National news

Here are the latest stories from the team at Radio News Hub. The links will open in a new page and take you to the Radio News Hub website. You can hear the latest national news every hour on Rombalds Radio.

• UK mortgage approvals increase after interest rates held at 525

  The number of mortgages approved for home buyers picked up last month after interest rates were held steady and mortgage increases eased.

• History and justice on side of Greek claim to Elgin Marbles says minister

  Greece’s foreign minister has pushed for Athens to take back the Elgin Marbles as he attended a summit with Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron.

• UK set for slower growth next year as economy lags behind G7 peers OECD

  The UK economy is set for the second-slowest growth of the world’s G7 advanced economies, according to new forecasts.

• Halfords cautions over weaker big ticket sales as customers feel pinch

  Halfords has cautioned over a slowdown in sales growth as demand for big-ticket products weakened in recent months.

• Phil Foden inspires Manchester City fightback in win over RB Leipzig

  Phil Foden created two and scored another as holders Manchester City came from 2-0 down to preserve their unbeaten Champions League run with a 3-2 win over RB Leipzig.

• More hostages and prisoners freed on fifth day of temporary Israel Hamas truce

  Hamas released 12 hostages and Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners on Tuesday, the fifth day of a fragile ceasefire that has enabled humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and that mediators hope to extend even as Israel pledges to resume the war.

• Social media sites failing to stop the spread of suicide content charity says

  Social media platforms suffer from significant, fundamental system failings in handling self-harm and suicide content, according to a new report.

• UK cities lag behind European counterparts in public transport commuting study

  Public transport commuting levels in Britain’s large cities outside London lag well behind European counterparts, new research shows.

• Majority back plans to crack down on smoking

  The majority of English adults back Government plans to phase out smoking, a new poll suggests.

• Michael Gove apologises for Governments errors during pandemic

  Michael Gove has apologised to victims and bereaved families for Government “errors” during the pandemic as he listed what he believed were the failings, including locking down too late.