4 h. ago Banking shares rise after car loan scandal firms are handed a lower

FTSE 250 lender Close Brothers closed up 5.4% while Lloyds Banking Group gained 3.7% and Barclays rose 1.1%.

Economics

19 h. ago ‘Sweat, dirt and grape juice – it’s incredibly rewarding’: volunteer harvesting on a vineyard in France

Grape picking in the Côtes du Rhône wine region is hard physical work, but it’s steeped in camaraderie – which is why so many return every autumn to help outThe wind whips the grapevines, turning my meditative picking stance into a full-body workout. I firmly plant my legs, stabilising a thrashing branch with my left hand as my right snips off a bunch of grapes. Local people claim the roaring mistral wind makes you crazy, which I can appreciate as each arid gust chaps my lips and desiccates my eyes.I’m at Domaine Rouge-Bleu, an organic vineyard in the Côtes du Rhône wine region in southern France. I have volunteered for les vendanges, the autumnal grape harvest where backbreaking work is doused in camaraderie. Continue reading...

Events

32 h. ago Up to 14m car loan scandal victims in line for average £700 payout, City regulator announces

City regulator unveils compensation scheme for motorists who bought cars via discretionary commission deals from 2007 to 2024Victims of the UK’s car finance scandal are likely to receive compensation payouts averaging £700 resulting from 14m unfair loans, the City regulator said on Tuesday.The payouts would be less than previously expected, but the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said lenders could be landed with an £8.2bn compensation bill, which could go as high as £9.7bn. Continue reading...

Economics

33 h. ago Tron: Ares review – even Gillian Anderson can’t slap this mind

Pointless threequel delivers a leaden cameo from a white-robed Jeff Bridges and an irritating turn from Jared Leto as a hipster-haired humanoid The matrix of pointlessness is reloaded in this mind-bendingly dull sci-fi, more a screensaver than an actual film. It’s a threequel to the original movie Tron from 1982, a film that was mould-breaking and boldly pioneering for its day in a way that eludes this one and its predecessor Tron Legacy from 2010. Tron: Ares (almost) comes to life just once – when Evan Peters gets a smack in the face from Gillian Anderson playing his mum, in an old-fashioned bit of analogue reality. That’s a bit of firm parenting you might feel like handing out to every producer involved in this film, and it’s sad to see the estimable Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith being made to look so lifeless.The situation now is that an evil AI corporation with the unsubtly gangster-ish name of Dillinger has become a rival to the virtual reality firm Encom, originally set up ...

Science

7 d. ago Most Aggressive Dogs: Here are the 15 breeds of dog most likely to display aggression

These breeds can all be loving pets - but need a firm hand to bypass their natural aggression.

Politics

2 w. ago Barry Ferguson fires back at Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers for 'unnecessary' attack as Rangers hero speaks out

Russell Martin was handed a firm defence by Rodgers following a lacklustre start to his Ibrox tenure

Events

2 w. ago BMW: car finance compensation for drivers as manufacturer sets aside £200m for loan scandal payout claims

Millions of motorists could soon pocket refunds 💷

Economics

2 w. ago Conor McGregor going to Supreme Court in bid to overturn civil rape verdict

Conor McGregor is to appeal to the Supreme Court in a bid to overturn a civil jury finding that he raped Nikita Hand, according to his legal firm Mulholland Law

Events

3 w. ago Guyana found huge oil reserves 10 years ago, so why are most people still poor?

With a ‘one-sided’ deal handing vast profits to the world’s top oil firms, many Guyanese ask when the energy bonanza will benefit themOn 18 July, the International Chamber of Commerce approved the attempt by the US energy multinational Chevron to replace Hess Oil as a stakeholder in one of the world’s largest offshore oilfields, Guyana’s Stabroek, as part of its $55bn (£41bn) acquisition of the smaller company.Yet, as Chevron executives celebrated joining Exxon and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) as in producing Guyana’s daily oil output of 650,000 barrels, the response from the Guyanese government, opposition leaders and environmentalists was muted. Continue reading...

Politics