Britain is set to announce a new rail link between the central English city of Birmingham and the northern city of Manchester, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Other areas of the UK saw snow on Friday, and yellow warnings are now in place for parts of the UK, including much of Northern Ireland, until 3pm on Monday. Met Office chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: "Arctic air and brisk northerly winds are gripping the UK as we start the new year.

Storm Goretti has brought 99mph (159km/h) winds and heavy snow to the UK, with tens of thousands of people left without power.

Britain on Tuesday committed to a new rail infrastructure programme worth up to 45 billion pounds ($60 billion) for the north of England, a region long held back by underinvestment.

Bank of England keeps billions in Venezuelan gold frozen since 2020 amid legal battle following Nicolás Maduro's arrest and interim leader appointment.

Will X be banned in the UK after Grok deepfake row and how would it happen? - The regulator has a range of powers to tackle illegal content on social media platforms

Britain is set to drop plans to make it mandatory for workers to hold a digital identity document, The Times newspaper, the BBC and other media reported on Tuesday, potentially marking another policy U-turn for the Labour government.

British-Australian retiree Ian Fletcher is meant to be going on a seven-week holiday to the UK with his wife, Vicki, in April, but it may not go ahead due to passport changes.