Improving lives of children in care is 'absolute top priority', says new commissioner

Improving the lives of children in care is the "absolute top priority", England's new children's commissioner has told Sky News.

Latest stories

  • New pictures from 2019 London Bridge attack show narwhal tusk-wielding bystander pursuing attacker

    New pictures have been released of the narwhal tusk-wielding bystander who ended the London Bridge attack. Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan at a prisoner rehabilitation event near London Bridge on 29 November 2019. Khan, 28, who was armed with two knives and wore a fake suicide vest, was tackled by members of the public with a decorative pike, narwhal tusk and fire extinguisher, and then shot dead by police on London Bridge.

  • Inhaled asthma drug shortens Covid recovery and could be ‘significant for world,’ study finds

    Hope that GPs will be able to start treating Covid patients at home with cheap and readily available medicine

  • Newsmax host under fire for blaming black army officer pepper-sprayed in traffic stop

    Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario filed a lawsuit against two Virginia police officers who reportedly pepper-sprayed and assaulted him

  • Comedian Lewis Spears shocked to learn about Prince Philip’s death while mocking him on stage

    Australian comedian is ‘infamous for his confident, dark and dangerous material’

  • Putin could spark war in Europe by invading Ukraine, says former US ambassador

    Michael McFaul warned world leaders should be ‘very’ concerned by unfolding situation

  • In Belarus, protest movement struggles to regain momentum

    Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian regime is doing its best to prevent a revival of the protests that marked the second half of last year. Opposition leaders are in jail or in exile. New so-called "anti-extremist" laws make it dangerous to even show the protest movement's red and white colours. Buildings that happen to be in those colours are being repainted. Many opposition supporters are struggling to keep up morale, but others are doing just that by finding inventive new forms of activism.

  • Pentagon unveils microchip that senses Covid in the body

    Invention inspired by huge virus outbreak on board USS Theodore Roosevelt

  • Midnight beer gardens and beauty treatments as people brave snow for England’s relaxed COVID lockdown

    England's COVID-19 lockdown was eased on Monday.

  • ‘They do not work’: COVID expert’s warning over face shields as pubs and salons reopen

    Prof Christina Pagel warned that face shields should be worn with masks.

  • Have your say: Which lockdown rule change today are you most excited about?

    A number of lockdown restrictions eased in England on Monday.

  • Iran vows revenge against Israel for strike on Natanz nuclear plant

    Iran’s foreign minister on Monday vowed vengeance against Israel for an explosion a day earlier at the Natanz nuclear site that he blamed directly on Tehran’s arch enemy. “The Zionists want to take revenge because of our progress in the way to lift sanctions ... they have publicly said that they will not allow this. But we will take our revenge from the Zionists,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by state TV. Israel has all but claimed responsibility for the apparent sabotage operation that damaged the electricity grid at the Natanz site on Sunday, with multiple Israeli outlets reporting that Mossad carried out the operation, which is believed to have shut down entire sections of the facility. The sabotage could set back uranium enrichment at the facility by at least nine months, US officials briefed on the operation told the New York Times. Iran on Monday said the person who caused the power outage at one of the production halls at Natanz had been identified. "Necessary measures are being taken to arrest this person," the semi-official Nournews website reported, without giving further details. Iran's foreign ministry also said on Monday it is suspending cooperation with the European Union in various fields following the bloc's decision to blacklist several Iranian security officials over a 2019 protest crackdown. Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh "strongly condemned" the sanctions and said Iran is "suspending all human rights talks and cooperation resulting from these talks with the EU, especially in (the fields of) terrorism, drugs and refugees". The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on eight Iranian militia commanders and police chiefs, including the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards, over a deadly crackdown in November 2019.

  • Dillian Whyte questions ‘joker’ Tyson Fury’s heavyweight credentials

    Brixton boxer is still after a fight with the ‘Gypsy King’

  • Revellers gather in London’s Soho to celebrate pubs reopening as Covid lockdown measures ease

    Londoners could be seen dancing on the streets of Soho on the first night out since lockdown restrictions were lifted. Revellers tasted the first signs of freedom as crowds gathered in the heart of the West End - but some warned of “very little” social distancing. In Soho, pedestrianised streets hosted thousands of revellers, with spontaneous bouts of clapping and dancing.

  • China launches snitching hotline to report ‘illegal’ comments about Communist Party

    Some have called the move an ‘Orwellian power-grab’

  • EU, Britain seek to bridge differences over Northern Ireland

    Britain and the European Union are slowly working to overcome differences regarding trade flows between Northern Ireland and the British mainland after a month-long legal dispute and more than a week of rioting in the province. The EU is expecting a formal reply shortly from London to explain Britain's unilateral change to trading conditions that Brussels said breaches the Brexit divorce deal. A European Commission spokesman said the two sides were holding technical discussions and there could soon be a meeting of Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic and British negotiator David Frost.

  • Over-40s set for COVID vaccines from this week – but many could face longer wait

    Coronavirus vaccines could be offered to over-40s from Tuesday – though supply constraints mean many will have to wait longer.

  • William and Harry's tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh show just how far apart they are

    The sentiments may have been similar – but the styles could not have been more contrasting. As the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex released very different tributes to their grandfather within 30 minutes of each other on Monday, it was impossible to resist reading between the lines. In days gone by, the royal brothers would have put out a joint statement commemorating such an important role model in both their lives. Yet with tensions between the two princes seemingly still bristling ahead of Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday, we were left to decipher the coded messages contained within. William's 173-word missive was the first to drop on the Kensington Palace website at 2pm, paying tribute to "a century of life defined by service". Praising his grandfather as an "extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation", the seemly eulogy gave a nod to the Duke of Edinburgh's "infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humour". There was also acknowledgement of his "enduring presence... both through good times and the hardest days", a reference to his stalwart support following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, when he encouraged William to walk behind their mother’s coffin with the words: "If I walk, will you walk with me?"

  • Philippines' Duterte reappears in public, dismisses rumours of health problems

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reappeared in public on Monday after an absence of nearly two weeks which had fuelled concerns about his health that the government insists are unfounded. The Philippines is battling one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, with hospitals in the capital Manila overwhelmed amid record daily infections, while authorities face delays in delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. Duterte, who is 76 and has not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, resumed his weekly televised address, during which he dismissed rumours that he was in declining health and that the government was trying to keep his condition under wraps.

  • China deploys jets and bombers into Taiwanese airspace in 'biggest incursion to date'

    Twenty-five Chinese military aircraft have entered Taiwanese airspace in the largest reported incursion to date, according to officials. Taiwan's government has complained in recent months after repeated missions by China's air force near the island. The incursions have been concentrated in the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defence zone.

  • 'For frogs' sake!' Estonian capital shuts down street for breeding amphibians

    IN THE PRESS – Monday, April 12, 2021: Iranian papers, in line with Iranian officials, are hesitant to directly blame Israel for the blackout at Iran's Natanz power site. The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli spy agency Mossad was responsible and may have leaked it to the press amid a rivalry with the Israel Defense Forces. In France, luxury hotel workers decry mass layoffs despite the industry receiving billions in government aid. And the Estonian capital closes one of its streets to make way for an army of frogs who cross the road each spring to mate!