CATEGORIES

Ministers' gifts Values must be declared under updated rules

Ministers will still be allowed to receive gifts and hospitality but must declare the value of anything they receive, according to an updated code of ministerial conduct.

Spending Reeves says taxes will not increase again

Rachel Reeves has committed to not increasing taxes in Labour's next budget and said the government would need to \"live within the means\" of her spending plans as public services come under pressure.

National insurance increases for shops and pubs are real and large. Pity the small operators

M&S, Sainsbury's and Wetherspoon's are far better placed to manage the shock of a sudden cost increase than smaller rivals

Digital platform to reduce border friction on hold for second time

A key part of the UK's post-Brexit border strategy has been put on pause for more than a year amid concerns over the cost of implementing the scheme.

Disinformation Trump and Musk peddle falsehoods

Americans went to the polls yesterday against a backdrop of disinformation - much of it suspected of originating in Russia - as the FBI warned of fake videos and non-credible threats of terrorism aimed at disrupting the US presidential election.

Activity in morning and evening may reduce risk of bowel cancer

Being more active in the morning and evening may reduce the risk of bowel cancer by 11%, according to a study that suggests the timing of your peak activity could play a \"crucial role\" in warding off the disease.

China blocks plans to rebuild UK embassy in Beijing

China is blocking requests to rebuild the British embassy in Beijing while the fate of its controversial mega-embassy in east London is being decided, the Guardian can disclose.

United fans prefer new stadium over redevelopment

A majority of Manchester United fans favour a new stadium rather than the redevelopment of Old Trafford, a survey has found.

Swearing at work? That's just a normal day up north, says judge

As every southerner knows, people from the north of England will not eat chips without gravy, talk to every stranger they meet and often sport a flat cap when walking their whippet. But do they also swear more?

Man sentenced to death in Iran 'died before his execution'

Iran has claimed that an Iranian-German dual national who had been sentenced to death died last week before his execution could be carried out.

AstraZeneca value falls after China unit 'linked to insurance fraud'

AstraZeneca shares tumbled yesterday, wiping £14bn off the value of Britain's biggest drug maker, after a report that dozens of executives at its China unit could be implicated in an insurance fraud case in the country's pharmaceutical sector.

Trump's tariffs would cut UK growth by half, say experts

UK growth would be halved in the event that Donald Trump wins the US presidential race and imposes the swingeing tariffs he has threatened, a leading thinktank said yesterday.

Boeing workers end strike after winning pay deal

Boeing's US west coast factory workers have accepted a new contract offer, ending a bitter seven-week strike that had halted most jet production and deepened a financial crisis at the aircraft manufacturer.

Tory budget OBR failure 'may have broken law'

Treasury officials may have broken the law when they failed to alert the Office for Budget Responsibility about £9.5bn of spending that should have appeared in the March Tory budget, MPs have been told.

'I hope we're heard' Sketch interviews with voters in a crucial swing state

LAST WEEK, the artist Lucinda Rogers made a short trip to Pennsylvania from New York to talk to people in the crucial swing state about the election. She addressed people at random and asked them what this year's election meant to them and how they thought the future would look depending on whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris won.

Competition Watchdog makes a fair call in backing major tie-up between mobile firms

Compare and contrast. Back in September, the Competition and Markets Authority had a big grumble about Vodafone and Three's plan to merge their UK mobile operations. A combination of the third and fourth largest operators could result in \"a substantial lessening of competition\" and \"tens of millions of mobile customers having to pay more\".

Dutch secondary school suspends parental access to pupils' marks

A secondary school in the Netherlands is blocking parental access to children's grades for a term in an attempt to reduce the pressure on pupils to perform.

Badenoch and Jenrick urged to settle differences and end lingering rivalry

Senior Conservatives have urged Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick to rapidly settle any differences after the unveiling of the full shadow cabinet was marred by briefings and concern over lingering rivalries.

Planning rules 'failed to link public transport to new housing'

A decade of planning rules designed to create housing connected to public transport routes has achieved nothing, a report found yesterday, with millions of people in new homes still dependent on cars.

Welsh train crashed after system designed to grip rails failed

An automated system that helps train wheels to grip the tracks failed on one of the trains that crashed head-on in mid-Wales on 21 October, investigators have said.

Children as young as two treated for obesity in England

Thousands of children as young as two in England are being treated for health complications linked to severe obesity as leading experts warned of an \"escalating public health crisis\".

Japanese boys waiting longer than ever for first kiss - study

Just one in five boys at senior high school in Japan have had their first kiss, according to the Japanese Association for Sex Education - the lowest figure since the organisation's first survey of sexual behaviour among young people in 1974.

Emery sets Villa top-eight Champions League target

Unai Emery has challenged his Aston Villa players to cement their surprise status as favourites to automatically qualify for the Champions League last 16.

Universities in England could miss out on millions in tuition fee rise

Some universities in England could lose out on millions of pounds from increased tuition fees because their contracts with students may prevent changes to terms and conditions.

Kemi's just gaslighting the country-and having a laugh

Spare a thought for the losers. Not those like James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Steve Barclay.

Government website gets a chatbot helper, but beware of 'hallucinations'

It speaks a bit of Welsh, can recite the building regulations, refuses to say whether Rishi Sunak is better than Keir Starmer and will not explain the corporation tax regime.

University inquiry into donors reveals Boots links to slavery

The high street chemist Boots' links to the transatlantic slave trade have been revealed in research that shows how the proceeds became entangled with British capitalism.

Eurostar adverts for £39 fares ruled misleading by regulator

The cross-Channel train operator Eurostar has been rapped by the advertising watchdog for exaggerating the number of £39 seats on sale.

University Tuition Fees Rise For First Time In Eight Years

University tuition fees will increase in England for the first time in eight years as part of a major overhaul of the higher education system, education secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced.

How Starmer Is Preparing For Either Trump Or Harris

Since becoming prime minister on 5 July, Sir Keir Starmer has only met with one of the two candidates hoping to be elected president and it was not with his natural Democrat ally Kamala Harris, but Republican rival Donald Trump.