Market watchdog offers hope to leaseholders in 'feudal' ground rent trap

Britain's competition watchdog has said ground rent is \"neither legally nor commercially necessary\" and that the government may need to step in to protect consumers from soaring costs.

Seven-day opening to end at Metro Bank as job cutsrise to 1,000

Job cuts at Metro Bank will total 1,000 and its seven-day branch model will end, nearly tripling its cost-cutting plan after its autumn rescue deal.

Private equity groups collect millions to run publicly funded rape referral centres

Millions in taxpayer funds are being paid to private equity-backed firms to provide specialist support services for rape and sexual assault victims, with charities concerned over the profits made by investors on these contracts, the Guardian can reveal.

Cat in a vat: warning over danger toxic feline of in Fukuyama

It could be the opening scene from a new Marvel film. Residents of a Japanese city have been warned not to approach a missing cat that appears to have fallen into a vat of toxic chemicals before scampering off.

Little enthusiasm as latest primaries secure Biden-Trump rematch

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump won primary elections in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state on Tuesday, solidifying a rematch a majority of voters do not want.

Haiti crisis An endless cycle of burning streets and vying elites

The announcement of a new transitional council to rule Haiti, as prime minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation amid a violent gang uprising, has brought a strong sense of deja vu.

First ship carrying vital food and medicine from Cyprus to Gaza Strip will arrive today

A ship carrying aid to people in Gaza is expected to reach the shoreline of the coastal strip today, about 48 hours after it left Cyprus, and shortly after the EU foreign policy chief said starvation was being used as a weapon of war.

Black Sea Russian naval chief sacked after Ukraine targets ships

The Kremlin fired its top naval commander after a series of spectacular attacks by Ukraine on Russia's Black Sea fleet, Russian media has reported.

Crimea A decade of occupation dims hopes of territory ever being recaptured

Ten years of the Crimean Spring,\" say billboards around the Crimean peninsula. \"It all started with us.\" The Russian presidential election, to be held over three days at the end of this week, coincides with the 10-year anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. The swift seizure of the peninsula in March that year, Vladimir Putin's response to the Maidan Revolution in Kyiv, was indeed the beginning of 10 years of military action against Ukraine.

Lithuania says Putin was behind hammer attack on Navalny aide

Lithuania has blamed Moscow for the bloody hammer attack on a longtime aide to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny outside his home in Vilnius.

Coren Mitchell says Ovo Energy overcharged her by 'thousands'

The writer and broadcaster Victoria Coren Mitchell has indicated she may take legal action after claiming her energy provider, Ovo Energy, wrongly pocketed thousands of pounds \"that they were not owed\".

Ministers introduce bill to acquit victims of Horizon scandal

Ministers have introduced legislation to quash the convictions of hundreds of post office operators who were prosecuted during the Horizon scandal.

Headteacher apologises for 'unacceptable' school meals

A headteacher in Southampton has vented his anger to parents over the poor quality of food served by his secondary school's contract caterers, saying: \"I keep asking myself, how difficult is it to bake a potato?\"

Take a plunge: researchers suggest cold therapy may have benefits

Whether plunging themselves into ice baths or hyperventilating and then holding their breath, devotees of Wim Hof, known as the Iceman, are evangelical about the physical and mental benefits these practices bring.

Even short suspensions linked to poorer GCSEs, study shows

Children suspended from school in England even for short periods see their GCSE results suffer, according to research that highlights the need for early intervention to cut suspensions.

'I had no choice' Many parents feeling forced to home school their children

Julie, a 47-year-old counsellor and mother of two from Northamptonshire, made the drastic decision to take her daughter out of school last June, before the end of year 3.

Theatre review Diamond-geezer alter ego takes intoxicating control

Twenty years after Billy Crudup played an English actor in the fi lm Stage Beauty , set in Restoration London, the US star makes his West End debut as Harry Clarke, a man fuelled by dirty martinis and carnal desire, in David Cale’s 2017 monologue.

Campbell 'stressed out' by V&A show in honour of supermodel

Naomi Campbell has said she feels “overwhelmed and stressed out”, as tickets go on sale for an exhibition in her honour.

'I feel sick': woman is told her grandmother may be among bodies at Hull funeral home

A bereaved granddaughter has said she feels “physically sick” after learning that her grandmother’s body is believed to have been found alongside 34 others in a funeral home at the centre of a major police investigation.

Wrexham on track for direct trains to London next year

Direct trains could connect Wrexham to London from next year, with a new service capitalising on the town’s Hollywood-meets-football mini-boom.

US House in vote to ban Tik Tok over China ties

The House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would require the TikTok owner Byte Dance to sell the social media platform or face a total ban in the United States.

Groucho heads north: famed London club to open its first outpost in West Yorkshire

The Groucho Club, the private members’ club known for its hell-raising 39-year history in the heart of London is expanding for the first time to an unlikely location: the heart of the West Yorkshire countryside.

Boost for hopes of end to recession as GDP rises in January

A surge in high street and online spending helped Britain's economy return to growth in January, boosting hopes that the recession of late 2023 will be short-lived.

Alarm as extremism definition is unveiled

Ministers and civil servants will be banned from talking to or funding organisations that undermine “the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy” under a new defi nition of extremism criticised by the government’s terror watchdog and Muslim community groups.

Ministers plan law to halt bid for Telegraph

The UK government plans to introduce legislation that would prevent foreign governments owning UK newspapers and news magazines in a significant move that could scupper the planned £600m sale of the Telegraph to a United Arab Emirates-backed consortium .

Abbott accuses Tories of 'playing race card' as Hester row intensifies

Diane Abbott has accused the Conservatives of aiming to “play the race card” in the general election, saying the abuse she faced from the Tory donor Frank Hester epitomised this approach.

Trossard leveller takes Arsenal tie to the wire against tenacious Porto

It was ugly, extraordinarily tense, exponentially so. As extra time loomed, the battle lines long since drawn, everybody knew that it would take just one moment to prise apart these warring parties, to deliver a defining victory. Maybe it would follow a mistake and nobody wanted to make one of those.

Champions League draw too complex for humans

The new expanded Champions League format is so complex that the draw will be made by computer, after Uefa found it would take up to four hours without digital assistance.

Edwards provides the golden sky for Reds after Klopp storm

Manager and his staff may be leaving Liverpool but former sporting director can minimise major disruption

Kim held PGA Tour talks before joining LIV circuit

Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour's commissioner, has revealed Anthony Kim rejected the option of playing his way back on to the circuit before signing with LIV Golf.