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King Charles Begins Balmoral Summer Break With Ceremonial Guard of Honour

King Charles III arrived at Balmoral on 18 August 2026, greeted by a Royal Regiment of Scotland guard of honour, as reports emerge of a revived ceremonial guard and a planned family gathering.

4 min read

King Charles III, wearing a tweed jacket and tartan kilt, meets Corporal Cruachan IV, the Shetland pony mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, during a military parade outside a stone building. The pony, dressed in a regimental tartan blanket and service medals, stands beside handler Corporal Rory Stewart in ceremonial uniform. King Charles III reaches out to greet the pony while rows of soldiers in tartan uniforms stand on parade in the background.

Demolition Begins on Aberdeen's Raac-Affected Homes

Demolition has begun on more than 500 Aberdeen properties found to contain hazardous Raac material, part of a phased, multi-year programme estimated to cost over £150m.

5 min read

A demolished house in Aberdeen, due to the presence of potentially dangerous concrete.

Wirral Uniform Charity Sees Record Demand as School Clothing Costs Soar

A Wirral charity redistributing free second-hand school uniforms says demand has never been higher, as families in both low-income and wealthier areas struggle with rising costs ahead of new government caps on branded items.

5 min read

A woman, aged in her 20s or 30s, with pink dyed hair and wearing a green coat with a fur lined hood, speaks into the camera. She has a nose ring and a necklace, and is standing in front of a clothes rail lined with white school shirts.

County Tyrone Man Given Probation for Sexually Communicating with 14-Year-Old

Matthew Leonard Kilpatrick, 31, of Sion Mills, was given a three-year probation order, a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders register after sexually communicating with a 14-year-old girl.

5 min read

The front of the Laganside Courts in Belfast. The main building is brown with glass in the middle. The words Laganside Courts are on the bottom right. There is a glass building to the far right.

Ex-World Snooker Champion Graeme Dott Faces Trial Over Child Abuse Allegations

Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott, 49, has gone on trial at the High Court in Glasgow accused of child sex abuse involving a girl and a boy between 1993 and 2010. He denies all charges.

3 min read

Exterior view of the High Court of Justiciary in Glasgow, showing the words The High Court of Justiciary carved into the sandstone façade above a large stone relief of the Royal Coat of Arms. Photographed from a low angle, the court building fills the frame, with greenery in the foreground and a partly cloudy sky overhead.

GCSE Grade Boundaries Explained: How England's 9-1 System Works

As GCSE results approach on 20 August 2026, here's how England's 9-1 grading scale compares to the old letter system, how boundaries are set, and how Wales and Northern Ireland grade differently.

6 min read

A young woman smiles as she looks at her GCSE results. She leans against a yellow wall and is wearing a dark jacket and a green headscarf.

T-levels explained: how they're graded, which courses exist and what's changing

As GCSE results near, many students are considering T-levels. Here's how the vocational qualification is graded, which subjects are available, and what recent data shows about uptake and completion rates.

6 min read

A young smiling healthcare worker is leaning on a desk with a microscope on it. She has long, dark brown hair, wears blue overalls and is surrounded by others in the same clothing.

Sifnos Helicopter Crash: British Honeymooners and Pilot Killed, Accounts Differ on Cause

A British couple on their honeymoon and their pilot died when a helicopter crashed and caught fire on Sifnos. Accounts differ on the crash's exact timing and location as Greek authorities investigate a suspected mechanical fault.

7 min read

A thin cloud of grey smoke rising from a hillside into a clear blue sky with a mountain in the background

Hichilema Wins Second Term as Zambia's President Amid Election Dispute

Zambia's Electoral Commission declared President Hakainde Hichilema winner of a second term with about 60% of the vote, though rival tallies and disputed arrests have clouded the aftermath.

5 min read

Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema in green half-coat and black trousers lifts his hands to greet United Party for National Development supporters

Serco Worker Charged Over Leaked Asylum Seeker Addresses in Thetford Unrest

A Serco employee, James Jobson, 62, has been charged with misconduct in public office for allegedly leaking addresses of asylum seeker accommodation in Thetford, later targeted during violent disorder.

3 min read

Fire at Shropshire Nature Reserve Suspected to Have Been Started Deliberately

A fire that damaged around 20 sq m of Walkmill Meadows Nature Reserve in Market Drayton is believed to have been started deliberately, the fire service says, after a lighter was found at the scene.

3 min read

Photo shows a fire on a stretch of very dry grass in a nature reserve. Ribbons of flames separate blackened burnt grass from yellow grass. A fence is in the middle of the photo.

Wetherspoon Bans Loudspeaker Calls and Music Across All 792 UK Pubs

Wetherspoon has banned customers from playing music or taking loudspeaker calls across all 792 of its UK pubs, citing rising complaints about noise disrupting other patrons.

3 min read

A woman dressed in a black vest and shorts stands outside a Wetherspoons holding her phone.