Hilton has signed 10 new Spark by Hilton hotels with AG Hotels Group, adding 672 rooms across England and Wales between late 2026 and 2028.
New laws coming into force this week aim to streamline age checks although old-style plastic IDs will still be allowed Younger drinkers in England and Wales will be able to prove their age with a digital ID starting this week as new laws give pubs, off-licences, nightclubs and restaurants the right to use biometric scanning technology to check customers are over 18. Customers will be able to download software that scans their faces into their own phone to generate a QR code proving their age based on a stored proof of age. Other tech under consideration as part of the government push to digitise age verification for alcohol sales include a device which scans the veins in a drinker’s finger to verify their age. That system has not yet been approved for use. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Robert Booth UK technology editor15 Sept
From Obama’s chef to a big cat obsessive, the actor has gathered experts from Alaska, the Amazon and beyond for a film about how to heal our besieged planet. He talks about naysayers, elephant tusks – and the wonders of venison Benedict Cumberbatch is dreading stepping outside. He’s speaking to me from his air-conditioned hotel room in Soho at the peak of the summer heat. Few doubt that climate breakdown was a major cause of those scorchers, with nature, farming and water supplies all placed under huge strain. By midsummer, according to a report co-authored by the Met Office , there were 2,700 excess deaths in England and Wales due to the searing heat. But for Cumberbatch, in a bittersweet way, the record-breaking temperatures have come at a good time. The actor has been on a tour to promote his new documentary, How to Live on Earth. “The irony is not lost on anyone,” he says. “We’re living in the results of climate breakdown so stepping outside is – literally – a call to action.” Continue reading...
The Guardian•Helena Horton15 Sept
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leaders signed a historic joint declaration in Cardiff, warning that Westminster's time is coming to an end.
New rules introduced on Tuesday mean establishments will be able to accept digital ID apps alongside physical documents.
BBC14 Sept
The cuts comes into effect in April, but the largest businesses will pay higher rates to fund the changes.
BBC14 SeptPresident Donald Trump said Saturday he would “love to see” Irish reunification.
In the rare joint agreement, leaders call on Britain to prepare for constitutional change as Trump sparked a firestorm by publicly backing Irish reunification.
LONDON (AP) — Many individual lawmakers relayed their own stories both in favor of and against the proposal. The government took a neutral stance, meaning lawmakers voted according to their consciences rather than along party lines.
Religion News Service•Susanna Granieri14 Sept
Leaders of nationalist parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland say London has 'no right' to block democracy.
Al Jazeera14 Sept
The main parties from each nation want to break away from the UK but have different positions on how and when this might take place.
Euronews14 Sept
Leaders in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland discuss independence and call for constitutional change at summit Westminster’s time is coming to an end, the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have said at a landmark summit aimed at putting the UK’s Celtic nations on the path to independence referendums. The Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth; the Scottish National party leader, John Swinney; Sinn Féin’s vice-president, Michelle O’Neill, and the president and leader of the opposition in Ireland, Mary Lou McDonald, met in Cardiff on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding recognising that “the political landscape across these islands is changing”. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent14 Sept
Uncapped Wales scrum-half Megan Davey's international ambitions have been reignited at the age of 26.
BBC14 Sept
The Plaid Cymru, SNP and Sinn Féin leaders will discuss ways they can work more closely.
BBC13 Sept
Call for ‘constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’ likely to challenge Burnham’s devolution agenda The first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are meeting to affirm their nations’ right to seek independence from the UK, as part of a summit that is likely to challenge Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Scottish National party leader John Swinney and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding at a landmark conference in Cardiff on Monday, calling on Westminster “to prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Bethan McKernan and Patrick Greenfield13 Sept
A charity in Powys provides the land while growers do the hard work, producing bumper crops for city children Kilos and kilos of courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and salad leaves are ripe and ready for picking on a small Welsh farm in the rural county of Powys. The haul being harvested by Tilly Gomersall is not just impressive after a difficult growing season hit by a record string of heatwaves and drought across all of Wales and most of England, but all the more remarkable given that 18 months ago the site was uncultivated pasture. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Joanna Partridge in Powys13 SeptA charity in Powys provides the land while growers do the hard work, producing bumper crops for city children Kilos and kilos of courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and salad leaves are ripe and ready for picking on a small Welsh farm in the rural county of Powys. The haul being harvested by Tilly Gomersall is not just impressive after a difficult growing season hit by a record string of heatwaves and drought across all of Wales and most of England, but all the more remarkable given that 18 months ago the site was uncultivated pasture. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Joanna Partridge in Powys13 SeptA charity in Powys provides the land while growers do the hard work, producing bumper crops for city children Kilos and kilos of courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and salad leaves are ripe and ready for picking on a small Welsh farm in the rural county of Powys. The haul being harvested by Tilly Gomersall is not just impressive after a difficult growing season hit by a record string of heatwaves and drought across all of Wales and most of England, but all the more remarkable given that 18 months ago the site was uncultivated pasture. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Joanna Partridge in Powys13 Sept
Wales forward Georgia Evans will not forget 2026 - having won a league title, got engaged, bought a house and started the process of having a family.
BBC13 SeptWales forward Georgia Evans will not forget 2026 - having won a league title, got engaged, bought a house and started the process of having a family.
BBC13 Sept