General News
Three dead as Hurricane Ophelia batters Ireland's southern coast
Ireland’s southern coast has been hit by a major storm caused by Hurricane Ophelia, leaving three people dead and hundreds of thousands of homes without power.
Younger generation suffering from growing debts, FCA head says
The Financial Conduct Authority has said that young people are increasingly having to borrow money in order to cover basic living costs.
Puigdemont defies Madrid deadline for clarification in Catalonia dispute
Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has ignored an ultimatum from Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy to formally clarify whether he has declared independence for the region.
May heads to Brussels for crunch Brexit dinner
PM Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Monday to attempt to break the Brexit deadlock between negotiating teams from the UK and the EU.
Uber to begin London operations appeal process
Ride-hailing service Uber has started an appeal process against the London authorities' decision to discontinue the car service's operations in London.
BBC told to up its game on UK-made and regional programming
The BBC must broadcast more original UK programmes, Ofcom said on Friday, under new rules designed to ensure the broadcaster offers “high-quality, distinctive” programmes for its entire audience.
Juncker: EU intervention in Catalonia would cause 'chaos'
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said any intervention from the EU in the political crisis in Spain would only serve to cause “more chaos”.
TfL releases timetable for oldest tube lines to receive newest signalling
Long-suffering commuters on some of the London Underground’s most extensive and complex lines were given at least a timetable for reprieve on Friday, with Transport for London confirming multiple test trains were running on the brand new signalling system on the subsurface routes for the first time.
TfL's open data boosts London economy by £130m a year
Transport for London’s provision of free, real-time open data is helping the capital’s economy by up to £130m a year, according to new data released on Friday.
Bitcoin soars to all-time high despite claims of a bubble
Bitcoin soared past the $5,000 threshold on Thursday to hit a record high, having started 2017 at $966.
North Korea issues fresh threat, says it's close to final goal
North Korea' foreign minister stoked renewed tensions in northeast Asia, saying the US president had set the region on a course towards war, adding that his country's nuclear weapons programme could never be a subject of negotiation and that Pyongyang was close to achieving a real balance-of-power with America.
Ofgem energy price cap could last through 2023
Downing Street's plan to freeze the cost of power to almost two-thirds of British households could potentially see energy regulator Ofgem cap standard variable tariffs to around 18m accounts until 2023.
Trudeau warns Trump over potential fallout from Bombardier spat
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump on Wednesday that he would stop his nation's military from purchasing any further aircraft from Chicago based aerospace giant Boeing if the White House insisted on moving forward with its plans to enforce a 300% import tariff on Bombardier aeroplanes into the US.
One million Brits to be protected by safeguard energy tariff
One million British households are set to save an average of £120 a year on their energy bills, Ofgem announced on Wednesday, as it confirmed an extension to its prepayment safeguard tariff for “more vulnerable people” this coming winter.
Madrid mulls response to Puigdemont's 'suspended independence'
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy will chair a special meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday after Catalan president Carles Puigdemont simultaneously declared and suspended independence for the region.
Weaker pound as a result of Brexit brings record numbers to the UK from abroad
Tourist promotion agency VisitBritain said on Tuesday that tourism in the UK had been at an all-time high throughout 2017 as almost 40m people visited the country from abroad.
Budget watchdog OBR says UK productivity estimates to be 'significantly' lower than forecast
A report released on Monday by government economic watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), said productivity growth in the UK would likely only experience a small amount of growth between 2017 and 2022.
Health experts call on Sadiq Khan to do more to improve air pollution in the capital
A new report by the Commission on the Future of London's Roads and Streets said that London mayor Sadiq Khan's plans to better manage pollution in the capital are not going far enough to serve the city's needs despite proposing "ultra-low emission zones" and assuring a cessation of further production of diesel-fuelled black cabs.
Catalan crisis reaches D-Day as Puigdemont set to deliver key speech
All eyes will be on Spain and Catalonia later today as Catalan president Carles Puigdmeont prepares a key speech in front of the regional parliament on the next stage of the independence movement.
France says it will reject Catalan independence move
France has said it will not recognise any declaration from Catalonia to separate from Spain, as regional officials weigh up whether to make a formal proclamation of secession.