News

Britain’s smaller music venues will collapse if a business tax relief measure is taken away next year, a charity representing the sector has warned the Chancellor. The Music Venue Trust (MVT) published an open letter to Jeremy Hunt urging him to extend the existing business rates relief for the retail, hospitality, and leisure sector next year. The measure means that eligible businesses in the sector can get 75% off their tax bill, capped at £110,000 per […]

It could bring an end to the industrial action which has been going on for nearly five months Union leaders and Hollywood studios reached a tentative agreement on Sunday to end the screenwriters’ strike after nearly five months. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group which represents studios, streaming services and producers in negotiations. Announcing the deal […]

Dozens of armed officers have handed in their weapons after one of their colleagues was charged with murder Scotland Yard’s chief has demanded increased legal protections for officers after a revolt by armed police left the Army poised to fill in. Soldiers are on standby for armed police after scores of Metropolitan Police officers stood down from firearms duties following a murder charge against one of their colleagues. The force’s commissioner Sir […]

Actor Nigel Harman has topped the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard after closing out the first live show of 2023 with a dramatic paso doble. Dressed as a circus ringmaster, the former EastEnders star finished his fierce routine to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana by swirling a cape, landing him an impressive score of 32. Harman, 50, and his professional partner Katya Jones were among the 15 pairings who took to the dancefloor […]

An endangered male giraffe has been welcomed into a Scottish safari park for the first time in 10 years. On Wednesday, Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park near Stirling introduced Sifa, a five-year-old Rothschild’s giraffe, to its grounds. The park estimates there are only about 2,000 Rothschild’s giraffes left in the wild. Sifa arrived at the park at about 8pm on Wednesday after travelling from Dublin Zoo. He is the […]

Max Verstappen moved to within range of a hat-trick of world titles by returning to winning ways at the Japanese Grand Prix as Red Bull clinched the constructors’ championship. The Dutchman backed up his searing pace in qualifying by easing to victory by a massive 19.387 seconds a week on from seeing his record 10-race winning run ended in Singapore. Lando Norris finished second ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri […]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has held a meeting with a senior official from Sudan during a “technical stopover” in Ireland. Mr Zelensky stopped at Shannon Airport on the west coast of Ireland as he returned to Europe from North America, where he addressed the UN Security Council in New York. He also met with US President Joe Biden at the White House, addressed the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, as well as talks with the […]

A host of celebrities will take to the dance floor as the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing competition kicks off later on Saturday. A launch show aired last weekend in which the 15 celebrities were paired with their professional dance partners. Celebrities in the mix for the Glitterball Trophy this year include actress Amanda Abbington, broadcaster Angela Rippon, former Family Fortunes host Les Dennis and EastEnders star Bobby Brazier. […]

Protestors against the UK’s exit from the European Union have labelled the move “a huge mistake” as they campaigned to re-join the bloc. A large crowd of pro-EU protestors gathered outside the Hilton hotel on Park Lane in west London for the National Rejoin March (NRM) on Saturday. Hundreds of people dressed in blue clothing and carrying EU flags filled the pavement ahead of the march through the city’s streets, […]