CATEGORIES

Direct Line rejects £3.3bn takeover offer from rival insurer Aviva

Direct Line has rejected a £3.3bn takeover offer from its bigger UK rival Aviva, the second time it has rebuffed a suitor this year.

Crisis pushes French bond risk premium to 12-year high

French sovereign borrowing costs have soared to the highest premium since the eurozone debt crisis amid political turmoil as the government faces the risk of collapse over a planned austerity budget.

Aston Martin eyes £210m investment for electrification

Aston Martin has announced it is hoping to raise £210m to help boost growth and drive its electrification strategy, shortly after issuing its second profit warning in two months.

Russia's rouble hits lowest rate since start of the war as new sanctions bite

Russia's rouble has plunged to its lowest rate against the dollar since the early weeks of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the wake of new western sanctions and growing geopolitical tensions.

Romania seeks to suspend TikTok after shock win by ultranationalist candidate

Romania's telecoms regulator is asking for TikTok to be suspended as the country's defence council prepares to discuss cyber risks to its elections, after a little-known ultranationalist came from nowhere to win the first round of the presidential vote.

Sinn Féin talks up prospects in election after taking poll leads

Sinn Féin is hoping to stage a last-minute revival in the Irish general election after it overtook the party led by the taoiseach, Simon Harris, in polls this week.

Ex-Man City striker on track to become Georgia's next president

The governing party in Georgia has picked a former Manchester City footballer as its candidate for president.

Plan to cut Berlin arts budget 'will destroy city's culture'

Plans to slash Berlin's culture budget by tens of millions of euros have led to a huge backlash, with leading venues saying they have been forced to cut performances and others warning they will be pushed into bankruptcy.

Gorka row Bolton hits out at selection of far-right 'conman'

Donald Trump's selection of the far-right commentator Sebastian Gorka for a senior national security post has prompted outrage even amid a stream of controversial cabinet nominations including conspiracy theorists, alleged sex traffickers and repeaters of Russian state propaganda.

Trump cabinet choices targeted by bomb threats and 'swatting'

Several cabinet nominees and appointees of Donald Trump's incoming administration were targeted with bomb threats and so-called \"swatting\" this week.

CIA Return to White House puts Russians used as spies in peril

For the past three years, the CIA has run an unusually bold outreach programme.

Police report accuses Bolsonaro of leading role in coup plot

Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has moved a step closer to jail after a police investigation laid bare what it called a murderous plot to explode the country's democratic system with a military coup that he allegedly helped mastermind.

Pelicot has split personality caused by childhood trauma, says defence in rape case

Dominique Pelicot, the French man on trial for drugging his wife and inviting strangers to rape her, has a split personality caused by the effect of childhood trauma, his defence lawyer argued yesterday.

Dozens of protesters shot dead, Imran Khan supporters say

Pakistan's army and police have been accused of firing on civilians, resulting in deaths and injuries to hundreds of protesters who stormed Islamabad to demand the release of Imran Khan.

'I feel Very blessed' Single women on why they opted to go it alone with IVF

It was Covid that gave Amy, 45, the final push to have fertility treatment on her own. \"I had been thinking about it for a while, and then with Covid, I thought: 'I'm never gonna meet anybody.' And I didn't really want to be that woman who's like: 'Hey, we've been on one internet date. Let's have a baby!'\"

Budget cuts raise fears of 'existential' threat to 46 beauty spots

Proposed budget cuts pose an \"existential threat\" to England's most beautiful landscapes, countryside managers warned yesterday.

Campaigners claim victory in fight to save 111-year-old club

Campaigners battling to save a much-loved community club have declared victory after successfully removing the threat of eviction.

Stage review JM Barrie's fantasy gets riotously overturned

I have seen regular productions of Peter Pan that treat the death of Tinker Bell more casually than it is handled here by the writer, director and star Johnny McKnight.

Smithfield Traders braced for end of capital's meat market after 900 years

The junction at Cowcross Street marks the place where for centuries cattle were driven daily to London's Smithfield market.

Police spy was 'cruel liar', says woman deceived into affair

An undercover police officer who deceived at least four women into sexual relationships and fathered a child with one of them is a \"cruel and manipulative\" liar, a public inquiry has been told.

Irish grave exhumed in search for former monk killed by IRA

A grave south of the Northern Ireland border has been exhumed by experts searching for the body of a former monk more than 50 years after he was \"disappeared\" by the IRA during the Troubles.

Hospital chief told Letby 'we have your back' to calm her father, inquiry hears

A hospital chief executive told Lucy Letby: \"We've got your back\" in an attempt to calm her father, who was furious that his daughter had been stopped from caring for babies.

'Low-risk' double killer guilty of murdering neighbour

A double killer freed from prison after being deemed a low risk by the Parole Board has been found guilty of murdering a charitable neighbour who gave him odd jobs to help his rehabilitation.

Cambridge Veterinary course risks losing accreditation

The University of Cambridge's veterinary course could be stripped of its professional accreditation after regulators uncovered \"ethical concerns\" over animal euthanasia and mishandling of complaints from students who reported racism and discrimination.

Come together? Lennon asked Clapton to form supergroup

John Lennon wanted Eric Clapton to join a supergroup alongside Phil Spector in the early 1970s in order to \"bring back the balls in rock'n'roll\", according to a letter to be auctioned.

Art review Dream on: the future ain't what it used to be

There's a popular meme of two lovers embracing against a digital field of sunflowers. Their pursed lips would be locked were it not for their bumping VR headsets. \"What if we kissed at the intersection of art and technology?\" the text reads.

Women 'bullied out of GMB', former staff allege

A dozen former and current GMB staffers and members are planning to complain to the equalities watchdog about what they say is institutional sexism and women being bullied out of their roles at the trade union.

Waitrose charts rise of posh staples for show-off pantries

Spruced-up versions of pantry staples such as extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and tinned fish have become middle-class lust objects for home cooks, according to a report.

Reform UK Study links poor road connections to party's wins

Every constituency that elected a new Reform UK candidate at the general election has experienced long delays to road improvement schemes and resulting congestion, a report has found, in a possible clue to the growing appeal of populist parties.

Too easy for PM to dodge Kemi's misfired broadside

It appears that Kemi Badenoch is a slow learner. The Tory leader has now had three attempts at PMQs and has yet to make an impact.