Lawyers call for clarity over law as six are found guilty while being stopped from using defence used by fellow activists Six environmental protesters were convicted after they were denied the ability to put a “reasonable excuse” defence or climate facts before the jury, despite these being afforded to other activists acquitted for taking part … Read more
Decision is bitter blow to Brazil ahead of fund’s launch at Cop30 – and an embarrassment to Prince William The UK will not contribute to a flagship fund for the world’s remaining tropical forests, in a bitter blow to the Brazilian hosts on the eve of the Cop30 climate summit. Keir Starmer flew to Belém, … Read more
EV drivers would face 3p-a-mile charge on top of other road taxes to offset falling revenue from petrol and diesel cars Rachel Reeves is considering using this month’s budget to announce plans for a pay-per-mile tax for electric vehicles worth an extra £250 a year on average. The proposals could mean EV drivers pay a … Read more
Report says proven technology could benefit thousands in poor quality housing and help UK meet carbon reduction targets Flooded disused coalmines could be a significant source of energy and provide cheap heat to thousands of homes, a new report argues. Mine water geothermal heat (MWGH) systems use the water in flooded coalmines, which is warmed … Read more
UK bank shares rise after reports, with chancellor wanting sector to remain competitive to help economic growth The chancellor has decided against increasing taxes on banks in this month’s budget, according to reports, which sent UK bank shares higher on Thursday. Shares in the high street banks NatWest and Lloyds rose by about 2%, putting … Read more
AI-inspired word joins ‘biohacking’, ‘Henry’ and ‘broligarchy’ on tech-heavy 2025 list “Vibe coding”, an emerging software development that turns natural language into computer code using artificial intelligence, has been named Collins dictionary’s word of the year for 2025. Lexicographers at Collins monitor the 24bn-word Collins Corpus, which draws from a range of media sources, including … Read more
Current site is due to be demolished to make way for housing in new disruption to city’s long trading tradition Every week, 80-year-old Frank catches a train from Walsall to Birmingham. He threads through gleaming shopfronts in Grand Central station and past the Bullring before slipping into the fish-scented bustle on the ground floor of … Read more
Breakdowns in communications and staffing and security issues show how years of neglect have pushed jails to breaking point The mistaken release of a second foreign prisoner has forced ministers to re-evaluate their security and release procedures and will once again shine a spotlight on the well-documented problems at HMP Wandsworth. Much of the concern … Read more
Close-run vote raises hopes of rates cut in December, with inflation said to have peaked at 3.8% There were reasons to be cheerful contained within the Bank of England’s latest verdict on the outlook for the UK economy, released alongside its decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 4%. Inflation, it said, had peaked at … Read more
Policymakers keep borrowing costs at 4% before crucial budget while also warning of persistent weak growth The Bank of England has opened the door to a December interest rate cut after signalling that inflation had peaked, as it kept borrowing costs unchanged before Rachel Reeves’s make-or-break budget. With less than three weeks before the chancellor’s … Read more