News

More than 200 of HSBC’s small company customers were wrongly told they had to take out a business current account to be able to access a loan, the UK competition watchdog has revealed. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that HSBC breached banking rules over a nine-year period by telling small firms it was a lending requirement to have a business current account. The move – dubbed “bundling” – […]

It will be issued on April the 1st People in England who have a cough or cold are to be urged to “stay home and avoid contact with other people” under new Government guidance on Covid-19. Those who have a symptoms of a respiratory illness such as a high temperature or “who feel unwell” are being encouraged to stay home until they feel well enough to resume normal activities or […]

More than 1,000 people have been intercepted attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats in two days.   The UK authorities brought 395 people ashore from 12 boats on Monday, while another 101 people on four boats were intercepted by the French. A further 386 people on 12 boats were intercepted by the UK on Tuesday and 162 people from seven boats were stopped by the French. This […]

Investigators probing the January 6 insurrection at the US capitol have identified a roughly eight-hour gap in official records of then-president Donald Trump’s phone calls as the violence unfolded and his supporters stormed the building, sources have revealed. The gap extends from just after 11am to about 7pm on January 6 2021, and involves White House calls, according to someone familiar with the investigation. It is unclear if that gap […]

A formal review has been launched into the altercation between Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony, The Academy has announced. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it “condemned” the actions of Smith, who later went on to win the Oscar for best actor following the incident at the 94th annual movie awards. Smith stormed onstage and hit the comedian in front of a […]

Joe Biden has said he would make “no apologies” and was not “walking anything back” after his weekend comment that Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” in Russia. The US president insisted he was not calling for regime change in Moscow, adding: “I was expressing the moral outrage that I felt toward this man. I wasn’t articulating a policy change.” The president’s jarring remark about the Russian president, which came […]

Audiences will be treated to a human pyramid on a high wire as the Blackpool Tower Circus reopens following a £1 million refurbishment. The Lancashire venue will launch its 2022 season on Saturday with a new show, Circus Fiesta, featuring a host of new acts, directed by brothers Laci Jnr and Bubu Endresz. Laci Jnr said: “This season has all the makings of our best one yet. “Not only do […]

The “planned care” Heatherwood Hospital is in Ascot, Berkshire A new hospital aimed at reducing patient waiting times and cutting the NHS backlog, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, is set to open. The “planned care” Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, Berkshire, will be dedicated to non-emergency treatment and will prioritise patients who have been waiting longest. It will house six operating theatres, 48 inpatient beds and 22 day-case cubicles and provide […]

That's according to the The Equity Release Council New equity release customers will be able to make penalty-free partial loan repayments as standard if they wish to, on schemes recognised by a trade body. The Equity Release Council said the option to make penalty-free partial loan repayments will become a new “product standard” or prerequisite for plans it recognises. The move could increase the chances of homeowners using equity release […]