48 m. ago Five Greater Manchester towns handed £100m 18 months after it was promised

The towns will now have to 'refresh and resubmit' their plans

Economics

52 m. ago China and Canada retaliate after Trump trade tariffs come into effect

Markets tumble as US president’s levies against Canada, Mexico and China come into effectChina and Canada unveiled retaliatory measures against the US after Donald Trump imposed his sweeping tariffs plan at midnight US time, despite warnings it could spark an escalating trade war.US tariffs have come into force of 25% against goods from Canada and Mexico, the US’s two biggest trading partners, and 20% tariffs against China – doubling the levy on China from last month. Continue reading...

Politics

55 m. ago SNP accused of 'raiding' £8bn from councils' core funding as tax poised to rise

New analysis has suggested SNP ministers have cut Scottish councils’ core funding by almost £8 billion.

Economics

56 m. ago Labour has humane and popular plans to stand up for UK workers. Why dilute them? | Gaby Hinsliff

Angela Rayner’s employment rights bill is precisely why many voted for this government. Why be embarrassed about a defining policy?One step forward, two steps back. Angela Rayner’s employment rights bill is back in the Commons this week, stuffed with ideas for improving everyday working life: that’s the big step forward for a government that was elected on a promise of radical change. The weekend headlines, however, were all about what won’t be changing after all. The so-called right to switch off – an early Rayner idea about legislating to prevent employees being pestered by out-of-hours calls and emails, which was already presumed dead due to not being in the bill – was ritually killed off once again for the Sunday papers, with a briefing that it still won’t be in the bill after fresh amendments are tabled on Tuesday.Presumably the idea was to reassure businesses fearful of extra regulatory burdens, on top of the looming April hike in employers’ national insurance. But since it’s ...

Politics

1 hour ago At the bottom of the North Sea, out of air and with no hope of rescue, I said goodbye to all my dreams

Diver Chris Lemons was 300ft beneath the surface when he lost contact with his colleagues, their support ship – and his air supply. How did he escape that ‘dark, lonely’ place?It was, says Chris Lemons, “very much a normal day at the office”. Until things went wrong. But when they went wrong, they went wrong very badly, very quickly. The “office” was actually the bottom of the North Sea, where Lemons was left without air for almost half an hour.Lemons was working as a saturation diver, living in a pressurised chamber onboard a specialised ship for stints of up to a month, and being lowered to the seabed in a diving bell to work on offshore structures. “It is a serious business, but it is routine for us. That bell going down is like the taxi to work. I always felt comfortable down there.” Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Trudeau counters Trump's 'unjustified' tariffs with 25 percent levy on Canadian exports and 10 percent on energy

Lame duck Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will respond to Donald Trump's tariffs - which go into effect midnight Tuesday - with some of their own.

Politics

2 h. ago Meghan shares sweet gift from Harry and children ahead of Netflix show premiere

The duchess also surprised a group of excited fans at a special screening.

Politics

2 h. ago More than 4000 objections to salmon farm bid in Loch Lomond national park

The proposal for a unique industrial fish farm in Loch Long was previously blocked by park bosses but has been called in by SNP ministers

Politics

2 h. ago Sex assault victim blasts "lying" ex over fake not guilty court letter shared on Tiktok

The predator shared the fake letter to his followers on Tiktok after he was convicted in court.

Events

3 h. ago Urgent warning to anyone hanging bird boxes in certain position

Birdhouses can be a great way to attract a variety of different bird species to your garden, however outdoor experts warn that by hanging them incorrectly you could be doing more harm than good

Events

4 h. ago Vance says US ‘working on’ Ukraine plan ‘with the Russians’ after Trump cuts defense aid to Kyiv

Vice President JD Vance on Monday said Trump administration officials are already in talks to put on a settlement to the years-long war Russia launched against Ukraine, and warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to accept Donald Trump’s terms for a mineral rights deal and enter negotiations with Moscow.

Politics

4 h. ago Monty Don's tip to grow the best sweet peas and exactly when to plant them

Sweet peas add a pop of colour to any garden - and Monty Don has reminded gardeners of the best time to begin growing them

Economics

4 h. ago Pictured: YouTube bully who hounded Luisa Zissman by flying a drone over her Hertfordshire mansion

Harry Holton is part of a worrying new trend known as 'auditing' which sees creators harass innocent landowners and security guards to create controversial videos to be posted on social media.

Events

4 h. ago Porsche boss, 81, colliding with locals over plans to build a 500m tunnel and private garage for cars under his €8.4million city landmark mansion

Wolfgang Porsche, 81, wants to dig a 500m passage beneath his €8.4million mansion on the Kapuzinerberg - a forested hill that overlooks the Austrian city.

Economics

4 h. ago 'The harsh light of scrutiny is shining on the Labour Welsh Government'

Rhun ap Iorwerth is the leader of Plaid Cymru. In this opinion piece, he lays out why Plaid Cymru will not vote for Welsh Labour's spending plans

Politics

5 h. ago Men suspected of murdering Brit found dead in sack of pineapples appear in court

British man Campbell Scott, 58, was found dead in a sack filled with pineapples in Kenya's Makongo forest after being reported missing by his work colleagues

Events

5 h. ago 'Stalker' threatened to kill female Twitch streamers in terrifying attack during live event

Three female Twitch streamers Valkyrae, Cinna and Emiru were live streaming their "Sisathon" event in Santa Monica when a "stalker" approached them and made terrifying threats

Events

5 h. ago Labour ministers are urged to use billions in Russian assets

At the weekend, Rachel Reeves announced that she would use the profits of frozen Russian assets to fund a £2.26 billion loan scheme to help Kyiv fund its reconstruction and buy weapons.

Politics

5 h. ago Threatened species: court asked to compel Australian ministers to create recovery plans

The Wilderness Society launches legal action in hope of helping animals on brink of extinctionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of Australia’s largest conservation organisations has launched legal action alleging that successive federal environment ministers failed to meet their obligation to create recovery plans for native species threatened with extinction.The Wilderness Society (TWS) filed the proceedings in the federal court on Monday.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago We've been told parking on our own driveways is ILLEGAL and now have to pay £7,000 for the privilege

All the properties are located in Streatham Vale where residents have been told they will have to apply for planning permission to drop the kerb and then pay for the work to be carried out.

Economics