United Kingdom

London Zoo is about to carry out the census of its over 20.000 individuals from 698 species of animals; the annual survey is expected to take about a week and results will be shared with zoos around the world to help manage global conservation programmes

In his annual Christmas speech, King Charles addressed a personal message of gratitude to the health workers who supported him during his cancer treatment; he called for unity, saying that ethnic and faith diversity is a sign of "strength, not weakness"

So-called puberty-blocking drugs will be banned indefinitely in the country, whereas until a few months ago they were prescribed to trans children and adolescents to delay the puberty period and to orientate their sexual development differently

Many farmers protested for changes to inheritance tax for farms announced in the budget: from April 2026, inherited farm assets worth more than £1 million, previously exempt, would be subject to inheritance tax at 20%, half the normal rate

The coronation of King Charles III last year cost taxpayers £72 million, including £50 million for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and almost £22 million for policing costs, Government figures revealed

Weird weather across the UK has been blamed on an anticyclonic gloom: fog, low clouds and spots of drizzle caused Odiham, a small town in Hampshire where some 4.400 people live, to record just 12 minutes of sunshine in the past 11 days

The new budget bill, the first of the new Labour government, includes a large tax increase, totalling £40 billion revenues, with the specific aim of funding more investment

There will not be an apology over Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, when King Charles and Sir Keir Starmer visit the Commonwealth summit in Samoa 25-26 October, and a Downing Street spokesperson already ruled out financial reparations

At least 40 more women have accused Mohamed Al Fayed, former owner of Harrods department store and father of Dodi, who died in a car accident with Princess Diana Spencer in 1997, of rape and sexual abuse

The country's last coal power station, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, finished operations after running since 1967; it is thus one week since the UK has stopped producing any electricity from burning coal, ending its 142-year reliance on the fossil fuel

The report on the National Health Service commissioned by the Labour government in early July shows that public health is worse off than in comparable countries in terms of economy and population, amidst long waiting lists and inadequate investment

Ormiston academies trust, a 35.000-pupil academy chain that runs 44 state schools, will be the first in England to ditch phones, with eight secondary schools adopting new policies this term and others to follow

The Blood Donor Service of England has warned that blood stocks continue to be in short supply and has issued a new appeal to donors, as the number of people booking appointments to donate in the coming months is also decreasing