National News

Wigan’s owners say they have now paid all their players and non-playing staff their wages for this month, with chairman Talal Al Hammad apologising for the stress the delay had caused. The Latics’ players were given a day off training earlier this month amid the latest hold-up, with Wigan having not paid players or staff on time on four previous occasions this season. Those delays resulted in a three-point deduction

Plastic pollution could be reduced by 80% by 2040 if countries and companies make deep policy and market shifts, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has said. To do this, there needs to be more reusing, recycling and more reorienting and diversifying of plastic products, the authors said. This would include governments promoting refillable bottles, bulk dispensers, deposit-return-schemes and packaging take-back schemes – which could reduce 30% of plastic waste. An additional 20% could be reduced

Ben Foakes has been dropped for England’s one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s next month, paving the way for Jonny Bairstow’s return as wicketkeeper ahead of this summer’s Ashes. Despite being regarded as one of the world’s best glovemen and averaging 38.9 with the bat under Test captain Ben Stokes, Foakes is out in the cold with Bairstow taking his spot in a 15-strong squad. Rob Key, England’s managing director

Rebekah Vardy has said she hopes by speaking about her experiences growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness that she will be able to show other people that there is a “light at the end of the tunnel”. In a Channel 4 documentary, the 41-year-old media personality alleges she was sexually abused by an individual in the community between the ages of 11 to 15, which she claimed was covered up by “elders”,

Bakery chain Greggs has revealed its sales surged by nearly a fifth over the year to date as its cheap meals remain “compelling” to cash-strapped consumers. Sales grew by 17% over the start of the year compared with 2022, partly because the first few months of the previous year were impacted by the Omicron variant, Greggs said. Hot food such as chicken goujons and wedges are proving popular, alongside as

Tesco has announced another round of price cuts on its own-brand pasta and cooking oil as it sees deflation making its way through to cupboard essentials. The UK’s biggest supermarket is dropping the price of 30 products, with 15p off 500g and 1kg packs of own-brand pasta, 14p off its one litre vegetable oil and 15p off its one litre sunflower oil. It follows a number of supermarkets dropping the

Britain’s unemployment rate has risen again unexpectedly while vacancies have fallen to the lowest level for 18 months as economic uncertainty weighs on the UK’s jobs market, according to official figures. The rate of UK unemployment rose to 3.9% in the three months to March, up from 3.8% in the previous quarter and the highest level since the three months to January 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Dracula Untold star Luke Evans has said Michael Sheen in his debut as a television director “knows what he needs from you” as an actor. The 44-year-old Welsh actor is starring in upcoming BBC drama series The Way alongside Frost/Nixon star Sheen and It’s A Sin actor Callum Scott Howells. The three-part “emotional and darkly humorous story” is set to focus on how a family, the Driscolls, contend with a

Farmers are to be given greater protections in future trade deals as part of a package of measures unveiled ahead of a No 10 food summit. Downing Street said the Government’s initiatives, as well as putting greater emphasis on farmers’ interests during international trade negotiations, include reviewing supply chains to ensure producers are getting a fair deal and making it easier to turn properties on their land into farm shops.