World news guide: the United Kingdom
UK-wide sources
BBC News
One of the web's biggest news operations, drawing together its audio and video news to supplement its web-based reporting.
FT.com
The Financial Times was the first UK newspaper to integrate its web news team with its old media journalists. Several levels of subscription access, email news alerts and a desktop news ticker are available.
Independent
Daily broadsheet, with breaking news and quality analysis. There is relatively little web-exclusive content, but email news alerts are available as well as an online debating forum. Users can sign up for the Independent Portfolio which offers premium articles either at a pay-per-view rate or via annual subscription.
Daily Mail
Despite coming late to the net, the Mail's site - launched in May 2004 - is slick, featuring talkboards, polls and breaking news.
ITN
Britain's provider of independent television news. Its website now serves as a portal for ITV News, Channel 4 News, 5 News and other news programming. You can also view a video archive, for which registration is required.
Reuters
Top news and business stories by category, from the world's largest agency, including video clips. Registration required for some services.
Sky News
Rupert Murdoch's UK news channel. You can't view it live online, but news makes it to the website pretty smartly, and there are video snippets to watch.
Telegraph
The right-of-centre Telegraph newspaper was quick on to the web - and its news-led, quality writing has a broad online following. But there could be more web-exclusive features, and the portal-style front page is a little crowded for some tastes. Free registration required.
Times
Full editions of the daily and Sunday papers, plus breaking news and extra features. All behind a paywall.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Scotsman
The best Scottish newspaper on the web, with news updates from local and national perspectives.
Western Mail
National newspaper of Wales, widely available throughout Wales and much of western England.
Belfast Telegraph
The whole broadsheet online, updated at 6pm - plus breaking news and special reports on major issues.
Aggregators
Google News
It is only in beta, but Google News is already a proving itself to be one of the best news services on the internet. Especially useful are Google News Alerts which are sent by email when news articles appear online that match the topics you specify.
NewsNow
Aggregating service drawing news from more than 15,000 sources around the world. Unlike the other aggregators listed here, it only allows you to search on the headline of an article, rather than the full text. Advanced features are available to subscription customers.
WorldNews.com
One of the most powerful search tools for news junkies on the internet, WorldNews allows you to search on words within articles in newspapers all over the world; better still, none of the responses are press releases. Takes some getting used to.
Tabloids
Mirror
British tabloid, traditionally supportive of the Labour party. News, showbiz and sports from the paper as well as some breaking news and a limited archive search.
Sun
Rupert Murdoch's tabloid looks every bit as striking as its print equivalent, but has only recently begun to make much original use of the web. Prominence is given to Page3.com, website for the paper's trademark topless models.
Magazines
Ecologist
A non-profit making environmental magazine with a global reach. That has played a part in key campaigns such as GM crops, climate change and the destruction of the rainforest.
Economist
This weekly newspaper famous for its championing of free trade was founded in 1843 and now claims a worldwide readership of 3 million people. Three levels of access to the Economist's comprehensive and well-designed website are available, offering varying levels of content: unregistered, registered and subscriber.
New Statesman
A weekly magazine that has been around since 1913, when its stated aim was 'permeating the educated and influential classes with socialist ideas'. It took to the web in 1998 and access is now via subscription only, which is available at various levels, from single document purchases to annual access to the entire site.
Private Eye
Humorous magazine that has lampooned the great and the good since the 1960s, and is famous for covering stories neglected by the national press. The website is fairly basic, but includes access to the three most recent editions of the fortnightly magazine.
Prospect
Sir Jeremy Isaacs has described the current affairs and cultural magazine Prospect as 'more readable than the Economist, more relevant than the Spectator, more romantic than the New Statesman'. Highlights of the two most recent monthly issues are available for free on Prospect's website: for anything more comprehensive than that, a subscription is required.
Red Pepper
A monthly magazine which promises to provide a forum for 'the left to debate ideas and action'. A small selection of articles is available online for free: the bulk of the magazine's content is subscription-only
Spectator
The news and cultural affairs magazine of the British right, and the oldest continuously published magazine in the English language. It is available free on the web.
Spiked Online
A web-only libertarian magazine that rose from the ashes of LM magazine, which closed after losing a libel action brought by ITN.
Eastern
EDP24
The Eastern Daily Press, or "the site where Norfolk really matters", is the first choice for East Anglia news on the web. Updated minute-by-minute.
Cambridge Evening News
A fairly basic site providing targeted news on Cambridge and its satellite towns, such as Ely, Newmarket, Royston and Saffron Walden. Updated once a day.
East Anglian Daily Times
Quality news service based in Ipswich. Also provides links to Suffolk's Evening Star.
London
This is London
The website for London's Evening Standard has a local feel often missing in the print equivalent. Good for breaking news.
Ham & High
One of London's best-loved local papers, the Ham & High (full name: the Hampstead and Highgate Express) makes north London seem more like a community by its very presence.
This is Local London
News from over 20 local newspapers from all over London. Neat features but the whole can be cluttered and confusing.
News Direct
The 24-hour radio news station run by LBC. Broadcasts live bulletins over the internet, for which RealPlayer is required.
South London Online
South London news from Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.
The Wharf
News from the vertical community that is London's Canary Wharf skyscraper. Owned by the Mirror Group.
The south-east
Luton Online
Colourful site giving a taster of news from weeklies in Luton and Bedfordshire. Clunky loading at times.
This is Brighton & Hove
The website from the Brighton Evening Argus, the well respected regional paper.
This Is Essex
A group site for three Essex papers, which between them cover the county in some detail.
Midlands
icBirmingham.co.uk
News from Trinity Mirror's papers in Birmingham. Has both a local and national outlook.
icCoventry.co.uk
This is the Black Country
One of a number of "This is..." websites owned by Newsquest media group, providing content from a variety of regional papers. Others locally include This is Herefordshire and This is Worcestershire.
This is Derbyshire
Many of the "This is..." websites are owned by Northcliffe newspapers group, and can be confusingly similar to Newsquest's in terms of deisgn and content. Others locally include This is Leicestershire, This is Lincolnshire, This is Nottingham and This is Staffordshire.
Westmidlands.com
The Express & Star's website is much more individual than other news sites from the region, in terms of both design and editorial voice. The features section is particularly lively.
North and north west
Yorkshire Post
'Yorkshire's national newspaper' contains decent local news and comment.
icHuddersfield.co.uk
The website for Huddersfield Daily Examiner, owned by Trinity Mirror.
icLiverpool.co.uk
Manchester Online
A basic site from the Manchester Evening News.
Preston Online
Regional news from the Lancashire Evening Post.
This is Lancashire
A good local alternative to Preston Online, providing current and archived news for the whole region.
North-east
Hartlepool Mail
Innovative and respected local paper. However the website's design makes it harder to find local news than on other sites.
icTeesside.co.uk
Local news from the Evening Gazette. Part of Trinity Mirror's ic network.
icNewcastle.co.uk
News from The Journal and the Evening Chronicle.
This is the North East
News from the Northern Echo and the Darlington and Stockton Times.
Northern Ireland
Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland's best news source contains the whole broadsheet online, plus breaking news and occasional special reports on major issues.
Irish News
Daily updated news, with a slightly lighter touch than the Belfast Telegraph; read primarily by Northern Ireland's Catholic community. Subscription charges introduced from February 2002.
Newshound
Links to daily newspaper articles on Northern Ireland from the Irish, British and American press. Rather spartan design.
News Letter
This Belfast-based Unionist publication is the oldest newspaper in the British Isles.
Republican News
Subscription-based news from a Republican perspective, updated every Thursday.
Ulster Herald
Quality weekly paper from County Tyrone, updated every Thursday.
Scotland
The Scotsman
The best Scottish newspaper on the web, with 24-hour news updates from local and national perspectives. Every article from 1817 to 1900 is now searchable.
The Herald
Respected Glasgow paper, updated once daily at 2am. Not likely to win online design awards, but its range of content is admirable, with special sections on Scottish business and the Scottish parliament.
Inside Scotland
Content from a range of local papers from all over Scotland. Can be a bit of a dog to navigate.
This Is North Scotland
News from Aberdeen's Press & Journal and Evening Express. Special sections on farming, fishing and the oil industry.
Daily Record
Impressive-looking Scottish tabloid - but only this month's stories are available.
Evening Telegraph
Dundee's Evening Telegraph provides a week's worth of news - plus special sections on the arts, cookery and sea angling.
The Shetlands
Shetland Times
Weekly news from the Shetlands. Most famous for an oft-cited legal case a few years back, in which it stopped the Shetland News from linking to its stories within its own frames.
The South
Portsmouth News
The News has had a slick redesign, but it is still a fairly basic site for a respected local paper. Excellent coverage of local football.
This is Wiltshire
Award-winning site from Swindon's Evening Advertiser. Sticks to the Newsquest presentation model, but includes innovative content.
This is Hampshire
This is Oxfordshire
The West
This is Bristol
News from Bristol's Evening Post, plus features such as a guide to what's on in Bristol. Also includes the Green 'Un, a sports paper covering Bristol and Bath.
This Is Cornwall
News and comment from the Cornishman and the Cornish Guardian, of mostly local appeal.
Western Daily Press
Decent site with a strong independent voice, plus occasional special reports.
Western Gazette
Weekly paper covering Somerset and Dorset. Allows you to search news by town of origin.
The Channel Islands
This is Jersey
Award-winning site from the Jersey Evening Post. Daily news, plus active talkboards and special reports.
This is Guernsey
Wales
Western Mail
The national newspaper of Wales, widely available throughout Wales and much of western England; strong on the Welsh assembly and news from Cardiff. Now part of Trinity Mirror's 'ic' media network.
South Wales Evening Post
Quality regional paper covering Swansea, Llanelli, Neath and Port Talbot. From the same group as the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star.