68 h. ago BT and Three investigated over mobile outages that left customers unable to make calls – including to emergency services

TWO major mobile networks are being investigated over outages causing nationwide disruption. Ofcom, the communications watchdog, has today launched a probe into BT and Three following outages in the summer that left customers unable to make calls, including to the emergency services. BT was hit by a software issue on July 24 and 25 this...

Economics

3 d. ago Train passengers to enjoy benefits of £4billion investment to routes TODAY

One of the biggest timetable shake-ups since the May 2018 overhaul comes into force, bringing sweeping changes to services on the East Coast Main Line.

Economics

8 d. ago Head of the national NHS review into maternity services in England says 'nothing prepared her for the scale of unacceptable care'

Leading the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation (NMNI), Baroness Valerie Amos found changes to services have been 'too slow', despite being necessary and urgent.

Politics

9 d. ago ‘Extremely concerning’ NHS maternity services are in worse state than expected, shock investigation finds

NHS maternity services are in a worse state than expected, an initial investigation has found. Baroness Valerie Amos said “extremely concerning” numbers of women get poor care and that some hospitals are failing even on “basic care” like keeping wards clean. The report also said that families whose babies die do not get enough kindness...

Events

9 d. ago SNP warned vital council services at risk without £16bn investment in Scottish budget

Local services will be cut or reduced without extra funding from the Scottish Government, council leaders have warned.

Events

1 week ago Three more Farage bloc MEPs alleged to have followed Russian asset’s script

At least eight MEPs elected for Ukip or Brexit party now known to have been focus of efforts by jailed Nathan GillThree more British MEPs from Nigel Farage’s bloc are alleged to have “followed the script” given to a colleague who was being bribed by an alleged Russian asset, according to prosecutors, as a police investigation into the affair continues.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has named Jonathan Bullock, Julia Reid and Steven Woolfe, saying they followed the script provided to Nathan Gill by Oleg Voloshyn when giving interviews to 112 Ukraine, a pro-Russian TV channel in March 2019. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Africa Cup of Nations shunted into margins as greedy game finds no room at top table | Jonathan Wilson

So long as the Premier League invests in its players and Fifa pays it lip service, the continent’s flagship tournament will always struggle to fit inPerhaps attitudes are not quite as parochial as they once were, but it remains true that, in England at least, the Africa Cup of Nations is discussed less as a tournament in its own right than in terms of what it means for the Premier League.There will be the usual harrumphing about why the tournament is played in the middle of our season, but the Confederation of African Football has tried to satisfy European clubs only to be thwarted by Fifa and the increasing demands of the calendar. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Michelle O’Neill to tackle Starmer for ‘prioritising weapons of war over people’

The Stormont leader said the Budget had been a missed opportunity to support those struggling to pay for food and heat their homes.

Events

1 week ago Widespread culling ‘not the response’ to bluetongue in Northern Ireland – Muir

Stormont Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir said the farm where Northern Ireland’s first cases were detected has excellent biosecurity.

Politics

1 week ago Novichok poisonings, Russia’s role and UK response: key questions of inquiry

Innocent people were caught up in an assassination attempt on a former Russian spy in Salisbury in March 2018. How did this happen?The novichok attack on Salisbury in south-west England in March 2018 was an extraordinary event, sending shock waves across the world. The targeted man, the former Russian agent Sergei Skripal, recovered from an audacious assassination attempt, but an innocent British citizen, Dawn Sturgess, died. An inquiry was heard in Salisbury and London last year investigating the attack on the Skripals, the response of the emergency services and other public bodies, and how Sturgess was tragically caught up in an international incident. Here are some of the key questions it examined. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago JEFF PRESTRIDGE: Left unreformed, public sector pensions are an unaffordable iceberg which will sink UK plc to the bottom of the sea

With every Budget that passes, the chasm that exists between private and public sector pensions widens - and no one bats an eyelid bar a few exasperated financial experts.

Politics

2 w. ago Planning for any future pandemic must include impact on economy – Diane Dodds

The former Stormont economy minister made the comments to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Events

2 w. ago EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Queen's son fumes at Keir and 'useless' Chancellor

Sir Keir Starmer 's insistence that he and his Chancellor did not mislead the public over last week's Budget shambles has failed to convince Queen Camilla's son Tom Parker Bowles.

Politics

2 w. ago Former EU top diplomat among three held in fraud investigation

Belgian police raid EU foreign service HQ and College of Europe and arrest Federica Mogherini and two othersBelgian police have arrested three people including the EU’s former top diplomat Federica Mogherini and raided the headquarters of the EU foreign service and the elite College of Europe as part of an investigation into suspected fraud.The three were detained “as part of a probe into suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats”, the European public prosecutor’s office said in a statement, without naming individuals. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves given important backing after claims she 'lied' to public ahead of Budget

A top official from the Office for Budget Responsibility has agreed Chancellor Rachel Reeves was faced with having to make "very difficult choices"

Politics

2 w. ago OBR board member says Reeves did not mislead public on Budget

UK chancellor’s fiscal warnings backed by David Miles a day after economic watchdog’s chair resigns

Politics

2 w. ago OBR says Reeves calling public finances ‘very challenging’ before Budget was not misleading

Fiscal watchdog faces Treasury committee after accidental publication of key report prompted chair to resign

Economics

2 w. ago OBR says Reeves did not mislead public over Budget forecasts

Fiscal watchdog faces Treasury committee after accidental publication of key report prompted chair to resign

Politics

2 w. ago UK Government was ‘digging its own black hole’ before Budget, says Flynn

The Chancellor has been accused of misleading the public ahead of the Budget.

Politics

2 w. ago Turmoil in markets blamed on Rachel Reeves putting out mixed messages over tax rises

Bond markets swung wildly in the weeks leading up to the Budget amid speculation over the state of the public finances and Chancellor Rachel Reeves' plans.

Economics