3 h. ago Shock number of pubs & restaurants that may have to shut EVERY DAY unless Labour reverses business rates hike revealed

AN average of six pubs, ­restaurants or hotels will shut every day from April unless the Government reverses its business rates hike, industry leaders warn. Figures suggest 2,077 hospitality venues face being wiped out. They have survived in recent years due to government schemes giving them relief on business rates. But discounts are due to...

Events

3 h. ago Top Republicans denounce justice department’s criminal probe into Fed chair

Backlash builds as Trump administration’s prosecutors target head of US central bank

Politics

8 h. ago US bond markets should be in revolt. Fed independence matters

It is a perilous time to mess with the principle that rate-setters under an independent system should be free of political pressureEx-Fed chairs condemn Trump’s bid to weaken central bank’s independenceTrump’s attempts to influence Fed risk ‘70’s-style inflation and global backlash’Well said, Jerome Powell. The chair of the US Federal Reserve responded to news of a subpoena from the US Department of Justice with a statement that was extraordinary, necessary and stark.A criminal investigation into the Fed, and him personally, over the renovation of the central bank’s headquarters is an attempt to bully officials into setting policy according to the president’s whims, said Powell: “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions, or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago US bond markets should be in revolt. Fed independence matters | Nils Pratley

It is a perilous time to mess with the principle that rate-setters under an independent system should be free of political pressureEx-Fed chairs condemn Trump’s bid to weaken central bank’s independenceTrump’s attempts to influence Fed risk 1970s-style inflation and global backlash’Well said, Jerome Powell. The chair of the US Federal Reserve responded to news of a subpoena from the US Department of Justice with a statement that was extraordinary, necessary and stark.A criminal investigation into the Fed, and him personally, over the renovation of the central bank’s headquarters is an attempt to bully officials into setting policy according to the president’s whims, said Powell. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago UK Grok ban live: New criminal offence to tackle AI deepfakes, Liz Kendall announces, as Ofcom investigates X

Technology secretary labels sexualised images as ‘weapons of abuse’ and accuses Elon Musk’s social media platform of ‘monetising abuse’

Events

11 h. ago Paramount to nominate directors to Warner Bros board to vote against Netflix deal

Paramount also files lawsuit seeking disclosure of financial information related to $82.7bn agreementParamount Skydance plans to nominate directors to Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) board to vote against the approval of its deal with Netflix, and filed a lawsuit seeking disclosure of financial information related to the $82.7bn (£61.4bn) agreement.In a letter sent to WBD investors on Monday, Paramount said it will nominate directors for election at the company’s annual meeting, which is usually held in June, to try to derail the deal with Netflix, which was agreed in December. Continue reading...

Events

11 h. ago Fed Chair Jerome Powell vows to ‘stand firm in face of threats’ after Trump’s DOJ launches probe

Jerome Powell has said that the US Federal Reserve is being threatened with criminal indictment by the Trump administration.

Politics

12 h. ago Spanish police seize 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden in ship off Canary Islands

Haul represents country’s largest seizure at sea, with officers digging bales out from vast amount of saltSpanish police have made their largest-ever seizure of cocaine at sea after finding almost 10 tonnes of the drug hidden among a cargo of salt on a merchant ship off the Canary Islands.Detectives and anti-drug prosecutors investigating a multinational criminal group alleged to be exporting “enormous quantities” of cocaine from South America to Europe had identified a suspect ship that had set off from Brazil, the Policía Nacional said in a statement on Monday. Continue reading...

Events

12 h. ago Actor Timothy Busfield charged with child sexual abuse offense

Emmy-winning actor and director allegedly touched child inappropriately on set of The Cleaning Lady TV seriesAuthorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant recently for the director and Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield to face a child sexual abuse charge.An investigator with the Albuquerque police department filed a criminal complaint in support of the charge, which says a child reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately. The acts cited in the warrant – issued on Friday – allegedly occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a TV series Busfield directed and acted in. Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago Gold hits record high and dollar weakens on Fed independence worries

Wall Street futures also fall after US prosecutors launch criminal investigation into chair Jay Powell

Events

14 h. ago ‘Hundreds more’ federal agents being deployed in Minnesota after killing of Renee Good – US politics live

Kristi Noem says that more officers are being deployed amid protests in several citiesPowell announced on Sunday he is facing criminal investigation by federal prosecutors – a decision he said should be “seen in the broader context of the [Trump] administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.”Trump has repeatedly criticised the head of the Federal Reserve for refusing to set monetary policy according to his preferences. Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago Gold tipped to hit record $5,000 as probe into US Fed chief sends shockwaves through financial markets

Gold raced to a fresh record high and the dollar fell as a criminal investigation into the head of the US Federal Reserve fuelled fears over the central bank's independence.

Economics

16 h. ago Criminal investigation into Fed chair Powell has ‘reinforced’ concerns over independence, Goldman Sachs warns – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsJustice department opens investigation into Jerome Powell as Trump ramps up campaign against Federal ReserveIn the UK property sector, a higher proportion of homes in London were sold at a loss than any other region in England and Wales last year.Estate agency Hamptons has reported that nearly 15% of London sellers sold for less in 2025 than they originally paid, almost double the national average of 8.7%.Last year, the average homeowner in England & Wales sold for £91,260 more than they paid, a value increase of 41.0% over an average holding period of 9.0 years. This is £570 less than the 2024 average of £91,830.Stronger recent price growth in Northern regions has boosted returns, meaning many sellers in the North of England achieved proportionally higher gains than those in much of the South.Flat sellers were four times more likely to make a loss than house sellers in England & Wales (19.9% vs 4.5%). Continue readin...

Events

18 h. ago US futures slip while Asian shares gain as Fed chair Powell faces Trump legal threat

US futures experienced a dip on Monday, contrasting with gains across Asian markets, after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed the Department of Justice had served the central bank with subpoenas.

Politics

19 h. ago Dollar weakens after US prosecutors launch criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsJustice department opens investigation into Jerome Powell as Trump ramps up campaign against Federal ReserveGold has hit a new high around $4.600 an ounce; it’s up over 1.5% today, pushed up by the weaker dollar.The US dollar has dropped on the foreign exchange markets since news of the investigation into Powell hit the wires.Powell highlighted that the key issue is whether the Fed can continue setting interest rates based on economic data and evidence, or whether monetary policy will be directed by political pressure.I’m afraid we may be moving toward the second scenario. If the Fed becomes a political tool, with its chair replaced by a government puppet, that could further weaken appetite for the U.S. dollar and U.S. bonds. Continue reading...

Events

23 h. ago Fed chair Jerome Powell issues defiant response as federal prosecutors open criminal probe into central bank

Federal prosecutors in Washington have opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over whether he misled Congress about renovation of the Fed's headquarters.

Events

24 h. ago Justice department opens investigation into Jerome Powell as Trump ramps up campaign against Federal Reserve

Fed chair accuses DoJ of threatening criminal charges over building renovation projects because central bank defied Trump’s interest rate demandsThe Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, a significant escalation in Donald Trump’s extraordinary attack on the US central bank.Powell said the Department of Justice had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas on Friday, threatening a criminal indictment related to his testimony before the Senate banking committee in June last year, regarding renovations to the Fed’s historic office buildings in Washington DC. Continue reading...

Politics

25 h. ago Federal prosecutors open criminal probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell

President Trump has long pressured Powell to cut the central bank’s interest rates

Events

26 h. ago US prosecutors launch criminal investigation into Fed’s Powell

Central bank chair says grand jury subpoenas are retaliation for refusal to bow to demand to cut interest rates

Events

41 h. ago British seaside holidays will be killed off by Rachel Reeves and Labour's business rates hike, coastal MPs warn

The Chancellor is due to announce relief packages for pubs in the coming days but has been under mounting pressure to extend them to hotels, shops and restaurants.

Events