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The joy of text: Publishers use old tech to reach new readers

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The joy of text: Publishers use old tech to reach new readers

Could old-fashioned SMS texting be a more reliable alternative to fickle social media algorithms for publishers?

That’s the theory of Subtext, which was founded in 2019 within US publisher Advance Local’s tech incubator Alpha Group. This year it will send an estimated five billion text messages.

What is Subtext?

Subtext operates in 200 countries and works with a variety of media companies, artists, political candidates and sports brands.

US publishers using Subtext include: the New York Post, Forbes, Washington Post, Axios, Conde Nast, Gannett, The New Yorker, Page Six, CNET, Punchbowl News, The Hill, CBC, Hearst Newspapers, Buzzfeed, Pitchfork, Vox, PBS, McClatchy, Morning Brew and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

They use the platform to drive traffic, engage subscribers, reduce churn and even drive affiliate revenue.

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In the UK the platform is less well-known, although Subtext chief executive and co-founder Mike Donoghue told Press Gazette: “You’ll see a fair amount of international expansion for us in the media space in the not too distant future.”

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“When we conceived of the idea of Subtext, we took a look at – for media companies and artists and creators – the amount of time and money and love and effort and resources that went into building up these big audiences on social channels only for a lot of those same companies to come to the realisation that they were renting the relationship with their audience, as opposed to owning a really meaningful direct line of communication,” Donoghue said.

[Previous Press Gazette platform profiles have included: Bluesky, Whatsapp Channels, Snapchat and Factiva.]

Subtext versus email newsletters

Alpha Group initially looked at email but decided it was “already really crowded”, with Donoghue pointing to the likes of Beehive, Ghost, Substack, Lead and Tiny Letter (which closed down earlier this year).

In addition, he said, email “doesn’t feel all that personal” compared to texting and its efficacy recently “has been waning”.

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“Click through rates are down, open rates are down. The ability to monetise them subsequently is down. So we have a lot of clients that will use text as an alternative to email newsletters, with the added benefit – and I think this is cool – of leveraging the bilateral nature of the communication, meaning you can send a message to all of your subscribers and ask a question.

“So like who is your favourite political candidate, or who’s going to win the football game this weekend, or whatever it’s going to be, your audience can respond to you one on one, and you can pull them, you can create participatory experiences for them.”

Donoghue also said email could be affected by AI assistants providing summarised versions of people’s inboxes. He described an “AI-driven distillation and race to the bottom in terms of quality of content”.

Conversely, Donoghue said, texting still has an average open rate of 98% and Subtext has a 32% clickthrough rate which he called “markedly better than email”.

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Subtext versus Whatsapp

Meta-owned rival Whatsapp is still a smaller player in the US messaging market, where it hit 100 million monthly active users (almost a third of the population) in July.

But in the UK Whatsapp is the most popular messaging service according to Ofcom, which said in a report last year it had been used by 76% of adults in the previous three months and that it was the main online communication service of 65%.

As a result some publishers have been driving engagement using its Channels and Communities functions which, respectively, allow publications to broadcast articles to any user who subscribes to their feed or to set up groups of up to 2,000 members to share stories and information.

Mirror and Manchester Evening News publisher Reach last year claimed an open rate for messages shared through Communities of around 90%.

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Donoghue argued that Subtext has “a couple of meaningful differentiators” from Whatsapp.

Whatsapp’s Communities tab, he said, is “relegated to the back end of the app itself because it creates a lot of static and I don’t even really think that Meta knows how they want to use it at this point”.

In addition, he said, Subtext users own all of their data and can take it to another platform or plug it into another use case whereas Meta owns user data gathered on Whatsapp.

Donoghue said: “Meta, at any time, could change the rules and decide you spent all this time and money to build up this audience in Whatsapp and now you can only talk to 10% of them or you can only talk to 5% of them. So it’s a reskinning of any other social algorithm.

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“The other thing I would say, and this is based on real world experience, but Whatsapp if you do it at scale can be a very expensive proposition. SMS isn’t cheap, but Whatsapp messaging at that sort of scale tends to be pretty pricey.”

How Subtext works

Sending SMS messages at scale is “deceptively complicated”, according to Donoghue. Delivering thousands of messages at once requires a relationship with the phone networks and the phone number sending them needs to be registered.

Subtext has a dashboard through which clients can compose messages and add emojis, links, audio and GIFs and choose who to send them to, meaning potentially just a particular zip code or country. It also means people can reply to the messages, with their responses appearing on the dashboard, without creating an unwieldy group chat situation.

“Let’s say the alternative is building up a really big list of phone numbers and then from your phone trying to send a text message to all those people,” Donoghue said. “It turns into a group chat where you have 10,000 people talking all at once and it’s hard to follow the thread.”

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A screenshot of the Subtext dashboard with incoming texts from the audience. Picture: Subtext. Messages saying things like "Ooo interesting", "Thanks for texting - that was helpful", "Do you know when we'll know more?", "Great insights!"
A screenshot of the Subtext dashboard with incoming texts from the audience. Picture: Subtext

Subtext offers two revenue models: publishers are more likely to pay a licensing fee to use the platform with additional costs relating to the total number of messages sent in a month. This model is scalable, Donoghue said, meaning large publishers pay more than tiny outlets with a low number of subscribers.

The second model, which is more popular with creators or other sole practitioners like individual journalists, is a paid subscription model like newsletter platform Substack. For example the personality might charge $10 a month and share a cut of that revenue with Subtext. This is a similar model to Substack, which UK local long-read publisher Mill Media has just decided to leave because the platform’s 10% revenue cut would mean the publisher losing more than £100,000 next year.

“It’s proven to be really popular with creators because it creates a financial annuity and an audience that they can own versus having to monetise social platforms through, like, brand sponsorships, which could be really fleeting, and it has a drag on your community,” Donoghue said.

Subtext has done a deal with News Revenue Hub, a US non-profit that works with newsrooms to help them develop sustainable revenue models without paywalls in an attempt to keep quality information free and accessible to all. The deal gives a 50% discount on use of Subtext to more than 100 newsrooms that are in a paid relationship with News Revenue Hub, whether through the use of their fundraising software or their consulting services.

News Revenue Hub chief of staff Sarah Bishop Woods, who previously used Subtext when she worked at Vox Media, told Press Gazette why texting is attractive to their publisher partners: “News means something different today. It’s much more engaged in a person’s life. It’s much more a service than just a broadcast…

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“We know that traffic declines to websites have been ongoing and there’s some expectation that changes with artificial intelligence and SEO declines that it might be more difficult for people to discover news in the same habit that they’re used to discovering news over the last decade. But habits change, and we need to change with the times, instead of against them. And we’ve always encouraged our newsrooms to develop a deep and loyal relationship with the people they serve. A lot of that product can be, you know, newsletters or events, really smart and strategic social media distribution, but increasingly, it also means literally going reaching someone where they are.”

But she also warned: “When we’re thinking of audience diversification, SMS texting with tools like Subtext is really important but it does not diminish the importance of doing on the ground, community engagement as well.

“It’s something that creates a whole picture, but it’s certainly not something that you can remove something else and expect to have success. So we’ve really been encouraging our newsrooms to develop a whole strategy instead of piecemealing ideas.”

How news publishers are using Subtext

Caitlin Petrakovitz, senior digital editorial manager and director of messaging experiences at Gannett, told Press Gazette the USA Today Network is using Subtext in different ways “from SMS sports focused groups to local weather alert groups and beyond”.

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This year USA Today launched Your Vote, a free text group via Subtext that promises to “help you cut through the noise of TV ads and spam calls and talk about how this year’s elections will impact you”.

Petrakovitz said: “With nearly 5,000 current subscribers, we aim to inform people in a more personal and authentic way, answering questions in real time directly from our reporters and receiving feedback from readers that helps improve our coverage.”

Here are some specific use case examples:

Driving traffic and getting stories out quickly

Donoghue noted that many people do not sit all day in front of a computer and might miss breaking news updates.

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“If you wanted to break that news on X [formerly Twitter] or something, you can share that, but it means, one, that user needs to be on X, two, the algorithm needs to decide that it gets delivered immediately, and, three, they need to be part of that audience cohort that’s actually going to see the message,” he said.

“Whereas with text messaging, for example, it’s going to get delivered to 100% of the audience within less than a minute.”

Public service information

Texting is a resilient tool that can be used to get information out even during internet and power outages, according to Donoghue.

More than 8,000 people signed up to receive updates on curfews, food and school openings from McClatchy titles Miami Herald and Bradenton Herald or Gannett’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune when millions were left without power due to Hurricane Ian in Florida in 2022.

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Donoghue said: “SMS is a really vital communication tool to those users and because it operates without an internet connection, it can be a really important way to keep people safe and keep them informed. Whereas email newsletters would not be able to do that. The general website, social, would not be able to do that.”

Donoghue also raised the example of LA Taco journalist Lexis-Olivier Ray who primarily covers the unhoused population in Los Angeles and has a text group of about 100 people sharing information about services they might need.

“He doesn’t have 100,000 subscribers, and it’s not a commerce use case, not making a ton of money off of it. But what he does is communicate really crucial updates…” Donoghue said.

Subscription strategies

Of the potential for subscription-based businesses, Donoghue said: “In this scenario, maybe you have a paid digital offering and the ability to text with individual journalists or to receive texts on a subject that is really of interest to you is a value add, and the goal there for media companies, for publishers, is to differentiate their paid subscription offering.

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He added: “It’s also meant to engage what we would call normally zombie subscribers, so people that sign up for a subscription, they don’t come to the site every day and read stories, so they’re not getting the requisite value, and it’s really only a matter of time until they remember that they’re paying for it, and then they cancel. So it’s a churn reduction effort. It’s a subscriber engagement effort.”

The Washington Post told Press Gazette its longest project on Subtext has been Texts with Tumulty (pictured, top), through which opinion columnist Karen Tumulty shares updates with her most engaged readers (dubbed Tumultexters) while she’s on the 2024 US presidential election campaign trial, and occasionally answers their questions.

A Post spokesperson said: “We’ve seen great success by building a solid core community in the thousands of ‘Tumultexters’, with a high engagement rate of people opening and engaging in these snackable updates. Highlights from Karen include her insights on Super Tuesday and on-the-ground at the conventions, with updates continuing through the election.”

According to Subtext, USA Today newsletter The Short List sends a headline and link to the full read each day and found that text message subscribers spend longer on the articles.

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It can also be used to help with acquisition: Donoghue said for example media companies could make it free to sign up for updates about big tentpole events like the Olympics or the US election in the hope of converting users into paying subscribers.

Affiliate revenue

Donoghue described e-commerce as an “emerging popular use case”.

The likes of Wirecutter at The New York Times, Forbes and CNET which have large affiliate businesses put out messages like daily product round-ups and flash sales, he said.

A Buzzfeed case study on the Subtext website states: “Buzzfeed Shopping used Subtext to great effect during the holiday shopping rush, learning from subscribers about what products were on their holiday wish list. Subtext helped them gain valuable audience feedback and increase final conversions and overall customer satisfaction.”

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Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our “Letters Page” blog

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Sir Keir hedges his bets before the US elections

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Sir Keir hedges his bets before the US elections
Ben Jennings i cartoon Keir Starmer Donald Trump Election Queen
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Dating apps search for users who want to be ‘just friends’

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Online dating giants and start-ups are betting on a different kind of human connection in the search for revenue growth: friendship.

Bumble, Muzz and Match Group are pushing their friend-finding and community-building products as an alternative model for digital matchmaking, aimed at attracting younger users that have been hit by so-called dating app fatigue.

Bumble, which owns the eponymous female-focused dating app as well as Badoo and Fruitz, said it was bullish about the “untapped potential” of “the friendship space”.

“The opportunity there is quite limitless for us,” said chief executive Lidiane Jones at an investor event this month.

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In May, the group acquired community-building product Geneva, which connects people based on shared interests, building on the launch of its friend-finding app BFF last year.

The push into friendship apps comes as some of the biggest online dating players have struggled with a post-pandemic slowdown in growth. Bumble shed a quarter of its market value after slashing its revenue outlook in August.

Jones said Bumble would focus this autumn on “scaling the growth of Geneva and BFF” in order to “over time diversify our business monetisation model”.

Match’s newest app Yuzu, launched in February, is also its first product to explicitly offer a social-only mode as well as a dating function.

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The app, which is designed exclusively for the Asian community, allows users to toggle between “social”, “dating”, or “social and dating” modes — a feature the $9.6bn company has suggested it may expand to its wider portfolio of more than 40 dating brands.

“This is a testing ground for us,” Match’s chief financial officer Gary Swidler said at an investor conference this month. “You can draw the line, I think, from things we’re testing in emerging brands, including Yuzu, and what we might be thinking down the road at Tinder.”

Smaller rivals have also moved into the friendship market this year. The decade-old Muslim ‘marriage app’ Muzz, which has 1.5mn monthly active users according to Sensor Tower, began rolling out Muzz Social, a friend-finding and social networking feature, in February.

New users of Muzz Social are automatically added to groups according to their location, and can also join networks based on hobbies or interests. “Automatically you’ve got a bunch of communities you could reach out to,” said founder and chief executive Shahzad Younas.

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Gay dating app Grindr, whose user numbers have continued to climb amid slowdowns at both Bumble and Tinder, has also explored adding social features, both for friendship and professional networking, in a bid to broaden its user base.

Start-ups are also seeking to tap into the so-called “loneliness economy” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

French start-up Timeleft, which algorithmically matches groups of six people to go for a meal together, expanded into the US and UK this year and now operates in over 200 cities.

Events and social connections company Pie secured $11.5mn in funding in September for an app designed to help users meet locals in real life as part of what founder Andy Dunn called “a mission to defeat social isolation”.

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But analysts are sceptical that a pivot to friendship will significantly boost revenue growth for existing online dating companies.

Tinder, Hinge, Grindr and Bumble all rely on “freemium” subscription models for the bulk of their revenues, but analysts warn that platforms may struggle to find users willing to pay for friendship — especially when mainstream social networks, like Facebook, are free.

“It’s simple. People are more willing to pay for romance than for friends,” said Ygal Arounian, an analyst at Citi.

Both Bumble and Muzz said they were considering paid partnerships and advertising to monetise their friendship products, in addition to subscriptions.

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But building a successful advertising business could require a major push to recruit new users and promote daily engagement with the products. Bumble’s BFF has just 735,000 monthly active users, according to Sensor Tower, while its flagship dating product has more than 20mn. 

Connecting payment with real-life meetups is another option. Users of Timeleft, for example, pay a fee or take out a membership, to reserve a space at one of the company’s weekly dinners. Timeleft keeps the entire fee, while users pay for their own meals at partner restaurants.

But even if they do not make money themselves, Bumble and Muzz are betting that friendship products will help keep users engaged with their brands even when they are not actively seeking a partner, as well as offering a route to their more profitable dating businesses.

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Timeleft chief executive Maxime Barbier said friendship products could be the future of online matchmaking. “Dating as it is — swiping, texting and one-on-one first dates — is dying. People are so tired of it and they see us as an alternative.”

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I tested best supermarket ales to try at home… winner was amber beer, that’s rich, balanced and packed with toffee notes – The Sun

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I tested best supermarket ales to try at home… winner was amber beer, that’s rich, balanced and packed with toffee notes – The Sun

BREWERY hops are finally getting hip.

Ale – usually associated with bushy-bearded blokes – is enjoying a trendy renaissance, with one in three women also enjoying a regular sup.

Don't be afraid of dark and sinister-looking real ale, you can give it a go with lighter – and cheaper – versions from supermarkets

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Don’t be afraid of dark and sinister-looking real ale, you can give it a go with lighter – and cheaper – versions from supermarketsCredit: Getty
Helena Nicklin, offers her selection of top newbie at-home ales

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Helena Nicklin, offers her selection of top newbie at-home alesCredit: Oliver Dixon

If you’re ale-curious but wary of the dark and sinister-looking “real” stuff, or simply don’t know where to start with this acquired taste tipple, you can give it a go with lighter – and cheaper – versions from the supermarkets before hitting the pub for the real deal.

Here, Helena Nicklin, offers her selection of top newbie at-home ales.

Harbour Session IPA, Lidl

£1.85, 440ml, 4% ABV

Looks fun with its bright colours so would make a great party ale

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Looks fun with its bright colours so would make a great party aleCredit: Lidl

AN exclusive Lidl brew, a can of Harbour Session, which is decked out in Creme Egg colours, feels like an IPA “lite” so it’s perhaps not a bad one to begin with if you’re new to this category.

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IPA purists might well say it’s a bit too thin rather than hoppy – but they can continue propping up the bar with their pint of cask while you enjoy this at home as it’s cheap and very easy to glug.

Looks fun with its bright colours so would make a great party ale. Worth a try even if it is not what you end up sipping in the pub.

2/5

£2, 500ml, 4.6% ABV

It’s hip and hoppy with lots going on so worth giving it a go

10

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It’s hip and hoppy with lots going on so worth giving it a go

OAKHAM was the first UK brewery to produce a beer with 100% citra hops.

These are a fairly new type used for their fruity, citrus and floral aromatics and flavours, and known for adding vibrancy to ales.

If you can get past the quirky label then glugging this very light gold will offer you bright tropical fruit and candied lemon peel flavours.

It’s hip and hoppy with lots going on so worth giving it a go.

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My top tip for anyone switching tipples from a glass of white vino is that if you’re into sauvignon blanc, you’ll love this.

3/5

£2,25, 500ml, 5% ABV

This organic tipple is made with real honey, malt and hops

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This organic tipple is made with real honey, malt and hops

BLONDE ale is even lighter than amber and the clue is in the name as it generally has a gorgeous, light gold hue.

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Such styles tend to be crisp and pretty easy-drinking with light, biscuity notes.

If you’ve never had ale before, something like this would be a great place to start.

This organic tipple is made with real honey, malt and hops.

It has a touch of baked apple fruitiness and a ­subtle nectar note without being sweet or too intense.

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Delicious cracked open on its own any time, and lovely paired with salty crisps.

3/5

Black Sheep Ale, Tesco

£2, 500ml, 4.4% ABV

It’s awesome with a meaty pie. Trendy bottle too

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It’s awesome with a meaty pie. Trendy bottle too

WHILE you currently can’t get real dark and savoury cask ale to glug at home – unless you have your own pub, that is – an amber ale like this, with its less hoppy, more caramel-toffee notes, is a great place to start to get a feel for the darker stuff.

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Whether you are a newbie to this type of drink or just want to try some different options in the ­comfort of your own home then this classic Yorkshire tipple is rich, balanced and smooth, with a Malteser-like, malty sweetness.

It’s awesome with a meaty pie. Trendy bottle too.

5/5

Adnams Ghost Ship Ale, Asda

£2, 500ml, 4.5% ABV

Apparently inspired by smugglers and our haunted coastlines, it’s a great thirst-slayer

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Apparently inspired by smugglers and our haunted coastlines, it’s a great thirst-slayer

IF it’s the vibrant, citrusy notes you love in a pale ale then spooky ­sipper Ghost Ship, with its powerful twist of lemon and lime, should be right up your street.

Made with a mix of British and American barley and rye, it’s a little hoppy and has elderflower hints along with biscuity notes.

Apparently inspired by smugglers and our haunted coastlines, it’s a great thirst-slayer – and with its spectral label it would definitely be a fabulous choice if you’re getting the beers in for Halloween.

4/5

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BrewDog Punk IPA, Sainsbury’s £5.25 (Nectar),

330ml x 4, 5.4% ABV

An easy-to-drink classic that would be a great intro to IPAs

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An easy-to-drink classic that would be a great intro to IPAsCredit: Brewdog

IF you’ve tried pale ale before and enjoyed its light, bright hoppiness but want a bit more of that flavour, then India pale ale is the way to go.

Brewdog’s version is a go-to for many, and for a good reason – it gets the balance just right between citrus and hops, and has a moreish earthy note on the finish.

An easy-to-drink classic that would be a great intro to IPAs.

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It is well-priced – more so at the moment as it is on offer – so if it isn’t for you then you won’t break the bank. Drink it chilled with snacks.

3/5

Saltaire Blonde Ale, Morrisons

£2.25, 500ml, 4% ABV

A top at-home brew to try if you are just starting out on your ale journey

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A top at-home brew to try if you are just starting out on your ale journey

SOME ingredients really do have the best names and Saltaire Ale says it is made with Bohemian saaz hops, which feels fitting given its slightly quirky profile.

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Light, refreshing and soft, there’s a gentle, spicy maltiness to this well-priced blonde, which hails from Yorkshire.

A lower ABV makes it an easy-drinking choice – there’s lots of flavour here without being heavy.

It’s definitely a top at-home brew to try if you are just starting out on your ale journey.

4/5

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William Bros Birds & Bees, Aldi

£1.65, 500ml, 4.3% ABV

This is a great one for spreading a ­little sunshine into a soggy autumn day

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This is a great one for spreading a ­little sunshine into a soggy autumn day

NOT yet sure about the bitter hops of pale ales and IPAs?

Then a golden ale might be the best go-to for you.

This affordable offering gives you a lot of bang for your buck – and its slightly lower ABV than some other options might be appealing for certain sippers, too.

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More about ripe, tropical fruit flavours and delicate florals, golden ales like this one have a real ­summer party vibe.

This is a great one for spreading a ­little sunshine into a soggy autumn day. Or sipping ­outside in the summer.

3/5

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Josh Charnley stretchered from the field after awful-looking incident

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Josh Charnley stretchered from the field after awful-looking incident


Charnley left the field on a stretcher after a nasty incident.

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UK confronts massive funding gap to tackle crumbling infrastructure

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The UK must mobilise £1.6tn of funding by 2040 to meet the nation’s public infrastructure needs, according to new research that underscores the vast investment demands confronting Sir Keir Starmer’s government. 

The research from consultancy EY comes as chancellor Rachel Reeves contemplates loosening her fiscal rules to allow the Labour government to increase borrowing to pay for higher levels of public investment.

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On Friday, Lord Gus O’Donnell, formerly the UK’s most senior civil servant, added to mounting calls that the chancellor should ditch her “absurd” debt rule as part of fiscal reforms that bolster capital spending.

The prospect of higher borrowing has put gilt investors on edge this week as they await clearer signals from Labour about its plans to plough more public money into the nation’s ailing infrastructure.

Reeves on Monday told the Labour party’s annual conference she would end the “low investment that feeds decline” as she hinted that a rethink of the UK’s fiscal framework was under way.

Starmer, the prime minister, later declared in a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly this week that he had “always thought that we should borrow to invest”. He added that government would be a “catalyst” for private spending.

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The EY report, led by former Treasury adviser Mats Persson, estimated a £1.6tn in required spending between now and 2040 in areas including energy, transport, and defence.

Far greater private sector involvement would be required alongside public spending if the needs were to be met, said Persson, now an EY partner.

“There is an absolute need as well as significant potential for more private investment into UK infrastructure assets and capital programmes that have traditionally been funded by taxpayers,” said Persson.

The consultancy drew its estimates from the government’s National Infrastructure and Construction pipeline of planned and projected infrastructure programmes, and departmental capital projects that have not been allocated money.

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The list of unfunded projects include rail networks, upcoming phases of the Tempest air defence programme, energy projects as well as hospitals and schools. The figure excludes projects already under way such as the HS2 high speed rail line and those the NIC has said are being funded by the private sector.

Artist’s impression of what the final design could look like of the aircraft currently known as Tempest.
Phases of the Tempest air defence programme are among the unfunded projects © British Prime Minister’s Office/AFP/Getty Images

Existing fiscal scenarios suggested that only £900bn of the programmes would be covered by public spending, EY said, leaving a £700bn shortfall.

Given the UK’s poor record of delivering infrastructure projects on budget, the true bill could be a further £1tn higher, EY warned.

The UK has sat at the bottom of a G7 league table of total investment for most of the past three decades, damaging the quality of infrastructure including roads and hospitals.

Reeves also faces intense pressure to find extra funding for day-to-day expenditure on public services ranging from education to the courts, setting up painful decisions in the October 30 budget.

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Treasury officials are working on an overhaul to the UK’s fiscal rules as they seek to balance demands for spending on public services and infrastructure with warnings from the UK’s fiscal watchdog that Britain’s debt levels are on an “unsustainable” upward path.

In a column for the Financial Times, former cabinet secretary O’Donnell argued that the Treasury should incorporate measures of public debt that better reflected assets as well as liabilities, a move that would enable greater capital spending.

He also criticised the UK’s fiscal rule — adopted by Reeves from the previous Conservative government — that requires public debt to be falling year on year in five years’ time.

“We should ditch the last government’s absurd debt rule, which requires debt to be falling between years four and five, but says nothing about other years,” he said.

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He argued that the government should take steps to reassure investors that the UK’s public finances were on a sustainable path to “allow space for higher, worthwhile investments while retaining market credibility”.

O’Donnell said the government should seek to balance day-to-day spending against taxes in three years, rather than five, and require the independent Office for Budget Responsibility to provide an independent assessment of debt sustainability.

Reeves is said by colleagues to be determined to stick to Labour’s manifesto commitment to a fiscal rule under which debt must fall as a share of GDP in the fifth year of the forecast. Her focus is instead on how that debt is measured, they said.

A Treasury spokesperson said Reeves’s October 30 Budget — the first from a Labour government since 2010 — would be built on “the rock of economic stability, including robust fiscal rules that were set out in the manifesto.”

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Cyprus travel advice: Is it safe for tourists bound for the Mediterranean island given the Israel-Hezbollah conflict?

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Cyprus has some of the best beaches in Europe

CYPRUS is a popular holiday destination with Brits looking for an affordable winter sun break.

However, the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has raised concerns due to its proximity to the island.

Cyprus has some of the best beaches in Europe

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Cyprus has some of the best beaches in EuropeCredit: Getty Images
Cyprus has two UK military bases

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Cyprus has two UK military basesCredit: Reuters

Is it safe to travel to Cyprus right now?

The UK Foreign Office has not issued any warnings against traveling to Cyprus

However, it has warned that protests can occur quickly and suddenly on the island.

It also does not acknowledge the “the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” and has noted that it may be difficult for the UK to offer consular support in the region.

What is currently happening in Cyprus?

Tensions between Lebanon and Israel were intensified when Hezbollah voiced anger at Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks.

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Read more on Israel-Hezbollah

The situation worsened on September 17 and 18, 2024, after thousands of pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies belonging to members of Hezbollah simultaneously exploded

Several sources have suggested this attack was perpetrated by Israel.

Since then, Keir Starmer has said UK nationals in Lebanon need to be evacuated to Cyprus in case of further conflict.

Cyprus is home to two UK sovereign base areas named Akrotiri and Dhekelia. 

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Hezbollah walkie-talkies explode in people’s hands across Lebanon one day after Israel blows up pagers injuring 1000s

The island is 293 miles from Israel and 180 miles from Lebanon. 

This makes the island very significant for the UK’s and its allies’ operations in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. 

On June 19, 2024, the leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah said that Cyprus could come under attack if it allowed its airbases to be used against Hezbollah. 

However, Cyprus’s president Nikos Christodoulides has denied Cyprus’ involvement in any conflict and the UK Foreign Office maintains that travelling to Cyprus is safe.

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Cyprus' president Nikos Christodoulides said that Cyprus is not involved in the conflict

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Cyprus’ president Nikos Christodoulides said that Cyprus is not involved in the conflictCredit: UPI: Alarmy Live News
Cyprus is one of the UK's favourite summer destinations

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Cyprus is one of the UK’s favourite summer destinationsCredit: Getty

Should I cancel my holiday to Cyprus?

With no travel warnings currently in place, it is not advised to cancel your stay on the island.

Anyone with a trip booked is unlikely to get a refund for their trip unless the UK government advises against travel.

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If you are nervous about your vacation, then you should contact your tour operator instead, as you may be able to move your dates instead.

What do you need to travel to Cyprus?

You can travel to Cyprus without a visa for 90 days. 

However, you must remember your passport that is comfortably in date.

You may also need to be able to produce your ticket and return ticket, as well as proof that you have enough money for your stay. 

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