Author: Fatimah Idera

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that starting Monday, local authorities in England will be required to publish annual reports laying out the state of their roads and how many potholes they’ve managed to fill, as failure will risk crucial funding. Starmer said the move would force councils to ‘prove they’re delivering for their communities’ as If they don’t, they face missing out on a share of £1.6 billion in highway maintenance funding from the government, which includes half a billion pounds specifically for tackling potholes. But the Local Government Association (LGA) has said many English councils are already struggling…

British finance minister Rachel Reeves is eyeing spending cuts for government officials who work in departments to the value of over 2 billion pounds ($2.58 billion) a year by 2029-30. Reeves will likely announce belt-tightening measures to get back on track to meet her fiscal rules next Wednesday when she delivers a half-yearly budget update speech alongside fresh economic and public finance forecasts from Britain’s fiscal watchdog. She is expected to reduce the administration budgets for the civil service by 10% by 2028-29, with a target to reduce them by 15% by 2029-30, saving over 2 billion pounds a year.…

Britain’s green energy tycoons are at war, Greg Jackson, the chief executive of Octopus Energy, is taking on Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder, in a fight over the best way to achieve net zero. At the heart of the battle is a radical new scheme being considered by Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, called zonal pricing, under which Britain would be divided into zones with different power prices. In a round of briefings last week, Jackson set out why Octopus, the UK’s biggest energy supplier, is backing the idea – prompting a swift backlash from Vince, who ridiculed the scheme as…

Argentina’s presidential office has issued a preventive measure to suspend Telecom’s acquisition of Telefonica’s local unit, claiming the pending merger could lead to excessive market concentration. Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica (TEF.MC) said in February it was selling its unit in the country to Telecom Argentina (TECO2m.BA) for $1.245 billion as part of a strategy to reduce exposure to Latin America, prompting a pledge from President Javier Milei’s government that it would try to prevent the formation of a monopoly. Milei’s office said the suspension would remain in place until more analysis was carried out. The government’s decision follows a recommendation…

London’s Heathrow Airport resumed full operations on Saturday, a day after a fire knocked out its power supply and shut Europe’s busiest airport, causing global travel chaos. Some flights were cancelled or delayed as the travel industry scrambled to reroute passengers and fix battered airline schedules after the huge fire at an electrical substation serving the airport. Resumed flights had begun on Friday evening, but the shuttering of the world’s fifth-busiest airport for most of the day left tens of thousands searching for scarce hotel rooms and replacement seats while airlines tried to return jets and crew to bases. Operations…

Voice of America journalists and their unions sued the Trump administration on Friday, saying that the shutdown of the U.S.-funded news agencies violated the workers first Amendment right to free speech. Recall that U.S. Agency for Global Media, its acting director Victor Morales, and Special Adviser Kari Lake placed over 1,300 employees on leave and cut funding for several news services last Saturday. Those actions were said to have violated the First Amendment and the laws by which Congress authorized and funded Voice of America, according to a complaint filed in New York federal court. President Donald Trump and billionaire…

President Donald Trump has suggested that he would support the United States becoming an “associate member” of the Commonwealth, citing his admiration for King Charles III. The proposal, which has reportedly been discussed at the highest levels, was initiated by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), an independent charity that hopes to invite the U.S. to join as an official affiliate of the Commonwealth. Trump shared his thoughts on the matter via his Truth Social platform, linking to a story from The Sun with the headline, “King Charles to make ‘secret offer’ to Donald Trump during State visit.” The former president…

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold on Thursday. Recall that UK interest rates are set to stay at 4.5%, with another cut to borrowing costs unlikely while the Bank of England assesses mounting global uncertainty. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold on Thursday as it has been gradually cutting borrowing costs since August, easing pressure on some borrowers who have been able to offer lower mortgage rates.This has been possible while the rate of UK inflation has been…

AJW Group, a leader in aviation asset management, has announced the appointment of Donal Boylan as President – Asia Pacific. With over 35 years of experience in aerospace and defence, Boylan brings extensive engineering, commercial strategy, and corporate leadership expertise to the role. In his new role Boylan will focus on enhancing the company’s brand, strengthening relationships with customers, and driving growth within the Asia Pacific market. The appointment signals the company’s commitment to expanding its presence and advancing its strategic initiatives in the region. Throughout his career, Boylan has held significant positions in the aviation sector, including serving as…

Passport fees will go up by almost 7% on April 10, the Home Office has announced the cost of an online passport application for adults will jump from £88.50 to £94.50, while fees for child passports will rise from £57.50 to £61.50. The fee for a one-day premium service application will also increase from £207.50 to £222 for adults as the changes are due to start on April 10. There will be similar rises in the cost of postal applications and those made from overseas. Passport fees rose by a similar amount in April 2024, meaning the cumulative percentage fee…