CATEGORIES

Calls for supermarket ban on plastic wrap for fresh produce

Supermarkets should be banned from selling fresh produce such as bananas, apples and potatoes in plastic packaging so we can go back to shopping \"like our nan\", according to the anti-waste charity Wrap.

Fashion retailer N Brown agrees £191m takeover by member of founding family

The Simply Be and JD Williams fashion retailer N Brown Group has agreed a £191m takeover by a member of its founding family, Joshua Alliance.

Students struggle with costs after hack leads to loss of discounted fares

Students in London fear they may have to abandon their school and university courses to save money after a cyberhack on Transport for London's IT systems left them unable to apply for discounted travelcards.

New 'buy now, pay later' rules to protect shoppers from 2026

Shoppers who use \"buy now, pay later\" loans are to get new safeguards against unaffordable borrowing and credit card-style protection for their purchases, under rules outlined by the UK government.

Pension pots raided over fear of tax changes in budget, say financial firms

Savers have started to withdraw cash from their pension pots amid fears over potential tax changes in the budget, according to two investment companies.

ECB cuts interest rate to prop up sluggish eurozone economy

The European Central Bank has intervened to prevent a sharp slowdown in the eurozone economy with its first back-to-back interest rate cut since the euro crisis in 2011.

Three years on New Zealand gripped by hunt for fugitive and his children

It is a question that has gripped New Zealand for three years, and one that has become more urgent over the past week. The country is desperate to know where fugitive father Tom Phillips is and why - after three winters spent hiding in rugged backcountry with his three young children – he hasn't been caught.

Negative stereotypes in media 'cost Africa up to £3.2bn a year'

Africa loses up to £3.2bn yearly in inflated interest payments on sovereign debt owing to persistent negative stereotypes that dominate international media coverage of the continent, according to a new report.

US poll Harris holds lead among black voters in key states

A poll has revealed that Kamala Harris continues to lead Donald Trump among black likely voters in battleground states.

Harris promises break from Biden in Fox News interview

Kamala Harris said her presidency \"would not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency\" in a testy interview with the rightwing Fox News channel on Wednesday night as she criticised Donald Trump over his continuing threats against “the enemy within”.

'Autocrat-proofing' Democratic leaders work to protect cities if Trump is elected"

Senior Democrats in US cities are preparing to defend their communities in the event of Donald Trump's return to the White House after the former president has repeated threats that he would use presidential powers to seize control of major urban centres.

'I won't pay it' Flood-hit Italians' fury at obligatory insurance plans

It was 2am when the parish priest, Giovanni Samorì, was woken by a phone call from the mayor of Traversara ordering him to ring the church bells. The traditional call now forms part of the civil protection procedure deployed by many Italian towns. Its aim: to warn residents of impending calamity. As torrential rain pounded the village, Samorì sprang into action, a task he compares to “sounding the death knell”. It worked: the evacuation of Traversara's 480 residents was swift and - despite the priest's feeling of foreboding - there were no deaths.

Watchdog investigates Facebook posts against immigrants

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta must answer \"serious questions\" about its handling of anti-immigration material, according to the company's content watchdog, as it opened an investigation into two Facebook posts.

Leaders clash at EU summit as offshore migration 'return hubs' top policy agenda

European leaders yesterday sparred over the controversial idea of processing asylum seekers offshore at a summit dominated by plans to toughen up EU migration policy.

Bloc's borders Why they are back in the news

Why has immigration become such a big issue again? Only this April, the EU finalised its new “asylum and migration pact” after almost a decade of often fraught negotiations.

Post Office 'used racist term for black workers until 2016'

Language in an infamous Post Office document that categorised branch operators as \"negroid types\" was common in the public sector from the 1980s but continued to be used in the scandal-hit organisation until 2016, an inquiry has heard.

Police ignored warnings over novichok at second incident, inquiry hears

Police officers urged paramedics and firefighters to treat the second novichok incident in 2018 as a drug overdose despite warnings from the ambulance and fire services that it had similarities to the first poisoning four months earlier in Salisbury, a public inquiry heard yesterday.

Body of man found in debris of Newcastle flats destroyed by explosion

A body of a man believed to be in his 30s has been found in the debris of flats destroyed in an explosion.

"'Race science' group obtained vast cache of UK health data, footage suggests

Fringe researchers advocating \"nefarious” theories that intelligence is based on race have obtained data from a trove of sensitive health information donated by half a million British volunteers, according to undercover footage.

'A very hard man' Life of leader who plotted surprise attacks

Within days of the 7 October attacks last year, Israeli investigators identified Yahya Sinwar, then the military leader of Hamas and in Gaza, as the mastermind of the surprise attacks on Israel.

Vaping Tax could rise to deter use by children

Rachel Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month, as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes.

archbishop to MP to meet discuss assisted dying bill

The archbishop of Canterbury is to meet the architect of a parliamentary bill to legalise assisted dying after he described a change in the law as dangerous.

Philanthropist confirms he paid to bring Salmond's body home

Sir Tom Hunter, one of Scotland's wealthiest men, has confirmed he has paid for Alex Salmond's body to be flown home from the Balkans.

Disease control rules criticised after bird flu outbreak in pheasants

The most serious outbreak of bird flu this year has been found in a group of pheasants in England, sparking criticism of the loose restrictions around their rearing.

Director of IFS thinktank to stand down after 14 years

The longstanding head of Britain's most influential economics think-tank and one of the most influential figures in Westminster politics, Paul Johnson, is to stand down next year.

DHL fires could be sign Russia aims to 'create havoc', expert warns

Russia is aiming to disrupt western confidence if it is proved to be behind an incendiary device plot in which two parcels caught fire at DHL sites in Birmingham and Leipzig in July, an expert has said.

After One Direction, Payne was just getting started. His death is a heartbreaking end

If a quarter of a century of reality TV talent shows has taught us anything, it's that success in them is seldom a guarantee of lasting fame: more often than not, the celebrity is fleeting, and confined to the country of the show's origin.

Liam Payne died from injuries caused by fall from balcony, tests show

Liam Payne died of multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding caused by a fall from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, the Argentinian prosecutor's office has said.

"'In shock' Tributes in Argentina and star's home town

The street of the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, where former One Direction singer Liam Payne fell to his death, was quiet yesterday morning.

AI mediator tool could help reduce 'culture war' divisions, say developers

Artificial intelligence could help reduce some of the most contentious \"culture war\" divisions through a mediation process, researchers claim.