News – World and UK

It will be a private service, but a public memorial service is expected in the coming weeks The funeral of Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond will take place near his home in Aberdeenshire on Tuesday. Family and close friends of Mr Salmond will attend the service at Strichen Parish Church, which will be conducted by Reverend Ian McEwen. Those expected to give eulogies include the Alba Party’s acting leader Kenny MacAskill; SNP MSP […]

Israeli lawmakers have passed new legislation threatening the work of the main UN aid agency in Gaza UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has reminded Israel of its obligation to international law in the wake of the nation passing two laws that could see the UN’s aid agency listed as a terror sect. Israeli lawmakers passed two laws on Monday that could threaten the work of the main UN agency providing aid to people […]

The Chancellor is expected to pour billions of pounds into the health service The Budget’s tax hikes and borrowing increases may not be enough to undo “14 years of damage” to the NHS, Rachel Reeves warned. The Chancellor is expected to pump billions of pounds into the health service, including £1.5 billion for new surgical hubs and scanners and £70 million for radiotherapy machines. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said “it will take […]

It is too early to talk about redundancies in the public sector, the Scottish Tory leader has said, despite his calls to reduce the size of the state. In his first major set piece speech since becoming leader, which he denied was a signal of a populist shift, Russell Findlay called on the Scottish Government to cut taxes – including scrapping the 21p rate – and merge some public bodies, […]

Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag after the club’s disappointing start to the campaign. United slipped to their fourth Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday at West Ham and sit in the bottom half of the table. They have won only one of their last eight games in all competitions. A club statement read: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team […]

Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 18 months after admitting contempt of court by repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee, in breach of an injunction. The political activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, admitted 10 breaches of a High Court order made in 2021 at the start of a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday. Lawyers for the Solicitor General claimed the 41-year-old had been “thumbing his […]

The total fertility rate across England and Wales dropped to a new record low last year, while the number of live births fell to the lowest in nearly five decades. While fertility rates across the two nations have been in overall decline since 2010, the rate in 2023 fell to 1.44 children per woman, which the Office for National Statistics said is the lowest value since records began in 1938. […]

The £2 bus fare cap will be replaced by a new £3 cap until the end of 2025 at this week’s Budget, the Prime Minister has confirmed. In a speech in Birmingham, Sir Keir Starmer said he knows “how much this matters”, particularly to people who live in rural communities. The increase will be announced at Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first Budget on Wednesday, as the Government tries to bridge what […]

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has asked his followers on social media to be alert for “lorryloads of posh cheese” being sold “for cheap” after a London-based manufacturer had more than 22 tonnes of cheddar stolen by scammers. Neal’s Yard Dairy said it delivered more than 950 wheels of cheddar to the alleged fraudster posing as a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer before realising what had happened. In a […]