Driver dead and 33 people seriously injured as Bedford train crash declared major incident
Driver dead and 33 people seriously injured as Bedford train crash declared major incident'Like a bomb explosion': Bedford train passenger describes crashA train driver has died and 89 people have …
Why candidates dress up and run in major UK elections
EPACostumed candidates at UK elections are a longstanding traditionAndy Burnham - a man who hopes to be the next prime minister - stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a man in a fox costume and an "inte…
Cooler Saturday gives brief relief before heat returns
Image source, Getty ImagesByBen RichLead Weather PresenterSaturday could provide momentary respite from the heat after sunshine lifted temperatures above 30C (86F) in parts of the UK on Friday.Fres…
'Cabinet turns on Starmer' and 'Meg's in' for palace stay
Saturday's papers are focused on the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer being asked to step aside and make way for Andy Burnham. Burnham won a resounding victory in the Makerfield by-election, which ha…
The Super Bowl winner's son stepping into spotlight with USA
Back in September 1996, Antonio Freeman's performance lit up the American football stage as his two touchdowns helped the Green Bay Packers to an impressive win at the Seattle Seahawks.Months later…
Zelensky stripped of highest Polish honour over WW2 name of army unit
NurPhoto via Getty ImagesZelensky was presented with the Order of the White Eagle by then-President Andrzej Duda in 2023Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has been stripped of Poland's highest state hono…
'People flew from their seats': Passengers describe how Bedford train crash unfolded
Footage shows inside carriage after Bedfordshire train crashPassengers onboard the two trains that collided near Bedford on Friday afternoon have told the BBC of the panic, injuries and general con…
What we know so far about Bedford train crash
'Like a bomb explosion': Bedford train passenger describes crashTwo passenger trains have collided in the Bedford area, leaving dozens of passengers and crew hurt and one person dead.Emergency crew…
James Burrows, director of classic shows 'Cheers' and 'Friends,' dies at 85
Director James Burrows attends the "Will & Grace" start of production kick off event and ribbon cutting ceremony at Universal City Plaza on August 2, 2017 in Universal City, California. Jason …
Air Force One, gifted to Trump from Qatar, arrives at Joint Base Andrews
U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after touring the inside of the newest aircraft in the presidential fleet at Andrews Air Force Base on June 19, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. …
Italy's Meloni, once Trump's closest ally in Europe, says he made up a story about her
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives to a round table meeting at the EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP hide caption
Fifa alters how World Cup tables work - it changes everything
The main knock-on effect is a greater chance of teams not only advancing but winning the group before matchday three. Under the old format, a team would need to be four points clear of second to lo…
Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, US says, as more Lebanon strikes reported
Henry MooreandTom Bateman,State department correspondentReutersIsraeli air strikes overnight into Friday killed 47 people, Lebanon saidIsrael and Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire, a US official sa…
Could ‘king in the north’ become Britain’s new prime minister?
“We know no king but the King in the North”, declares the young Lady Lyanna Mormont in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. In the early hours of Friday morning, in a nondescript conference hall in …
Anticipation (and rain clouds) build as TRNSMT festival becomes Scotland fan zone
Getty ImagesFans begin to arrive for this year's TRNSMT festivalPouring rain hasn't dampened the spirits of Scotland fans as they prepare to watch a crucial World Cup match at the country's biggest…
England hit by Rew drops and Nicholls century
Second Rothesay Test, The Kia Oval (day three of five)New Zealand 391 (Phillips 100, Blundell 51; Bethell 3-26) & 252-3 (Nicholls 119*, Ravindra 76)England 291 (Gay 53, Fisher 50*; Henry 5-80)New Z…
Celebrations and a swift exit after a Burnham win ‘beyond our wildest dreams’
There was plenty of the hopey, changey stuff from Andy Burnham at his victory rally on the morning after the night before – but it ended with the new MP for Makerfield doing a runner. “Are you goin…
US to end funding of South Africa's HIV programmes over claims of Afrikaner persecution
US to end funding of South Africa's HIV programmes over claims of Afrikaner persecutionGetty ImagesDonald Trump confronted South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House last year over claims th…
The Guardian view on Labour after Makerfield: change must mean more than a new leader | Editorial
Andy Burnham’s triumph in the Makerfield byelection leaves the prime minister with only two options: fight openly for the Labour leadership, or leave office cleanly. The former Greater Manchester m…
‘I’m not a Labour fan but I like Burnham’: relief in Makerfield among left, right and centre
The morning after Andy Burnham secured a landslide byelection victory in Makerfield, returning him to Westminster after nine years as Greater Manchester mayor, it is hard to avoid the large, red pl…
'Prioritise love': Kate writes essay reflecting on Italy tour as new pictures released
Royal FoundationThe Princess of Wales has expressed concerns about an "increasingly digitalised world" in an essay she has written reflecting on her recent visit to northern Italy to learn more abo…
Minimum age of 11 set for UK puberty blocker trial
Getty ImagesGender-questioning children will have to be at least 11 years old to take part in a clinical trial assessing the risks and benefits of puberty-blocking drugs.The planned Pathways Trial …
A losing streak? Makerfield shows mounting dangers for Nigel Farage
As those around Nigel Farage are fond of pointing out, Reform UK has now led in more than 300 consecutive national polls. When it comes to byelections, though, it is fair to say the party’s results…
Thousands of HGV drivers given bogus medical tests in the back of vans
Will Fyfe,Wales News ImpactandLucy Vladev,BBC Wales, Swansea Crown CourtSecret footage caught people given bogus medical tests for their HGV licence applicationsThousands of HGV drivers are thought…
How and why algae clouded Trump's vision for an 'American flag blue' Reflecting Pool
National Park Service employees use a vacuum pump to clean algae off the bottom of the newly repainted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Tuesday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption
Thirty rioters sentenced for disorder which saw police officer set on fire
Thirty rioters sentenced for disorder which saw police officer set on fireGetty ImagesAround 150 people turned up to Ely as riots broke out following the deaths of two teenagersA judge has sentence…
Heathrow third runway GDP yield may be 90% less than original estimate
The economic boost from a Heathrow third runway could be a tiny fraction of previous estimates, government analysis shows, while the overall trade-off from the bigger airport could set the UK back …
Rapist who 'catfished' Muslim men on Snapchat and Grindr jailed
Metropolitan PoliceA man who created more than 100 fake social media profiles to blackmail and sexually assault other young Muslim men has been jailed for 16 years.Waleed Saeed, a British-born Musl…
Scottish guidance on trans prisoners ruled unlawful
PA MediaA judge has ruled that prison guidance which allows some transgender prisoners to be held in jails matching their gender identity, rather than their sex at birth, is unlawful.Judge Lady Ros…
Starmer facing pressure from ministers and Labour grandees to prepare for ‘orderly exit’
Cabinet ministers and Labour grandees are to urge Keir Starmer not to fight a leadership challenge and to prepare for an “orderly exit,” the Guardian understands.Andy Burnham, who won a compelling …
Real, raw and unfiltered? Authenticity helps female singers rule the charts
Real, raw and unfiltered? Authenticity helps female singers rule the chartsGetty ImagesOlivia Dean, Olivia Rodrigo and Lola Young have found success with their relatable lyricsRaw emotion, confessi…
Six-year-old Ebola patient taken from DR Congo hospital found and 'doing well'
Six-year-old Ebola patient taken from DR Congo hospital found and 'doing well'ReutersEbola is spread by contact with bodily fluidsA six-year-old Ebola patient, who Congolese authorities were search…
Henry Zeffman: What does Keir Starmer do next after Andy Burnham's Makerfield win?
ReutersThat's just a flavour of the messages I've been receiving from Labour MPs since Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election in the early hours of this morning.To be clear, it's Sir Keir Star…
The key figures in Andy Burnham's inner circle
ReutersAndy Burnham is expected to seek the Labour leadership after his resounding victory in the Makerfield by-election.If Burnham succeeds in gaining the keys to Number 10, here are some of the M…
Reports of the blockbuster exhibition’s death are premature as Tate’s Kahlo show breaks ticket record
When Tate Modern announced a major exhibition devoted to Frida Kahlo, few doubted it would be popular. The Mexican artist has become one of the most recognisable cultural figures in the world, with…
Energy bills, business rates and HS2: What are Burnham's potential policies?
Energy bills, business rates and HS2: What are Burnham's potential policies?Harry Farley,Political correspondentandJames Gregory,Political reporterPA MediaAndy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield b…
'Neither I nor Italy ever beg': Meloni says Trump made up story about photo
Paul Kirby,Europe digital editorandDavide Ghiglione,Rome'Neither I nor Italy ever beg': Meloni on Trump after 'false' anecdoteItaly's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said she is astonished afte…
Kidney cancer rates near Pfas factory in Lancashire a ‘major source of concern’
Questions have been raised about the conclusions drawn by a government-funded study into kidney cancer rates near a factory linked to forever chemicals near Blackpool.Pfoa, a known carcinogenic for…
Burnham the mystic with a mission is all smiles after Makerfield coronation | John Crace
In the end, it wasn’t even close, Andy Burnham taking well over 50% of the vote and Rob Kenyon departing the stage without a murmur, never to be heard of again. Rob will probably be happier that wa…
Historic by-election win sends message to Labour and SNP, says Badenoch
Angus Cochrane,Senior political journalist, BBC ScotlandandPaul O'Hare,BBC ScotlandPA MediaKemi Badenoch praised the positivity of Douglas Lumsden's campaign and said his by-election win had nation…
Read a book? Join a club? Stare at a wall? Social media alternatives for under-16s
When a Lancashire schoolgirl was asked what she would do if the social media ban for under-16s came into effect, her answer hit a national nerve: “Stare at a wall,” she deadpanned. The clip went vi…
Facts and figures: the Makerfield byelection result in numbers
It was, the consensus opinion states, probably the most politically consequential byelection in recent UK history. But what can we learn from the raw numbers announced overnight in Makerfield? Here…
Binface, foxes and raving loonies: the UK’s proud history of costumed candidates
When world leaders are elected, it is usually a solemn moment, but when the Labour party veteran Andy Burnham found out he had won the Makerfield byelection, increasing the likelihood he could beco…
Farage blames Makerfield defeat on anti-Starmer votes
ReutersNigel Farage says he is disappointed with Reform UK's performance in the Makerfield by-election, as he blamed his party's defeat on a desire among voters to eject Sir Keir Starmer from Downi…
Stepmum jailed for 1978 killing of girl, 5
Metropolitan policeJanice Nix was found guilty of Andrea Bernard's manslaughter and cruelty towards her brother Desmond BernardA woman who killed her five-year-old stepdaughter by scalding her in a…
Nike v Adidas - the World Cup brand battle
Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James are just some of the names who feature in Nike's Rip the script World Cup advert.Adidas' Backyard Legends offering doesn't scrimp o…
Two men jailed for arson attacks on property linked to Keir Starmer
Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc have been jailed at the Old Bailey for seven years and two years respectively for arson attacks on property connected to Keir Starmer.Lavrynovych, 22, from U…
Stick or twist? Rashford and Guehi are Tuchel's big dilemmas
Tuchel's decision to pick Konsa while leaving out Guehi raised some eyebrows, but a glance at the German's team selections since succeeding Sir Gareth Southgate suggests this should not have been a…
St Kilda pier wins peak Victorian architecture award as judges praise playful and ‘deeply civic’ design
The reimagined St Kilda pier has added more accolades to its burgeoning trophy cabinet, taking out some of the top gongs at the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects’ Victorian awards.The $53m Vi…
New research links prenatal exposure to Pfas to later development of PMOS
New research for the first time links prenatal exposure to Pfas “forever chemicals” with the development of polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) later in life.PMOS, formerly known as pol…