CATEGORIES
The market is not sentimental. Aviva's takeover of Direct Line could be done by Christmas
Prepare for the dance. Aviva is a big grown-up FTSE 100 insurer with a respected chief executive who doesn't launch takeover offers on a whim; Amanda Blanc will have a strategy to go the distance.
Motorists paying over the odds for fuel, competition watchdog warns
UK motorists are paying more than they should for petrol and diesel even though global energy market prices have fallen in recent months, the competition watchdog has warned.
Shares in Direct Line soar after it rejects Aviva's £3.3bn offer
Direct Line shares soared yesterday by more than 40% on speculation that its rival Aviva could return with a higher takeover offer after its £3.3bn approach was rebuffed, as a flurry of deals lit up the London market.
FCA bows to pressure over 'name and shame' policy
The City regulator has bowed to pressure over plans to \"name and shame\" some companies it investigates, offering watered-down proposals that would give firms 10 days' notice and consider the \"potential negative impact\" of revealing their identities.
'We miss Merkel' Fans flock as the Ronaldo of politics returns to stage
For Finn Kulbatzki it was worth the wait. The business studies undergraduate queued outside Berlin's Dussmann bookshop for five hours before he was able to present his copies of Angela Merkel's autobiography Freedom, to her to sign.
Late Black Friday and Storm Bert hit November shop sales
The number of shoppers out and about in the UK fell for the second month in a row in November as the late timing of the Black Friday discount spree, Storm Bert and weak consumer confidence hit sales.
Romanian court orders recount of first-round presidential votes
Romania's top court has ordered a recount of votes in the first round of the presidential election to rule out fraud.
Armoured vehicle runs over woman in Maputo protests
A woman has been mown down by a military vehicle in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, as protests grip the southern Africa country weeks after an election that the opposition said was rigged.
Trump pick for defence chief used anti-Muslim rhetoric and promoted conspiracy theories
Donald Trump's defence secretary pick Pete Hegseth has put anti-Muslim rhetoric at the centre of several of his published books, according to a Guardian review of the materials.
Zuckerberg dines with president-elect at Mar-a-Lago
Mark Zuckerberg has become the latest former Donald Trump critic to go to Mar-a-Lago to break bread with the incoming US president.
Everyone tunes in' How Macy's festive parade became a national symbol
It was a sight to behold: elephants marching through New York City streets, thousands of spectators crushed four and five deep on the pavements hoping to get a glimpse of the creatures.
Sweden seeks 'clarity' from China after cables severed in Baltic Sea
Sweden has announced that it has sent a formal request to China for cooperation over the suspected sabotage of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.
French PM Barnier abandons electricity price rise in attempt to calm the far right
The French government has promised to scrap proposed tax increases on electricity as it scrambles to calm its far-right rivals and prevent a political crisis that could mean the prime minister, Michel Barnier, toppled in a no-confidence vote as early as next week.
Main parties neck and neck as Ireland prepares to go to the polls
Ireland goes to the polls today with voters expected to choose either a second term for the incumbent centre-right coalition, or a left-leaning government led by a resurgent Sinn Fein, the IRA's former political wing.
'This is victory' After a year of fighting and thousands killed, militia claims win
The Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah chose an iconic spot for his victory speech: the sports stadium in Bint Jbeil, not far from the Israel-Lebanon border, where in 2000 crowds roared as the group's then leader Hassan Nasrallah declared that it had ended Israel's 18-year-long occupation of south Lebanon.
Gaza aid Officials recall gangs looting flour trucks
Aid officials and witnesses have described the chaotic and violent moments when a convoy carrying enough flour to bake bread for two-thirds of the population of Gaza for a week was looted earlier this month.
Hezbollah keeping its hands 'on the trigger' amid frail ceasefire with Israel
Hezbollah has vowed to continue resisting Israel and is monitoring the Israeli army's withdrawal from south Lebanon \"with [our] hands on the trigger\", the militia said in its first comments since a ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday.
Family and royals pay tribute after photographer dies aged 17
A teenager whose pursuit of photography while being treated for terminal cancer led her to meet the Princess of Wales and work with the photographer Rankin has died.
Labour plans to divert money from rich areas to most deprived towns
Ministers have pledged to redirect cash from wealthy areas to England's most deprived towns and cities, reversing a trend established during a decade of austerity in a major shake-up of local government funding.
End of line? How quotas after Brexit devastated Irish fishing
Gale force winds gusting across the North Atlantic Ocean kicked up thick spumes of spray from the heaving swell soon after the Ocean Crest and Carmona trawlers left the main Irish fishing port of Killybegs in County Donegal.
Police say baby's body found in Salford was newborn girl
A baby whose body was found last week on the edge of a snow-covered field in Salford was a newborn girl, said police.
Fossils show two human ancestors were in same place at a similar time
About 1.5m years ago, a big-toothed cousin of prehistoric humans walked quickly along a lakeside in Kenya, footprints marking the muddy ground.
Notting Hill star Roberts rejected idea of divorce 'mini sequel'
The writer and director Richard Curtis has revealed that he had planned a follow-up to the romcom hit Notting Hill - in which the leading characters split up.
One in three support staff in schools suffer verbal abuse daily
Teaching assistants, librarians and catering workers are on the frontline of England's school behaviour crisis, experiencing daily abuse for low pay and long hours, according to a union representing school support staff.
'A better story' Starmer and McSweeney to reset Labour goals after bruising start
During a tetchy exchange at prime minister's questions this week, Keir Starmer was challenged by Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, over a petition signed by more than 2.8 million people calling for him to resign.
A fantasist - but still a danger Mixed picture of ineptitude and threat that spurred police to act
At the heart of the Daniel Khalife trial has been the question: is he an amateurish fantasist who convinced himself he was playing a game of chess with spies, or a serious figure in the global world of espionage?
Former soldier who escaped from jail found guilty of spying for Iran
A former soldier whose prison escape led to a prolonged manhunt in 2023 has been convicted of spying for Iran but cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax.
Klopp's house tops the most viewed listing on Rightmove
A home fit for football royalty and a Grade-I listed abbey are among this year's most-viewed properties on the listing website Rightmove.
Farage calls for MPs to debate reducing abortion time limit
Nigel Farage has said MPs should look at rolling back Britain's abortion limit from 24 weeks, in a signal that he could try to open up a debate about women's reproductive rights.
Spies targeted Navalny ally and passed secrets back to Russia, court hears
A \"sophisticated\" UK-based spy ring passed secrets to Russia for nearly three years and gathered information on targets across Europe, a court has heard.