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National News

Nicola Sturgeon calls on future first ministers to continue with 5050 cabinet

She is stepping down as First Minister in the coming weeks Future first ministers should seek to ensure that half of their top team in government are women, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Ms Sturgeon said one of her first acts when she took on the top job in Scottish politics in 2014 had been to appoint a gender-balanced cabinet. Ms Sturgeon said Scotland’s had been only the third such cabinet in the world – as she recalled how questions hadRead More

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National News

London stocks edge higher after mixed session for European markets

The FTSE 100 was up 10 points on the day The FTSE 100 closed marginally higher during a mixed and broadly muted session across Europe. The rise in London came after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell sought to calm the markets after hawkish comments on Tuesday, which indicated rate hikes could be accelerated, impacted trading sentiment at the end of the session. On Wednesday, he appeared more restrained in tone following the comment on Capitol Hill. Michael Hewson, chief marketRead More

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National News

Boohoo shareholders narrowly approve plan which could hand boss 50m bonus

The company is currently worth just under 700 million pounds on the London Stock Exchange Shareholders at online retailer Boohoo have narrowly approved a bumper incentive deal which could hand a £50 million bonus to the company’s boss in the next half-decade. The new plan will make it easier for chief executive John Lyttle and his top lieutenants to get their bumper payouts. It had been hailed as a “growth plan” by bosses when they unveiled the idea in January.Read More

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National News

Amnesty International criticises Premier League over Saudi state Newcastle links

It follows court documents being filed in the US last week   The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which holds a controlling stake in the club, was described in the document as “a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” while PIF governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al Rumayyan was described as “a sitting minister in the Saudi government”. The Premier League only approved the Saudi-led consortium’s takeover in October 2021 after receiving “legally binding assurances” that there wouldRead More

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National News

Amber warning for heavy snow and blizzard conditions

The warning from the Met Office lasts for 21 hours from 3pm on Thursday Snow storms are expected to hit large swathes of central and northern England on Thursday, forecasters have warned. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for “strong winds bringing blizzard conditions” and up to 40cm of snow to the area stretching from Stoke-on-Trent to Durham. The warning lasts for 21 hours from 3pm on Thursday – and “significant disruption” to transport, power lines and phoneRead More

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National News

British Gas ramps up solar panel and home checks plans

The company will be offering customers free home consultations and advice The UK’s biggest energy supplier will start to help its customers to get new solar panels on their homes and offer consultations on how people can reduce their bills and carbon footprints. British Gas said it would be offering customers free home consultations for solar panels and also give them advice on installing batteries in their properties to capture excess solar power when they are not using it. TheRead More

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National News

Heathrow told to cut passenger charges amid demand rebound

The news has come from the The Civil Aviation Authority Heathrow Airport must cut its passenger charges after a recovery in demand, the aviation regulator has announced. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the cap on the west London airport’s average charge per passenger will reduce beyond previous expectations after a better-than-expected recovery in demand for flights. The regulator said in its final decision that the charge will reduce from £31.57 for 2023 and last year, to £25.43 over theRead More

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National News

Call for energy social tariff cash payments for poorest households

It has been made by Citizens Advice Consumer groups have called for an energy social tariff in the form of cash payments for the poorest households ahead of what they warn could be a decade of high bills. Citizens Advice said payments of up to £1,500 are now an “essential” long-term solution for millions of fuel-poor households, both now and during what could be a decade of record prices. The call for targeted financial support by next year has theRead More

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National News

Travis Perkins sets out plan to train 10000 apprentices

The firm are looking to reach the target by 2030 Travis Perkins has revealed plans to train 10,000 apprentices by 2030. The building materials firm said it hopes the target will help address a “critical industry skills gap” and develop skills needed to help deliver new homes and infrastructure. Nick Roberts, chief executive of the company, said the ambition will bring “fresh talent” and improve diversity in the industry. It comes two months after the latest Construction Skills Network (CSN)Read More

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