FCA to explore simplifying communications about savings accounts and review parts of its credit advertising rulesThe City watchdog is considering changing rules to allow people to receive clearer information from financial firms to make it easier for them to find and compare products.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is exploring how it can simplify communications about savings accounts. The watchdog, which will announce its five-year strategy on Tuesday, will also review parts of its credit advertising rules, such as lengthy terms and conditions. Continue reading...
Body representing over 90 firms says it could take airport to court over costs of closure if issue not amicably settled'A body representing more than 90 airlines using Heathrow airport said there might be a case for legal action if a settlement over the costs incurred from Friday's closure after a fire is not reached.Europe's largest airport was closed in the early hours of Friday morning after the blaze at a major electricity substation hit electricity supplies. Continue reading...
Ukrainian officials say 88 injured in missile strike as US and Russian officials start talks on ceasefire dealUkraine has accused Moscow of making hollow statements about peace" after 88 people were injured in a Russian missile attack as US and Russian officials began talks that Washington hopes will mark the first step toward lasting peace.Seventeen children were among the casualties after the missile hit schools and residential buildings in the city of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said late on Monday, as Moscow appeared to be exploiting the window before any ceasefire to launch attacks on Ukraine. Continue reading...
No Other Land's Hamdan Ballal attacked by armed settlers in West Bank and handed to Israeli military, witnesses sayA Palestinian director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land has been arrested by the Israeli army after masked settlers attacked his house.According to five Jewish American activists who witnessed the attack, Hamdan Ballal, one of the four directors of the the film that documented the destruction of villages in the West Bank, was surrounded and attacked by a group of about 15 armed settlers in Susya in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron. Continue reading...
Fiona Larkin's poem uses Finnish grammar to explore her feelings about her son's move from the UK to BrisbaneA poem inspired by the writer's experience missing her son after he moved from the UK to Australia has won this year's 5,000 National Poetry Competition.Fiona Larkin's poem, Absence has a grammar, was picked from nearly 22,000 entries. Continue reading...
BT had planned to remove the familiar red kiosk in rural Norfolk until 89-year-old Derek Harris intervenedAn 89-year-old man has won his battle to save the last remaining phone box in a village in East Anglia.
CMA stance moves Britain step closer to outright ban on ticket touts ripping off fansThe UK appears to be a step closer to an outright ban on ticket touts ripping off fans, after the competition watchdog threw its weight behind government plans to cap ticket resale prices.In a blow to websites such as Viagogo and StubHub, which make hundreds of millions a year lawfully by selling access to popular gigs and shows, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said for the first time that it would back a ceiling on secondary" ticket prices. Continue reading...
Actor is expected to testify on Tuesday over allegations by two women who worked with him on 2021 filmThe French actor Gerard Depardieu has appeared in court in France on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting two women during a film shoot in 2021.Depardieu, 76, dressed in a black suit and trainers with his grey hair swept back, arrived at the Paris criminal court amid a large police presence. Dozens of protesters had gathered outside the courthouse and shouted: Victims, we believe you; rapists, we see you." Continue reading...
Given the airport had uninterrupted power from two other substations, did it have to shut down for long?The 10-page risk report within Heathrow Airport's latest annual report does not mention North Hyde substation, or even substations in general, but it does describe the company's approach to managing risks.Heathrow rightly has no appetite" for safety risks that could lead to loss of life. Robust controls and contingency measures" are also in place to contain potential security, environmental and legal breaches within minimal levels of impact". But then one comes to operational matters, the category in which last Friday's events would fall. Continue reading...
by Joanna Walters (now); Tom Ambrose, Yohannes Lowe, on (#6W4E9)
US president believes rare earths deal to be signed soon'; Ukraine delegation to meet US officials as Kremlin claims it has suspended infrastructure strikes despite ongoing attacks
Trump administration has pledged to crack down on vandalism and protests against Elon Musk's car companyPolice in Texas said they found incendiary devices" at a Tesla dealership in Austin on Monday morning, as the Trump administration has pledged to crack down on vandalism and protests against Elon Musk's car company.On Monday, March 24, 2025, at approximately 8.04am, Austin police department (APD) officers responded to a found/abandoned hazardous call at the Tesla dealership located at 12845 N US 183 Hwy SVRD NB," Austin police department said in a statement shared with CBS Austin. Continue reading...
Death toll includes women, children and journalists, nearly a week after Israel broke ceasefireIsraeli airstrikes have killed at least 65 people in Gaza in the past 24 hours, including women, children and two journalists, the Palestinian health authority said on Monday, nearly a week after Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas.Palestinians in Gaza have again been fleeing for their lives after Israel launched its new offensive in the territory, which started on Tuesday last week with a wave of airstrikes that killed about 700 people, mostly civilians, ending two months of relative calm, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the territory run by Hamas. Continue reading...
Supermarket chain said it was mitigating extra cost from rise in employer national insurance contributionsMorrisons has put more than 300 jobs at risk as it shuts cafes, convenience stores and food counters as retailers grapple with rising labour costs.The supermarket chain said on Monday that it plans to close 52 cafes, 17 convenience stores, all 18 of its Market Kitchen hot food counters, 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters and four pharmacies. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6W4B5)
Greenland's prime minister says move is demonstration of power' and accuses US of interfering in its political affairsGreenland's prime minister, Mute B Egede, has called for the international community to step in after it was announced that Donald Trump's national security adviser and the US second lady will visit the Arctic island, accusing Washington of foreign interference".Mike Waltz and Usha Vance are due to arrive in Greenland this week as part of a delegation that will also include the US energy secretary, Chris Wright. Continue reading...
Move comes amid broader Republican-led culture war in US as Alabama cracks down on sexually explicit' contentThe public library in Fairhope, Alabama - a picturesque city on the shores of Mobile Bay - has found itself in the crosshairs of battles over library content.The Alabama public library service board of trustees recently voted to withhold state funding from the Fairhope public library after complaints from conservative parents about books in the teen section. In the same meeting, the board voted to immediately dismiss the executive director of the state library agency, who had been planning to resign. Continue reading...
Ismail Barhoum and medics die in attack, which Israel says was based on extensive intelligenceAn Israeli airstrike on Sunday night hit the largest hospital in southern Gaza, killing five people, including a Hamas political leader.The Gaza health ministry said the strike hit the surgery department at Nasser hospital in the city of Khan Younis. The Israeli military said its attack followed extensive intelligence and used precise munitions to minimise harm at the site. Continue reading...
Shiv Sena party supporters tore apart the Habitat comedy club after Kunal Kamra's satirical song about a top ministerA mob violently ransacked a Mumbai comedy club and its building has been partly demolished after one of India's most prominent comedians performed a satirical song about a local ruling politician during a performance there.Kunal Kamra has a reputation for his acerbic comedy which often pokes fun at political figures. Few comedians in India dare to make political jokes for risk of a backlash. Continue reading...
Actor, 76, is accused of groping two women on set during the filming of The Green Shutters in 2021Gerard Depardieu arrived at a Paris court on Monday for his trial over alleged sexual assaults on a film set, a case that places one of France's best-known film stars at the heart of the country's broader reckoning over sexual violence.Depardieu, 76, has faced allegations of rape or sexual assault from more than a dozen women, all of which he has denied, but this is the first time he has appeared in court to answer accusations. Continue reading...
Trump used their price as a campaign issue but has been unable to stop costs rising. Why do eggs matter so much?As the Trump economy continues to perform with all the robustness and reliability of a Tesla Cybertruck, one thing, above anything else, has come to be seen as a measure of how the US is faring: the humble egg.The egg holds a uniquely central place in American culture, egg experts say, and the soaring price in recent months, largely due to a bird flu outbreak, has been discussed and debated across the country. Continue reading...
Mass firings spark concern as department employees say cuts set stage for widespread fraud and abuseHundreds of firings inside the federal government's student aid department have sparked concern among workers and student loan advocates, who warn that the student loan system is at risk.Linda McMahon, the wrestling industry billionaire now serving as education secretary, has presented the sweeping cuts as an efficiency drive. But employees within the US Department of Education warn they set the stage for widespread fraud and abuse. Continue reading...
Iranian police are using digital tools to identify and punish women who defy the Islamic state's harsh dress codeLike many women in Iran, Darya is used to feeling under surveillance. Yet in recent months, the 25-year-old finance analyst from northern Tehran says that she never knows who could be watching her every move.She says she has received messages from the police before warning her of suspected violations of the country's strict hijab laws, but last November she was sent an SMS message containing her car registration plate that stated the exact time and place that she had been recorded driving without her head properly covered. Next time it happened, the SMS warned, her car would be impounded. Continue reading...
Police seize copies of novel to be forensically examined as 33-year-old charged with producing child abuse materialA Sydney woman has been charged with producing child abuse material in relation to a novel.New South Wales police said they began investigations in March following reports of a fiction novel containing child abuse material".Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: How a dubious scandal' about the scheme to help people with serious disabilities get a car made its way into the mainstreamGood morning. Motability really ought to be a boring subject. A government scheme designed to help people with serious disabilities get a car by using a portion of their benefits to pay for the lease doesn't sound like fertile territory for a scandal, after all. But over the last week, anyone who had never heard of Motability before would have got a much more lurid impression.First in the Daily Mail last Saturday, and then in a string of stories spinning off the same basic analysis, Motability was portrayed not as a useful mechanism for reducing some of the inequities that always accompany disability - but an outrageous example of con artists milking the taxpayer to live a life of luxury. The saga took in bedwetting boy racers", so-called sickfluencers" teaching fellow chancers how to cheat the system, an anonymous social media user who has previously caught the eye of Elon Musk and even the legacy of the Battle of Britain.UK economy | Keir Starmer has been warned against appeasing" Donald Trump as he considers reducing a major tax for US tech companies while cutting disability benefits and public sector jobs. Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed on Sunday that there were ongoing" discussions about the UK's 1bn-a-year digital services tax.Canada | Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, has called a snap election on 28 April, firing the starting gun on a contest expected to focus on the strained relationship with the US amid threats to Canada's economic and political future. Carney's decision comes as the Liberals experience an unprecedented polling swing putting them ahead of the Conservatives.Gaza | Malnutrition is spreading in Gaza, medics and aid workers in the devastated Palestinian territory are warning, as a total Israeli blockade of all supplies enters its fourth week. On Sunday, Palestinian officials said the total death toll from nearly 18 months of conflict had passed 50,000.Heathrow | There was enough power for Heathrow to remain open during the entire period it was shut down on Friday, the head of National Grid has said. Speaking for the first time since a fire forced North Hyde substation to close, the National Grid chief executive, John Pettigrew, said two other substations that serve Heathrow were working and could have supplied the airport.Turkey | An Istanbul court has formally arrested the city's mayor, Ekrem mamolu, on corruption charges, sending him to pre-trial detention on the day he received his party's nomination to run for president. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the city after days of tension sparked by mamolu's initial detention in a dawn raid earlier this week. Continue reading...
Talks to take place with operators about the scheme, announced in 2020, which has failed to make any grantsMinisters are considering diverting money from a 950m scheme to install rapid chargers for electric cars on the UK's motorways, announced five years ago, after it failed to make a single grant.Much of the cash allocated to the rapid charging fund (RCF) could be redirected to investments in other charging schemes, or to support the transition to electric vehicles more broadly, although decisions have yet to be made, according to a person close to discussions in government. Continue reading...
Labor admits it missed the mark' with social media posts sharing T-shirt that states This is Australia, we eat meat, we drink beer and we love Medicare!'
by Ruth Michaelson and Faisal Ali in Istanbul on (#6W44P)
Ekrem mamolu, rival of Recep Tayyip Erdoan, placed in pre-trial detention along with dozens of staff and officialsAn Istanbul court has formally arrested the city's mayor, Ekrem mamolu, on corruption charges, sending him to pre-trial detention on the day he received his party's nomination to run for president, while tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the city.The mayor of Turkey's largest city and a rival of the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, was jailed on charges of leading a criminal organisation, bribery, misconduct and corruption, along with dozens of his staff and municipal officials. Continue reading...
Poll finds up to 48% of voters believe Scottish students who can afford it should pay, with 29% opposedScottish voters are divided over Scotland's policy of free tuition for Scottish studentsas the crisis over university finances intensified.A poll commissioned by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland found that up to 48% of voters believe Scottish students who can afford it should pay for tuition, with 29% opposed. Continue reading...
Rami Battikh, 24, got caught up in five-year nightmare after stolen ID card was used in string of crimesA young German citizen has told how his life has been destroyed after a London criminal used his ID to rack up a string of convictions that now appear on the German database against his name.The phantom record has left the 24-year-old in despair, effectively blacklisted and unable to get a job for the past four years in his native Bonn, stymying a budding career and the start of his adult life. Continue reading...
Group received emails about Ahsan Mansur, the central bank official investigating money laundering allegationsBritish MPs believe they may have been targeted by a disinformation" campaign aimed at discrediting the man leading efforts to trace funds allegedly laundered from Bangladesh into the UK.MPs raised the alarm after receiving emails about Ahsan Mansur, who was installed as the central bank governor of Bangladesh last year, after a student-led revolution swept away the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina. Continue reading...
The ruling is the latest twist in months of political turmoil since suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration last yearSouth Korea's constitutional court has ruled against the impeachment of the country's prime minister, Han Duck-soo, and to restore his position as acting president, marking the latest political twist in months of political turmoil.Han took over as acting president after the country's leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was himself impeached over his short-lived declaration of martial law late last year. Continue reading...
Children from poorer families growing up amid a mix in income groups are likely to earn more as adultsFriendships that bridge economic divides are good for social mobility, a major study has found, with low-income children growing up where there is more mixing among income groups likely to earn an extra 5,100 a year as adults.The research, combining anonymised Facebook data covering 20 million adults in the UK with official data, points to the benefits of what the authors call more economically connected communities". Continue reading...
Landlords are left with no choice to offset looming tax rises introduced by the chancellor, says trade bodyLondoners might not bat an eyelid at paying 5 for a pint but the national average is poised to rise above that watermark for the first time, with publicans blaming tax rises introduced by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.The sobering milestone is likely to be reached next month, according to research by Frontier Economics, with the average price of a pint of beer on course to hit 5.01, up from 4.80. Continue reading...
As Washington signals hope for real progress', Moscow warns difficult negotiations' lie aheadUS and Ukrainian officials have met for further talks aimed at hammering out a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine, with Washington signalling its hope for real progress" even as Moscow warned that difficult negotiations" lie ahead.The gulf in expectations marked the start of the latest round of negotiations in Saudi Arabia, which was set to follow with a meeting between American officials and Russia on Monday. The US is pushing for a broad ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine by 20 April, according to Bloomberg, though sources said the timeline may slip given the wide gap that exists between Kyiv and Moscow's positions. Continue reading...
Arrest of 16-year-old follows that of two other boys earlier this month after schoolboy died in Clarendon StreetPolice in Scotland have arrested and charged a third teenager in connection with the death of 15-year-old Amen Teklay in Glasgow.The arrest of the 16-year-old boy follows the arrests of two other boys, 14 and 15, earlier this month. Continue reading...
Ebrahim Rasool, declared persona non grata by Washington, was surrounded by crowds at Cape Town airportThe South African ambassador who was expelled from the US and declared persona non grata by the Trump administration was welcomed home on Sunday by hundreds of supporters who sang songs praising him.Crowds at Cape Town International airport surrounded Ebrahim Rasool and his wife Rosieda as they emerged in the arrivals terminal in their home town, and they needed a police escort to help them navigate their way through the building. Continue reading...