In a social media post, Ms O’Neill said: “The proposed £35 payment per household by the British government, while some people’s bills have doubled, is completely tone-deaf to the severity of this crisis.”

The Government’s proposed energy price intervention is “completely tone-deaf”, Northern Ireland’s First Minister has said.

Michelle O’Neill said she supports a call from Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, for an “urgent meeting” with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer “on the need for action as energy costs spiral”.

Earlier this week, Sir Keir confirmed Northern Ireland will receive a £17 million share of a £53 million package in support of heating oil costs that have risen due to the war in the Middle East.

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Sinn Fein has said this would only equate to £35 per household using home heating oil in the region.

In a social media post, Ms O’Neill said: “The proposed £35 payment per household by the British government, while some people’s bills have doubled, is completely tone-deaf to the severity of this crisis.

“There must be immediate and meaningful action to support all workers and families.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Education Department is handing off a portion of its student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department, a first step toward shedding management of all student loans as Trump administration officials dismantle the federal education agency.

Under an agreement announced Thursday, the Treasury Department will take over management of student loans whose borrowers are in default, meaning they are months behind on payments. Those loans add up to about $180 billion, or 11% of the government’s $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio.

Eventually, the Treasury Department is to take responsibility for all student loans, according to the agreement. A second phase with no timeframe says Treasury will “assume operational responsibility” over non-defaulted loans, “to the extent practicable.”

Breaking off the student loan operation would mark the biggest step yet in closing the department, which President Donald Trump ordered to be dismantled almost exactly a year ago. Many Americans know the department mostly for its role doling out grants and loans for college, and those streams of funding are by far the agency’s largest.

Borrowers do not need to do anything as the change goes through, the administration says. They will continue to work with the same loan servicer and repay their loans the same way.

The 17-page agreement outlines a stunning realignment of the nation’s federal student loan programs, which have been overseen by the Education Department since it was created more than 40 years ago.

The agreement “marks an intentional and historic step toward breaking up the Federal education bureaucracy and dramatically improving the administration of Federal student aid programs,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

In justifying the change, Trump officials said the Education Department is “ill-equipped” to handle such a big loan portfolio. They blamed the Biden administration for focusing on efforts to cancel student loans rather then help borrowers get back on track with payments. Officials cited recent data showing that fewer than half of all borrowers are currently making payments on their loans, with almost a quarter in default.

Opponents raise concerns about borrower confusion

The agreement is likely to invite legal challenges. Some opponents note that federal law requires student loans to be overseen by the Education Department. Trump officials believe they’ve found a workaround by framing it as a partnership, with some components, including the policies underpinning student loans, remaining at the Education Department.

Student loan advocates condemned the move, saying it only adds to confusion as the Trump administration overhauls student loan programs.

“The Department of Education has issued a dizzying series of rule changes that make it harder for borrowers to figure out what their options are on their federal student loans,” said Kyra Taylor, an attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. She warned that any errors in loan collection would have “devastating effects on families.”

The move is part of Trump’s campaign to shutter the Education Department, an agency he says was overrun by liberal thinking. Only Congress has authority to close the department, but Trump officials are picking it apart through a series of inter-government agreements that relocate the department’s operations to other federal offices.

The future of the government’s enormous student loan portfolio has been one of the biggest unanswered questions. At her Senate confirmation hearing, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called Treasury a “natural” place for student loans. Trump later said they would be overseen by the Small Business Administration.

Conservatives have tried previously to move student loans

During Trump’s first term, his education chief talked about setting up a semi-private bank to manage student debt. The conservative Heritage Foundation promoted something similar in its Project 2025 plan, calling for a new “government corporation with professional governance and management.”

The Treasury Department often has been discussed as an option, yet student loans are seen as a particularly complex form of debt and some question whether the agency has the right technical expertise. In a 2015 pilot, Treasury tried to collect payments from a sample of thousands of borrowers in default. Its success rate was lower than that of the private collection agencies contracted by the Education Department.

Federal student loan borrowers are typically considered in default if they haven’t made a payment in more than 270 days. About 9.2 million Americans are in default on student loans, according to Education Department data released this month. Going into default can bring a heavy hit to credit scores, and the government can withhold pay and Social Security benefits.

The latest deal from the administration indicates a willingness to open up the hood of student loan operations at a perilous moment. About 12 million Americans are behind on federal student loan payments in some way, and the industry is bracing for a potentially historic surge in loan defaults as pandemic-era protections come to an end.

Earlier this year, Trump officials postponed their plans to restart involuntary collections on defaulted loans, which could have meant withheld earnings for millions of Americans. It’s seen as a politically volatile issue during a tough midterm year where affordability is already on voters’ minds.

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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Newcastle United are ready to reject a bid from Manchester United for Bruno Guimaraes, according to reports.

The 28-year-old has been a pivotal figure for Newcastle since he moved to St James’ Park in a £40 million deal from Lyon in 2022.

Guimaraes is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and Newcastle have won just two of their 16 Premier League matches without him in their side since he joined the club four years ago.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that United have made an approach to sign Guimaraes for the summer transfer window with a €80m (£69m) deal being discussed with Newcastle.

It was also reported that Casemiro had personally recommended the signing of Guimaraes to United’s hierarchy as his midfield replacement.

Casemiro is due to leave United at the end of the season when his contract expires.

However, talkSPORT reports that while Guimaraes may be on United’s shortlist, Newcastle have no intention of selling their captain.

The report adds that Newcastle are even looking to extend Guimaraes’ contract, which currently runs until 2028, in order to keep the Brazil international at the club.

Elsewhere, ESPN Brasil reports that Newcastle would be open to selling Guimaraes but United would need a bid of at least €80m (£69m).

The report also claims that Casemiro has been pushing Guimaraes’ signing behind the scenes at United but a deal with Newcastle ‘is not that advanced’.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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It has earned a great reputation through the years for its popular grill menu

A popular restaurant has announced it is closing its doors to to “mounting financial pressures.” Seagers at No.1 High Street, based in the Gorseinon area of Swansea, has been beloved for its grill menu for years in the city.

Run by the Seager family it has earned a great reputation with TripAavisor reviews commending its warm atmosphere, friendly service, and “outstanding food” with many describing its steak as “cooked to perfection”.

But those behind the business say they have now made a “heartbreaking decision”. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here.

Posting a statement to customers on its Facebook page the restaurant wrote: “Unfortunately, due to mounting financial pressures, we have made the heartbreaking decision to close our doors at present here at No1 High Street.

“We thank you all for your messages of support and will keep you informed.”

Customers shared their disappointment at the news. One wrote: “So sorry to hear this. Beautiful venue and food. Staff were always outstanding. It sure is difficult times financially for all at present.”

A second wrote: “This is so sad, every time we went in there we had the most loveliest of welcomes and the food was always 10/10. Will miss this place.”

And a third added: “The best restaurant. Always fabulous food & outstanding service. Hopefully you can re-open.”

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Well, the dream was fun while it lasted … all two-ish hours of it.

The bid for a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket disappeared for over 25 million people by mid-afternoon on Thursday, fueled by 12th-seeded High Point’s first-round stunner over fifth-seeded Wisconsin.

ESPN reported that just under 900,000 blemish-free brackets remained after the opening wave of games. That’s just over 3% of the total brackets entered.

TCU, a 9 seed, nicked some brackets in the first game of the tournament by edging eighth-seeded Ohio State. Nebraska, a 4 seed, picked up its first-ever March Madness victory by racing past Troy.

The results also took a toll over at Yahoo, where 83% of the entries included a win by Wisconsin in the first round.

The odds of going 67 for 67 (or 63 for 63 if you don’t pick the First Four) in the bracket are longer than one of those 3-pointers hoisted up by High Point’s Chase Johnston. Way longer.

The NCAA estimates the chances of ending the tournament with a zero in the loss column range anywhere from one in 9.2 quintillion (if you flip a coin for every game). The odds drop a little if you make educated guesses — all the way to one in 120 billion.

The NCAA’s own bracket challenge looked a lot like ESPN’s, with about 3.5% of entries still having a shot at perfection.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

The fire spread to nearby gardens

Firefighters have been called to a fire in a Cambridgeshire village. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue were called to John Bends Way in Parson Drove at around 3.34pm on Thursday (March 19).

Crews from Wisbech, March, and the north roaming fire engine attended. Firefighters arrived to find a car on fire.

Smoke could be seen from nearby villages. The incident was ongoing as of 5.25pm with crews still at the scene.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said: “At 3.43pm, crews were called to reports of a fire on John Bends Way, Parson Drove. Crews from Wisbech, March and the north roaming fire engine are in attendance.

“Firefighters arrived to find a car on fire that had spread to nearby gardens. The incident is ongoing.”

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Another candidate was fired from The Apprentice after a tense boardroom showdown on Thursday night.

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Tensions reached a fever pitch in the boardroom this week on The Apprentice as another hopeful said their goodbyes to the BBC programme.

This week, BBC audiences watched the remaining candidates attempt to redeem themselves with a second go at the discount buying task, which launched this series in Hong Kong.

However, this time they were on the Isle of Wight, tasked with securing nine items at the best possible price.

Ultimately, it was project manager Kieran who found himself in the hot seat as his team fell short this week. Opting to bring Conor and Harry back into the boardroom, the trio had the challenge of persuading Lord Alan Sugar to retain them in the contest.

In the end, Harry Clough was dismissed due to his purchase of the SUP (stand-up paddleboard), which was priced too high compared to the victorious team, reports the Mirror.

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Before firing the sales manager, Lord Alan Sugar delivered his verdict: “Kieran, I gave you two cracks at the whip, and you failed on both occasions.

“For that reason, you’ve kind of given me a dilemma. Do I like your character? Do I like your spirit? Yes. Conor, I like your spirit also. It is regretful when I say that my gut feeling is telling me, Harry, you’re fired.”

When questioned about how it felt to be the latest candidate to be fired, Harry admitted it wasn’t a massive surprise.

He remarked: “It was extraordinary. I mean, seeing Lord Sugar’s finger point and then saying ‘you’re fired’ was such a weird experience, it was pretty surreal.

“I kind of felt it coming because I was in the boardroom with Kieran and Conor, who are the biggest characters on the show. So, I thought I didn’t stand a chance against those guys.

“But then I was just really sad. I loved the whole process, filming was insane and everything was awesome. But then you just leave and you didn’t see them again and then it is just back to normal life. I was happy with how far I got, but I was definitely gutted to go.”

When questioned whether he believed it was the correct decision to dismiss him, Harry responded: “I don’t think that was all on me and I think there were other things that happened, but everyone did so well in that task, so it was always going to come down to the smallest thing. Someone had to be fired at the end of the day.”

Next week, the remaining candidates will be challenged with selling products on a television shopping channel. Within their teams, they’ll need to choose the products they believe will appeal to the nation in an effort to generate the greatest profit.

The Apprentice is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

The trillions of microbes living in the human gut are increasingly recognised as important partners in human health. Scientists have linked the gut microbiome to several aspects of health, from metabolism and immunity to mental health.

A recent study suggests that these microbes may also influence an important aspect of fitness – muscle strength.

Muscle strength is a crucial feature of health for many reasons. It supports our joints and keeps our bones healthy, boosts athletic performance and even plays a role in metabolic health.

Muscle strength also helps us maintain independence later in life. As muscles gradually weaken as we get older, everyday tasks become harder and the risk of falls increases. Understanding what influences muscle strength is therefore an important part of healthy ageing research.

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A recent study explored whether specific gut bacteria might be linked to muscle strength. Researchers analysed the gut microbiomes of two groups of adults: 90 young adults aged 18 to 25 and 33 older adults aged 65 to 75.

Participants provided stool samples so researchers could identify the microbes living in their gut. The researchers used DNA sequencing to read genetic material from the microbes in each sample. By comparing these sequences with large reference databases, they could determine which bacterial species were present and how abundant they were.

Participants also completed several tests designed to measure muscle strength, including a handgrip test. This involves squeezing a handheld device as hard as possible. Grip strength is widely used in health research because it provides a snapshot of overall muscle strength. Lower grip strength has also been linked to a higher risk of premature death.

When the researchers compared participants’ muscle strength with the microbes in their gut, one species stood out. Higher levels of a bacterium called Roseburia inulinivorans were linked to stronger performance across muscle strength measures.

Finding a link like this is interesting, but it does not necessarily mean the microbe is responsible. Many things can be associated without one directly causing the other. Ice-cream sales and shark attacks both increase during summer, for example – but eating ice cream does not cause shark attacks.

So to investigate whether the bacterium might actually influence muscle strength, the researchers carried out additional experiments in mice. After reducing the animals’ existing gut microbes, they introduced Roseburia inulinivorans into the mice’s digestive systems.

Mice that received the bacterium developed noticeably stronger grip strength in their arms than those that did not. Their muscle fibres also became larger and shifted toward a type of fibre associated with more powerful movements (called type II muscle fibres).

Further analysis suggested Roseburia inulinivorans may influence how muscles use energy. In mice given R inulinivorans, several energy‑related pathways inside muscle cells became more active. At the same time, levels of certain amino acids (molecules used by all living things to make proteins) decreased in the gut and bloodstream.

The human data revealed another interesting pattern. Older adults in the study tended to have lower levels of Roseburia inulinivorans in their gut microbiome than the younger participants. This fits with the broader pattern of declining muscle strength that commonly occurs with age.

In humans, it’s still unclear whether gut bacteria influence muscle strength or whether stronger, more active people simply have different microbes in their gut. But the mouse experiments hint that this microbe can directly enhance muscle strength, so larger human studies will be needed to work out the direction of the relationship.

Muscle microbes

One possibility raised by this research is the future use of probiotics. These products contain live microbes intended to benefit health. If further studies confirm that Roseburia inulinivorans supports muscle strength in humans, it could be developed into a probiotic designed to help maintain muscle function as people age.

However, supplements are not the only way to encourage beneficial microbes in the gut. Diet plays a major role in shaping the microbiome.

Prebiotic fibres, which serve as food for gut bacteria, can also support their growth. This is because feeding these microbes allows them to become more established and active in the gut.

The name inulinivorans provides a clue about this bacterium’s preferred food source. It refers to inulin, a type of dietary fibre found naturally in foods such as onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus and chicory root. These fibres are known to support the growth of other beneficial gut bacteria, including members of the Roseburia group.

High‑fibre diets have long been associated with a range of health benefits. A large amount of research has linked higher fibre intake with lower risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. These effects are probably driven by the complex activity of many different microbes rather than a single species. So at the moment, supplementation of any one individual bacterium is not a replacement for a diet high in fibre.

The study does have some limitations to note, however. The human groups were relatively small, and the experiments demonstrating cause and effect were conducted in mice rather than people. The older adults included in the study were also all male. Even so, the findings add to growing evidence that the gut microbiome may influence far more aspects of health than previously thought.

For now, the advice for supporting both muscle strength and a healthy microbiome remains reassuringly familiar: regular strength‑building exercise and a diet rich in fibre.

At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 12 of the 32 head coaches were female, including England manager Sarina Wiegman.

“There are simply not enough women in coaching today. We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility for women on our sidelines,” said Fifa’s chief football officer Jill Ellis.

“The new Fifa regulations, combined with targeted development programmes, mark an important investment in the current and future generation of female coaches.”

Fifa hopes these new regulations will see a rapid increase in female representation, including at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Among some of the most high-profile female coaches is London-born Emma Hayes, who is joined by assistant Denise Reddy at the United States.

In 2024, Hayes told BBC Sport that a lack of female coaches in English football is “a massive issue” and urged the game’s administrators to “come up with more creative ways” to address it.

Other female English coaches at international level include Gemma Grainger at Norway, Casey Stoney at Canada and Carla Ward at the Republic of Ireland.

Canadian Rhian Wilkinson led Wales to their first major tournament at Euro 2025 last summer, while Dutchwoman Wiegman has guided England to back-to-back European titles and has been named the Fifa best women’s coach of the year on four occasions.

Wiegman was the only female coach in the quarter-final stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Speaking at that time, she said: “Of course what we hope is to get more female coaches at the top level and that the balance gets better than it is right now.

“Males are welcome too but if the balance is better than hopefully that will inspire more women to get involved in coaching.”

Premier League Darts is played across 16 initial weeks in the league stage with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final each night.

Each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven in the quarter-finals in weeks one to seven and 9-15, with week eight and week 16 fixtures done off the table. It means we will get fourth v fifth in Sheffield on the final league-stage night, with the play-off spots potentially on the line.

Players earn two points per quarter-final win, an additional point if they win their semi-final and five for winning the night.

The top four players after the group stage progress to the play-off night at London’s O2 Arena on 23 May, with first facing fourth and second against third in a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.

If players are level on points after the 16 weeks then places are decided by nights won and then matches won.