UK consumer sentiment takes a tumble; bad weather threaten fruit supplies but boosts Morocco’s wheat crop – business live
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as UK households grow more worried about debtsUK consumer sentiment continued to sink this month, as households grow more worried about debt levels.A poll of consumer confidence from data firm S&P Global has found that morale continued to drop in February, although not as quickly as in January.Consumers signal stronger rise in debt alongside a quicker deterioration in loan availabilityAppetite for major spending recedes to weakest in ten monthsSentiment regarding labour market conditions at lowest since last June“The mood among UK households matches the dismal weather seen so far this year across the country. Although the overall degree of gloom has lifted slightly since January, consumer confidence continues to run at one of the lowest levels seen over the past two years.A period of prolonged rain and a dearth of sunshine have no doubt not helped to lift the low spirits seen among households, but there’s more going on here than just bad weather. Households are growing increasingly worried about debt in particular, especially as a rising need for credit was met with the steepest decline in availability of loans since August 2024. Continue reading...
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Government abandons plans to delay 30 local council elections in May – UK politics live
The government was warned by its lawyers that such a move could be illegalIn his Q&A with journalists, Keir Starmer was also asked to respond to a report by the BBC’s James Landale saying he is looking at plans to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by the end of this parliament. In the past Starmer has just said that he would like to do this at some point in the next parliament.In his reply, Starmer said that at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend he was arguing that the UK, and Europe as a whole, needs to “step up”.We want a just and lasting peace, but that will not extinguish the Russian threat, and we need to be alert to that, because that’s going to affect every single person in this room, every single person in this country, so we need to step up.That means, on defence spending, we need to go faster. Continue reading...
Trump is ‘deeply committed to your success’, Rubio tells Orbán during Hungary visit – Europe live
Rubio says relationship with Orbán is ‘vital for US national interests’ ahead of Hungarian elections in AprilBack to Budapest now. Marco Rubio and the Hungarian foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, appear to be signing an agreement to facilitate cooperation on a civilian nuclear programme.We’ll give you any key lines from the press conference. In the meantime, our European community affairs correspondent, Ashifa Kassam, has reported on the EU’s proposed deportation law that rights groups warn could intensify already widespread racial profiling across the continent. Here is an extract from her story:More than 70 rights organisations have called on the EU to reject a proposal aimed at increasing the deportation of undocumented people, warning that it risks turning everyday spaces, public services and community interactions into tools of ICE-style immigration enforcement.Last March, the European Commission laid out its proposal to increase deportations of people with no legal right to stay in the EU, including potentially sending them to offshore centres in non-EU countries. Continue reading...
Flying oranges: Italian town celebrates carnival with historic street battle
A town in northern Italy has started celebrating carnival with its annual Battle of the Oranges where people hurl the fruit at each other for fun.
Ticket Scam Cost the Louvre $12 Million, Investigators Say
The Paris prosecutor’s office said that a network involving museum employees and tour guides had been operating for a decade. Investigators also believe the fraud occurred at Versailles Palace.
U.S. Deports Nine Migrants in Secret, Ignoring Legal Protections
Most had court orders protecting them from removal to their home countries, so they were sent to detention in Cameroon.
Dozens of Australian ISIL relatives freed from Syria’s Roj camp
Families of 34 Australians are set to depart from Damascus, Kurdish authorities say.
Cyprus appeals to residents to cut water use by two minutes a day amid drought
Island’s reservoirs hit record lows even before tourist season starts as Cypriots are warned ‘every drop counts’Europe live – latest updatesAuthorities in Cyprus have urged residents to reduce their water intake by 10% – the equivalent of two minutes’ use of running water each day – as Europe’s most south-easterly nation grapples with a once-in-a century drought.The appeal, announced alongside a €31m (£27m) package of emergency measures, comes as reservoirs hit record lows with little prospect of replenishment before the tourist season starts. Continue reading...
UN staffers back Francesca Albanese, condemn European ministers for attacks
United Staff for Gaza, group of UN staffers, backs the special rapporteur after pro-Israel NGO floats disinformation.
Australian women and children sent back to Syrian detention camp after initial release
The group of 34 – families of dead or jailed extremists – were prevented from returning to Australia by ‘poor coordination’ with DamascusGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian women and children held for years without charge were forced to return to a detention camp in northeast Syria on Monday after being released by Kurdish authorities for their expected repatriation to Australia.The 34 women and children in the group are the wives, widows and children of dead or jailed Islamic State fighters and were being held at al-Roj camp, which is controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Continue reading...