A bitter dispute over repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline has blocked a vital €90bn EU loan to Kyiv.The row pits Hungary and Slovakia against Ukraine after a Russian strike damaged the Brody pumping station on 27 January and stopped all flows.Satellite images and local reporting show a giant storage tank at Brody — one of Ukraine’s largest — burned for days after the attack. Engineers...

Households face a sharp rise in energy costs from July, with consultancy Cornwall Insight projecting an increase of roughly £332 a year for a typical dual-fuel home.The firm estimates the annual bill under Ofgem's price cap for July to September would reach about £1,973, up from the current level of £1,641.Cornwall Insight is updating its outlook weekly because of large swings in wholesale...

Crown Princess Mette-Marit has spoken publicly for the first time since revelations about her ties to Jeffrey Epstein, saying she feels she was misled and expressing regret over the association.In a 20-minute interview with national broadcaster NRK, the 52-year-old royal said she wishes she had never met Epstein and apologised for not checking his background more carefully.She became emotional...

Health authorities have widened a meningitis B (MenB) vaccination campaign after an outbreak linked to a Canterbury nightclub, prompting long lines of university students seeking protection.The UK Health Security Agency now says anyone who visited Club Chemistry between 5 and 15 March is eligible for a jab.The offer has also been extended to sixth form pupils in affected areas and to people who...

Crown Princess Mette-Marit has agreed to speak publicly about her contacts with the late Jeffrey Epstein in an interview due to air on NRK on Friday.The conversation, filmed at the couple’s Skaugum residence alongside Crown Prince Haakon, comes as her son’s high-profile trial reaches its conclusion.Marius Borg Høiby’s seven-week trial in Oslo District Court began in February and has drawn...

The flare-up around Iran is already sending sharp ripples through the UK economy, touching everything from farmers' fuel supplies to homebuyers' mortgage deals.Even though Britain does not import Iranian gas, recent missile strikes have driven up global energy prices fast enough to affect domestic markets.Farmers are rationing red diesel and some mortgage offers have been withdrawn as lenders...

Missile attacks on Qatar's key energy hub at Ras Laffan have caused heavy damage to liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquids facilities, sending gas prices sharply higher and raising concerns about a prolonged hit to global supplies.Ras Laffan is Qatar's main LNG processing complex, handling roughly one-fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas.The site, near the North Field and about 80km...

King Charles has officially opened a new walking route that runs all the way around England’s shoreline.At 2,689 miles, Natural England says it is the longest managed coastal trail on the planet.Officially named the King Charles III England Coast Path, the route links beaches, salt marshes, cliffs, dunes and historic seaside towns. One highlight is the chalk downland of the Seven Sisters in...

A crippled Russian tanker loaded with liquefied natural gas and heavy fuel is drifting without a crew in the central Mediterranean, raising urgent alarm over the risk of a major ecological incident.Italian authorities, who joined eight other EU governments in urging the European Commission to act, say the vessel presents a severe and immediate danger after sustaining serious damage near Maltese...

Cyprus president Nikos Christodoulides said the island's two British military bases are a legacy of colonial rule and called for an open review of their status once the Middle East crisis eases.He made the remarks as he arrived in Brussels for an EU leaders' summit, signalling that talks with London will be on the agenda in due course.Under the 1960 treaty that granted Cyprus independence, the UK...