Category
Sport
Sadiq Khan eyes London bid for 2040 Olympics
Sadiq Khan eyes London bid for 2040 Olympics
Mohamed Salah signs new Liverpool contract until 2027
Mohamed Salah signs new Liverpool contract until 2027
Premier League clubs unite in completing Antisemitism awareness training
Premier League clubs unite in completing Antisemitism awareness training
UK set to host 2035 Women's World Cup as sole valid bidder
UK set to host 2035 Women's World Cup as sole valid bidder
£100 million boost to transform local sports facilities across the UK
£100 million boost to transform local sports facilities across the UK
Manchester United to build £2 billion stadium, aiming for the best in the world
Manchester United to build £2 billion stadium, aiming for the best in the world
London Lions unveil plans for world-class basketball arena with mayor’s backing
London Lions unveil plans for world-class basketball arena with mayor’s backing
Liverpool extend League lead to 16 points; Forest stun Man City
Liverpool extend League lead to 16 points; Forest stun Man City
Newcastle United sees 28% revenue surge as losses drop significantly in 2023-24 season
Newcastle United sees 28% revenue surge as losses drop significantly in 2023-24 season
Victor Lindelof considering Summer exit as Ruben Amorim plans ruthless Manchester United overhaul
Victor Lindelof considering Summer exit as Ruben Amorim plans ruthless Manchester United overhaul
Education
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Government expands school improvement programme to over 200 schools
Thousands more children are set to benefit from the government's major school improvement initiative as the RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) programmeRead More... -
University of Oxford leads UK in building repair investment
The University of Oxford has been ranked the top university in the UK for investment in building repairs and remediation, according to a new national report.Read More... -
Dad threatens to move son over school’s silent corridor policy
A father has decided to move his son to a new school after Southchurch High School in Southend-on-Sea introduced strict "silent transitions" between lessons, with one-hour same-dayRead More... -
AI could save workers 122 hours a year, says Google
Google says UK workers could save over 120 hours a year on administrative tasks by using AI—unlocking a potential £400 billion ($533 billion) economic boost if the workforce is properlyRead More... -
Oxford University announces 2025 honorary degree recipients
Oxford University has named nine distinguished individuals who will receive honorary degrees during the annual Encaenia ceremony on Wednesday, 25 June 2025.Read More... -
Free breakfast clubs launch nationwide, saving families up to £8,000
Starting today, thousands of children across the UK will benefit from free breakfast clubs as 750 schools open their doors early, delivering on a key government promise to supportRead More... -
Seagull shuts down Oxford University building after dropping rock on roof
A building at the University of Oxford has been closed for nearly a week after an unusual incident involving a seagull repeatedly dropping a rock onto a glass roof, eventually cracking it.Read More... -
National Primary Offer Day 2025: nearly 98% of London children offered a preferred school place
On National Primary Offer Day 2025, new data from the Pan-London Admissions Board shows that 97.9% of children set to start primary school in London this September have secured a spotRead More... -
Mubadala to invest $600 million in Nord Anglia Education stake
Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company has announced plans to acquire a $600 million minority stake in Nord Anglia Education, a UK-based operator of premium private schools.Read More... -
£302 million boost to repair and upgrade college buildings across England
Further education (FE) colleges in England are set to receive a share of £302 million to repair and improve their buildings, tackling issues like leaking roofs and broken windows.Read More...
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World News
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Virgin Atlantic permanently ends Tel Aviv route, maintains ties through EL AL partnership
Virgin Atlantic has officially confirmed it will no longer operate its direct route between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv, permanently ending the service after previously suspending it in OctoberRead More... -
India signs $7.4 billion deal to acquire 26 Rafale fighter jets for navy
India has finalized a $7.41 billion agreement with France to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets for its navy, a senior official from the Indian Defence Ministry confirmed to Reuters on Monday.Read More... -
UK Foreign Secretary visits Gulf to strengthen security and drive economic growth
The Foreign Secretary is visiting Oman and Qatar this week to deepen the UK’s cooperation with Gulf partners on trade, defence, and regional security.Read More... -
India orders all Pakistani nationals to leave amid soaring tensions after Kashmir attack
India has given all Pakistani nationals 72 hours to leave the country following a deadly militant attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. The move, announced by India’s Foreign SecretaryRead More... -
UK’s Reeves optimistic about trade deal with U.S.
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves expressed confidence on Thursday that Britain and the United States can reach a trade agreement aimed at easing the impact of U.S. importRead More...
Culture
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Harrogate’s cherry blossoms rival Japan’s sakura season
While Japan’s iconic cherry blossom season draws millions each year, a town in North Yorkshire is proving you don’t need to fly 6,000 miles to experience the magic.Read More... -
British Library set for £1.1 billion expansion
The British Library, the largest in the UK, is set for a major transformation with a £1.1 billion expansion project now approved.Read More... -
Export bars placed on two 18th century Agostino Brunias paintings
Two paintings by the 18th-century Italian artist Agostino Brunias, both depicting scenes from the Caribbean island of St Vincent, have been placed under temporary export bars to give UKRead More... -
Pope recognizes Antoni Gaudí's "heroic virtues," puts him on path to sainthood
The Vatican has taken a significant step toward making renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí a saint, officially recognizing his "heroic virtues." Often referred to as "God's architect,"Read More... -
Britain’s oldest Indian restaurant faces closure amid Central London lease dispute
Veeraswamy, the UK's oldest Indian restaurant, is facing the threat of closure just before reaching its centenary, due to a lease disagreement with the Crown Estate.Read More... -
Communities invited to nominate beloved UK traditions for National Heritage List
This summer, communities across the UK will be able to nominate their favourite traditions—from iconic celebrations like Notting Hill Carnival and Hogmanay to time-honoured crafts likeRead More... -
£20m museum renewal fund opens for England’s civic museums
Civic museums across England can now apply for a share of the new £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, aimed at boosting access to collections, enhancing educational programmes, andRead More... -
The underrated UK city that was England’s first capital — 1,000 years before London
Tucked away in Essex lies a city that predates London as England's capital by over a millennium. Rich in Roman and medieval history, Colchester only officially became a city in 2022 as part ofRead More... -
Universal Studios to open first UK theme park in Bedford by 2031, creating 28,000 jobs
The UK is officially getting its first Universal Studios theme park, with a grand opening set for 2031. The landmark project, backed by the UK government, is expected to bring in a staggeringRead More... -
MI5 lifts the veil on 115 years of secrets in new exhibition
For the first time in its 115-year history, MI5 is pulling back the curtain on its shadowy past. A new exhibition at the National Archives in London, MI5: Official Secrets, offers the public anRead More... -
Tourist tax could help revive London’s arts and culture scene
A growing number of voices are calling on the government to allow London to introduce a tourist tax, similar to those already in place in many popular European cities. The Centre for LondonRead More... -
£1bn Chinese ceramics gift to British Museum approved
The Charity Commission has officially approved the largest donation in the British Museum’s history—a collection of Chinese ceramics valued at around £1 billion.Read More... -
UK to return Nazi-looted painting to Jewish family
A 17th-century painting stolen by the Nazis in 1940 from a Jewish art collector in Belgium is set to be returned to the collector’s descendants, the British government announced on Saturday,Read More...
British Queen celebrates
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Sport
World No. 1 Serena Williams rallied to defeat world No. 2 Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday in the WTA Miami final, winning the event for a record sixth time to claim her 48th career tour title.
Williams, who had shared the all-time Miami women's title mark with Steffi Graf, won the last 10 games in adding to a trophy haul that included crowns in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008 and runner-up efforts in 1999 and 2009.
It was the 11th match victory in a row for Williams over Sharapova, coming in their first meeting as the top two players in the world rankings, and gave the 31-year-old American a 12-2 edge in their all-time rivalry.
Williams became only the fourth woman in the modern era to win the same event six times, joining Graf, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Graf's husband, Andre Agassi, won the Miami men's title six times.
Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion, also became the oldest women's champion in Miami history, four months older than Evert when the legend won here in 1986 at 31 years and two months of age.
Sharapova suffered her fifth championship-match loss at Miami and still looks for her first Miami title after having been denied a 29th career WTA triumph.
Four-time Grand Slam title winner Sharapova had won 11 matches in a row without dropping a set since losing to Williams in a Doha semi-final.
Sharapova's only two victories over Williams came in 2004 in the Wimbledon final and the WTA Los Angeles final.
Former world number one Rafael Nadal cruised to his 38th claycourt title at the Mexican Open, claiming his second title in three events since returning from a seven-month injury layoff.
Nadal, who has never lost to a fellow Spaniard in a final, kept his perfect record intact by routing reigning three-time champion David Ferrer 6-0, 6-2.
Second seed Nadal, who also won this event in 2005, was appearing in his third final of the year. He won in Sao Paulo on February 17 and was runner-up in Vina del Mar, Chile, the previous week.
Former England coach Steve McClaren said on Tuesday that he has resigned from Dutch club FC Twente, after a string of poor results that has sent them sliding down the league table.
McClaren, 51, said he held talks with the club's management after Saturday's 2-1 defeat away to Heerenveen to thrash out a way forward, which he said had to include finishing in the top four of the Dutch division and regular qualification for Europe.
The Enschede side were joint top after the winter break but have slipped to fifth in the league, six points adrift of leaders PSV Eindhoven, after four draws and two defeats in six matches, triggering criticism and protests from fans.
"Saturday's result has seen further adverse reactions and with two home games coming up we feel the team needs the support and backing from the supporters," McClaren said.
"I also needed assurances about my position both now and in the future which I know in the present situation is difficult.
"After much discussion and deliberation those assurances weren't forthcoming and we have agreed it's in the best interest of the club that I leave.
Arsenal's hopes of ending their eight-year trophy drought suffered a huge setback after they were dumped out of the FA Cup at home to second-tier Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
Colin Kazim-Richards scored the only goal in Indian-owned Blackburn's 1-0 victory when he struck in the 72nd minute after Gunners keeper Wojciech Szczesny failed to hold Martin Olsson's shot.
Security firm G4S has been awarded its first Government contract since the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics security fiasco to continue running a centre for young offenders.
G4S Care and Justice Services will continue to provide services at Medway Secure Training Centre in Kent for a further two years after securing a contract extension.
The announcement comes after the firm revealed a bigger-than-expected £70 million hit on its Olympics contract for failing to provide all of its 10,400 contracted guards.
Located in Chatham, Medway opened in April 1998 and was originally designed to accommodate 40 boys but it expanded in 2002 to accommodate 76 young people, including boys and girls.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has unveiled plans to shake up youth custody in Britain, which would see "secure colleges" set up in a bid to improve the education of youth offenders.
Paul Cook, managing director G4S children's services, said the centre delivers "excellent services with outstanding outcomes for young people".
The agreement extends the 15-year contract, in place since the centre opened, by 23 months and was agreed by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) for England and Wales. It is expected to save the YJB £4.6 million.
The announcement comes as Ofsted published a positive report following an unannounced inspection of the centre last November.
Liverpool were left to regret a string of missed chances as Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg completed a convincing 2-0 victory in their Europa League last-32, first leg match on Thursday.
Two goals in three minutes midway through the second half turned the tide in Zenit's favour after both sides had squandered a hatful of opportunities on a badly churned-up pitch in Russia's former Imperial capital.
First, big-money Brazilian signing Hulk put the Russians ahead in the 69th minute with a blistering shot from the edge of the area which just clipped Martin Skrtel to wrong-foot Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
Then on 72 minutes, Sergei Semak turned up the heat on Liverpool when he ghosted in behind Skrtel and Glenn Johson to arrive unmarked on the left to clinically dispatch Aleksandr Anyukov's cross from the right past Reina.
For Liverpool, Luis Suarez was the chief culprit and could have a hat-trick in the first half alone but for some profligate finishing.
But his worst miss came early in the second half as a good collective move orchestrated by Steven Gerrard ended with Stewart Downing teeing up Suarez in front of goal but he curled his shot casually wide.
That leaves Liverpool with an uphill struggle in the home leg at Anfield.
New Zealand defeated England by 55 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Hamilton on Tuesday to level the three-match series 1-1.
Chasing New Zealand's 192 for six, England were all out for 137 after 19.3 overs.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon insists his side shouldn't be regarded as underdogs when they face Italian champions Juventus in the Champions League last-16 first leg at Parkhead on Tuesday.
Lennon's team were surprise qualifiers for the last 16 after finishing ahead of Benfica and Spartak Moscow in Group G and caused a major upset when they beat Barcelona en route to their first appearance at this stage in five years.
But despite their impressive feats in the group phase, the Scottish champions are still seen by many pundits as inferior to Juventus, who are favoured to advance to the quarter-finals.
Lennon disagrees with that assessment and claims Celtic's players have the technical ability and mental strength to trouble any team in the competition.
"I think we have been (underestimated) throughout the whole campaign and going into this game we are being made out to be massive underdogs but I don't quite see it that way myself," Lennon said at a pre-match press conference in Glasgow on Monday.
"There is a real belief, anything can happen over two games. We go into the tie as underdogs but nothing is going to be decided at the end of 90 minutes tomorrow.
"It is over two games and we are prepared to play hard football over 180 minutes."
While Lennon was rightly keen to talk up his own team, he was also willing to acknowledge Juventus possess top-class players throughout their squad and particularly in attacking areas.
"They have excellent strikers - Mirko Vucinic, Fabio Quagliarella, Sebastian Giovinco, and they have also brought in Nicolas Anelka," Lennon said.
"But the one who has caught my eye is Alessandro Matri, he looks an excellent young player.
"They are very strong in midfield. Arturo Vidal is playing very well currently, Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio, these are class players including Andrea Pirlo who is still one of the finest midfield players in the world.
"So the team is blessed with fantastic footballers but we knew that before the tie or before any preparations were made.
"But it would be dangerous to underestimate Celtic. We have proved already this season that we can be a match for anyone."
Tottenham Hotspur lost Jermain Defoe to injury but won 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion through a fine Gareth Bale goal to bolster their push for Champions League qualification on Sunday.
Emmanuel Adebayor's commitments with Togo at the Africa Cup of Nations have left Defoe as Spurs' only senior striker, but the England international had to go off in the 39th minute at The Hawthorns after appearing to twist his ankle.
Once again, Bale was Spurs' most dangerous player but his best effort in the first half, a fierce, bending strike in injury time, was touched over by West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster.
The hosts carved out a clear sight of goal when Graham Dorrans released Shane Long, but visiting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris narrowed the angle well to block.
Tottenham were given a helping hand early in the second half when West Brom's Macedonian left-back Goran Popov, on loan from Dynamo Kiev, was shown a straight red card for spitting towards Spurs right-back Kyle Walker.
Spurs made their numerical advantage count in the 67th minute as Bale took his tally for the season to 11 league goals with a vicious strike from just outside the 18-yard area.
On playing in a more central role, Bale told Sky Sports: "I enjoy it. It's a role that I'm learning season by season.
In signing David Beckham, Paris Saint-Germain will be aware that they have signed not just a player but someone who has carefully nurtured his public image ever since his days as a fresh-faced youngster at Manchester United.
Proud family man, fashion guru, friend of A-list celebrities and politicians -- even gay icon -- the 37-year-old midfielder is as much known for his activities off the pitch as his pinpoint passing, tireless running and deadly free-kicks on it.
Beckham has risen from a modest background in Leytonstone, east London, to become one of the most marketable figures in world sport, aided by a high-profile marriage to former Spice Girl, turned fashion designer, Victoria Adams.
As a talented younster, he declined to sign with his local side Tottenham Hotspur and instead joined Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, becoming the heart of a side that included Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville and Nicky Butt.
He scored on his debut at 17 and stamped his arrival in the English top-flight with an audacious goal from the halfway line in a match against Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996-7 season.
In eight years at Old Trafford, he collected six Premier League crowns and the 1999 Champions League, making him one of the most recognisable -- and bankable -- sportsmen in Britain.
Yet his time at the top was not without controversy: he became a hate figure for some at the 1998 World Cup when he was sent off for a petulant kick at Diego Simeone during England's last-16 defeat against Argentina in France.
His reputation was only restored with a breath-taking last minute free-kick in England's final World Cup qualifying match against Greece in 2001 and subsequent penalty winner against Argentina at the 2002 finals.
A well-publicised bust-up with Ferguson over his commitment to the game had by that time led to a 35-million-euro move to Real Madrid, where his increasingly global reputation saw an explosion in replica jersey sales, notably in Asia.
He was even the inspiration for the hit British film "Bend It Like Beckham", about a Punjabi-origin schoolgirl in west London who dreams of playing football like her idol, against her conservative parents' wishes.
Beckham dropped a bombshell in 2007 when he announced a shock 25-million-euro move to LA Galaxy.