Thinktank: Help to Buy Failed the Poor

Higher-income households were the biggest beneficiaries of George Osborne’s Help to Buy mortgage schemes, introduced in the 2010s, according to an analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank. Launched by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government in 2013, Help to Buy involved two separate schemes aimed at making home ownership more achievable in a period...

Read more

IMF: Iran War Threatens Global Recession

A further escalation in the Iran war could trigger a global recession that would affect the UK more than any of the other G7 nations, the International Monetary Fund has warned. Against an increasingly volatile backdrop, the Washington-based fund said the economic damage from the Middle East conflict was steadily rising as it cut its growth forecasts...

Read more

Rockstar breach downplayed after hack

Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games has been targeted for a second time in three years by hackers. The data breach affecting the gaming giant was reported by cybersecurity news outlets on Saturday, after a group of hackers claimed responsibility for the hack. In posts viewed by outlets, the criminals said they gained access to...

Read more

EasyJet passengers hit by EU border ‘nightmare’

Passengers forced to spend thousands of pounds to return to the UK after their EasyJet flight left without them said border control delays caused by the European Union’s new entry-exit system had been a “nightmare”. More than 100 people missed their flight to Manchester from Milan’s Linate airport on Sunday while stuck in what the...

Read more

Crude above $100 after talks fail

Oil prices surged by more than 7% back above $100 a barrel on Mondayafter US President Donald Trump ordered the blockading of Iranian ports following the failure of peace talks between Washington and Tehran. Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, jumped to $102.02 a barrel (£75.91), while West Texas Intermediate rose by 7.5%...

Read more

Outrage as War Becomes a Betting Market

Millions of dollars are being wagered on global conflicts through online prediction platforms, raising serious ethical concerns about the commodification of war. At the centre of the controversy is Polymarket, where users are placing large bets on real-world events—from battles in Ukraine to tensions in the Middle East. In one striking example, more than $500,000...

Read more

UK Homes Rush to Green Energy

Households across Great Britain are adopting green energy solutions at record levels as soaring fuel prices push families to cut costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The surge follows the escalation of the Iran crisis 2026, which has driven global oil and gas prices sharply higher. As a result, energy bills in Britain are...

Read more

US Refinery Processes Venezuelan Oil Again

The Minerva Gloria is docked at a wharf in the Mississippi Sound, not far from the US’s vast oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship, 820ft (250m) long, painted navy and burgundy, is carrying precious cargo from Venezuela that, just six months ago, would have been impossible to bring to the US –...

Read more

Meta Removes Addiction Lawsuit Ads

Meta says it has removed adverts by law firms on its social media platforms which seek clients for future lawsuits related to social media addiction. The Facebook owner has recently lost two large-scale lawsuits, including a landmark trial in California in which a young woman successfully sued Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media. In...

Read more

Headline:US Inflation Surges on Fuel Prices

Inflation in the United States has risen to its highest level in nearly two years, driven mainly by a sharp increase in fuel costs linked to rising global oil prices. According to the latest data from the U.S. Labor Department, consumer prices increased 3.3% in the 12 months to March, up from 2.4% in February....

Read more

Retail Staff Demand More Security After Sacking

Retail workers have called for more security guards in stores after a Waitrose worker was sacked for confronting a shoplifter.Waitrose has been criticised over its treatment of Walker Smith after the Guardian reported he was fired two days after he stopped a shoplifter taking items from an Easter egg display, including Lindt chocolate bunnies.Joanne Thomas,...

Read more

Subsidised Energy for UK Households Proposed

In order to cut rising bills all UK households should receive a minimum amount of energy at rates subsidised by the government through North Sea taxes, a thinktank has suggested.Providing all homes with enough energy to heat two rooms, provide hot water and run key appliances such as a fridge and washing machine, at rates...

Read more

Ceasefire Has Little Impact on Hormuz Shipping

There will be no “mass exodus” of ships through the strait of Hormuz, shipping analysts say, despite a two-week conditional ceasefire being agreed between the US and Iran with provision for the temporary reopening of the crucial maritime channel. Tehran said on Wednesday that it would offer safe passage in coordination with its armed forces, though its...

Read more