Tag: Featured

    Prince Harry has attacked the racial undertones of press coverage of his girlfriend Meghan Markle in an extraordinary statement in which he warns that he fears for her safety. The prince said a line has been crossed in reporting of his relationship with the mixed race 35-year-old American actor who lives in Toronto. Some of this has been very public, his spokesman said in a statement. The smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments. The statement confirms for the first time that the pair are in a relationship but launches a powerful and unprecedented attack at the media by the prince. Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply...

    Marks & Spencer has said it is to cut the number of its UK clothing and home stores by 60, as it reported an 88% fall in half-year profits. The changes will mean the closure of 30 full line" stores offering all M&S ranges and the downsizing or replacing" of a further 45 to Simply Food stores, over the next five years. Other stores will be relocated while some new full-line stores will be opened in underserved areas, M&S said. Details of the changes confirm a story first reported last week by Sky News. It follows a review launched by new M&S boss Steve Rowe earlier this year. Mr Rowe said: "These are tough decisions, but vital to building a future M&S that is simpler, more relevant, multi-channel and focused on delivering sustainable returns." M&S re...

    The Government has been accused of chilling callousness over a tough new benefit cap that could lead some families to lose more than £100 a week. From Monday, the annual limit on welfare payments to unemployed households will drop from £26,000 to £23,000 in London and £20,000 outside the capital. The move was announced by George Osborne last year and has been described as a "monstrous" assault on struggling families that will shatter the life chances of the poorest children. Around 20,000 families are currently capped by an annual limit of £26,000 (or £500 a week) on total household benefits, introduced in 2013. But the new lower caps are set to bring an explosion in the numbers affected to around 64,000 households. Nearly two thirds of those affected are single mothers, a...

    A woman walking her dog following a light dusting of snow at Tan Hill in North Yorkshire on Sunday. Sub-zero temperatures are expected to sweep across Britain this week after the first cold snap of the year, prompting warnings that vulnerable people should prepare for a freezing winter. The chilly weather coincides with the launch of a major NHS campaign urging people with long-term health conditions and the over-65s to take action in an effort to reduce the 25,000 extra deaths that occur each winter. Prof Keith Willett, medical director for acute care at NHS England, said: It is vital that the most vulnerable people take preventative steps to keep healthy and stay well. We have a high number of A&E attendances over this time that are due to issues that could have been...