Gary Oldman voices Christmas poem for MI5
MI5 has released a special version of the festive poem The night before Christmas, read by actor Gary Oldman. In the voice over, Oldman reprises the role of his Slow Horses character Jackson Lamb – a spy in charge of a group of failed MI5 agents – beginning with the poem’s famous words “‘Twas the […]
Southern Water reviews ‘shocking’ microplastic research
University of Manchester Microplastics are particles which measure less than 5mm, and cause pollution by entering natural ecosystems A water company has said it is reviewing research by an undergraduate that found high levels of microplastics in an Isle of Wight estuary. Liberty Turrell, a student from Manchester University, received first-class honors for her dissertation […]
‘This catastrophic Budget will push up the price of a pint’
BBC Anthony Pender runs two pubs and a restaurant in London The Budget is “catastrophic” for the pub industry and will see the price of a pint rise by as much as 40p, a pub boss has warned. A combination of hiking the amount employers pay in National Insurance and increases to the minimum wage […]
Cyber-attack cost ‘hundreds of thousands’
Hackney Council is to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds more than planned as part of work to recover from a cyber attack in 2020. Councillor Robert Chapman said the borough’s “financial predicament remains serious”, with the overall total overspend for the accounting year at about £37m. The council’s accounts show that £344,000 has gone […]
Low paid jobs hits record low but still highest in UK
Getty Images Typical weekly earnings in Northern Ireland increased by £8 over the year to £666 in April 2024 The number of low paid jobs in Northern Ireland has hit a record low of 4.7% – but that is still the highest proportion of the 12 UK regions. This definition of low pay means someone […]
Who is Elon Musk and what is his net worth?
Reuters It seems like not a day goes by without billionaire Elon Musk making headlines. The boss of X (formerly Twitter), Tesla and SpaceX is the world’s richest person and has used his platform to make his views known on a vast array of topics. He has also charged ahead with human brain chip trials […]
Cambridgeshire farmer fears impact of tax changes for sector
JOZEF HALL/BBC Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Mead is worried about changes made in the government’s Budget A farmer has said he believed that the government’s forthcoming Budget could force more people to leave the agricultural industry. Tom Mead, from Meads Farm in Foxton, Cambridgeshire, said the current state of the sector already leaves farmers with slim […]
Royal Papworth Hospital ‘lungs in a box’ could boost transplants
Royal Papworth Hospital The machine, nicknamed “lungs in a box”, is designed to mimic the human body A new machine which keeps lungs alive outside of the body could “transform” the number of people receiving transplants, surgeons hope. The breakthrough has come at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire after it became the first in the […]
Sugar in first 1,000 days linked to poor health later
Getty Images Cutting sugar in the first 1,000 days of a baby’s life – from conception to the age of two – appears to reduce the risk of developing significant health issues in adult life, say researchers. The team analysed the impact of the end of sugar-rationing in the UK, which led to a rapid […]
King joins Raye and Apple boss at Battersea Power Station market
Watch: King meets star Raye at Battersea Power Station King Charles got into the festive spirit with an enthusiastically received visit to a Christmas market in Battersea Power Station in south-west London. A community choir was singing the carol We Three Kings as he arrived – and they had at least one real-life King there […]