National News

It comes as rail fares rose by 5.9 per cent earlier this month Avanti West Coast has become the latest train operator to trial discounted tickets as the rail sector struggles to bring passenger numbers back to pre-pandemic levels. The company is offering cheaper fares on certain routes to people who can be more flexible with their journey times. It comes a month after Southern began selling cut-price tickets to

Dozens of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange updated shareholders on their exposure to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and its UK branch. HSBC said on Monday morning it is taking over the UK part of the collapsed bank, while authorities in the US have said depositors in SVB will have access to all their money from today. More than 40 London-listed companies posted updates as markets opened

The UK arm of collapsed US lender Silicon Valley Bank has been bought by HSBC after the Government and Bank of England stepped in to “facilitate” a private sale. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed that all customer deposits have been protected under the deal, with no taxpayer cash involved. It comes after the US government moved to stop a potential banking crisis after the historic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, with

Rishi Sunak insisted the UK’s armed forces had the funding they needed for a “more volatile world” in the face of the growing challenges posed by China and Russia. The Prime Minister promised an extra £5 billion for the military over two years, but failed to meet Tory demands to commit to a goal of spending 3% of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. Significant sums of the

The 2023 Academy Awards made history with some groundbreaking firsts and major career milestones. – Best actress Michelle Yeoh is the first person from an Asian background to be named best actress. She is also only the second non-white performer ever to win the award. The first was more than 20 years ago in 2002, when it went to Halle Berry for the film Monster’s Ball. Berry was on stage

Gary Lineker is reportedly set to return to Match Of The Day this coming weekend amid speculation he and the BBC are close to resolving their impartiality row. There is “growing confidence” that the former England player will return to host the popular BBC show, according to reports, following a weekend which saw the broadcaster’s sports coverage suffer severe disruption. Lineker did not appear on the football highlights programme after

Michelle Yeoh made history at the 95th Oscars as Everything Everywhere All At Once took home a clutch of major awards. The multiverse sci-fi epic, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, claimed seven prizes including three acting gongs, best directing and best picture, the biggest of the night. It was a disappointing evening for Irish talent with The Banshees Of Inisherin going home empty-handed despite its nine nominations. Yeoh

Rishi Sunak has defended his policy of continuing to engage with China despite believing that Xi Jinping’s “increasingly authoritarian” administration poses an “epoch-defining challenge” to the global order. The Prime Minister, who claimed during the Tory leadership contest last year that China represented the “biggest long-term threat to Britain”, appears to have softened his stance but insisted he remained acutely aware of the challenges posed by Beijing. The Government will

Mikel Arteta hailed Leandro Trossard’s “football intelligence” after he set up all three goals as Arsenal restored their five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Fulham. The 28-year-old joined Arsenal in January from Brighton and has shone for the Gunners, helping to compensate for the injuries to forward’s Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. Trossard’s delivery at Craven Cottage was exceptional, with his first