International News

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...

Tens of thousands of trees are to be planted each year across the North East by 2050 as it becomes England's latest community forest. The equivalent of almost 6,000 rugby pitches of new canopy cover will be created as part of the 30-year project. Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and urban parts of County Durham are taking part. There are 11 further forests in England which are part of government plans to tackle the effects of climate change. The scheme, ...

Average UK house prices hit a new high in June and are now 30% higher than the pre-2008 financial crisis, meaning Generation Rent face an even greater uphill struggle on their way to homeownership, according to the latest market analysis from Zoopla. This morning's data revealed that the average price of a home in June stood at £230,700 - up 5.4% year on year. However, Zoopla believes that prices will start to fall in the near term. Low stock levels continue to be a serious probl...

U.S. and EU travelers who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will soon be allowed to visit England without having to quarantine, the U.K. government announced Wednesday. The measure comes after the U.K. government on July 19 also removed quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated English residents if they had visited so-called amber list countries with less severe Covid-19 situations. Both announcements provide fresh relief to airlines and the wider tourism sector, which ...

Tencent will buy British video game developer Sumo in a $1.27 billion deal as people lodged at home during the pandemic crowd online to try for new high scores. Sumo and Sixjoy Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Tencent, announced the deal earlier this week. Mount Emei Investment, another subsidiary of Chinese billionaire Ma Huateng’s Tencent, already owns about 8.75% of Sumo. Lockdowns and social distancing accelerated a global market jump in gaming. According to market research firm Strate...

The North Yorkshire spa town - which is home to more than 75,000 residents - has ranked above all towns and cities across the nation, according to a list of benefits compiled by the comparison website Uswitch. Harrogate ranked highly also due to its clean air, good access to the countryside and low crime rates. Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said it was no surprise that the town was rated as a top performer. He said: "Sometimes we don't realise what ...

Increase in production at plant will result in 1,650 new jobs and support thousands more in UK supply chain. Nissan has set out plans for a £1bn electric vehicle hub in Sunderland which the Japanese firm says will create 6,000 new jobs at the firm and among its suppliers, safeguarding the future of Britain’s largest car factory as motoring moves away from petrol and diesel. The plans, which are being underpinned by an estimated £100m in taxpayer funding, include an ele...