Local News
Monday’s briefing: Newcastle end long wait and attention turns to internationals
Newcastle ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy as they beat Liverpool at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup. Arsenal, Fulham and Manchester United all secured wins in the Premier League, while Rangers claimed an Old Firm triumph over Celtic. In the Women’s Super League, a basement battle bet...
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One in four young people considering quitting work, new data reveals
One in four young people have considered leaving the workforce in the past year, with mental health cited as the most common factor. New data from PwC further revealed that 10% of all workers have actively considered leaving for an extended period. The survey of more than 4,000 employees from 300 co...
What the papers say – March 17
A war of words over Labour’s proposed cuts to disability benefits leads Monday’s headlines. The Guardian reports Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will “defy growing fury” and introduce welfare cuts that could see more than 600,000 claimants lose an average of £675 per month. Monday's GUARDIA...
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Rory McIlroy must come back on Monday for Players Championship play-off
Rory McIlroy and JJ Spaun will contest a play-off for the Players Championship after both finished a weather-disrupted fourth round at TPC Sawgrass on 12 under par. Following a four-hour weather delay, McIlroy established a three-shot lead on the 12th but then bogeyed the 14th and found himself all ...
Rory McIlroy must come back on Monday for Players Championship play-off
Rory McIlroy and JJ Spaun will contest a play-off for the Players Championship after both finished a weather-disrupted fourth round at TPC Sawgrass on 12 under par. Following a four-hour weather delay, McIlroy established a three-shot lead on the 12th but then bogeyed the 14th and found himself all ...
Trump to speak to Putin as Ukraine peacekeeping plans progress
Donald Trump is expected to speak to Vladimir Putin this week as military chiefs prepare to discuss peacekeeping plans in London. The call, announced by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, comes as Mr Putin continues to resist a US-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Although Ukrainian pr...
Princess of Wales to make solo St Patrick’s Day visit to Irish Guards
The Princess of Wales will attend the Irish Guards’ St Patrick’s Day parade in a solo engagement on Monday. Kate, who is colonel of the regiment, missed the Guards’ celebrations last year after being diagnosed with cancer. The princess, who is gradually returning to public duties, will award l...
PM faces backbench discontent as Labour prepares to overhaul benefits system
Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting backbench discontent as the Government prepares to announce sweeping changes to the welfare system this week. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is expected to set out plans for reform on Tuesday in an effort to get more people back to work and cut the cost of a ...
Great British Energy board to meet for first time in Scotland
The board of a publicly-owned clean energy company set up by the UK Labour Government is scheduled to meet for the first time in Scotland on Monday to discuss scaling up and kickstarting investments. Energy minister Michael Shanks will convene the meeting of the Great British Energy start-up board i...
Banksy interviews Tox in the Big Issue and explains use of Tox’s tag in his work
Street artist Banksy has explained why he has used the tag of “London’s most imprisoned graffiti writer”, Tox, in the background of some of his works in a rare interview. Banksy, whose official identity still remains unknown, speaks to Tox, whose real name is Daniel Halpin, for a special editi...
Government urged to help amid warning manufacturing sector has ‘hit the buffers’
The Government is being urged to help manufacturers after a new report warned the sector has “hit the buffers”. Make UK and business advisers BDO said their research among more than 300 manufacturers suggested that increasing employment taxes and wider business costs were affecting companies, as...
Warning issued about social media and email account hacking after reports jump
Social media and email account hacking reports jumped last year, according to Action Fraud data. A total of 35,434 reports were made to the fraud and cybercrime reporting service in 2024, compared with 22,530 reports made in 2023. Action Fraud has launched a campaign, supported by Meta, to encourage...
St Patrick’s Day celebrations start at dawn in city with ‘most authentic’ link
St Patrick’s Day celebrations will start at dawn in the city which claims the “most authentic connection” with Ireland’s national saint. The day is being celebrated across the world with the US city of Chicago even continuing the tradition of dyeing its river green for the occasion, however ...
Big city bias in creative spend must end, say Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Government should seek to address big disparities in arts spending across Scotland during a review of the public body responsible for funding the creative industries, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have suggested. A freedom of information request by the party to Creative Scotland showed...
‘NHS dentists don’t take my phobia seriously’ says man so fearful of a check up he has let his teeth ‘crumble away’
A man with a dentist phobia so severe he allowed most of his teeth to “crumble away” has now sought treatment abroad as he feels the NHS do not take his fear seriously. Lajos Csendes, 31, a florist from Hungary now living in Hackney, London, has struggled with weak teeth since his teens, often b...
Banksy interviews Tox in the Big Issue and explains use of Tox’s tag in his work
Street artist Banksy has explained why he has used the tag of “London’s most imprisoned graffiti writer”, Tox, in the background of some of his works in a rare interview. Banksy, whose official identity still remains unknown, speaks to Tox, whose real name is Daniel Halpin, for a special editi...
People believe Harry Potter supports same political party as them, study finds
People in the UK believe that Harry Potter, Spider-Man and Gandalf would vote for the same party as themselves, while Darth Vader, Cruella de Vil and Joffrey Baratheon would vote for a political rival, according to new research. Researchers from University of Southampton say this tendency for the pu...
Taoiseach urges vigilance over anti-vaccine sentiment in Ireland
There has to be vigilance that anti-vaccine sentiment does not take hold in Ireland, the Taoiseach has said. Micheal Martin also said he hoped the Government’s review of the response to Covid-19 would be expedited to ensure the state is better prepared to deal with pandemics in the future. Ireland...
Decade-high choice of homes to console spring buyers missing stamp duty deadline
The average price tag on a home increased by 1.1%, or £3,876, this month, which is in line with the usual rise in March, despite stamp duty discounts becoming less generous from April, a property website said. Across Britain, the average price of a home coming on the market this month is £371,870,...
I will not be running for president – Micheal Martin
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has ruled out running for the Irish presidency this year. Mr Martin said he was focused on his work as Irish premier, highlighting housing and disability issues as a priority. An Irish presidential election will take place later in 2025 with current President Michael D Higgi...