CATEGORIES

Rush to start work caused enormous cost overruns, says new boss of HS2

Enormous budget overruns on the HS2 high-speed railway have been blamed by its new chief executive on a \"rush to start\", as the Department for Transport admitted it did not know what the line would cost.

Lenders given a year to respond to complaints over car finance

The City regulator has given lenders a year to respond to the rising number of customer complaints over the way they were sold car loans, after a high court ruling left firms fearing a potential £30bn compensation bill.

Body Shop 'back for good' as relaunch brings early profit

The new boss of the Body Shop has told staff the struggling ethical beauty retailer is \"back for good\" after it recorded a profit in its first 100 days under new ownership.

Ofwat's hellish tightrope walk is a good result for ministers and firms. Bill-payers, not so much

Water bills in England and Wales were always going to rise massively.

Bank holds interest rate and warns of budget fallout and global trade wars

The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold as it warned UK growth is on the brink of stagnation amid the fallout from Rachel Reeves's budget and the threat of Donald Trump reigniting global trade wars.

Deal reached to save shipbuilder Harland & Wolff

A Spanish state-owned shipbuilder will buy Belfast-based Harland & Wolff in a deal that will secure all four of its shipyards and save 1,000 jobs.

Biden urged to offer blanket pardons to Trump's foes

Joe Biden is reportedly considering issuing blanket pardons to leading critics of Donald Trump, as Democrats urge him to shield colleagues they fear could face retribution from the president-elect.

Fighters linked to the Sudan army 'execute men in war crime'

Relatives and rights groups have accused fighters from an Islamist paramilitary force aligned with the Sudanese army of executing dozens of young men on suspicion of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Khartoum area.

Nigeria's sister act The Lijadus were stars of 70s pop. Now their music is finding new audiences

The sun is hot and traffic flows slowly as music enthusiasts make their way to Lagos's Jazzhole, a shop that has morphed into a cultural hub over decades. The crowd, many of them young, are there for a documentary screening celebrating the Lijadu Sisters, stars of the Nigerian music scene in the 1970s and 80s, whose music is making a comeback.

Putin claims Ukraine war has made Russia 'much stronger' in year-end marathon call-in

Vladimir Putin yesterday said the war in Ukraine had made Russia \"much stronger\" and denied that the fall of his key ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow's standing as he held a marathon year-end press conference and television call-in, seeking to project confidence at home and abroad.

Yemen At least nine killed in port city as IDF strikes at Houthi targets

Israel launched widespread airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in the early hours of yesterday, killing at least nine people in the port city of Hodeidah, and threatened more attacks against the group, which has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel over the past year.

Iran Tehran tries to regain influence over Syria's future

The Iranian government is attempting to salvage some influence with Syria's new leaders, as Tehran reels from its sudden loss of authority in Damascus after the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Israel accused of act of genocide over restriction of Gaza water supply

Israel's restriction of Gaza's water supply to levels below minimum needs amounts to an act of genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity, a human rights report has alleged.

A wide definition - but proving the offence is extremely difficult

The definition of genocide, outlined in a 1948 UN convention, has the twin properties of being quite vague on paper, while at the same time being extremely hard to prove in the international courts.

Parents who fail to engage with schools should be fined - report

The government should give teachers the power to fine parents if they don't engage with the school to tackle an \"epidemic\" of bad behaviour, according to the thinktank led by Tony Blair.

Flu cases risk overwhelming wards, nursing leaders warn

A surge in flu is causing problems for NHS hospitals in England and leaving a growing number of people in intensive care, amid warnings that festive gatherings will make things worse.

Call for new abortion law after couple sentenced for ordering pills

The prosecution of a young couple who were handed community orders at Gloucester crown court more than six years after the stillbirth of a baby has led to renewed calls for abortion law reform in England.

Crossbow killing suspect facing rape charge

A former soldier accused of murdering the wife and two daughters of a BBC commentator has been further charged with raping one of the women killed.

'Huge task': MPs to look at special educational needs reform in England

'What we are hoping to do is to focus on where reform is needed, what good practice looks like' Helen Hayes Labour MP

Four teenagers jailed for mistaken-identity murders in Bristol

Four teenagers have been jailed for life for murdering two boys in a case of mistaken identity in Bristol.

Starmer defends Tulip Siddiq after corruption claims from Bangladesh

Keir Starmer has given his full support to Tulip Siddiq, the Treasury minister, after Bangladesh's anti-corruption commission accused her and her family members of embezzling billions as part of a deal for a nuclear power plant.

Minister warns over allegation of threats to British Sikhs

The UK will not tolerate attempts by foreign countries to intimidate British citizens, the security minister has warned, after a number of Sikhs complained they were being targeted either by or on behalf of the Indian government.

Horizon inquiry Post Office spent £130m taxpayers' cash on defence

The Post Office has spent more than £130m of taxpayers' money defending itself at the inquiry into the wrongful prosecution of more than 900 workers, new figures have revealed.

Past PMs had obfuscated and whined before this grilling of grillings. But this was Keir Time

An appearance before the liaison committee – the supergroup of select committee chairs – is usually something that strikes fear into any prime minister.

Hospices to get more than £100m extra funds amid fears of closures

Hospices in England will receive a £100m-plus funding boost amid worries that some end-of-life services could close because of the increase in employer national insurance contributions and wage rises.

Creatives reject plan to ease copyright law for training AI systems

Writers, musicians, photographers, film producers and news organisations have rejected the government's plan to create a copyright exemption to help artificial intelligence companies train their algorithms.

Spending plans Did suppliers get what they asked for?

The five-yearly price review is critical for the 11 combined water and sewage companies in England and Wales, determining how much they can spend amid intense scrutiny of the sector.

Thames Water Company must pay £18.2m for dividend breach

Thames Water will have to pay an £18.2m penalty after the industry regulator confirmed the company had breached dividend rules.

Firms and Ofwat accused as average water bill to rise by 36% over five years

Water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of 36% over the next five years, as suppliers are accused of forcing struggling households to pay for years of underinvestment to fix leaky pipes and reduce pollution.

'A lot of us are struggling' 58,000 homes high and dry as network fails again

\"It feels awful,\" said Samantha Hargreaves as she trundled her bottle-laden trolley past queues of cars waiting for drinking water in an Asda car park.