Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the government is drawing up contingency plans to shield the most vulnerable households if the war in the Middle East drives UK energy costs higher.Reeves warned the full economic fallout is still unclear but promised measures would focus on those most in need, while sticking to borrowing limits and a goal of keeping inflation and interest rates down.Households in...

A son of one of the victims of the Nottingham attacks told a public inquiry he discovered his father had been killed after receiving an Instagram message from a family friend.Valdo Calocane murdered three people in the early hours of 13 June 2023, killing 19-year-olds Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar before travelling across the city and stabbing 65-year-old school caretaker Ian...

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed claims he is set to take over at Real Madrid, calling the transfer whispers unfounded and saying there has been no contact from the Spanish club.Speaking in Munich at the Magenta TV World Cup team presentation, the former Liverpool manager said neither he nor his agent has been approached about the vacancy and that the rumours are misplaced.Klopp stepped away from...

A huge overnight attack by Russian forces has left at least five people dead and caused damage across 11 regions of Ukraine.Authorities said a drone strike on an electric train in Kharkiv killed a 61-year-old woman.Other fatalities were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and the Poltava region, where residential buildings and a hotel were hit. Zaporizhzhia was severely affected, with six drones...

The Irish government will temporarily reduce excise duty on fuel to ease pressure from recent price spikes.From midnight on Wednesday until the end of May, diesel duty will be cut by €0.20 per litre and petrol by €0.15 per litre.Cabinet approval is expected after leaders agreed the measure on Monday. Officials also plan a backdated rebate for haulage companies and bus operators to help...

Denmark went to the polls as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pursues a third consecutive term after calling an early election amid a surge in popularity following the diplomatic row over Greenland.Frederiksen’s Social Democrats remain the single largest party in opinion polls, but support has slipped since their strong 2022 result.Even with the lead, the party appears unlikely to secure the 90...

Mortgage borrowers, and first-time buyers in particular, are facing a sudden squeeze as lenders withdraw low-deposit deals and interest rates climb sharply.Industry data show more than 200 low-deposit mortgage products have been removed since 6 March, with one day seeing 52 deals pulled and another 30 taken off the market.Overall, over 20% of products available at the start of the month are no...

The Competition and Markets Authority has announced new rules forcing vets to be clearer about what they charge and who owns them.Under the reforms, written prescription fees will be limited to £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for each additional item.Practices will also need to publish clear price lists for common services such as consultations, routine procedures and cremation. A...

Slovenia has moved to limit how much fuel each motorist can buy, becoming the first EU member state to introduce nationwide rationing as regional tensions push up prices.The government says the measure responds to market disruptions driven by recent strikes in the Middle East that have shaken global energy supplies and sent pump prices higher.Under the new rules, private drivers may purchase up...

France's Socialist incumbents held onto the country's four biggest cities — Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Lille — in local elections that offered a boost to established parties ahead of next year's presidential contest.The results suggested a retreat from political extremes in many urban centres, even as the far left and far right made selective advances in other areas.Parties across the...