The Church of England is gathering at York University today to begin a five-day-long meeting to discuss whether female bishops can be approved. A vote on Monday will finally decide whether draft legislation to introduce women bishops should finally make its way to the Parliament. However a postponement of the decision is possible because of protests from pro-women campaigners over a last-minute amendment to the legislation that the Church of…

The Environment Agency has warned 104 communities in England and Wales, particularly in north-west England, to be on flood alert, with a month’s rain due to fall in 24 hours, causing disruption in parts of the UK. The heaviest downpours are likely to fall across Lancashire and North Wales into the afternoon, moving up to the far north of England and the south of Scotland by Friday night. Showers along the…

Factory workers with disabilities have decided to take industrial action to protest against job cuts by Remploy - Britain’s leading placement service provider to disabled people. In a statement issued earlier this year, Remploy hinted at shutting down 36 of its 54 factories - a move which could cost a minimum of 1,700 jobs. Expressing concern over the planned job cuts, national officer of the GMB Phil Davies said, ”These closures…

A House of Commons vote on Thursday night ruled out Labour’s demand for a judge-led public probe into Barclays rate-rigging scandal, leaving Ed Balls no choice but to agree to cooperate with a parliamentary investigation into the matter. The Shadow Chancellor, however, maintained there was a strong case for an independent judicial inquiry into the banking fiasco which has led to a series of resignations at Barclays and has also…

The government has finally approved plans for the UK’s first modern trolleybus system – the £250 million New Generation Transport (NGT) network, ending Leeds’ 30-year long wait for green transport scheme. The NGT network will link park-and-ride sites at the north and south edge of Leeds with the city centre. The Transport Secretary Justine Greening said she expected it to create 4,000 jobs and boost the local economy. However it…

Prince William has been installed as a Knight of the Thistle and therefore the Duke of Cambridge attends the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral. The Duke of Cambridge, whose official title in Scotland is Earl of Strathearn, was granted this highest honour of Scotland by the Queen at a special ceremony at St Giles Cathedral. The Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Kate, the Countess of Strathearn accompanied…

In a statement to the Commons, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond paid tribute to the three crew members involved in RAF Tornado jet crash that occurred over the Moray Firth on Tuesday afternoon. “My thoughts - and, I am sure, those of the entire House - are with their loved ones at this difficult time and with the fourth member of the Squadron involved in the incident, who is currently in…

In an intelligence-led move involving MI5, Metropolitan police have nabbed six terror suspects from London early on Thursday. Amid speculations that the arrest could be a part of heightened security measures ahead of the 2012 London Olympics starting from July 27, police has said the suspects - five men and one woman - were detained for interrogation over their suspicious activities unrelated to the Games. It is understood that the arrests…

Rain alerts have been stepped up for the weekend in parts of Great Britain, with the Met Office issuing flood warnings in the north-east on Friday and Saturday. Public and civic authorities have been asked to brace for the wettest patch this season as more than 60mm of downpour is expected to cause disruption in areas coming under the amber alert. The weather forecast is so severe on Friday that…

Bob Diamond, the CEO of Barclays, resorted to blaming other banks for misleading markets about their ability to borrow and regulators for taking no notice of the happenings. “This isn’t just Barclays. Throughout 2007 and 2008, no institution of the 16 banks reporting three-month dollar Libor was at the higher end more consistently than Barclays. Barclays was getting questions about why it was always high and we were saying, ‘We…