International News

Ministers will introduce legislation as soon as parliament returns on Monday to tackle the NHS’s worsening staffing crisis by making it easier for overseas nurses and dentists to work in the UK. The move is part of a drive by the health secretary, Steve Barclay, to increase overseas recruitment to help plug workforce gaps in health and social care. Barclay believes thousands of extra health professionals will come as a result of new rules making it easier for medical regulators to re...

Four new changes will come into force on the roads this month, which all motorists must be aware of. The rules aim to protect road users, especially the most vulnerable like cyclists and pedestrians. A string of new rules were introduced earlier this year, with the most recent updates coming in July. Meanwhile in June, a handful of new driving laws are being introduced in the Highway Code’s annual update. This affects a whole host of issues on the road from charging electric cars, to...

Prices are shooting up and millions of people are starting to feel the effects. The new energy price cap has been announced, but there's more to come as we head into autumn. Here are some of the key dates and events in the coming weeks that are almost certain to mean more belt-tightening. 5 Sep - New prime minister to be confirmed Former chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are currently fighting it out to lead the Conservative party and become the country's new ...

This is a tale of two year groups - those who picked up their A-level results last week and those who have now just opened their GCSE marks. And the story is very similar in some respects. Both year groups experienced months of disruption to their schooling during formative years because of Covid, both were afforded special measures for this year's assessments to counteract that disruption, and neither had taken public exams before this summer. Students receiving their GCSE results ...

According to data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), UK home sales reached a record high of 110,970 in July, up 7% from June and up 33% year-on-year, the highest level this year. HMRC pointed out that monthly sales have remained at about 100,000 units this year, reflecting that demand for housing remains strong. Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson said the data showed that the UK property market continued to hold steady, with transaction volumes rising well above pre-pandemic levels. De...

The speed of property sales in the UK this year is the fastest in 6 years, according to an analysis of data by UK mortgage comparison website money.co.uk. The site uses data from real estate trading platform Zoopla to look at the number of days between listings on Zoopla and closing deals on a monthly basis to find out the average time it takes to sell a home and the best month. The results found that the average time to sell a home in May this year was 21 days, the fastest in nearly ...

From Wednesday 24 August, we’re bringing in a hosepipe ban (also known as a Temporary Use Ban) for all customers we supply water to, even if we don't bill you directly. This applies to everyone in the areas shown on the map below. If you’re not sure if we’re your supplier, you can check using Water UK’s online tool. Although the ban officially starts on 24 August, the sooner we can all save more water, whether using a hosepipe or not, the better for everyone. Wh...

Train passengers are facing more disruption, with only 20% of services set to run due to strike action. Half of Britain's lines will close on Thursday and Saturday as more than 45,000 rail workers walk out in a dispute over pay and terms. Some routes will have no services, and where they are operating, trains will only run between 07:30 and 18:30 BST on both strike days. Passengers are being told only to travel by train if necessary. It is the latest in a series of summer strikes...