International News

In the past 12 months all those involved in the property market have been impacted by the effects of coronavirus (COVID-19); HM Land Registry is no different and as a result, this release of the UK House Price index is not as complete as it could be. The data is accurate; however, this release may be subject to increased revisions as more data is added over the coming months. See Reducing delays for further information. The June data shows: on average, house prices have increased 4.5...

Town halls are raking in so much from parking charges that the fees now equal up to 75 per cent of council tax takings. The record £1.76billion made by local authorities in England last year has fuelled concerns that motorists and shoppers are being used as cash cows. On-street permits, parking meters and penalty notices, were among the charges that brought in £1.76billion for the 338 English local authorities over the last financial year. Motoring groups also pointed out th...

After a year of being shunned amid lockdowns and coronavirus, the tide is finally turning for London as the capital rental market springs back to life. According to data from the Benham and Reeves lettings agency, the London rental market is making a swift return to form, with renters looking to return to urban life. During the start of the year, rents of homes in London plunged to their lowest, whilst those of outside London soared. But research shows a different story now. In January ...

UK to work with others to resettle Afghans, Priti Patel says. The government will work with international partners and other countries to resettle up to 20,000 Afghan refugees in the UK, Home Secretary Priti Patel has said. A new scheme will see up to 5,000 Afghans eligible in the first year, with thousands more able to move to the UK in the long term. But Ms Patel told the BBC "we cannot deliver this on our own". Women, girls and religious and other minorities will be given priority...

The first new trains to run between Middlesbrough and London will start on 13 December, operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has confirmed. The daily weekday service in each direction will also connect nearby Thornaby with London King's Cross. The services will depart Middlesbrough at 07:08 and Thornaby at 07:15, arriving at King's Cross at 10:22. Northbound from London will leave at 15:25, stopping at York, to Thornaby at 18:08 and Middlesbrough at 18:18. LNER said m...

Schools celebrate record-breaking return for students in year disrupted by pandemic Nearly 45% of A-level entries across the UK have been awarded top grades in A-level results, a record-breaking return for students after more than a year of disruption and school closures during the pandemic. The 44.8% in top grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland matched earlier predictions by university admissions officers but was lower than others had feared, following a 13 percentage point increa...

Plans for a £700m "world-class" film and TV studios facility in the UK have been announced by a Hollywood studio. The owners of Sunset Studios in Los Angeles and an investment firm have bought a 91-acre site in Hertfordshire for £120m. Subject to planning permission, the production centre would be built in Broxbourne. The government said it was "supporting" the development of such stage spaces across the UK. Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media an...

A NUMBER of nursery schools in Reading have been rated as the best in the borough. The top five nurseries feature on a reviews site daynurseries.co.uk based on the nursery’s reviews from the children’s families and carers. The nurseries which came on top include Little Tots Nursery in Prince of Wales Avenue, Little Dragons Nursery in Bath Road, Jubilee Gems on School Road, Tigers at Theale Day Nursery in Theale, Green Park Day Nursery in Lime Square. The nurseries were rated...