Month: August 2024

The life of an “extraordinary girl” who was killed in the Southport knife attack has been remembered with balloons, bubbles and one of her favourite Taylor Swift songs at her funeral. Ahead of the service for seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe on Friday, mourners – including the family dog Bobby – gathered outside St John’s Church in Birkdale to see the horse-drawn carriage, which travelled from the family home through streets […]

Parents of children with additional needs have spoken about how they are at their wits’ end on how to secure school places for this academic year. SNAs (special needs assistants), activists, parents and their children marched from Cleary’s Clock on O’Connell Street to the Department of Education in Dublin to demand action so that vital school places are available for children with special needs. Nicola O’Dea, from Finglas, said her […]

Carol Vorderman has taken aim at “controversial decisions by BBC management” following the Huw Edwards scandal. Carol Vorderman has taken aim at “controversial decisions by BBC management” following the Huw Edwards scandal. The former Countdown star, 63, was given a standing ovation after she delivered the Alternative MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Friday. She described herself as having been on thousands of TV shows over decades, “sacked […]

Two stages at Leeds Festival have closed for the day due to high winds caused by Storm Lilian. Liam Gallagher is due to headline the music festival in Bramham Park on Friday evening, as Reading and Leeds Festivals get underway for three days of music over the Bank Holiday weekend. Strong winds of up to 80mph are forecast in northern parts of England and Wales on Friday – with travel […]

A body believed to be that of Mike Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter has been located in the wreckage of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily, meaning all missing passengers have now been found. The Italian Coastguard said the sixth and final missing person had been located on the sunken Bayesian on Friday. Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, said the search for Hannah has not been “easy or quick”, […]

The average household energy bill is to increase by 10% from October after Ofgem said it was increasing its price cap as households approach the winter months. The regulator announced it is hiking its price cap from the current £1,568 for a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales to £1,717, adding around £12 a month to an average bill. However, it is around £117 cheaper than the cap in […]

Vice President Kamala Harris told Americans they have a chance to chart a “new way forward” in November as she accepted her party’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention. Her address in Chicago capped a whirlwind few weeks in American politics and manifests the stunning reversal of Democratic fortunes just 75 days until Election Day. “With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past […]

Former footballer Jermaine Jenas has been been sacked from presenting BBC programmes The One Show and Match Of The Day. The ex-Premier League player, 41, has been removed from the hosting line-ups following an internal investigation by the corporation because of alleged complaints about his behaviour, The Sun has reported. A BBC spokesperson said: “We can confirm that he is no longer part of our presenting line-up.” The father-of-four joined […]

GCSE results show the Covid-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis are still having a “disproportionate impact” on some English regions such as the North East, it has been suggested. “Stubborn” disparities remain between different parts of the country, according to education leaders, and action is needed to tackle these inequalities. The latest figures, show London and North East England continue to have the highest and lowest proportion of GCSE entries awarded […]