International News

The U.K. will detail plans to broaden its energy sources this week as the war in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and a cost-of-living crisis forces countries across Europe to urgently revamp how they generate electricity and heat homes. The main focus will be on nuclear and wind power, two industries that haven’t been short of controversy. Government minister Grant Shapps said on Sunday he expects to see proposals for more nuclear reactors, including smaller capacity ones, and for scaling ...

Leading Australian businesses have announced major new investments totalling £28.5 billion in projects across the United Kingdom, as the Prime Minister hosts a UK-Australia investment roundtable at Downing Street this evening [Wednesday 30th March]. Today’s announcements follow from the Global Investment Summit hosted by the PM in October and the creation of the new Office for Investment. They underline the growing appeal of the UK’s dynamic economy and workforce for foreign...

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set out measures aimed at combating soaring energy, food and fuel prices, in his Spring Statement. He cut fuel duty by 5p but resisted calls to scrap April's National Insurance rise of 1.25p in the pound. He warned the UK's post-pandemic recovery had been blown off course by the war in Ukraine. But he held out the promise of an income tax cut in 2024 when he said the economy would be in better shape. Labour said he had made an "historic mistake" by ...

Millions of vulnerable people will begin receiving invitations for a fourth Covid jab. As of 7am this morning, immunosuppressed people and anyone aged 75 and over in England will be able to book their spring booster. This latest jab will be made available to around five million people, with 600,000 set for the call up this week. NHS teams will also be contacting care homes to arrange jabs after the UK’s top scientists recommended a spring top-up as a precautionary measure. Heal...

People looking for property in the UK could save as much as £1,400 by buying instead of renting, new research has shown. The latest housing research report from Halifax has revealed that annual home ownership costs were £1,378 ($1,807) cheaper than renting last year, with monthly costs for first-time buyers at £115. This is 13% lower than the cost of renting an equivalent home, and the difference could add up to more than £27,600 over a 25-year mortgage. The stud...

Diesel prices in the UK rose by an average of more than 2p in a day as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to affect global oil costs. The fuel jumped to a record £1.76 per litre on Tuesday, up from almost £1.74 on Monday. Petrol prices, which have also increased to record highs, rose to almost £1.65p a litre from about £1.64. The continuing price rises come amid warnings of potential global oil supply problems. Recent rises in the global price of oil h...

London offices are fuller than at any time since the start of the pandemic as the return to commuting gathers pace, data has revealed. Office occupancy reached 42 per cent last Thursday, exceeding the previous highwater mark of 40.1 per cent recorded on October 14 last year when London was still opening up after the third lockdown. Average occupancy was about 63 per cent before the first work-from-home order was issued by Boris Johnson in March 2020, but immediately fell to close to below 10 ...

Boris Johnson will meet leaders in Saudi Arabia later as he tries to build an "international coalition" against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The PM will discuss securing energy supplies from the region, saying the world needed to "wean itself off" Russian oil and gas. But Mr Johnson faced criticism for going on the trip due to the Saudi government's human rights record. On Saturday, they carried out a mass execution of 81 men in one day. A number of MPs called on the PM to ca...