News – World and UK

Lord William Hague vowed to champion free speech and warned against “comfort blankets of cancellation” as he was officially admitted as the 160th Chancellor of the University of Oxford. During his formal admission ceremony, the former Conservative leader said freedom of speech and of academic work and research “will be of paramount importance” in an age where ideas change rapidly. Lord Hague told hundreds of attendees at the Sheldonian Theatre […]

A vast majority of councils have signalled they will apply a maximum council tax increase of at least 4.99% this year, it has emerged. Figures for the 139 top-tier authorities in England that have proposed or confirmed increases so far show 85% are planning a rise just short of 5% – the threshold that would trigger a local referendum in normal circumstances. When the six councils in acute financial stress […]

Emma Raducanu says she will be OK after a “difficult experience” at the Dubai Tennis Championships where she was approached by a man displaying “fixated behaviour” before her second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova. The individual reportedly handed Raducanu a letter the day before her match with Muchova before he was then spotted in the first few rows of the crowd at the United Arab Emirates event on Tuesday. Play was […]

Individual members of The 1975 should not be held personally responsible for the Malaysian authorities shutting down a festival after lead singer Matty Healy kissed a male bandmate on stage, the High Court has heard. The Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur closed on the first of what was to be three nights in July 2023, with the Malaysian government slamming Healy’s conduct and blacklisting the band from the country. […]

Manchester United paid a total of £14.5million to sack manager Erik ten Hag, sporting director Dan Ashworth and other members of football staff, the club’s latest accounts show. This has been a painful season for the Premier League club, with the 20-time league champions languishing a lowly 15th in the standings following Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Tottenham. Ruben Amorim has failed to spark an upturn as successor to Ten Hag, […]

A medal given to Luke Skywalker after he destroyed the Death Star in Star Wars is on sale for 300,000 to 600,000 US dollars (£238,000 to £476,000). Propstore is selling the Medal of Yavin, which was worn by the future Jedi master Luke (Mark Hamill) during the first film in the franchise after he was presented with it by his sister Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). The medal is also […]

UK inflation jumped more sharply than expected at the start of the year, posing a dilemma for the Bank of England as it considers further interest rate cuts amid weak economic growth. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday that Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to 3% in January from 2.5% in December. This marks the highest reading since March last year. Plane fares, rising food costs […]

The airport wants to bring its second, emergency runway into routine use for take-offs Opponents of Gatwick expansion have accused the airport of trying to open “a new runway on the cheap”. The group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) claims the West Sussex airport’s proposals fail to adequately address issues such as noise, surface transport, housing and wastewater treatment. It warned it will attempt to launch a judicial review […]

The proportion of first-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland who will need to pay stamp duty will double from April, according to analysis by a property website. Zoopla estimates the share of first-time buyers paying the tax will jump from 21% to 42%. Meanwhile the proportion of existing homeowners buying a new home as their main residence who will be liable to pay stamp duty will increase from 49% to 83%, according […]