News

Union officials have described the pay offer as 'exceptionally poor' Post Office workers will today stage a one-day strike in a dispute over pay. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in April. The union said the strike is over a pay freeze for 2021 and the offer of a 2% increase from April this year, alongside a £250 one-off lump sum. Union […]

An artist who used a typewriter to create a portrait of Tom Hanks has said he was “blown away” when the artwork was signed by the actor. James Cook, 25, from Braintree, Essex, creates “typicitions”, or typed-depictions, using a random assortment of letters, numbers and punctuation marks to form an image using a typewriter. Mr Cook sent a portrait to the Oscar-winning actor, who is a fellow typewriter enthusiast, but […]

Chelsea kept the destiny of the Women’s Super League title in their own hands with a hard-fought 1-0 win at bottom-placed Birmingham. Pernille Harder stroked home a penalty in the 71st minute after Lisa Robertson had handled in the Birmingham box. Emma Hayes’ side will clinch a third successive WSL crown if they beat Manchester United at home next Sunday. Chelsea were made to sweat at a rain-swept St Andrew’s […]

Princess Charlotte has been photographed with her arm around the family cocker spaniel in a picture taken to mark her seventh birthday. The young royal, surrounded by bluebells, was snapped by the Duchess of Cambridge in Norfolk this weekend enjoying the outdoors. Charlotte and pet dog Orla appear in one of three pictures released ahead of the princess turning seven on Monday. William and Kate’s middle child is wearing her […]

The UK’s ambassador to Ukraine has said she feels “comfortable” returning to Kyiv despite Russian threats against diplomats in the Ukrainian capital. Melinda Simmons arrived in Kyiv late on Friday, following the announcement last month that Britain would be reopening its embassy in the city in a show of support for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion. Her return comes after Moscow threatened a “proportional response” against Britain for backing […]

A record number of UK-listed companies warned rising costs could hurt profits, a new report shows. A growing number of businesses issued profit warnings to shareholders and the public to soften the blow of results not meeting expectations. A record 43% of listed companies that warned profits could be lower than anticipated said it is due to rising costs as commodity and energy prices surge. This compares to just 27% […]

Abba have lost out on the most-streamed Eurovision song of all time to Dutch singer Duncan Laurence. RuPaul’s Drag Race star Michelle Visage announced during Radio 2’s Eurovision: The Official All-Time Most-Streamed that the Swedish pop group’s classic Waterloo, which won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, came in second place. Laurence’s ballad Arcade came out on top as the most-streamed Eurovision track after it won the competition in 2019, securing […]

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps declared he wants to “banish the boy racer” as he announced plans to deploy noise cameras to catch “rowdy drivers”. His department has invited MPs to enter a competition to find the noisiest streets in England and Wales amid concerns about the impact on residents from motorists revving engines and using illegal exhausts. Four areas will be chosen to take part in a £300,000 trial of […]