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  • French inflation seen at 1.4% in 2025, budget minister says

    French budget minister Amelie de Montchalin said on Wednesday the government was targeting inflation of 1.4% this year and aiming for public spending cuts of between 30 billion euros ($30.9 billion) and 32 billion euros in the 2025 budget. Montchalin also told TF1 television that the government was hoping to get a deal on the 2025 budget in parliament by end-January. On Tuesday, during a speech to Parliament, French PM Francois Bayrou opened the door to renegotiating the disputed pension reform in a bid to win over left-wing lawmakers he needs to pass the 2025 budget.

  • Gaza ceasefire appears close as US, Egyptian leaders put focus on 'coming hours'

    Negotiators were trying to hammer out the final details of a ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday after marathon talks in Qatar, and U.S. and Egyptian leaders promised to stay in close contact about a deal over the coming hours. More than eight hours of talks in Doha had fuelled optimism. Officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. as well as Israel and Hamas said an agreement for a truce in the besieged enclave and release of hostages was closer than ever.

  • UK politics live: Boost for Reeves as inflation falls after No 10 refuses to rule out emergency budget

    The Consumer Prices Index figure fell to 2.5%, still above the Bank of England’s 2% target

  • Surprise fall in UK inflation to 2.5% eases pressure on Rachel Reeves

    After week of turbulence in markets, ONS data shows prices rose at slower rate last month than in November

  • Inflation rate dipped to 2.5% in December

    The rate is still well above the Bank of England’s target of 2% but could open the door to another interest rate cut next month

  • Passengers Baffled as Falcons Board International Flight

    A passenger flying from Qatar to Morocco recently was baffled when he thought he saw two passengers carrying “eagles” in the plane’s cabin.This footage captured on Saturday, December 28, and posted to TikTok by Ryan Orlove shows the two passengers with what were actually falcons perched on their arms. Orlove said the men were disembarking at the end of an eight-hour flight.“I didn’t smell or hear them at all,” Orlove told SWNS. He said that people commented under his TikTok video that falcons are often flown in business- or first-class in the Middle East for competitions or hunting trips.According to the Visit Qatar website, falcons are the national bird of Qatar, with the historic sport of falconry still practiced in the country today. Credit: Ryan Orlove via Storyful

  • Inflation falls slightly after two months of rises

    There's been a surprise fall in inflation to 2.5% after two months of rises, official figures show. It means prices are still rising but at a slower pace than before, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for December. Inflation is still above the 2% target of interest rate setters at the Bank of England but exactly as they had forecast in November.

  • Arvin City Council debates controversial flock cameras for surveillance

    The City of Arvin discussed the potential use of flock cameras amidst concerns about data sharing with immigration authorities and decided to table the discussion for further review.

  • Mortgage increase calculator: find out how much your bills could rise

    This tool shows how much a new mortgage deal will impact your monthly payments.

  • UK inflation unexpectedly eases in December, which could reduce pressure in bond markets

    LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the U.K. unexpectedly fell in December, a move that will likely fuel pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates again next month.

  • Sixty bodies retrieved from closed South African gold mine

    JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South African authorities have pulled at least 60 bodies from the shaft of a closed gold mine more than 2 km (1.2 miles) underground where an unknown number of men are still feared trapped, following a siege in a crackdown on illegal mining. The siege, which began in August at the mine in the town of Stilfontein, about 150 km (90 miles) from Johannesburg, cut off food and water supplies for months in an attempt to force the miners to the surface so that they could be arrested. On Monday, authorities used a metal cage to begin recovering men and bodies from the shaft, in an operation expected to run for days.

  • Mysterious Ball-Shaped Debris Closes Sydney Beaches

    The Northern Beaches Council closed nine beaches in north Sydney, Australia, on January 14 after small “white/grey” spheres were found in the sand.The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) was collecting samples for testing, with most balls around marble-size, according to the council.The council arranged a cleanup of the beaches, with this video showing a council worker picking up one of the balls from the sand and putting it in a bucket.Beachgoers were advised to avoid Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne and North Narrabeen beaches until further notice and keep away from the material while the cleanup and investigations continued.Similar balls were discovered on beaches in Sydney’s east last year, with the EPA saying the ones found on Monday appear to be similar.The balls that washed up on Eastern Suburbs’ beaches in October were found to consist mostly of fatty acids and petroleum hydrocarbons, according to the EPA. Credit: Northern Beaches Council via Storyful

  • Inflation unexpectedly falls to 2.5% in boost for Reeves’s plans

    In November, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) came in at 2.6 per cent, where petrol, train travel, and live entertainment pushed up prices.

  • Man Falls Into Icy Lake Trying to Rescue Dog Before Pair Have to Be Saved by Firefighters

    A man who fell through the surface of a frozen lake in a Boston suburb while trying to save his dog, who had likewise fallen in, was rescued by firefighters on Sunday, January 12.Drone footage released by the Wellesley Police shows officers pulling the man from an ice-covered Lake Waban in Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Sunday. Later footage shows officers rescuing the dog, named Tommy, from the lake after the man had been taken to shore.Wellesley Police said that the man was in the “freezing-cold water” for about 12 to 15 minutes. He was treated by Coastal EMS paramedics and transported to Newton Wellesley Hospital, while the dog was treated for hypothermia at a local 24-hour vet. Credit: Wellesley Police via Storyful

  • The Science of Racism by Keon West review – evidence that speaks for itself

    Think prejudice is overblown? A social psychologist provides the receipts in this densely informative but readable account

  • Photo – Inter Milan Celebrate Primavera Hard-Earned Triumph Vs Sassuolo: “Well Played Boys”

    Inter Milan Primavera eked out a nail-biting 2-1 home triumph against Sassuolo yesterday to keep up with league leaders Roma.Simone Inzaghi’s side made history on Sunday with a 1-0 win at Venezia.Ho...

  • Massive Russian missile attack forces Ukraine to introduce preventive power cuts

    KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine on Wednesday, forcing the country to introduce preventive power cuts, the Ukrainian energy minister said.

  • Australian Open LIVE: Jacob Fearnley vs Arthur Cazaux suspended as Jack Draper and Jodie Burrage in action

    Six British players have reached the second round of the Australian Open for the first time as Fearnley and Draper look to go further

  • Caribbean among grant-funded trips for students

    A grant will provide an "exciting opportunity" for Hull College pupils to study abroad.

  • Novak Djokovic breaks a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches in tennis history

    MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic added yet another record to his lengthy list, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches played in tennis history by reaching 430 on Wednesday at the Australian Open in what was a tougher-than-expected second-round victory.