People catching Omicron are 50% to 70% less likely to need hospital care compared with previous variants, a major analysis says. The UK Health Security Agency says its early findings are "encouraging" but the variant could still lead to large numbers of people in hospital. It also shows the vaccine's ability to stop you from catching Omicron starts to wane 10 weeks after a booster dose. Protection against severe disease is likely to be far more robust BBC reported on Thursday, Dec 23, 2021.

Hopes were rising today that the exponential surge of Omicron in London may be slowing. But the number of coronavirus patients in the city’s hospitals has jumped by 830, or 77 per cent, since the start of the month to 1,904. They are expected to rise further because trends in hospitalisations tend to follow those of cases by around a week or two. Until recently, confirmed infections were soaring. Official figures show that confirmed cases announced on Tuesday and on the previous five days for the capital have been between 20,491 and 26,608, with the three most recent days lower than the first three. Tuesday was the lowest at 20,491.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that it will not investigate allegations of a party at Downing Street due to an “absence of evidence”. Scotland Yard said officers will not “commence an investigation at this time” in line with its “policy not to investigate retrospective breaches” of coronavirus rules British media reports. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

To mark the International Day to “End the Violence Against Sex Workers” - a dozens of Sex workers held a protest outside the Ministry of Defence in central London on Friday, Dec 17, 2021. The protestors said that they’re calling on MOD to hold into account a British soldier who is alleged to have murdered Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan Sex worker in March 2012. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2021. British lawmakers have voted to approve new restrictions to curb the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant. The House of Commons approved measures ordering masks to be worn indoors in England and requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter nightclubs and large crowded events. (VX Photo/Vudi Xhymshiti)

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid announced that the red list was being emptied on Tuesday in parliament, saying it had become “less effective in slowing the incursion of Omicron from abroad”. He said the requirement to get tested before departure would remain in place. Long lines of people have formed for booster shots across England as the British government urged all adults to protect themselves against the omicron variant. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

General views outside 10 Downing Street shows the Christmas tree in London as Gov officials and visitors are seen walking in and out without wearing a face protective surgical mask on Monday, Dec 13, 2021. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti) Downing Street is battered by the British press following a revelation that it held an illegal Christmas Party during national lockdown last year. British public awaits the news whether Metropolitan Police are going to investigate the allegation. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of breaking the rules imposed by his own government after it was revealed he acted as an impromptu quiz master in Downing Street amid Tier 2 restrictions last year. In an image published in the Sunday Mirror, Johnson is seen in front of a laptop in the No. 10 library closely shadowed by two colleagues, one draped in tinsel, the other wearing a Christmas hat.

Long lines formed at vaccination centres in Britain as people heeded the government's call for all adults to get booster shots to protect against the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which the prime minister said Monday has caused at least one death. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

Midwives supporters were asked to gather in towns and cities across much of the UK on Sunday. Vigils were due to take place in England, Scotland and Wales with gatherings planned for locations including London’s Parliament Square, Birmingham and Manchester. The group said it has four demands for politicians: to listen to all staff and service users and their advocates; fund emergency retention of staff; enable all qualified midwives who are willing to work and support students to enter training and finish their courses; reduce demands on staff.

Activists from Animal Rebellion have scaled the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) demanding that the government invest in a plant-based future at COP26. Protestors are now hanging from the building and have said they will take disruptive action until the government listens to what the science is telling us and agrees to defund meat and subsidise a transition to a plant-based food system.

Members of the Ukrainian community in Britain created a human chain on Westminster Bridge, outside Westminster Palace, Houses of Parliament to mark the anniversary of Ukraine's national Flag in central London on Sunday, Aug 22, 2021.

Police are seen barricading King Charles Street outside the Foreign & Commonwealth Office ahead of the Extinction Rebellion weeks of protests to start on Monday. Additional police forces including members of traffic police as well as territorial support groups are seen driving around central London on Sunday, Aug 22, 2021. The environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR) plans to launch a two-week protest campaign in London on Monday, Aug 23, 2021 - to demand that the government take greater action to address climate change.

On August 21st, 2013, the regime of Bashar al-Assad killed approximately 1500 Syrian citizens in the Ghouta, Damascus countryside, by suffocating them to death with chemical weapons and wounding 5000 others, most of which were women and children. Syrian community commemorated the victims during a protest outside Downing Street in central London on Saturday, Aug 21, 2021.

Following the departure of the United States, armed forces and its allies, Afghanistan was handed to the Taliban. The US and its allies withdrawal from Afghanistan prompted the reaction of the Afghan community in Britain they even chanted "Death to America!" - "Death to Pakistan!" during a protest "Save Afghanistan" on Saturday, Aug 21, 2021, in central London. The Taliban are a hardline Islamist movement in Afghanistan that has been fighting an insurgency against the Western-backed government in Kabul since being ousted from power in 2001.

Johnny Depp has won the right to sue his former partner Amber Heard in a $50 million libel case. Despite Heard's request to have the suit dismissed, a Virginia judge threw out the plea meaning that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor can pursue the case in a bid to try and clear his name after losing a defamation case against The Sun newspaper in Britain.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is seen at the Foreign Office in Westminster, London, as he faces mounting pressure to resign after it emerged a phone call requested by his officials to help interpreters flee Afghanistan was not made. Mr Raab was holidaying on the Greek island of Crete when officials in his department suggested he "urgently" call Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar on August 13 - two days before the Taliban marched on Kabul - to arrange help for those who supported British troops.

Members of an anti-vaccine protestive group holding banners and placards gathered outside Westminster Palace, Houses of Parliament in central London on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021. They said they're gathering to protest the continuation of the Covid19 vaccine across the country.

Following the departure of the United States armed forces and its allies from Afghanistan, members of the Afghani community in Britain organised demonstrations outside Westminster Palace, Houses of Parliament in central London on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021. The British parliament is debating about the crisis in Afghanistan following the takeover of the country from the Taliban that was ousted from power twenty years ago after the country was invaded by the George Bush administration with support from Tony Blair of Britain.

Members of the Kurdish community in Britain are gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021 - to protest against a Turkish airstrike in a Hospital in Sinjar. At least 18 armed men from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed on Tuesday in an airstrike by a drone near the town of Sinjar in northern Iraq, a Kurdish security source said. The airstrike took place in the afternoon when a Turkish drone bombed a school building they believed to be used by PKK members as a clinic in a village near the town of Sinjar, some 100 km west of Nineveh's provincial capital Mosul, Luqman Gally, commander of the Kurdish Peshmerga security forces in the area the press. The attack resulted in the killing of 18 PKK members, including senior local leader Madhloom Rousi, Gally said, stressing that other bodies are still under the debris of the destroyed building.

British Gurkha soldiers took to the streets in central London on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021 - to protest against as they say: ".. discrimination, exploitation and disgrace of a historic injustice". Around 200,000 Gurkhas, recruited from Nepal fought in both world wars, and they have also served in places such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. They say that the British government is ignoring their demands to be treated equally with other fellow British soldiers pension schemes.

A group of Afghani interpreters living in Britain gathered outside Westminster Palace, Houses of Parliament in central London on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021 - to call upon the British government and Northern armed allies to not abandon Afghanis who served foreign troops during 20 years of occupation.

Following the military departure of the United States and its armed allies from Afghanistan a protest "for Afghanistan" outside Westminster Palace, Houses of Parliament in central London on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to address the Parliament later today.

The Sri Lankan government denied that its air force jets had bombed an orphanage in the Tamil Tiger rebel-held Mullaitivu area in Sri Lanka's northeast, an attack that rebels say killed 43 schoolgirls and wounded 60 on August 14, 2006. A spokesman for the Media Center for National Security said Air Force jets carried out a bombing raid on a rebel training camp at 7.30 a.m. He said the attack was launched after surveillance flights earlier confirmed the existence of such a camp. Director of Education for Kilinochchi district, T. Kurukularajah, and Director of Education for Mullaitivu district, P. Ariyaratnam confirmed the school girls name and stated that they were school students from Puthukkudiyiruppu Mahavidhyalayam, Visuvamadu Maha Vidyalayam, Udayarkaddu Mahavidhyalayam, Mullaitivu Maha Vidyalayam, Kumulamunai Mahavidhyalayam, Vidyananda College, Chemmalai Mahavidhyalayam, Oddusuddan Mahavidhyalayam, Muruhananda Mahavidhyalayam, Tharmapuram Mahavidhyalayam and Piramanthanaru Mahavidhyalayam. North East Secretariat on Human Rights statement reads: In the Senchcholai complex in Vallipunam in the Mullaithivu district hundreds of female students in the age group of 17-20 were gathered on 10 August 2006 for a weeklong training in leadership and first aid which was intended for preparing the students for leadership in their school and community during the impending war.[25] On 14 August 2006 around 7.30 am, Sri Lankan Air Force carried out an extensive bombing. 52 students and two staff were killed. 130 students were seriously injured. Many more received minor injuries. Three of the injured girls lost one leg and another girl lost an eye.

Hundreds of cyclists in Britain joined the World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday, Aug 14, 2021. The environmental pro-bike protest started at multiple locations around the capital and converged in central London.

The Queen's Life Guard is presently being changed without ceremony. The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery is currently replacing the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment as the Queen's Life Guard HCMR are in Norfolk at their Summer Camp. You can see the mounted sentries being changed, on the Whitehall side of Horse Guards, every hour on the hour between 10:00 - 16:00.

Scientists are warning the public not to be complacent, saying high levels of Coronavirus infection in the community are likely to lead to another spike in cases this fall.

Some say that London weather can be one of two things: abjectly miserable or incomparably wonderful. There is no in-between.

The Belarussian community marked the 1st anniversary of the "Rigged Elections" protesting against Viktor Lukashenko regime of Belarus outside Westminster Palace, Houses of Parliament in London on Sunday, Aug 8, 2021. Protestors joined by Polish people gathered to mark the 1st anniversary of the 2020 presidential elections, which opponents claim were rigged. Protestors also called Government in Britain to do more against the repressive regime of Lukashenko.

On the eve of the 33rd anniversary of the 8888 (08/08/1988), hundreds of Burmese in London marched from Parliament Square to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and then to the Myanmar Embassy. They protested the genocidal dictatorship of the current coup government in Myanmar and demand international support to recognise the National Unity Government of Myanmar.

Activists from Palestine Action human rights group scaled the roof of Elbit System HQ at 77 Kingsway in central London on Friday morning, Aug 6, 2021. Activists argue that the weapons being manufactured from Elbit Systems are being used in indiscriminate attacks against the Palestinians in Gaza Strip. Two activists remain to occupy the building's entry.

Supporters of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, opposition leader of Belarus holding flags and placards are gathered at One George Street to meet their favourite politician in London on Tuesday, Aug 3, 2021 - following a meeting with Britain's PM Boris Johnson. Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election last year, was forced to leave the country shortly after the vote in August.

After torrential rain on Sunday caused widespread floods in different parts of Britain's capital city as drains were overwhelmed, downpours are seen across the capital prompting fears of further flooding in London this Wednesday.

London, United Kingdom, July 17, 2021: Protestors take a knee outside Downing Street during the Stand Up to Racism protest in central London on Saturday, July 17, 2021. The protest is organised in solidarity with England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka who were subject of racist hate crimes in Britain following the defeat of England in the Euro 2020 finals from Italy. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK is not expected to peak until "late August, maybe even early September", a minister has said. Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News' Trevor Phillips on Sunday that cases are still rising, with more than 50,000 reported in each of the last two days.

Activists from the "Palestine Action" activist group scaled the roof, daubed blood-red paint and smashed the windows across the Elite KL site on Amington Industrial Estate in Tamworth early on Monday, July 12, 2021. The brand is part of the Elbit company, which describes itself as a "multi-domestic defence and electronics supplier". (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

Thousands of party-goers and protesters descended on Central London turning the Whitehall and parliament square into an open-air 'rave'. It was part of a moving protest supporting the music industry across the UK.

People of multiple political causes gathered outside Downing Street during a "March for Freedom" demonstration on Saturday, June 26, 2021 - demanding an end of lockdown measures, against covid19 passports, against the police and criminal sentencing bill. People later joined a rave music gathering in hyde park near Marble Arch.

Trans Pride protesters demand legal recognition for non-binary people, an end to non-consensual surgeries on intersex people, and progressive reform of the UK's Gender Recognition Act the law that governs the way adult trans men and women gain legal recognition of their gender.

Palestine Action activists scaled the roof of "Cairo House" in Oldham on Monday, June 21, 2021. This is the ongoing protest forms of the human rights activists group in Britain targeting an Israeli owned weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. Activists argue that arms being manufactured in the facility are being used in indiscriminate attacks against the Gaza Strip.

Palestine Action activists group has stormed and occupied the Arconic site in Birmingham on Monday morning of June 14, 2021. It is an American industrial company specializing in lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing of a range of materials, including sheet metal, for the manufacture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin military aircraft, used by the Israeli armed forces. "The firm is responsible for production of the unsafe, highly flammable cladding which enabled the spread of fire through Grenfell Tower," activists said on a press release. This is an action quote: "in solidarity with Grenfell victims and Palestinian people". This action seems to be taken on the 4th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. Four years ago, a fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, causing 72 deaths, including those of two victims who later died in hospital. More than 70 others were injured and 223 people escaped. Some activists who scaled the roof of Arconic in Birmingham said that they are taking direct action to ensure "the facilitators and profiteers of the atrocity" are held accountable and brought to justice. The demonstrative occupation activities of Palestine Action enters its fifth week of the continued escalation of direct action, as activists continue to say that they have managed to halt the operations of firms manufacturing weapons used to repress Palestinians.

Palestine Action activists have scaled the roof of an aerospace factory and daubed the building in red paint on Thursday, June 10, 2021. They claim the factory produces landing gear for Elbit drones which have been used in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. APPH's website says it manufactures hydraulic equipment for military helicopters and fighter jets.

The Sky Pool, described as "the world's first floating pool", is only open to some of the development's residents, where rent is from about £1,800 to £6,500 per month.

It was the third day this week that the record for the hottest temperature of 2021 has been broken British tabloids say

People gathered outside the Westminster Palace, Houses of Parliament in central London during a “Kill the Bill” protest on Saturday, May 29, 2021.

People holding banner, placards and waving Palestinian flags are shouting "Shut Elbit Down" outside the HQ Office of Elbit Systems in central London on Friday, May 28, 2021. Elbit is an Israel-based international defence electronics company engaged in a wide range of weapons programs throughout the world.

The “Palestine Action” activists group occupied another Israeli owned weapons manufacturer building in Tamworth, Amington Industrial Estate near Birmingham on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. “Shut Elbit Down”, “Free! Free! Palestine” are among the slogans activists shouted whilst on the rooftop of the building. (Photo by Vudi Xhymshiti)

Leicester, United Kingdom, May 24, 2021: After two “Palestine Action” activists were removed and arrested from the rooftop of the Israeli owned weapons factory Elbit in Leicester, local communities have organised a barricade and appear to be determined to not let the police leave the area with activists. “Shut Elbit Down”, “Free! Free! Palestine” are among the slogans local residents are shouting. Police protestor removal crew arrived at the building of the Israeli-owned Elbit-Thale subsidiary UAV Tactical Systems on Monday, May 24, 2021 - after it has been occupied for six consecutive days by the “Palestine Action” activists’ group. Two local residents who were trying to provide food to the “Palestine Action” activists were arrested by police on the same day. Another local resident who was filming from his own private car got also arrested. (Photo by Vudi Xhymshiti)

Prominent Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson is in a critical condition after being shot, her political party says. Taking the Initiative Party said she was being treated in intensive care after being shot in the head in the early hours of Sunday morning.

People holding pro-Israeli banners and placards as well as Israeli, Brazilian and Portuguese flags are gathered at a Rally outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington central London in solidarity with Israel on Sunday, May 23, 2021. At least 243 people, including more than 100 women and children, were killed in Gaza as a result of Israel air raids in Gaza, according to its health ministry. Israel has said it killed at least 225 militants during the fighting. Hamas has not given casualty figures for fighters. In Israel 12 people, including two children, were killed, its medical service says. After 11 days of fighting, Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire.

Protesters hold placards and banners, set an Israeli flag on fire and fired flares during a pro-Palestinian rally outside Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Egyptian mediators held talks on Saturday to firm up an Israel-Hamas cease-fire as Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip began to assess the damage from 11 days of intense Israeli bombardment. Fresh clashes broke out at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Friday, just hours after a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas took effect.

About 50+ protestors gathered outside McDonald's distribution centre in Hampstead Industrial estate in North London on the early morning of Saturday, May 22, 221 - to blockade the site for at least 24 hours, using trucks and bamboo structures, causing a significant disruption to the McDonald's supply chain. Protestors from the "Animal Rebellion" animal rights activist group are targeting McDonald's by blockading all four of their UK distribution centres, which supply approximately 1300 restaurants and serve 3.5 million customers each day. Animal Rebellion says that McDonalds is just a symbol of a much bigger problem, the entire animal agriculture industry. They are calling for a transition to a plant-based food system to stop the climate crisis and end the suffering of animals.

Pro-Palestinian activists and protesters have occupied and shut down an Israeli-owned weapons manufacturing plant in the city of Leicester. Palestine Action, a UK-based activist group, along with protesters, on Wednesday occupied a plant housing the Elbit-Thale Systems subsidiary UAV Tactical Systems in Leicester and proceeded to shut down the company’s operations, arguing that the drones being manufactured in the facility are being used in indiscriminate attacks against the Gaza Strip. Two supporters were arrested later on Thursday.

UK based Pro-Palestinian activists group "Palestine Action" seized control of the Leicester based factory of Elbit subsidiary UAV Tactical Systems on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Activists say that "the occupation is aiming to be as disruptive as possible; these activists are determined to prevent Elbit from resuming its business of bloodshed." (Photo by Vudi Xhymshiti/VXP)

Dayo, is a British portrait artist. The man of Nigerian origin, is 53 now and father of three, he was born and grew up as well as went to arts school in Britain. Coronavirus pandemic outbreak pushed him out of the galleries. Drawing people’s portraits was his natural gift he said. He’d start drawing his teacher and classmates since he was five at his nursery school in Birmingham, England where he was born and grew up. Dayo said that he liked to work with galleries and getting commissioned from them as there’s often decent amount of money coming in, but his experience with public is priceless he reaffirms. “Often when you are around with a good crowd of people with good mood, it is amazing” he said. I met Dayo outside National Portrait Gallery, nearby Trafalgar Square in central London on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. I went out there to photograph a “Vigil for Palestine” to commemorate the killing of unarmed men, women and children of Gaza from Israeli armed forces. The overall death toll in the territory now stands at 200, including 59 children and 35 women, with 1,305 injured, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel says more than 130 militants are among the dead - but Hamas has not acknowledged this. International calls for a ceasefire have continued to mount. Meanwhile, life continues with its daily struggles of drawings for Dayo. By the time I was talking to him the people of the “Vigil for Palestine” arrived and they took my attention away from Dayo who was friendly and openly talking to me about one of his favourite tutors who he remembers was from Kosovo. He lived in United States, as well as Nigeria, but never got to see Kosovo, but he said that quote: “what someone from Kosovo understands it is very difficult for someone from the UK or United States to understand”. He says that if people of Kosovo were similar to his tutor, he’d like to visit the country. After finishing drawing the portrait of Picasso, he laughed in joy and said that probably the rain will soon destroy his art piece, but he is okay with that. “It is nature…” he ended. I got to pay attention to him once again in between my paid assignment of news photography and took another portrait of him and said goodbye.

Tamil activists gathered outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Palace London, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, to demand recognition of the Tamil genocide and to demand the truth about the hundreds of thousands of Tamils who have disappeared in recent years.

People light candles, lay flowers and wrote messages on wallpapers during a "Vigil for Palestine" outside National Gallery in central London on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The overall death toll in the territory now stands at 200, including 59 children and 35 women, with 1,305 injured, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel says more than 130 militants are among the dead - but Hamas has not recognised this. International calls for a ceasefire have continued to mount.

London, United Kingdom, May 18, 2021: A man observes people rushing to take cover in Trafalgar square as heavy rain hits central London on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

While Israeli bombardment of Gaza continued for a fifth consecutive day, this is the 3rd week of ongoing demonstrations across the United Kingdom with 25 demonstrations taking place across the country. At least 136 people have been killed in Gaza since hostilities erupted on Monday, including 34 children and 21 women, with 950 others wounded, Palestinian medics said. Israel has reported eight dead, including a soldier on the Gaza border and six civilians, two of them children.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street for a debate on the Queen Speech at the House of Commons in London on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in central London on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 — following the killing of at least 24 Palestinians in Israeli air raids on the besieged Gaza Strip.

A series of protests are being held across England, the United Kingdom on Sunday, May 9, 2021, to oppose planned evictions of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. The protests will be held in the capital London outside PM's Office Downing Street, Manchester, Birmingham and Bradford.

British war veterans and People from different walks of life are taking part in a 'Respect our Veterans' march in Parliament Square, central London on Saturday, May 8, 2021. The march follows the collapse of the controversial trial earlier this week against two paratroopers accused of murdering Official IRA leader Joe McCann in 1972.

Firefighters at the scene in New Providence Wharf in London, where the London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to on Friday morning to reports of a fire and more than 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze that has ripped through a 19-storey tower block, believed to be covered in cladding.

The mayoral and Assembly elections were originally due to be held on 7 May 2020, but in March 2020 the government announced the election would be postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mayoral and Assembly elections were originally due to be held on 7 May 2020, but in March 2020 the government announced the election would be postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heavy rain and 65mph gusts forecast for parts of England may cause damage and disruption, the Met Office has warned. Strong winds are expected to sweep eastwards across Wales and the south of England from noon on Monday to 9/am on Tuesday. A yellow weather warning for wind, stretching from Wales to the east of England, covering parts of the West Midlands and all of the south of England, is in place.

There were over 6.43 million crime offences recorded in the United Kingdom in 2019/20, an increase of around 120 thousand offences when compared with the previous reporting year and the highest in the UK since 2003/04 when there were 6.56 million.

The rental market review said that as the market moves out of the pandemic, the future is clouded by economic uncertainty and shifts in housing preferences. The average UK house price rose 2.1% in April compared with March, the biggest monthly rise recorded in 17 years, according to the mortgage lender Nationwide.

Men, women and children of the Burmese community in London chant and hold placards and banners against Myanmar's ruling junta as they marched outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Palace as well as Downing Street in central London on Sunday, May 2, 2021. Following the locked out of the Myanmar envoy to the UK from the embassy three weeks ago on April 7, Myanmar's ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, said the embassy has been seized by the military attache. So far, most Western nations such as the US, UK and Germany have condemned the coup and imposed sanctions on military leaders. China, a traditional ally of the Tatmadaw, has called for Suu Kyi's release, while Russia has sought to strengthen its ties with the ruling military junta.

People are demonstrating against the Policing and Crime Bill in central London on Saturday, May 1, 2021. The Bill is currently making its way through Parliament. The Government claims the legislation is needed to stop disruptive protests but critics claim it undermines free expression.

People are demonstrating against the Policing and Crime Bill outside Home Office in London, which is currently making its way through Parliament. Protests are expected in towns and cities across the country on Saturday. The Government claims the legislation is needed to stop disruptive protests but critics claim it undermines free expression.

People are demonstrating against the Policing and Crime Bill in London, which is currently making its way through Parliament. Protests are expected in towns and cities across the country on Saturday. The Government claims the legislation is needed to stop disruptive protests but critics claim it undermines free expression.

The end of the air traffic control tower is in sight after London City became the first big airport in the world to switch to a digital system. The airport has decommissioned its 30-year-old tower in favour of high-definition cameras monitored by controllers sitting 70 miles away. The 16 cameras and sensors are mounted on a 50m mast, which provides a 360- degree view of the airfield.

Bomb squad, fire rescue, tactical aid unit and armed policemen of Greater Manchester are called at the scene in Old Trafford neighbourhood after a report of a concern for the welfare of a man making threats on Chester Road, Old Trafford police said in a tweet.

Cannabis remains illegal to possess, grow, distribute, sell or grow in the UK. Being caught with cannabis comes with a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. While being convicted of producing and supplying the Class B drug carries up to 14 years behind bars, an unlimited fine, or both. Police can issue a warning or on-the-spot fine if you're caught with a small amount - generally less than one ounce - if it is deemed for personal use. A group of people who support the Cannabis legislation to make it legal for the use of the drug are gathered at London's Hyde Park to celebrate the annual 420 events. Which is an annual event taking place on 20 April (the date is 20/4 or in the American date format 4/20), in celebration of cannabis. While 420 is widely used in common vernacular in reference to the date of the event, it also relates to the origin of the observance, the history of which can be traced back to the early 1970s in California. It's widely believed that 420 owes its roots to five Californian high school students - Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz and Mark Gravich. In 1971, the five San Rafael High School students devised a secret code which they used to indicate to each other that they would meet later in the day to smoke cannabis. After saying "420" to each other in passing in their school hallways, they would then meet at 4.20pm in order to smoke cannabis. "I could say to one of my friends, I'd go, '420', and it was telepathic. He would know if I was saying, 'Hey, do you wanna go smoke some?' Or, 'Do you have any?' Or, 'Are you stoned right now?' It was kind of telepathic just from the way you said it," Capper told the Huffington Post.

People observe a minute's silence outside Buckingham Palace in central London on Saturday, April 17, 2021, during the funeral of Prince Philip of the United Kingdom. The Queen announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who died at age 99. HRH passed away peacefully on April 9th at Windsor Castle after 73 years of marriage to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion are seen holding banners and a giant inflatable set of eyes outside Blackrock HQ in London on Friday, April 16, 2021 - demanding that the company upholds their promise to take action on climate change. Blackrock is the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels. (VXP Photo/ João Daniel Pereira)

England welcomed the return of outdoor drinking and dining on Monday and Tuesday, but the easing of lockdown was also met with concerns about a lack of social distancing, and a wider sense of nervousness within the hospitality sector as businesses tried to operate at a significantly lower capacity and with some confusion over the rules. Millions of people in England will get their first chance in months for haircuts, casual shopping and restaurant meals this week, as the government takes the next step on its lockdown-lifting road map.

People paid tribute to HRH Prince Philip near Windsor Castle on Sunday, April 11, 2021. The Queen announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who died at age 99. HRH passed away peacefully on April 9th at Windsor Castle.

On Monday, April 12, England enters the next stage of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, when the non-essential shops, outdoor hospitality, and personal services including hairdressing can open again. (Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

Protests against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill have been taking place across the country. Twenty-six people have been arrested after clashes between police and demonstrators at a "Kill the Bill" protest in central London, during which 10 officers were injured. Projectiles were thrown as police pushed protesters away, and dozens of extra officers were brought in to help unblock the road for a McDonald's lorry held up outside parliament. The heated scenes in Parliament Square came amid otherwise peaceful demonstrations across the country over the proposed crime legislation, which opponents fear will limit their right to protest. Saturday has seen protests not just in the capital, but also in Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Brighton, despite ongoing lockdown restrictions.

Protesters are rallying in central London and 24 other towns and cities in England and Wales on Saturday against a crime bill that critics say will severely restrict the right to protest. The police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, which passed its second reading in parliament last month, will modify existing public order legislation to make it easier for police to ban or shut down peaceful protests if they are considered too disruptive or likely to lead to disorder.

Red hearts are seen on the National Covid Memorial Wall in London just opposite Westminster Palace by St Thomas' Hospital on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Nearly 150,000 hearts will be painted by volunteers and relatives of the bereaved along a wall beside St Thomas' hospital as a memorial to all those who have died so far in the UK from COVID-19, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease pandemic in Britain. Britain reported on Wednesday another 43 deaths of people within 28 days of a positive test for COVID-19, along with 4,052 new cases of the coronavirus. The official figures also showed 30,905,538 people had received their first dose of a COVID vaccine.

Britain based Myanmar communities gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, to demonstrate against the February 1 Military Coup D'etait in Myanmar which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. Protesters shortly after that marched towards the Chinese Embassy in London to call upon Chinese authorities to retreat their support on military government in Yangon.

The Lighthouse tower of St. Mary's Island on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 - which is a small sandstone island near the seaside resort of Whitley Bay in the north of England. It is a Local Nature Reserve. Located in the seaside town on the northeast coast of England, it is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear.

John Nisbet, a 79 years old man married without children is standing outside his Armstrong Cottage on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Bamburgh. The Armstrong Cottages who originally was built by Lord Armstrong for the workmen restoring Bamburgh Castle are designated to experience wonderful views towards Bamburgh Castle and over to the dunes. The dunes and miles of golden sand are directly opposite the cottages. John remembers his old days when he was a boy telling saying that he bought one of the cottages for £14/k and now they're worth £400/k+.

Bamburgh is home to the most important Anglo-Saxon archaeological sites in the world, the Bamburgh Castle. It also holds the most precious and expensive Armstrong Cottages by the North Sea. I visited Bamburgh on Wednesday, March 17, 2021.

With its twin city, Gateshead, Newcastle is known to be a university city on the River Tyne in northwest England. Together, Newcastle and Gateshead were a major shipbuilding and manufacturing hub during the Industrial Revolution and are now a centre of business, arts and sciences. Spanning the Tyne, modern Gateshead Millennium Bridge, noted for its unique tilting aperture, which is a symbol of the 2 cities.

Protestors demonstrate in Parliament square against Police aggression on Sunday, March 14, 2021, in London, Britain. Hundreds of people turned out in Clapham Common on Saturday night to pay tribute to Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old London resident whose kidnapping and death - allegedly at the hands of an off-duty Metropolitan Police officer - prompted a wave of concern over women's safety. The same police force is being criticised for its response to the vigil, where they forcibly arrested several participants for violations of pandemic-era rules on public assembly.

Coronavirus has hit the UK hard, with the country recording more than 3m cases and 125,000 deaths linked to the disease.

The U.K. became the first country in western Europe to report more than 3 million coronavirus cases on Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - as it grapples with a new strain that’s putting pressure on its health service. The country reported an additional 59,937 cases on Saturday, taking the total to 3,017,409. The total is the largest in Europe, and fifth-highest in the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The country passed 1 million cases on Oct. 31, which doubled seven weeks later on Dec. 19. It took just three weeks to reach 3 million cases. This is a set of file pictures shot throughout 2020 pandemic outbreak in the United Kingdom from our photographers Andrew Blowers, Erica DeZonne, Marcin Nowak and Vudi Xhymshiti