Tag: UK News

One year after the Northern Ireland Executive was re-established following a two-year hiatus due to disagreements over post-Brexit trade rules, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have acknowledged the executive’s progress, while emphasising that significant improvements to public services are still needed. O’Neill said the coalition had made “huge strides forward”, including winning… Continue reading Stormont: Positive start but 'more to do' after first year

Since Stormont returned to Northern Ireland a year ago, while many politicians will argue that plenty has changed, the public may beg to differ. Despite the Stormont Executive’s pledge to make childcare more affordable, mum-of-one Jessica Brown claims that it is still too expensive for many working families. Brown claims many parents still pay up… Continue reading Stormont: What has changed one year on from devolution's return?

Head teachers have raised concerns over proposed changes to Ofsted’s school inspection report cards, with some warning it risked replicating the “worst aspects of the current system”. Ofsted announced the new format after abandoning single-word judgements in 2020. Ofsted Director Sir Martyn Oliver has said the report cards will better enable parents to distinguish between… Continue reading School heads clash with Ofsted over new report cards

Water company Thames Water is set to request an emergency cash lifeline in court on Monday. The decision comes as the debt-burdened company edges closer to running out of cash in just four weeks’ time. Lenders have offered a total of £3bn in short-term loans to allow Thames more time to complete a major restructuring.… Continue reading Thames Water seeks court approval for emergency cash

Conor Murphy, the Economy Minister for Sinn Féin, has been elected to the Seanad, which marks the end of his long career at Stormont. According to Murphy’s party, he will use his new role to encourage discussion and debate about a united Ireland. Murphy secured one of the 60 seats on the Industrial and Commercial… Continue reading Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy to quit Stormont after Seanad election

Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, is heading to Brussels to attend a meeting of European Union leaders. This marks the first time a British Prime Minister has travelled to the EU since Brexit. The main focus of the talks will centre on cooperation on defence and security, and will feature a meeting with… Continue reading Starmer first UK PM to join EU leaders' meeting post-Brexit

Scotland was hit by one of the most powerful storms in over a decade named Storm Éowyn, which saw windspeeds of over 100mph in some areas. The devastating gusts caused thousands of trees to fall, including Edinburgh’s tallest tree – a 166-year-old Himalayan cedar. This loss was felt by the staff at the Royal Botanic… Continue reading Tallest tree destroyed in storm 'like loss of an old friend'

Conservationists at the London Zoo in the UK have successfully bred 33 young Southern Darwin’s frogs after they were transported 7,000 miles from their native Chile. The critically endangered male frogs carry their offspring in their vocal sacs before giving birth to froglets through their mouths. The move was prompted by the spread of amphibian… Continue reading Endangered frog dads 'give birth' after 7,000-mile trip

A government initiative dubbed “Pathfinder” to reduce the backlog in family court proceedings and provide more support for domestic abuse victims has been hailed as a success. Since its inception in 2022, the pilot scheme has significantly reduced the time cases take to be resolved, while the number of cases with unused entries has halved.… Continue reading Family court: Pathfinder pilot to support abuse victims extended

Tradespeople across the UK are calling for tougher penalties for tool thieves as tens of millions of pounds worth of equipment are stolen every year. Individual tradespeople and organisations are being targeted, with many tools stolen from vans, which are often left severely damaged after being targeted. The theft of tools has restricted jobs that… Continue reading Tool thefts are a 'plague', tradespeople say