New Covid variant is highly transmissible and remains serious cause for concern over festive period

Tens of thousands of lifeless crustaceans washed up on North East beaches - and no-one knows why

Attendees have been asked not to wear traditional black attire

‘A huge moral lapse on the part of the world,’ former PM says

Martin Mulcahy died in hospital and will be buried on Thursday – two days before Christmas

More than two dozen energy suppliers have gone bust since the start of September due to runaway gas prices

Police are treating the death as unexplained but have said there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances.

39 places are competing to win city status to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year

Scotland Yard reportedly considered not running the lockdown scheme over fears of its ‘disproportionality’

Exclusive: Ministers blame technical issues as conservationists fear law may be watered down, warning of more elephant killings

The picture shows the entire head of the fried chicken, with beaks and shut eyes

The organisation is calling for urgent change after calculations suggested a rise in the number of children impacted.

Blocking vaccine access in poorer countries is ‘prolonging the pandemic and all its suffering’, the People’s Vaccine Alliance says.

Early studies into the severity of the latest concerning coronavirus variant dominate the national papers on Thursday.

Ava White died after she was stabbed in the city centre on November 25.

The chief executive of Energy UK, Emma Pinchbeck, described the situation as a “nationwide crisis”

Ministers accused of ‘keeping vulnerable species on the brink’ after ‘utterly opaque’ negotiations

A Northern Ireland announcement on Wednesday followed similar measures set out in Wales earlier the same day, and in Scotland on Tuesday.

New research suggests the variant is less likely to result in hospital admission.

November UK car production was the fifth consecutive month of decline, according to new figures.

The funding will be available for retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses and their supply chains across Wales.

It is understood jurors will return on Monday to continue their deliberations.

Ulster Unionist party leader Doug Beattie criticised the East Antrim MP for a tweet that singled out UUP Health Minister Robin Swann.

Good Energy, EDF and trade body Energy UK have warned of further inflation in 2022.

One in every 50 children in England is at risk of eviction this winter, with at least 125,000 children homeless for Christmas

No-one scooped the prize in Wednesday’s game, but the money must be won in Saturday’s draw.

Green Party peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb initially wrote to the watchdog to make a complaint.

Belfast Chamber of Commerce criticised the lack of accompanying financial support package to help businesses affected by the latest restrictions.

A poll taken by YouGov for Shelter has shown that 55,000 children, along with their families, have already been evicted in the last three months

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all announced new restrictions coming into effect over Christmas.

The loans received by the Commons leader were “connected solely” to his personal life an investigation found

There have been a number of claims about Covid rule-breaking parties held in Westminster last year.

Four men appealing convictions as government pushes to introduce life sentences for offence

Exclusive: Government changed tactics and launched drones to film dinghies after asking prosecutors ‘what more can be done’

Independent commissioner says matter was ‘solely’ connected to MP’s private life

Julie and David Morris filmed themselves abusing and raping a girl under the age of 13, in a series of videos

The World Health Organisation says the booster roll-out booster in wealthy nations is distorting global supply and ‘likely to prolong the pandemic’.

The former prime minister made the comment while speaking to Times Radio on Wednesday.

Finding offers ‘unprecedented insight into kinship in a Neolithic community’, say researchers

Time running out to act before 2022 arrives, with no announcement planned this side of Christmas

Some 3,231 new cases of Covid-19 were notified in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, up from 2,096 on Tuesday.

‘When we go into a home, if [parents] are smoking cannabis we can smell it, or if they’re drunk we can see it in their manner. You can’t always see those things virtually,’ says one social worker

Research has shown that that people with PCR-confirmed Omicron are 15 to 20% less likely to require an admission to hospital.

Man in his thirties detained after police make grim discovery at house

Skill Up Step Up: Chair of charity at heart of our jobs campaign says employers can be ‘giants with shoulders that young people can stand on’

The local authority organisation say this year’s settlement is one of the worst they have seen.

Properties were left without heat or light for up to 12 days during unprecedented failure

‘You’re not just irresponsible, you’re an idiot,’ former PM says

In response to the Omicron variant, the JCVI has also advised that some older children be offered a booster dose.

Footballer appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday

Dean Smith had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was acquitted of her murder following a trial at the Old Bailey in September.

Exclusive: Christmas is going ahead but ‘we’re going to suffer for it afterwards’ says senior NHS source

The payments will cover costs that the new suppliers have incurred in taking on the new customers.

A total of 94% of areas have recorded a week-on-week rise in rates.

It is believed to be between 66 and 72 million years old and was found in the Late Cretaceous rocks of Ganzhou in southern China.

Staff use box to trap saw-scaled viper, whose bites can defy anti-venom and kill within hours

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services is calling for the public to stay at home ‘as much as they can’.

The First Minister praised staff at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre jab hub after helping out.

Mr Whyte appeared in court over allegations that he failed to provide passwords for laptops and phones that had been seized.

Julie Morris, 44, and David Morris, 52, were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the rule of six would be reintroduced for pubs, cinemas and restaurants, as well as two metre social distancing

The highly venomous viper was found by workers in a shipment of bricks.

Senior Conservative minister Michael Gove has written to the club to ask it to reconsider its sponsorship deal with the Grenfell Tower-linked firm.

First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced new measures to be introduced from 6am on Boxing Day in Wales.

“I hope it sends a clear message that people who make violent threats on social media can be found,” Ms Minchin said

More than half of the 13,334 requests to the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland were about a person with an abusive past.

Specialist teams are scouring part of the River Thames in the search for 20-year-old Harvey Parker.

There is nothing to suggest there is any third-party involvement at this stage, the Metropolitan Police has said

He bombarded Davis with social media messages and letters, and also visited her home.

Police are appealing for any drivers in the area to check their dashcam footage

Exclusive: ‘Virtual visits’ – which began during first lockdown – branded ‘extremely concerning’ over fears abuse may be missed

It was the 5,000-year-old site’s largest gathering since the beginning of the pandemic

Various surveys cast PM in bleak light going into Christmas

The Metropolitan police are searching the river Thames after CCTV footage indicates that Mr Parker may have entered the water near the Golden Jubilee Bridge

Researchers say the work supports a theory that early Celtic languages came to Great Britain from France during the Late Bronze Age.

AA warns of ‘dangerous situations’ and ‘confusion’ after poll finds majority of motorists not ready for incoming revisions

The Met Office said specific locations for a potential white Christmas cannot yet be forecast.

The money will be split into three funds for cultural organisations and venues, freelancers and suppliers.

People in England who receive negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven will no longer have to self-isolate for the full 10 days.

The Princess Royal and her husband will now not be able to join the Queen at Windsor for Christmas.

Around 58% of all adults in the UK have now received an extra dose.

Chancellor refuses to say whether government will break its own election pledge by borrowing to fund splurge

Experts warn walkers to take extra care this winter

Parts of BT would be brought into public ownership as part of multibillion-pound upgrade to UK’s internet infrastructure

The Welsh First Minister said legislation is ‘designed to protect workers, not to penalise them’.

‘Rule of six’ returns in hospitality settings as first minister Mark Drakeford raises country to ‘alert level two’

The Good Morning Britain host has publicly chartered her husband Derek Draper’s ongoing recovery after he contracted coronavirus.

Further advice regarding Covid vaccination for the age group will be issued in due course.

A total of 68 fatalities were registered over December 13-19, down 17 on the previous week.

The latest data shows almost 800,000 lateral flow tests were carried out last week.

Cavan Medlock is accused of arriving at offices armed with knife, restraints and Nazi and Confederate flags

The BBC presenter spoke after former soldier Carl Davies was jailed for more than two years.

Dorothy Bain QC said the low conviction rate could not be ignored and cannot be explained away by the fact that women are not believed.

Sharif Abbas has been remanded in custody and will appear for sentencing on Monday 28 February 2022