CATEGORIES

Sick pay Ministers urged to increase £3 basic rate

Ministers are under pressure to increase the basic rate of statutory sick pay (SSP) from £3 an hour for a full-time worker amid concerns that hundreds of thousands of people a year are left without adequate financial support to pay essential bills while off work.

"'Crikey, that was close': Clarkson reveals he had heart procedure

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he had a heart procedure after waking up feeling \"clammy\" with a tightness in his chest and pins and needles in his left arm.

Support pours in for Chris Hoy after terminal cancer diagnosis

Messages of support have poured in for the Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy after he revealed he had received a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Met Office warns of danger to life as UK hit by Storm Ashley

Parts of the UK have been battered by strong winds and heavy rain, as Storm Ashley - the first named storm of the season-swept in.

I'm sure PM wants assisted dying laws changed, says doctor Starmer spared

A doctor who was spared from criminal charges over assisted dying by Keir Starmer when he was the director of public prosecutions has said he is sure the prime minister wants a change to the \"ridiculous\" laws on the issue.

Black and Chinese women '80% less likely to be given HRT'

Menopausal women of Chinese and black African backgrounds are about 80% less likely to receive hormone replacement therapy than white women, according to a study.

Conkers champion, 82, cleared of using steel nut to win title

The winner of the World Conker Championships has been cleared of wrongdoing after he was found with a steel nut in his pocket.

Lebanon Fears that bombing will stoke sectarian tensions

Ali Daher first heard the explosion and then he felt the pain. An Israeli aircraft loitering high above had shot two rockets at the building next door, collapsing the top two floors and showering him and his two sons with a deadly spray of concrete and jagged metal.

US investigates intelligence leak on Israel's plans to attack Iran

The US government is investigating an unauthorised release of classified documents that assess Israel's plans to attack Iran.

Pulp friction Writers rue the rise of celebs' books for children

“A modern classic by Keira Knightley,” reads the provisional cover of the actor's debut children's book I Love You Just the Same. Set to be published next October, the 80-page volume, written and illustrated by Knightley, is about a girl navigating the dynamics that come with the arrival of a sibling.

Number of people with chronic pain to increase by 2m by 2040

Almost 2 million more people will be suffering from sore backs, necks and other body parts by 2040 due to a surge in chronic pain as the UK's population ages, research shows.

Fewer women may be sent to jail after sentencing review launched

Fewer women could be sent to jail under a review to be announced by ministers this week that is expected to cut sentences for thousands of criminals.

Gaza under fire Scores killed in Israeli airstrikes

At least 87 people had been killed or were missing and 40 injured after intense Israeli airstrikes overnight in the north of the Gaza Strip, part of the country's ferocious renewed assault on the area, medics in the besieged Palestinian territory said yesterday.

Labour wants NHS 'passports' for all patients despite privacy fears

Streeting reveals digital records plan as part of 10-year transformation

Money hacks How to get your finances ready for a new baby

Raising a child from birth to the age of 18 costs, on average, £166,000 for a couple, and £220,000 for a lone parent in 2023, according to Child Poverty Action Group's annual cost of a child report. Affordability is regularly cited by people who would like to have children as a key reason for holding off doing so.

Teachers' pensions 'I'm in despair as my debts mount'

Delays to pension pot valuations are 'causing huge distress' and costing money for divorcing couples. Rupert Jones reports

Property Homeowners face huge bills when leases expire

Those unaware of how the system works can be left stumping up thousands despite paying off a mortgage. Diane Taylor reports

Price shock Are you feeling better off now? Why US voters should, but may not, say yes

Are you feeling better off now? Why US Voters should, but may not, say yes

Retail sales growth slowed in September despite boost from technology spending

Sales growth in shops in Great Britain slowed last month as an increase in purchases of technology was tempered by the largest monthly fall in spending at supermarkets this year.

UK care home chain sold to US investment company

One of Britain's largest care home chains, Care UK, has been sold to a US property investment company, the Guardian can reveal, in a deal that comes as private providers lobby government for a greater role in the NHS.

Flatten or refashion Can new purpose be found for empty shopping centres?

In Bolton's town centre, the gap-toothed brutalist facade of Crompton Place shopping centre faces off against its majestic Victorian town hall.

Ex-spy for India charged with masterminding US murder plot

US authorities have charged a former Indian intelligence officer with allegedly masterminding a murder-for-hire plot against a prominent Sikh separatist in New York City last year.

Tomb finds at Petra are thrilling - but what do they really reveal?

For one of the most famous ancient sites on the planet, there is a surprising amount about the city of Petra - and the Nabataean people who built it - that we don't know for sure.

Enough already The Tokyo company that resigns for you

Mari was just two months into her new job when she decided she had had enough. The position at an online bank in Tokyo, found through a staffing agency, had looked like a perfect fit for the 25-year-old, a member of Japan's legions of temporary workers. But she quickly became despondent.

Election Can Japan's Liberal Democrats hold on to power?

Bruised by financial scandals, a cost-of-living crisis and unpopular leaders, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP), which has been in office for most of the past seven decades, might have been expected to be nearing its end.

Italy’s deal to 'offshore' migrants in Albania hampered by court ruling

The last 12 asylum seekers being held at a new Italian migration hub in Albania must be transferred to Italy, a court has ruled, in a heavy blow to a controversial “offshoring” deal between Rome and Tirana aimed at curbing migrant arrivals in the European Union.

Fury at plan to expand new Guggenheim into reserve

A large and almost comically sinister fish named Guggenheim is on the loose in and around the ancient Basque town of Guernica, its jaws perilously close to snapping shut on a twitchy-looking tiddler called Urdaibai.

Russian MPs back ban on promoting child-free lives

A law that would ban \"propaganda\" seeking to promote a child-free lifestyle has cleared its first hurdle in Russia's lower house of parliament, gaining unanimous approval among lawmakers who want to increase the country's birthrate.

Moldovans head to polls to decide if the future lies with Russia or the west

Moldovans head to the polls tomorrow for a presidential election and an EU referendum that will mark a pivotal moment in the tug-of-war between Russia and the west over the future of the small, landlocked south-eastern European country with a population of 3 million.

Texas court grants stay of execution to father in 'shaken baby' case

The Texas supreme court has blocked the execution of a man on death row in a late-night ruling on the day of the scheduled lethal injection.