Two years after Dutch schools removed smartphones from the school day, teachers and education officials are reporting calmer corridors and sharper attention in class.Devices including phones, smartwatches and tablets are now kept out of classrooms, hallways and cafeterias across the country as part of a nationwide agreement reached with schools, parents and teachers rather than through new...

Larry Fink, chief executive of asset manager BlackRock, warned that oil at around $150 a barrel would likely push the global economy into a deep downturn.He told the BBC that if tensions with Iran persist and energy prices remain elevated, the fallout would be severe for growth and living standards.Fink, who runs a firm with about $14 trillion under management, outlined two broad paths for the...

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...

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...

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...

The Irish government has announced a temporary cut to fuel excise duties to ease pressure from a recent spike in pump prices linked to conflict in the Middle East.From midnight on Wednesday until the end of May, excise on diesel will be lowered by 20 cent per litre and petrol by 15 cent per litre.Cabinet will consider the measures on Tuesday after they were agreed at a leaders' meeting earlier...

A leading offshore trade group has urged the UK government to allow more North Sea oil and gas activity, warning that shrinking domestic output is leaving the nation exposed to volatile global markets.Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said recent supply shocks and rising crude prices have underlined the need for more home-grown hydrocarbons to reduce import dependence.The trade body pointed to...

A major trade agreement signed this week will send more Australian beef to Europe by removing most export tariffs and easing market access.The pact, negotiated over about eight years, is valued at roughly A$10 billion and was finalised on Tuesday.Nearly all EU duties on a range of Australian farm products will be eliminated, covering wine, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, seafood, most dairy, and...