to be handed down. The England

A masked man has attacked a statue on the front of the BBC’s Broadcasting House in central London with a hammer and chisel. It comes days after repair work was started to the previously-attacked Grade II listed statue, of Prospero and Ariel from Shakespeare’s The Tempest by Eric Gill, who is said to have sexually abused two of his daughters. A man wearing a Spiderman mask seen on scaffolding surrounding

The Chancellor has urged Conservatives “not to talk ourselves down” as he warned that creating an “inaccurate narrative” about Britain could make it into a reality. Jeremy Hunt said he had noticed an “insidious declinism” creeping in among “those who used to be optimists like me” when it came to topics such as Brexit and UK economic performance. It follows a week of blue-on-blue attacks in which Tories, including Home

Schools are “bewildered” by the rate of change in artificial intelligence (AI) and believe it is moving “far too quickly” for government alone to provide the advice that is needed, leading head teachers have warned. Their comments come after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “guardrails” are to be put in place to maximise the benefits of AI while minimising the risks to society. Mr Sunak said the UK’s regulation must

Ministers have moved to restrict the dispensing of a medicine used to treat the symptoms of menopause due to shortages being experienced in Britain. The UK Government issued a serious shortage protocol (SSP) for Utrogestan 100mg capsules on Friday. It means pharmacists will be able to dispense a maximum of two months’ supply per prescription in a bid to ensure women who use the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can continue