PM to shake up planning rules in push to construct more homes

Rishi Sunak will today announce proposed changes to England's planning system to encourage developers to build more homes, in a move designed to boost development in urban areas as housebuilding slumps.

New era: Swift jets in to join boyfriend at the Super Bowl

Taylor Swift flew in from Japan to Las Vegas on Sunday night to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce's team win the Super Bowl and confirm a new era for the pop star: the WAG.

Ex-boss of Post Office 'gave Fujitsu bonus contract despite warnings'

The former Post Office boss Paula Vennells gave Fujitsu a bonus contract in 2013 to take over an archive of branch data, despite warnings such a move would destroy evidence that might clear operators, whistleblowers have said.

A city in fear 'The families here have fled four or five times now'

Panic and despair spread across Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah after a night of intense bombardment on the area where more than a million people have fled seeking shelter but now fear an Israeli ground assault.

Submerged wall 'may be stone age hunting structure'

A stone age wall discovered beneath the waves off Germany’s Baltic coast may be the oldest known megastructure built by humans in Europe, researchers say.

Esther Ghey 'I won't waste energy hating my daughter's killers'

Esther Ghey wasn’t sure she would be strong enough to address the crowd at Warrington’s Golden Square on Sunday. More than a thousand people had gathered to remember her daughter Brianna, exactly a year after she was murdered in a nearby park.

'Aylesbury egg' found in pit has kept its yolk for 1,700 years

It was a wonderful find as it was : a cache of 1,700-year-old speckled chicken eggs discovered in a Roman pit during a dig in Buckinghamshire.

SNP Yousaf fights for trust of activists

January had barely begun when Humza Yousaf made a vigorous pitch to neutralise Scottish Labour's increasingly successful appeals to Scottish National party supporters.

Outrage as Pitchfork is granted new hearing with parole panel

The mother of one of Colin Pitchfork's victims has expressed her anger after the child rapist and murderer won an appeal for a fresh parole hearing to determine whether he should be released from prison.

Sunak tells GB News audience he is 'absolutely committed' to Rwanda

Rishi Sunak has insisted he is \"absolutely committed\" to his Rwanda policy after coming under pressure from a live studio audience.

'Catastrophic': report reveals impact of avian flu on UK's seabirds

The UK has lost more than three-quarters of its great skuas on surveyed sites since bird flu struck, according to the first report quantifying its impact on seabird populations.

Ethical trailblazer The Body Shop faces administration

When Anita Roddick sold The Body Shop in 2006, she left behind not just a thriving cosmetics and skincare empire but proof that a business could follow strict ethical guidelines and still make healthy profits.

Apology after Jewish man 'abused by comedian'

The incident reportedly took place on Saturday near the end of a one-hour Shtoom show by Paul Currie in front of an audience of 200 people at the central London theatre.

Brianna's mother: big tech must protect teenagers

The mother of Brianna Ghey has called for her daughter’s murder to be a “tipping point” in how society views “the mess” of the internet, warning that a generation of anxious young people will grow up lacking resilience .

Pressure on Netanyahu over Rafah offensive

Israel is facing growing international pressure over its intention to launch an all-out military assault on the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, in the wake of a ferocious hostage rescue operation that killed dozens of Palestinians.

Labour cuts ties with Rochdale candidate over Israel comments

Party activists told to stop campaigning for Azhar Aliin byelection

Rice returns to play leading role in traumatic Hammer horror show

It was an afternoon when the West Ham support could not bear to watch.

'A terrible day' Moyes left reeling after Rice caps humiliation

David Moyes pleaded for perspective after watching his West Ham team slump to a 6-0 defeat against Arsenal, a performance he said was shaped by defensive weakness and a lack of fight.

McTominay uses his head to close gap on top four

On evenings such as these Erik ten Hag must feel he has the golden touch. It was not without a by now customary spot of bother but Manchester United racked up a fourth successive win for the first time this season, Scott McTominay's powerful late header helping them to cut the gap to the top four to six points.

Keating's late heroics banishes league tears

There was redemption at Meadow Park for the goalkeeper Khiara Keating as Manchester City won and knocked the 14-time FA Cup winners Arsenal out in the fifth round.

Sheehan double shuts down Italian optimism

After an encouragingly opening defeat by England in Rome, Italy arrived in Dublin in optimistic mood.

Rugby was not meant to be defined by slide-rule pedantry

Rigid application of so many rules is frustrating players, officials and fans as sport gets in a pickle over tangled logic

Fight for the ages Fury v Usyk capable of the gravitas of an era when boxing held sport's greatest prize

In 1971, when the heavyweight championship of the world could still be described accurately as one of the greatest prizes in sport, Norman Mailer wrote about Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier with a kind of drunken fervour.

Labour's green U-turn Ditched plan reveals party's ideological vacuum on economy

Until last week's U-turn on its pledge to spend £28bn on greening the economy, Labour had a coherent story to tell on the economy. It was not an especially exciting story but it made sense.

Ofwat plan to impose fines for poor service 'a gimmick'

A new scheme to fine water companies for providing poor service to customers has been dismissed as \"nothing less than a gimmick\" - as the money raised in fines will not go to consumers affected.

'It's a passion' Why balloon fanatics fly in the face of Brazilian law

Cats chased shadows through the pre-dawn gloom as the men hit the streets of suburban Rio and set off towards their objective.

Demonstrations held across Pakistan after claims of widespread election vote-rigging

Protests have broken out across Pakistan amid allegations of widespread vote-rigging against former prime minister Imran Khan's political party and other nationalist groups in the country's general election.

Nato chief says Trump remarks could put US and EU armed forces in danger

The Nato chief, Jens Stoltenberg, has said any attack on the western military alliance would be met with a \"united and forceful response\", after Donald Trump invited Russia to attack member countries that he perceived as not meeting their financial obligations.

On the hunt Man looking for Meeko tells of joy of raccoons

Saving animals pretty much saved my life,\" says Lain Jenkins, a raccoon rescuer whose semi-detached home in Hartlepool appears as ordinary as they come but is anything but. This is a house that Jenkins shares with raccoons, a parrot, and a friendly skunk - and previously a whole host of exotic animals, including a crocodile in the conservatory.

Scherzinger wins award for role in showbiz musical that stunned West End

Sunset Boulevard was the big winner at the WhatsOnStage awards, with the musical starring Nicole Scherzinger claiming seven accolades, while James Norton's A Little Life bagged two and was the standout play at the ceremony that recognises West End productions.