6 h. ago From dead ladybirds to 'disappearing' wedding suits... customers tell of the times they have been failed by Royal Mail

Britain's national courier was taken over by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky in a £3.6million deal earlier this year. But the sale has had no tangible effect on the company's woeful delivery statistics.

Events

5 d. ago Alex Lawther: ‘I really like kissing – I’m always looking forward to the next one’

The Alien: Earth star on the joys of kissing, disliking his forehead, and the time he tried (and failed) to get arrestedBorn in Hampshire, Alex Lawther, 30, made his West End debut in David Hare’s South Downs at 16. In 2014 he played the young Alan Turing in the film The Imitation Game, earning him a London Critics’ Circle award. In 2016, he starred in the Black Mirror episode Shut Up and Dance, and from 2017 he played the lead in Channel 4’s The End of the F***ing World. He appears in the series Alien: Earth, a prequel to the 1979 Alien film, which is streaming on Hulu. He lives in London with his partner.When were you happiest? Last year, during four days in January, when I directed Rhoda, my second short film, in a tiny house in Camberwell with Juliet Stevenson and Emma D’Arcy. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale SPLIT again: Tumultuous couple part ways for the second time in three weeks after make or break holiday failed

Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale have split for the second time in three weeks.  

Events

7 d. ago Royal Mail unveils 'quacking' collection of duck stamps to celebrate 'rich' wildlife history

Ducks are a familiar sight in our waters and contribute to the character of the British landscape.

Culture

7 d. ago 'Engine knocking' alert issued to drivers who leave car on driveway for long time

UK motoring experts have issued a warning to drivers who fail to use their cars for extended periods of time

Events

8 d. ago Royal Mail issues quacking collection of stamps celebrating duck species

A total of 10 new stamps celebrate the diverse range of ducks in the UK.

Politics

9 d. ago Chelsea striker left sweating on deadline day transfer as huge issue emerges

Chelsea forward David Datro Fofana was hopeful of securing a deadline day loan to Charlton but an issue with the paperwork and a failure to meet the 7pm cut-off time means he's set to remain with the Blues

Events

9 d. ago Forgotten Man City player faces four months in wilderness after transfer failure

Kalvin Phillips faces four months in exile at Manchester City after an Achilles injury prevented the midfielder from finding a new club during the summer transfer window.It had been expected that the 29-year-old would end his disappointing City career during the summer window, but he failed to recover from surgery in time and hasn't yet returned to full training.There had been Premier League interest in Phillips earlier in the summer, including from former club Leeds United, but ultimately, a lack of fitness meant no move was forthcoming for the England international.Despite staying at the Etihad, Phillips is unlikely to feature for City before the January transfer window opens. Although the windows remain open in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, a move to either of those leagues isn't currently on the cards.Phillips has been out of favour at City since a nightmare first 18 months after a £42million move from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. He hasn't played for the club since December 2...

Sport

1 week ago Royal Mail returns to profit for first time since £3.6bn 'Czech Sphinx' takeover

Royal Mail has returned an underlying profit for the first time in three years as bosses hailed an 'important milestone in the company's turnaround'.

Economics

1 week ago Royal Mail move to scrap second class post on Saturdays to take ‘many months’

Royal Mail said it had started ‘detailed work’ ahead of rolling out the changes nationwide, but that it will continue well into 2026.

Politics

1 week ago UK manufacturing downturn continues as new orders slide; Profits surge at Royal Mail – business live

Weak market conditions, US tariffs and downbeat client confidence blamed for drop in factory ordersOuch! The UK manufacturing sector shrank again last month, as factories were hit by weaker demand at home and abroad.The latest monthly poll of purchasing managers across Britain’s manufacturing sector found that new orders and new export business both fell at quicker rates in August, leading to another drop in production volumes.“Production volumes are still showing resilience in the face of global geopolitical uncertainty and US tariff policies, with both July and August having seen only slight contractions that were milder than those suffered earlier in the year. Business confidence has also lifted to a sixmonth high, reflecting hopes that the trading environment is starting to settle down.However, August also saw a steep drop in UK manufacturers’ new orders, with total order books and overseas demand both falling at some of the fastest rates seen over the past two years. Weak marke...

Economics

1 week ago Profits surge at Royal Mail’s parent company after £3.6bn takeover by foreign owner – business live

Royal Mail returns to an underlying annual profit for the first time in three years despite a “competitive and challenging” backdropRoyal Mail’s parent company has posted a surge in profits, in its first financial results since being taken over by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský.International Distribution Services (IDS) has reported that pre-tax profits jumped to £429m in the year to 30 March 2025, up from £114m the previous year.“It has been a year of change for IDS. Thanks to the hard work of our people and our investment in transformation, Royal Mail returned to profit for the first time in three years, marking an important milestone in the company’s turnaround.With IDS’s acquisition by EP Group complete and Universal Service reform decided now is the time for us to drive the business forward and capitalise on our momentum.This is in line with guidance and was achieved despite an increasingly competitive and challenging trading environment. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago ‘I was never worried’: 10 years on since Syrian siblings’ 2,700

Ten years after Angela Merkel declared ‘We can do this’ at the height of the 2015 migration into Europe, Syrian refugee Somar Kreker looks back at his 44-day odysseyThe trip would be tough, Somar Kreker knew, but he was not overly fearful. It was the summer of 2015, and in a small flat in Amman, Jordan, this young Syrian’s only thought was how to turn a long and arduous journey into something more bearable. The engineering student had fled Syria three and a half years earlier after refusing to enlist in the brutal regime’s army. He was now ready to begin a new chapter of his life, starting with a new task: to reunite with his younger sisters, still trapped in Damascus, and lead them to Germany, where their brother was living.“I was never worried or stressed about the trip,” says Somar, just 27 years old at the time. “I never had any thought about danger or failure. My only thoughts were how I could make the trip a happy adventure for me and my sisters. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Royal Mail owner set to return to profit in first figures since £3.6bn takeover

Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group completed its takeover of Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services in June.

Economics

1 week ago Boycott the banquet, send a tweet. But ending the horror in Gaza still relies on the worst people in the world | Marina Hyde

This humanitarian catastrophe is barely of passing interest to Donald Trump. The curse of our times is how little we can do about itDay 222 of Donald Trump’s presidency, and Russia’s war in Ukraine – which he promised to end on day one – shows no sign of having got the memo. This was not a single-use Trump promise; he made it at least 53 times. Yet the US president has failed to keep it, either literally or in his favourite manner: figuratively. Can you figuratively end a war? Not even, apparently.What his most recent round of failure means, however, is that Trump is pivoting back to another war, the grotesquely horrifying and unlawful humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. Not the way he’d phrase it, possibly. This week he swerved commenting on either Israel’s invasion of Gaza City or the mounting declarations that famine and starvation are clearly under way in the territory, and instead announced: “I think within the next two, three weeks, you’re going to have a pretty good, ...

Events

2 w. ago More than a third of South Ayrshire taxis fail inspections during three month spell branded 'a disgrace'

The failure rate was more than four times the amount failures over the same period in 2024.

Economics

2 w. ago Royal Mail unveils 'postboxes of the future' with innovative new feature

Royal Mail has unveiled its new 'postboxes of the future' featuring solar panel scanners that it says will make the process of sending small parcels 'much easier'

Politics

2 w. ago Russia’s devastating attack on Kyiv proves Trump’s Ukraine peace plans have failed. It is time for Europe to show leadership

Starmer and EU leaders may express outrage but they need to take more drastic action to help Ukraine beat Putin, writes World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley

Politics

2 w. ago 'Postboxes of the future' unveiled as Royal Mail show off one brand new feature

Royal Mail is getting a makeover, with 3,500 of its postboxes receiving a revamp to make it 'even easier' to send smaller packages thanks to clever new technology

Politics

2 w. ago Royal Mail unveils 'postboxes of the future' with one very different feature

Royal Mail is giving 3,500 of its postboxes across the country a 'glow-up' to make it 'even easier' to send small parcels using solar power technology on scanners

Politics