National News

Cuts to inheritance tax could be on the agenda next week as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt hopes to win over Tory MPs with his autumn statement. Mr Hunt will receive the final forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility later on Friday, amid hopes in the Treasury there is more fiscal headroom than previously expected. Earlier this week the Chancellor said he would use Wednesday’s autumn statement to address labour supply

A teenager who was murdered in a suspected fight in west London has been named as Simarjeet Singh Nangpal. The 17-year-old died at the scene having been found with stab injuries after police responded to reports of a fight in Burket Close, in Hounslow, west London at 12.15am on Wednesday. Four men – aged 21, 27, 31 and 71 – remain in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder

Animal lovers have two weeks left to see the UK’s only giant pandas as the pair prepare to leave Edinburgh Zoo to return to China. From Thursday November 30, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) will restrict access to Yang Guang and Tian Tian – the two giant pandas housed at the zoo. The pair’s enclosure will be closed off as zoo officials prepare to ship them back to

Construction of a “world-class” Health Innovation Hub in Glasgow has begun and the facility is due for completion in summer 2025. The hub is a flagship investment within the University of Glasgow’s Riverside Innovation District in Govan and will be delivered in partnership with Kadans Science Partner and supported by Scottish Enterprise. It is hoped the hub will attract businesses into the area and deliver local benefits to the community

Beth Ditto-fronted indie band Gossip have announced they are reuniting for their first new music in 11 years. The pop-rock trio, formed of vocalist Ditto, 42, guitarist Nathan “Brace Paine” Howdeshell and drummer Hannah Blilie, will release their new album Real Power on March 22 2024. The first single from the record, Crazy Again, was released on Friday, and Ditto says it is about “being in love and feeling so

Rishi Sunak has pledged to tackle “the scourge of potholes” with £8.3 billion of funding for local roads maintenance in England. The Prime Minister described the investment, which will be made available to local authorities over 11 years, as “unprecedented”. The funding is part of the Government’s Network North plan published in October to spend money saved by scrapping HS2 north of Birmingham. AA figures show call-outs to pothole-related breakdowns are

A lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip shut down all internet and phone networks on Thursday, the main Palestinian telecom provider said, effectively cutting off the besieged territory from the outside world. In a signal that Israel’s ground invasion could soon expand to the south, Palestinians in parts of southern Gaza said they received evacuation notices on Thursday. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are crowded into the south,

A powerful group of MPs have said they have “no confidence” the Government will deliver on its promises for its flagship new hospital programme (NHP). The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has insisted that it is “on track” to deliver the manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals in England by 2030. But the Public Accounts Committee said that the programme has been marked by “slower progress and

Mikel Arteta has been charged by the Football Association over comments he made after Arsenal’s defeat by Newcastle earlier this month. The Gunners boss branded the VAR decision not to rule out Anthony Gordon’s goal in his side’s 1-0 defeat at St James’ Park “an absolute disgrace”. An FA statement read: “Mikel Arteta has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 following comments that he made in media