National News


Young 'lack attention for Dickens'

The novels of Charles Dickens have been entertaining people since the 1830s

4:44am Sunday 5th February 2012

Modern-day children are not being educated to read with the attention span necessary for a Dickens novel, a leading expert said as the country prepares to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the revered author.


Queen's Jubilee eve village worship

The Queen will attend a church service at Sandringham on eve of her Diamond Jubilee anniversary

4:31am Sunday 5th February 2012

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will attend a church service on the eve of the monarch's Diamond Jubilee anniversary.

BAE to recruit 265 apprentices

BAE Systems will create 265 apprenticeships in Cumbria, Portsmouth, Hampshire and Glasgow

3:28am Sunday 5th February 2012

Defence giant BAE Systems is to recruit 265 apprentices across the UK this year, it has been announced.

Snow brings Britain to a standstill

Livestock on high ground near Hawes in the Pennines are tended to as forecasters warn of severe weather

2:33am Sunday 5th February 2012

Much of Britain has woken up to a blanket of snow after the big freeze brought dumps of up to 16cm, grounded planes and caused road and rail disruption.

Tory MPs rebel against wind farms

A group of cross-party MPs have expressed concerns about the amount of taxpayers' money going to onshore wind farms

1:01am Sunday 5th February 2012

More than 100 Tory MPs have written to David Cameron calling for a dramatic cut in subsidies to onshore wind farms and more influence for local people to stop them being built.

Syria veto shames UN, says Hague

Protesters clash with police outside the Syrian Embassy in central London

12:50am Sunday 5th February 2012

Russia and China have faced international outrage for blocking attempts to end the violence in Syria as 22 people were arrested and two police officers injured in London protests.

Excess alcohol 'raises cancer risk'

Experts recommend that women should not drink more than two or three units of alcohol a day

12:42am Sunday 5th February 2012

Regularly drinking two large glasses of wine or two strong pints of beer a day triples the risk of developing mouth cancer, a new Government campaign will say.

UK snowbound as big freeze begins

Livestock on high ground near Hawes in the Pennines are tended to as forecasters warn of severe weather

10:54pm Saturday 4th February 2012

Heavy snow has blanketed Britain as the first widespread big freeze of the winter brought dumps of up to 16cm, grounded planes and raised fears of transport chaos.

Miliband in call over NHS reforms

Labour leader Ed Miliband said planned NHS reforms would 'cause irreparable damage'

10:26pm Saturday 4th February 2012

Ed Miliband has called for a concerted effort to force the Government to abandon its health reforms, warning critics had only three months to halt a "dangerous leap in the dark" for the NHS.

12 held after day of Syria protests

Protesters clash with police outside the Syrian Embassy in central London

8:44pm Saturday 4th February 2012

A dozen protesters have been arrested amid violent scenes at the Syrian embassy in London as the United Nations failed to agree a resolution despite a new wave of killing by the Damascus regime.



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