Britain Will Strike Houthis Again If Necessary, Says PM, As Red Sea Shipping Crisis Continues

Rishi Sunak has said the UK is willing to take military action against Houthi rebels again, hours after the Yemen based group fired another missile at a US-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea.

Getting All Your Jabs Saves Lives, UK Covid Study Finds

Older people are being urged to get fully vaccinated against Covid as a world-first study shows thousands of hospital admissions and deaths in the UK could have been avoided if everyone had received all their doses.

Osaka remains upbeat after first-round exit

Naomi Osaka may have been unable to mark her comeback with the instant glory she craved, but on her return to grand slam tennis yesterday the four-time major champion showed she is on the right path. The former world No 1 tussled with one of the best players in the world before narrowly losing 6-4, 7-6 (2) against Caroline Garcia in the first round.

Murray's meek capitulation raises doubts about future

Long before Andy Murray and Tomás Martín Etcheverry appeared inside Kia Arena, line after line of spectators wrapped around the stadium in anticipation of seeing an all-time great on a stage on which he has achieved so much.

Average car insurance in UK nears £1,000 after rise of 58%

The average price of car insurance in the UK has broken records to stand at close to £1,000 after price rises of more than 50% last year, according to new data.

Germany on course for two-year recession after growth stalls in 2023

Germany is on track for its first twoyear recession since the early 2000s after its economy shrank in 2023 amid the impact of higher energy costs and weaker industrial demand.

Global flashpoints high on agenda on first day at Davos

Growing concern that heightened geopolitical tension could damage an already shaky global economy has dominated the start of the annual gathering of the world's business and political elite in Davos.

Blow to Russian air power as Kyiv shoots down two planes

Ukraine's military has said it shot down two of Russia's command planes, in one of the most disastrous days for the Kremlin's air power since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion.

Taiwan loses another ally as Nauru switches its allegiance to China

Nauru has switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China less than 48 hours after Taiwan's presidential election.

Renaissance physician's 'mindblowing' anatomy work could sell for £1m

A \"mind-blowing\" edition of human anatomy by the Renaissance physician Andreas Vesalius, estimated to be worth up to £1m, will be sold at auction for the first time since scholars discovered it was annotated by Vesalius himself.

The short-term seat Labour keen to take Kingswood - even just for a few months

You might think the idea of pounding the streets and banging on doors during a cold January would not be too enticing, especially when the prize for the victor vanishes in a few months' time.

British Library begins restoring online access after cyber-attack

The British Library is restoring its main catalogue online - which contains 36m records of printed and rare books, maps, journals and music scores - 11 weeks after a catastrophic cyber-attack.

Germany Author cuts ties with publisher in Gaza protest

A prize-winning Bosnian and Serbian novelist has cut ties with her German publisher in protest against what she describes as its silence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as a call for an all-out boycott of German cultural institutions over the government's pro-Israel stance divides opinion.

Hostage deaths Hamas claims two captives killed in Israeli airstrikes

Hamas has released a new video announcing the death of two Israeli hostages which it claimed were killed by Israeli airstrikes.

'This town might be over': thousands left in limbo as Icelandic volcano erupts again

Residents of the Icelandic town of Grindavík fear they may not be able to return to their homes after lava destroyed several houses and damaged water and electricity supplies.

Gym workouts and healthy eating: how to star as Amy Winehouse

Intense gym sessions, consulting nutritionists and coaches tweaking every aspect of your performance may sound like the life of a professional endurance athlete, but increasingly the same demands are being made of actors - especially those trying to transform into wellknown singers.

Watchdog says UK wasting billions on badly run projects

Britain is wasting tens of billions of pounds on badly run megaprojects, cold war-era IT systems and crumbling, poorly maintained infrastructure, parliament's spending watchdog will say today.

Defiant Houthis attack cargo ship as conflict widens in Middle East

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia group continued to attack commercial shipping yesterday, hitting an American-owned container ship with a ballistic missile in defi ance of a wave of US and UK strikes on Yemen.

Oxford drives electric bus initiative with private firms

Oxford is launching an electric fleet that will make the city one of the UK's leading adopters of zeroemission buses.

Houses set on fire as volcanic lava flows into Icelandic town

Houses caught fire in the fishing town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland yesterday after a volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month.

Beijing bristles as other world leaders welcome Taiwan's new president

Global leaders have congratulated Lai Ching-te for winning Taiwan's presidential election, praising the high turnout and democratic process - and drawing ire from Beijing, which had hoped to see Taiwan's ruling party ousted.

Fit for a king In cloaks and crowns, Danes pay homage to new monarch

Denmark's prime minister has proclaimed D in Copenhagen, after Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication, ending her 52-year reign as the country's longest-serving monarch.

'It is a gamble' How UK planning system turned into a casino

'We can't keep banging our heads against the wall,\" said James Dolan, the billionaire owner of New York's Madison Square Garden arena, who last week abandoned a five-year effort to build a glowing orb-shaped concert venue, taller than St Paul's Cathedral, in London.

French woman speaks of UK job ordeal after Brexit migration mix-up

A French woman has spoken about how she lost her job in Shropshire and was left \"heartbroken\" about life in the UK because of a mix-up over the immigration process for EU citizens launched after Brexit.

Rwanda bill No 10 resists panic despite warring Tory factions' bluster on make-or-break law

Just before MPs were due to J vote on the Rwanda bill at second reading last month, Conservative whips called party moderates in to see them one by one.

Berger given key mental health role by Labour a year after rejoining

Luciana Berger has been given a key role in Labour's mental health strategy five years after she left the party over its handling of antisemitism cases.

Parents struggle to sign up for free childcare promised in budget

A high-profile government childcare scheme is at risk of \"falling apart\", with parents struggling to access new free hours and nurseries uncertain whether they can afford to provide care, according to charities.

Israel marks 100 days of war with rallies calling for hostages' return

Israel has marked 100 days of war with a 100-minute pause in the working day and rallies to call for the return of hostages held in Gaza, but little relief from the anxiety that has gripped the country since the 7 October attacks launched by Hamas.

"The assassinations have crossed a line' warn of risk in Israel's targeting of Hezbollah Diplomats

Israel's recent targeted assassinations of senior Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon risk a serious escalation between the two sides in their three-month border conflict, diplomats have said.

Five die after trying to board small boat for Channel crossing in icy temperatures

Five people have died and a sixth is in a critical condition after they got into difficulty in icy waters while trying to reach the UK from northern France, the French maritime authority said yesterday.