Government drops appeal over activist who held sign outside court

The government has dropped an appeal against a judge's decision to throw out a contempt case against a woman who stood outside a climate activist trial holding a placard about jury rights.

Cyanide spill in Walsall canal condemned as unacceptable’

The Environment Agency described a cyanide spill into a West Midlands canal as \"unacceptable\" and promised robust action yesterday if any wrongdoing was found to have occurred.

Caterer in legal Case over mice in school kitchen returns to profit

A catering company owned by the billionaire Coates family has reported a return to profit, after it emerged that the company had served food from a mouse-infested kitchen to primary school children and failed to pay staff the minimum wage.

Analysis Highest grades are up this year but worrying regional disparities remain

Many students in England who received their A-level grades yesterday will have been happy after overall results showed an increase in the number of As and A*s, exceeding not only last year's results, but those recorded before the disruption caused by the pandemic.

'Unbelievably proud' Nerves, then joy, at UK's oldest sixth-form college

When Yasser Imlahi Iallouchen arrived to collect his BTec results yesterday morning, he said he was so nervous he could barely breathe.

Taylor Swift fans shake off security fears as they flock to Wembley show

Thousands of fans flooded Wembley Stadium last night to see Taylor Swift perform for the first time since her shows in Vienna were cancelled after a foiled terrorist attack.

Five people arrested and charged over death of Friends actor Matthew Perry

Five people have been arrested and charged over the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, US prosecutors said last night, including the actor's personal assistant and two doctors.

Woman wins CPS payout over sexsomnia’ rape claim

A woman has been awarded £35,000 from the Crown Prosecution Service after the case against a man accused of raping her was dropped over claims that she could have had an episode of a rare sleep condition called sexsomnia.

New towns plan for England risks missing housing targets, Rayner told

Angela Rayner has been warned that the government could risk missing its housing targets by placing too much emphasis on creating new towns across England.

Rail firms’ prosecutions of 74,000 alleged fare dodgers to be quashed

Tens of thousands of fare dodging prosecutions brought by train companies are to be quashed after a court ruling yesterday.

Ceasefire talks Hamas stays away as latest round begins in Doha

A new round of negotiations aimed at brokering a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and preventing it from spiralling into a region-wide conflict began yesterday, as the death toll in the Palestinian territory reached a grim milestone of 40,000 people, according to local health authorities.

Trainee gondoliers wanted: must be in love with Venice and know how to swim

With their straw hats and stripy shirts, Venice's distinguished gondoliers have been deftly rowing passengers through the narrow canals of the lagoon city for centuries.

Dinosaur-killing meteor 'likely to have come from beyond Jupiter'

When a massive space rock slammed into Earth 66m years ago, it wiped out huge swathes of life and ended the reign of the dinosaurs.

Biden and Harris hail win against Big Pharma as they woo older voters

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cast themselves as the champions of older people in a David-and-Goliath fight against big pharmaceutical companies, at a joint event last night touting a deal to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

"Two-tier system': record A-level results highlight regional divide

South-east well ahead on top grades as gap in university access widens

"That's not funny': Lettuce outlasts Truss on big stage again as ex-PM exits abruptly

Liz Truss left the stage abruptly at an event to promote her own book after campaigners unfurled a banner emblazoned with the phrase: \"I crashed the economy\" below a picture of a lettuce.

Mbappé's final arrival sets the stage for a La Liga epic

Timing of the Frenchman's long-awaited move may prove perfect, with Lamine Yamal also ready to fulfil his destiny

Waine answers Rooney's call as Plymouth banish early blues

\"What was your overall impression of the 'wow' factor?\" It could be a question for Plymouth supporters as they headed for the exits after witnessing a welcome first win under Wayne Rooney but is actually a line from the judging criteria for the British Fireworks Championships, the other show in town on the night, down on the waterfront.

Dutch dominate as Pieterse bounces back from Paris pain

The Dutch party continued at the Tour de France Femmes, as the Grand Tour debutante Puck Pieterse maintained the trend started on stage one by Charlotte Kool, to claim the fourth consecutive win by a rider from the Netherlands.

More inflation rises expected after first increase this year

Britain's annual inflation rate rose to 2.2% last month - its first increase since December last year and is expected to remain above its 2% target for the rest of the year.

Port Talbot uncertainty 'hitting supply chain jobs'

Uncertainty over the future of Tata Steel in south Wales is already causing job losses in the broader industry, the Welsh secretary has said, as the government scrambles to reduce the toll of redundancies in Port Talbot.

'I feel very afraid' Maduro's refusal to resign raises fears for future

It was election night in Venezuela in 2013, and among the Chavista activists at Caracas city hall, nerves were jangling as early results showed their candidate, Nicolás Maduro, trailing his charismatic rival for the presidency, Henrique Capriles.

Japan to have a new leader as Kishida steps down as party chief

Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has said he will not run for the presidency of his ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) next month, a decision that will result in the appointment of a new leader of the world's fourth-biggest economy.

Hamas unlikely to join new ceasefire talks as it accuses Israel of stalling

Hamas appears unlikely to participate in a new round of talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal today, further dampening hopes of an agreement that might stave off expected retaliatory strikes by Iran against Israel for the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.

'In the blink of an eye' Earth's deep history reveals pace of change

Climate records are tumbling at a galloping pace.

Public alert after sodium cyanide spill into canal

A major incident was in place yesterday after authorities said a spill of sodium cyanide into a West Midlands canal posed a serious health risk to the public.

Woman who called for mosques to be blown up is jailed

A 53-year-old woman who lived a \"quiet, sheltered\" life was jailed for 15 months yesterday for posting a comment on Facebook that said \"Blow the mosque up with the adults in it\".

Gonorrhoea becoming drug-resistant and 'may become untreatable'

Gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, and could be untreatable in the future, health officials have warned as a report reveals an increase in super-strength cases in England.

Treasury did not tell watchdog of top official's donations to Labour politicians

A Labour donor was approved for a senior Treasury role without the civil service watchdog being informed of his donation history, it has emerged.

'Jaw-dropping': how did altar stone get to Stonehenge from far north of Scotland?

For more than a century, archaeologists have known that some of the stones at Stonehenge came from Wales and were transported -somehow about 125 miles to the site of the Neolithic monument on Salisbury Plain.