Ofqual issues fines over English proficiency test that some candidates sat at home, A-level Chinese and GCSE English

One of the world’s biggest providers of educational services has been fined more than £2m for a range of serious breaches related to examination standards that could have affected tens of thousands of students.

Pearson, a FTSE 100-listed company, was hit by financial penalties of £750,000 for each of two cases and £505,000 for a third by Ofqual, the exams regulator. The cases concerned GCSE English language exams, A-level spoken Chinese and an online English proficiency test.

Emergency help should be available, but some being forced to travel 100 miles or go private, says Healthwatch England

People needing emergency dental care in England are being denied help from the NHS despite guidance saying that it should be available, in some cases resorting to risky self-treatment such as pulling out their own teeth, the patient watchdog has found.

Patients who experience a sudden dental crisis such as a broken tooth, abscess or severe tooth pain are meant to be able to get help from their dentist or by calling NHS 111.

Robert Rhodes acquitted in 2017 on grounds of self-defence after manipulating a child to help in cover-up

A man who was previously cleared of killing his wife on the grounds of self-defence has been found guilty of her murder after their child came forward with new evidence under double jeopardy rules.

Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, was convicted unanimously at Inner London crown court of murdering his wife, Dawn nine years ago on 2 June 2016.

Health secretary urges resident doctors, who are to strike from 17 December, to accept his offer to end dispute

Wes Streeting has told resident doctors that strikes and a sharp rise in the number of flu cases over the Christmas period could be “the Jenga piece” that forces the NHS to collapse.

The health secretary said the NHS faced a “challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic” and urged resident doctors to accept the government’s offer and end their action.

As corridor care has become the norm, safest option for those with flu symptoms is to contact GP or NHS 111 and try to stay home

As cases of flu rise sharply across the UK, the Guardian spoke to Amir Hassan, an emergency medicine consultant and the divisional medical director at Epsom and St Helier University hospitals NHS trust, who shared his views.

“We’re seeing increased numbers of patients coming through, a lot of them with respiratory-type illnesses. It means we need to try to isolate these patients and treat them – so they’ll come in with shortness of breath, [and a] cough.

Detectives release images of group after more than 600 items were taken from a storage facility in September

More than 600 artefacts from Bristol Museum’s British Empire and Commonwealth collection have been stolen in a “high-value burglary”, police have said.

Detectives with Avon and Somerset police said they wanted to speak to four men in connection with the incident and released CCTV images of the group.

Militaria including medals, badges and pins.

Jewellery including necklaces, bangles and rings.

Decorative art items including carved ivory, silver items and bronze figurines.

Natural history pieces including geological specimens.