News – World and UK

US actress and pop star Ariana Grande said spending time with her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo and morphing into a character who “believes in herself” for the prequel blockbuster has helped her heal. The two-part film is an adaptation of the hit musical and stars Oscar-nominated actress Erivo as Elphaba, alongside Grammy-winning singer Grande, who plays Glinda. Grande said forming a close friendship with British star Erivo was one of […]

Rachel Reeves’ Budget, which she said will “rebuild Britain”, has cleared its first Commons hurdle. MPs approved a series of Budget resolutions on Wednesday, which included an increase to employers’ national insurance contributions, a new tax on vapes, and a £22.6 billion boost to day-to-day NHS spending. Other measures brought forward in the Budget include £11.8 billion in compensation for the infected blood scandal victims, imposing VAT on private school […]

Kamala Harris has called for unity and vowed to “continue this fight” in a concession speech after her election defeat to Donald Trump. She may have been ending her campaign against Mr Trump, but her concession speech at Howard University in Washington DC outlined the contours of future fights against the president-elect. “We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public […]

The proposed legislation aims to create the “first smoke-free generation” Proposed legislation aimed at creating the “first smoke-free generation” is set to be introduced in Parliament. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which prevents anyone born after January 1 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be bought, will be introduced in the House of Commons on Tuesday. It is hoped the “historic” legislation could “save thousands […]

The National Literacy Trust charity say the fall is particularly noticeable among boys Children’s reading is at “crisis” point as the number enjoying it in their free time has plummeted to just one in three, a report suggests. The number of young people who say they enjoy reading has fallen significantly in the past year – especially among boys, according to research by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) charity. Only around a third (34.6%) […]

The new figures from the College of Policing show a 50% on the previous year Nearly 600 police officers were sacked and barred from returning to the job in the year to March 2024, figures show. The number, 593, is a 50% rise on the 394 officers who were kicked out of the service in the previous 12 months, the College of Policing said. The increase follows public concern over the culture […]

Tuition fees in England will rise to more than £9,500 next year to “secure the future of higher education”, the Education Secretary said. Tuition fees in England will rise to more than £9,500 next year to “secure the future of higher education”, the Education Secretary said. Bridget Phillipson said increasing the £9,250 maximum tuition fees for domestic students to £9,535 next year had “not been an easy decision”. University tuition […]

Deliveroo has released details of the products ordered most often this year Chicken wings, Caesar salads and a whole Waitrose cucumber are the UK’s top trending food deliveries of this year, according to Deliveroo. The most popular UK food delivery was the dish of eight boneless wings from Wingstop, an international chain of restaurants founded in Texas in the US which now has multiple outlets across England, Scotland and Wales. The […]

The Prime Minister will use a speech today to kick off a week-long focus on the issue The Border Security Command is set to see its funding doubled as Sir Keir Starmer fixes his sights on ending small boat crossings. The Prime Minister is expected to use a speech to the Interpol General Assembly in Glasgow on Monday to kick off a week-long blitz on the issue that will see […]