CATEGORIES

State pupils close gap in core GCSE subjects - but not in creative arts

Pupils in England who attend fee-paying schools no longer outperform their state school peers in core GCSEs once results are adjusted for socioeconomic background, but they still lag behind in the creative arts, according to a study.

Energy firms offer £500m support to cushion blow of winter bills

Energy suppliers will spend £500m helping customers with their energy bills this winter, after the government helped broker a deal involving 12 of the biggest companies in the UK.

More snow is forecast for weekend after UK feels force of Arctic blast

More snow has been forecast for the weekend after an Arctic blast brought the \"first taste of winter for many,\" and the Met Office issued new weather warnings.

Sowing wildflowers in cities can help pollinating insects - study

Small patches of wildflowers sown in cities can be a good substitute for a natural meadow, according to a study showing that butterflies, bees and hoverflies like them just as much.

Undersea cable 'sabotage' Swedish police focus on Chinese cargo ship nearby

Swedish police investigating the suspected sabotage of two fibre-optic cables in the Baltic Sea have said a Chinese ship off the coast of Denmark was \"of interest\" as Danish officials said its navy was shadowing a Chinese-registered cargo ship.

EX-England footballer settles case with Mirror over hacking

The former Newcastle and England footballer Kieron Dyer has received an apology at the high court after settling his phone-hacking case against the Daily Mirror in return for a financial payout.

Nuclear option? How Moscow could hit back at west for long-range strikes

Moscow has threatened to retaliate for the decision taken by the US and the UK to allow their long-range missiles to be used in strikes inside Russian territory, and warned that nothing was off the table.

Orbital becomes first novel to hit top of bestseller chart in week of Booker win

Samantha Harvest Booker-winning Orbital has rocketed to the top ofthe UK bestseller chart, becoming the first Booker novel to hit number one in the week of its win.

Captaln Tom' S family personally benefited from charity they founded, watchdog finds

The family of the NHS charities fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore personally benefited from the charity set up in his name through a series of lucrative deals worth more than Elm, the charities watchdog has ruled in a highly critical report.

I never tried to get foreign officials to act against Hong Kong, Lai tells courtroom

The pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai has said he never tried to influence foreign policy or ask foreign officials to take concrete action on Hong Kong, on his first day giving evidence at his national security trial.

£500m of navy Vessels ancl drones axed to cut costs

The defence secretary, John Healey, has announced he will scrap Esoom worth of British navy Vessels and drones as part of cost-saving measures in what was described as a \"black day,\" for the new government.

Jagged little trill: study suggests sounds have shape and texture

A rolled R is a sound that many may struggle to produce, but research suggests it evokes the same curious response in people the world over: an association with a jagged line. While onomatopoeia describes words that sound like the noise they describe - such as \"bang\" - sound symbolism is a broader concept, in which sounds map on to a wider range of meanings, such as shape, texture or size.

TV review J aw-dr0pping images and Obama's Voice offer sensory therapy

It hasn't been a great month for the US, at least if you support the Democrats. Donald Trump's election victory has put a great big question mark over the country and collective anxiety has spiked. People need to be soothed by something.

Pressure to delay rate cut grows as inflation increases to 2.3%

Inflation could rise above 3% next year after it increased to 2.3% in October, heaping pressure on the Bank of England to delay further interest rate cuts until next spring.

Guardian ancl Observer journalists to strike over sale of Sunday paper

Journalists at the Guardian and the Observer have voted to strike for 48 hours over the planned sale of the Observer to Tortoise.

Assisted dying bill rushed, say senior MPs

Britain's longest-serving MPs, Labour's Diane Abbott and the Conservative Sir Edward Leigh, have issued a joint call urging the Commons to reject the assisted dying bill, arguing it is being rushed through and puts vulnerable people at risk.

Ukraine attacks targets in Russia with UK missiles for the first time

Storm Shadow weapons fired on day Washington shut its embassy in Kyiv

Premier League pulls rank

Clubs' pressure over data deal set to deepen tension with EFL

Guardiola agrees City contract extension

Pep Guardiola has agreed a new one-year contract with Manchester City in a huge boost for the Premier League champions, the new terms taking his tenure to the summer of 2026.

Great Britain 'gutted' after dramatic loss extends 43-year wait

Great Britain's hopes of reaching the Billie Jean King Cup final for the first time in 43 years were ended as they suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat by a spirited Slovakia team yesterday.

Fifth runner disqualified from London's dirtiest race

The London 2012 race, regarded as one of the dirtiest in history, has expunged yet another name from the record books after Tatyana Tomashova was stripped of her women's Olympic 1500m silver medal.

Nadal reliant on rescue from Spain teammates after singles defeat

As the Spanish national anthem rang out for possibly the final time in his career, Rafael Nadal could not stop his emotions from flowing.

Plans to play Barcelona v Atletico in Miami dropped

La Liga has dropped plans to host next month's fixture between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the US, although the Spanish top flight still intends to host domestic games abroad in future.

Chelsea criticise homophobic abuse of Kerr and Mewis

Chelsea's captain Millie Bright and manager Sonia Bompastor have strongly condemned homophobic abuse aimed at Sam Kerr, after the Chelsea striker and her partner, West Ham's Kristie Mewis, shared news that they are expecting a baby.

Wiegman 'concerned' by Kelly's lack of game time before USA test

Sarina Wiegman said Chloe Kelly's lack of action for Manchester City was concerning after including the forward in the England squad to play friendlies against USA and Switzerland.

Wales seal promotion after Cullen sparks emphatic win

Given the strides Wales have made under Craig Bellamy in the past three months, for supporters the only dampener is that they now have to wait another four to witness the next step on this journey.

"There are times you just need to survive day-by-day mentally'

The big interview Toto Wolff Mercedes F1 team principal on his struggles with mental health, losing Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari and the accusations against his wife, Susie

Lawrence: Eddie's tough love was the making of me

Ollie Lawrence has revealed he questioned why Eddie Jones was \"on his case so much\" when he was the England head coach but has since reached the conclusion the Australian's home truths have been the making of him.

Hatton ready for Ryder Cup warm-up as LIV cold war thaws

The latest indication of thawing relations between golf's establishment and LIV rebels is expected today, with Tyrrell Hatton to be named in the European Ryder Cup team's warm-up event in Abu Dhabi. Sergio Garcia, however, will miss out despite paying around Elm in fines to rejoin the DP World Tour.

Constitution Hill 'defeat' a twist before return

As Nicky Henderson said one thing about Constitution Hill after his exercise gallop at Newbury yesterday morning, the betting markets said another. That just added another twist in the buildup to his muchanticipated return to action at Newcastle in 10 days, time.