40 h. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s investment plans: sugaring the bitter pill of austerity | Editorial

The chancellor is right to be planning for the long term, but voters won’t be patient if change isn’t felt soonInequality between British regions is not a new problem and Rachel Reeves is not the first chancellor to want to close the gap. In 2014, George Osborne promised a “northern powerhouse” to rival the dominance of London and the south-east. He pledged devolution and investment in infrastructure to connect northern cities, to unlock productivity and growth.Since then, Britain’s economy has suffered multiple shocks, some external (the pandemic, inflation stoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), others self-inflicted (Brexit, Liz Truss’s mini-budget). Each time, the damage was more severe in places already falling behind. Boris Johnson claimed levelling up as his defining purpose. Rishi Sunak let the ambition slide. Now it is being revived by a Labour chancellor. In a speech announcing transport investments on Wednesday, Ms Reeves promised a “renewal of Britain”, with prosperity ...

Politics

64 h. ago Tube drug use falls for first time in three years despite passenger seen smoking crack pipe

Hammersmith station had the most incidents recorded, followed by Oxford Circus

Events

2 d. ago OECD downgrades forecasts for UK growth as Trump tariffs hit world economy

Global growth is expected to fall below 3% for the first time since the pandemic

Politics

3 d. ago London Underground drug use falls for first time in three years

London Underground drug use falls for first time in three years  BBC

Events

3 d. ago Power bank explosion sparks panic on plane as flight forced to turn back after just 15 minutes

The China Airlines Pilot turned a plane around just minutes into a flight after smoke filled the cabin, sending passengers into a panic, following an explosion from a power bank

Events

3 d. ago Scottish summer transfer window closure date and time change again as leagues fall into line

Clubs will have extra few days to do business - but unusual closure time set

Sport

3 d. ago ‘It’s so boring’: Gen Z parents don’t like reading to their kids

Screen time has increasingly replaced story time, and experts warn this could lead to children falling behindLast week, former elementary school teacher Spencer Russell posed a question to parents who follow his Instagram account, Toddlers Can Read: “Why aren’t you reading aloud to your kids?”The responses, which Russell shared with the Guardian, ranged from embarrassed to annoyed to angry. “It’s so boring,” said one parent. “I don’t have time,” said another. One mother wrote in: “I don’t enjoy reading myself.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘It’s so boring’: gen Z parents don’t like reading to their kids – and educators are worried

Screen time has increasingly replaced story time, and experts warn this could lead to children falling behindLast week, former elementary school teacher Spencer Russell posed a question to parents who follow his Instagram account, Toddlers Can Read: “Why aren’t you reading aloud to your kids?”The responses, which Russell shared with the Guardian, ranged from embarrassed to annoyed to angry. “It’s so boring,” said one parent. “I don’t have time,” said another. One mother wrote in: “I don’t enjoy reading myself.” Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Top Tech: Amazon Fire sale sees TV Sticks and tablets fall up to £70 for limited time

Amazon has unveiled a fresh round of deals across its own-brand devices including the Fire TV Stick and Fire tablets with savings of £70 up for grabs on select models

Economics

1 week ago Rayo Vallecano celebrate banner night: ‘25 years later, Europe sees us again’

A Conference League place is a monumental achievement, made all the better by how out of place it all feelsRayo Vallecano’s fans rolled out the banner at 10.46pm on the last Saturday of the season and rolled it away again a minute later. There had been a sneak glimpse of the message they hoped to stretch across the one end of a ground that is actually an end and not just a wall at risk of falling down, but it wasn’t quite time for the big reveal. For now all they wanted was to pull 40 metres of fabric into place, huge white letters proudly painted on a red background, ready for when, if, it actually was. They certainly didn’t intend to tempt fate; it wasn’t done yet, history still not made and, God knows, if there is a place where anything can go wrong, where football and life isn’t always kind but is always lived, it is here.There was though a brief look before the banner was hidden again behind the back row – something about years, Europe and us – and they were close now. There we...

Events

1 week ago Scots dad makes desperate attempts to save home from devastating fire

"It's unsafe, the roof can fall in any time, you can see inside the house now, and there are tiles hanging on by a thread."

Events

2 w. ago Eamonn Holmes 'in pain all the time' as pals question GB News stint after fall

Eamonn Holmes recently left GB News viewers gobsmacked when he fell from his chair live on the air but friends of the broadcaster have claimed he's often in pain due to his health issues

Politics

2 w. ago Eamonn Holmes, 65, and Katie Alexander, 43, go Instagram OFFICIAL! TV star's younger lover publicly posts pictures of them for the first time as he falls off a chair live on GB News

Katie, who works as a marriage counsellor, posted a reel on Instagram of a recent day out with GB News star Eamonn, who announced his split from wife Ruth Langsford a year ago.

Society

2 w. ago Giro d’Italia: Ayuso and Roglic close on Del Toro as Hoole prevails in Pisa

Dry roads help Dutch rider to win stage 10 time-trialJuan Ayuso now just 25 seconds adrift in second placeDutchman Daan Hoole won stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia as rain hampered the later starters in Tuesday’s time trial, which ended with Mexico’s Isaac del Toro clinging to the overall lead.Hoole, the 26-year-old Lidl-Trek rider, took advantage of dry roads to cover the 28.6km from Lucca to Pisa in 32 minutes and 30 seconds for his first Grand Tour stage win. By the time the leading riders left the start gate rain was falling, making the corners slippery and reducing speeds. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Lorraine Kelly reveals 'frustrating' thing she can't do after surgery as she returns to work

Lorraine Kelly has returned to work on her ITV show for the first time since undergoing surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes earlier this month

Politics

3 w. ago UK health officials issue warning to Brits over 'higher than expected' levels of virus

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that cases were higher than expected and that people could also fall ill a second time

Events

3 w. ago US egg prices fall for the first time in months but remain near record highs

Retail egg prices in the United States fell last month after setting records at the start of the year, according to government data

Politics

3 w. ago 'I'm an expert and this is the one easy mistake to avoid when buying your first home'

There’s one trap many first-time buyers fall into

Politics

last month Chelsea may have to wait until 2042 for a new stadium, owner Todd Boehly admits, as board member breaks rank to suggest: 'I don't know if it's going to happen'

The issue of a new stadium for the west London club has been a discussion point for some time now, with the English giants' home of Stamford Bridge arguably falling behind their rivals'.

Politics