16 h. ago Lough Neagh algae blight is significant crisis for all Ireland, says McDonald

Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald said there should be a national focus on the issue, including from the Irish Government.

Events

22 h. ago ‘More than a hundred tax and spending plans’ being considered by Reeves ahead of Budget

Around a hundred tax and spending measures are said to be on the table at the Budget, including an increase in income tax

Economics

4 d. ago Want to know what’s really up with Britain? Take a look at our no

Talk of ‘small boats’ may dominate politics and the media, but the cost of living crisis is what most adults spend their time worrying about Wage increases finally began to outpace price rises in June 2023, so we could technically class the previous month as the height of the cost of living crisis. Certainly, May that year was when the headlines about butter peaked. Lurpak and Anchor, both owned by the same dairy co-op, Arla, had reduced the size of their standard butter pack from 250g to 200g. The price was brought down accordingly, in due course, but for a while, certain supermarkets were still charging half-pound prices for a “what would we even call 200g?” pack.The problem was, butter units are universal. A half-pound of butter always weighs the same amount in your hand, regardless of the brand. Seeing the small version in a supermarket felt almost sci-fi, like a tiny off-key detail that alerts you to the fact you’ve been kidnapped by aliens into a simulacrum world. They would h...

Politics

4 d. ago Revealed: ICE violates its own policy by holding people in secretive rooms for days or weeks

Guardian analysis finds ICE increasingly keeps people in holding rooms with little oversight, as some facilities see a 600% rise in detention lengthImmigration officials have been increasingly detaining people in small, secretive holding facilities for days or even weeks at a time in violation of federal policy, a Guardian investigation has found.These holding facilities – located at ICE offices, in federal buildings, and other locations around the country – are typically used to detain people after they have been arrested but before they are transferred or released. In many cases, they consist of small concrete rooms with no beds and are designed to only be used for a few hours.ICE has used at least 170 ICE holding facilities nationwide, including at 25 ICE field offices.The Trump administration and its campaign of mass deportation has led to a near across the board increase in the time people are forced to spend in detention in holding rooms. After Donald Trump’s inauguration, the...

Events

7 d. ago Of course I'm coming back for more in the Budget, Reeves admits as she scrambles to fill £30bn black hole

The Chancellor (pictured) said she was 'of course' looking at tax increases - as well as spending cuts - as she seeks to patch up public finances in next month's Budget.

Economics

1 week ago Trump backs down on sending federal troops to San Francisco for immigration crackdown

Protesters flood streets in show of resistance, as president calls off deployment after speaking with city’s mayor and Silicon Valley leadersDonald Trump canceled plans for a deployment of federal troops to San Francisco that had sparked widespread condemnation from California leaders and sent protesters flooding into the streets.The Bay Area region had been on edge after reports emerged on Wednesday that the Trump administration was poised to send more than 100 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal agents to the US Coast Guard base in Alameda, a city in the East Bay, as part of a large-scale immigration-enforcement plan. By early Thursday morning, hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the Coast Guard base, holding signs with slogans such as “No ICE or Troops in the Bay!”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago San Francisco Bay Area braces for Trump’s immigration crackdown

Administration has reportedly sent more than 100 federal agents to US Coast Guard base near the California regionThe San Francisco Bay Area is bracing for a major federal immigration enforcement operation that could start as early as Thursday.The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration has sent more than 100 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal agents to the US Coast Guard base in Alameda, across the Bay from San Francisco, as part of a large-scale immigration enforcement plan. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Manchester Metropolitan University scales back 'bold' library plans

The 'exciting milestone' for the university is set to be four storeys smaller than similar plans approved in 2024

Politics

1 week ago Renewable energy investment should come from defence budgets, say retired military leaders

Former European officers say spending on low-carbon power would make nations more resilient to threats from potential aggressorsInvestment in renewable energy should be counted under defence expenditure, says a group of retired senior military personnel, because the climate crisis represents a threat to national security.They have called for increased spending on low-carbon power as a way of making the UK and other European countries more resilient to threats from Russia and other potential aggressors. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Trump has spent 700 percent more on deadly weapons for ICE this year

Immigration agency spent more than $70 million in the first nine months of the year on small arms and ordnance as it ramped up its crackdown on undocumented migrants, data reveals

Events

1 week ago Trump has spent 700 percent more on deadly weapons for ICE this year. Here’s what they now have

Immigration agency spent more than $70 million in the first nine months of the year on small arms and ordnance as it ramped up its crackdown on undocumented migrants, data reveals

Events

2 w. ago Japan stocks hit record as Sanae Takaichi becomes prime minister

‘Takaichi trade’ reflects optimism that ruling coalition will increase defence spending and cut some taxes

Politics

2 w. ago First Minister ‘working night and day’ to ensure Casement Park is built

The project to transform the GAA pitch in west Belfast has been hit by delays.

Politics

2 w. ago Stormont could be retained in united Ireland, says Heather Humphreys

Rival presidential candidate Catherine Connolly accused the Irish government of not doing enough to plan for constitutional change on the island.

Events

2 w. ago Irish court strikes down police decision to not investigate Airbnbs in Israeli settlements

The case was brought by Irish-Palestinian non-governmental organisation Sadaka

Events

2 w. ago Sweden, Estonia, and Finland pledge to increase spending on weapons purchases from US – Europe live

Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he expected further pledges, noting that $2bn already had been committed through the mechanismSergiy Petrovich Lysak has been appointed as the head of the Odesa city military administration, as confirmed by an order on the website for the president of Ukraine on Wednesday, after the dismissal of the city’s former mayor.Lysak was previously tasked with leading the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.Odesa deserves greater protection and greater support.This can be done in the format of a military administration – too many security issues in Odesa have remained without an adequate response for far too long. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Gangster's wife banned from breeding dogs after ploughing cash into kennels block

The ban on Lynne Brockett, 40, comes after the couple built an industrial scale kennels block, which received retrospective planning permission despite complaints from locals.

Events

3 w. ago 'Greedy girl has a sex menu – everything has a price including a new car'

JUST JANE: Today our agony aunt Jane O'Gorman is dealing with a new issue from a Daily Star reader who has been told to increase his spending or risk losing his lover

Politics

3 w. ago Chancellor Rachel Reeves set to tax the rich to fill £30BILLION public finance black hole

Treasury sources have said the Chancellor will not significantly increase borrowing or cut public spending in this year's Autumn budget.

Economics

3 w. ago Tories would abolish stamp duty, Badenoch tells party conference – UK politics live

Party leader says measure is a ‘bad tax’ and scrapping it would free up the housing market and improve social mobilityVoting in the Labour deputy leadership election opens today. Lucy Powell, the former Commons leader, is seen as the favourite and, as Jessica Elgot reports, Powell told supporters yesterday that, if she is elected, she will use the post to argue for changes in the way the government is operating. “We can’t sugarcoat the fact that things aren’t going well,” she said.Powell is no longer a government minister and, if she is elected deputy leader, she will do the job from the backbenches. In an interview on Newsnight last night, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary standing against Powell, said a Powell victory would be “destabilising” for the party. She said:[Electing Powell] risks destabilising the party we best achieve what we need to do together when we have those fierce conversations, including disagreements, behind closed doors.Members need to understand tha...

Politics