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National News

Judge approves 150 million settlement of Grenfell compensation claims

A judge has approved a “global” settlement of compensation claims made by people affected by the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire. Lawyers representing bereaved relatives, survivors and local residents on Tuesday told a High Court hearing in London that there had been a global settlement of about 900 cases and a global sum of about £150 million compensation agreed. The judge, Senior Master Barbara Fontaine, said she approved “overall settlement terms”. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the London FireRead More

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National News

Schools face disruption as teachers in England strike in pay dispute

Pupils and parents are facing more disruption as tens of thousands of teachers walk out of schools and sixth-form colleges across England. Teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) are back on picket lines on Tuesday as they stage a fresh strike in a long-running pay row. The NEU – which also staged a strike on Thursday – believed the majority of schools would either restrict access to pupils or fully close during the walkouts. It is the sixthRead More

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National News

The Restaurant Group cheers encouraging sales as it speeds up closure plan

Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) has cheered “very encouraging” trading as it revealed plans to speed up its closure programme. Shares in the company, which also owns the Frankie & Benny’s brand, jumped on Tuesday morning after it hailed “good progress” on recent cost-cutting efforts. In March, the company said it would shut 35 of its loss-making casual dining restaurants, which include Frankie & Benny’s, in order to boost profits. In its latest update, the hospitality firm said it expectedRead More

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National News

Starmer confident Sue Gray did not break rules over Labour role

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “confident” that partygate investigator Sue Gray has not broken any rules in her discussions with Labour about a senior party role. A Cabinet Office minister is due to issue a written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday containing an “update into the circumstances leading to the resignation of a senior civil servant”, according to Parliament’s order paper. The PA news agency understands the statement will shed more light on how formerRead More

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National News

BP profit more than 500m higher than expected

Oil giant BP’s profit was more than half a billion pounds more than expected in the first three months of the year as the business continued to benefit from elevated energy prices. Bosses revealed on Tuesday that the company made just under five billion US dollars (£4 billion) in underlying replacement cost profit between January and March, citing a strong performance in its oil trading business. It is a reduction from last year – when the business rested on extremelyRead More

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National News

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney serious about Gareth Bale playing at Wrexham

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have said there is “seriousness” to the offer they broadcast on Twitter for footballer Gareth Bale to come out of retirement and play at the Hollywood stars’ club Wrexham. Former Wales captain Bale was offered the opportunity to play for the Welsh club following their promotion to the English Football League in April. The five-time Champions League winner announced his retirement at the age of 33 in January after leading Wales to their first WorldRead More

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National News

Final Sudan flights underway as evacuations wind down

Two final evacuation flights from Sudan were expected to land in Cyprus overnight as the number of people repatriated from the war-torn nation neared 2,200. The Foreign Office said Sudanese doctors working for the NHS were among the flight passengers after ministers agreed to extend the evacuation criteria to include eligible non-British nationals working as clinicians in the NHS, as well as their dependents. It is not known what time the passengers will arrive following the second leg of theirRead More

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National News

Prayers for woman stabbed in London

A relative of a woman who was fatally stabbed during the afternoon of Bank Holiday Monday has said “it’s still so raw”, while several people were seen praying at the scene of her death in south London. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at around 4.04pm to reports of a stabbing on Stockwell Park Walk in Lambeth, and no arrests have yet been made. An air ambulance also attended, but the woman, believed to be in her 30s, wasRead More

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Local News

Smiles all round at birthday celebration for famous playwright

Shakespeare's Big Birthday Bash celebrations at St George’s Guildhall were enjoyed by more than 200 people last weekend.Visitors were able to take part in family activities, watching films, or taking a tour of the venue.Dayna Woolbright, Norfolk Museums Service curator, said: "We had a great weekend, which was well attended.“We were able to help people discover the town’s links to Shakespeare through a number of activities and a tour of the theatre where he is believed to have performed. “WeRead More

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