60 h. ago Families living in Britain's worst town for quality of life say it's like living in a 'real

Walsall, in the West Midlands, was ranked the most deprived place in the UK in the Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index 2025.

Politics

67 h. ago FTSE 100 Live 19 January: Markets lower amid tariffs threat, WH Smith surges

The FTSE 100 index is under pressure after Donald Trump threatened fresh tariffs on eight European countries including the UK.

Economics

68 h. ago FTSE 100 Live 19 January: Gold higher and index down amid Greenland tariffs threat

The FTSE 100 index is under pressure after Donald Trump threatened fresh tariffs on eight European countries including the UK.

Events

3 d. ago China’s GDP grows 5% in 2025 as exports offset weak domestic outlook

Latest data reflects 2-speed economy as Beijing grapples with Donald Trump’s trade policies

Politics

3 d. ago China's economy grows 5% in 2025, buoyed by strong exports despite Trump's tariffs

China has reported its economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in 2025, buoyed by strong exports despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs

Politics

1 week ago ‘It’s younger people seeking some sort of spirituality’: UK Bible sales reach record high

Surge in 2025 sales correlates with the growth in church attendances in England and Wales, research showsFor Christian booksellers, the good news about Bible sales has been few and far between. But in recent retail figures, there was a revelation.Sales of the good book reached a record high in the UK in 2025, increasing by 134% since 2019 – the highest since records began – according to industry research. Last year, the total sales of Bibles in the UK reached £6.3m in 2025, £3.61mup on 2019 sales. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Kenya mourns legendary ‘super tusker’ elephant Craig after death in national park

Kenya’s elephant population has grown from 36,280 in 2021 to 42,072 in 2025

Events

2 w. ago UK house prices rise less than expected in 2025 as growth slows

Unexpected December drop dragged annual gains below expectations, Nationwide figures show

Politics

2 w. ago What I have learned from watching all 20 Premier League teams this season | John Brewin

Set pieces on the rise, fans transformed to customers and conspiracies seen in every decision – is football losing its fun?English football has always mirrored the passions, conflicts, identities and inequalities of the age. After the golden 1960s, the decay of the 1970s and ensuing disasters of the 1980s came the cap-sleeved, rebounding self-confidence of the 1990s. The 21st century so far has taken in globalisation and wanton commercialism. After that rabid, often reckless push for continued growth, society and the game alight on the uncertainties that encapsulated 2025.To catch the 20 Premier League clubs in live action this season, and this writer completed the full set on Tuesday witnessing Arsenal’s second-half demolition of Aston Villa, has been a study in that uncertainty. From the grumbling of fans, to the ever-fragile egos of managers, to players slugging through the gristle of 90 minutes of hard-pressing slog, a leading question comes to mind: is anyone actually still enj...

Politics

3 w. ago Oasis reunion and Taylor Swift vinyls fuel boom year for UK music industry

BPI figures show music lovers listened to equivalent of 210.3m albums by UK artists in 2025 in 11th consecutive year of growthNostalgia surrounding the Oasis reunion tour, alongside Taylor Swift fans’ clamour for vinyl, contributed to another boom year for the UK music industry, as physical formats continued their comeback.Music lovers listened to the equivalent of 210.3m albums by UK artists during 2025, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) annual report, up 4.9% on 2024 and the 11th year of growth in a row. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago UK recorded music market grows for an 11th consecutive year in 2025

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said British artists such as Olivia Dean and Lola Young led a British music revival over the past 12 months.

Politics

3 w. ago UK’s biggest property value hotspots of 2025 revealed by Lloyds

The bank said that most parts of the UK recorded growth in the value of homes in 2025.

Politics

3 w. ago What happened next: Maggots, rats and growing despair – a year of the Birmingham bin strike

Action began in January, before an all-out strike in March. For locals, the flytipping, vermin, maggots and mess are taking a huge environmental and emotional tollIt’s an icy cold winter morning, and 80-year-old Mohammed Bashir is armed with a broom, tackling the large pile of rubbish that has accumulated outside his terraced house in Small Heath, Birmingham.This has become an almost daily activity for Bashir since the city’s bin strike started 50 weeks ago and, like many in the city, he is starting to lose patience. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago I was there: England’s Euro 2025 glory was a surreal, almost psychedelic blur

Sarina Wiegman’s champions took supporters on the most thrilling and nail-biting ride in Switzerland that was in many ways even more enjoyable to cover than their 2022 triumphSurreal. Utterly surreal. A home Euros in 2022 had provided wave after wave of emotion, England’s win at Wembley the culmination of decades of growth, setbacks, fight and deep longing. Everyone sang from the same hymn sheet for that maiden Euros win: the written press, broadcasters, fans, sponsors, Football Association, players and Sarina Wiegman and her staff. There were tears – lots. Having begun covering women’s football for the Guardian via a weekly column before the 2017 Euros, then gone full-time before the 2019 World Cup, I felt as if I had lived that progression, journeyed with them, contributed, in some small way, to that growth.The 2025 edition was different, surreal, an almost psychedelic experience. In many ways better than 2022. This was England’s first major tournament win – male or female – away ...

Politics

4 w. ago Scottish whisky market slides into supply glut amid falling sales and US tariffs

Global sales fall by 3% in third consecutive year of decline as distilleries scale back production or expand storageThe Scottish whisky market has slipped into a supply glut as US tariffs and falling demand weigh on the country’s distilleries.Global scotch sales fell 3% in the first half of 2025, marking the third consecutive year of decline after decades of growth, according to the alcohol data provider IWSR. Continue reading...

Economics