Rachel Reeves will draw the economic battle lines for the next general election on Tuesday, challenging the government’s claims that the economy is turning a corner when millions are still struggling with the cost of living. The shadow chancellor will accuse Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt of “gaslighting” the public with over-optimistic statements about the … Read more
Decades in the making, Europe’s housing crisis is being felt from the Netherlands to Portugal, Greece to Germany, and in Britain. Prices and rents have soared, availability and affordability have plunged and housing has become a political issue. Between 2010 and 2022, property prices across the 27-member bloc surged by 47%, according to a 2023 … Read more
Paris’s public transport authority has been accused of initiating ‘a bit of a racket’ after raising the price of Métro tickets by more than 85% and doubling the cost of bus tickets during the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. A single journey ticket in the Métro will rise from €2.15 to €4, while a … Read more
Dozens of former employees who say they were fired from Bowlero based on their age or out of retaliation plan to sue the bowling chain after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission closed its case against the company, the attorney representing the claimants said Monday. Bowlero, the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling centers, … Read more
Drivers tempted to bypass the official diversion for this weekend’s M25 motorway closure have been warned of potential ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) charges if they stray off course. The London orbital motorway is having its second ever planned closure, with a busy stretch in the south-west closed in both directions for works, potentially bringing long … Read more
Heineken is to spend £39m on reopening about 60 UK pubs and sprucing up “tired” locals in suburban areas in an effort to attract more consumers working from home. The firm, which has 2,400 pubs through its Star pubs and bars arm, plans to reopen 62 long-term-closed venues this year and upgrade 612 outlets, with … Read more
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser said Monday that consumer behavior has diverged as inflation for goods and services makes life harder for many Americans. Fraser, who leads one of the largest U.S. credit-card issuers, said she is seeing a “K-shaped consumer.” That means the affluent continue to spend, while lower-income Americans have become more cautious with … Read more
Ministers have announced plans that new non-domestic buildings in England must have single-sex toilets. Here we explain how the new law would work and what has motivated it. What will the new law require? New non-domestic buildings, including restaurants, shopping centres, offices and public toilets, will have to have separate facilities for men and women, … Read more
About 2,000 homes in Hastings are into their fifth day without water and will probably have to wait until at least Tuesday for their taps to be flowing again. On Thursday, 32,500 properties in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea were left without water after a mains pipe burst. On Monday Southern Water said about 25,500 of … Read more
The EU has restated its readiness to launch a trade war with China over imports of cheap electric cars, steel and cheap solar and wind technology, with Ursula von der Leyen saying the bloc will “not waver” from protecting industries and jobs after a meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on his multi-day tour … Read more
