British tourists are to be banned from France amid concern over the "extremely rapid" rise in Omicron COVID cases in the UK.

People should "make a sensible choice" if their priority is to make it to the Christmas dinner table with their families, a health minister has said - while not ruling out the possibility of more restrictions being imposed.

Rishi Sunak has been urged to "get on a plane" back to the UK amid a growing clamour for support for businesses hit by warnings over Omicron.

Brentford FC's manager has called for all Premier League fixtures this weekend to be postponed amid the ongoing COVID crisis.

Hundreds of thousands of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 are not using the NHS contact tracing apps to alert their close contacts, despite the outbreak of the Omicron variant, new figures reveal.

Four children have died and five others have been seriously injured after a bouncy castle was blown into the air at an Australian primary school.

A school has apologised for the Christmas lunch that was served to students after a parent shared his "disbelief" over the meagre meal.

The Omicron COVID variant multiplies 70 times faster than Delta in human airways, according to researchers.

A children's charity is warning that another lockdown could put young people at further risk of exploitation from county lines drugs gangs.

Voters have begun to cast their ballots in the North Shropshire by-election as they choose a replacement for former Conservative MP Owen Paterson.