Britain’s main stock indexes rose on Friday, poised for weekly and monthly gains, despite uncertainty surrounding US trade policies. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index climbed 0.8%, set to end the month higher with three consecutive weeks of gains. Meanwhile, the domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index was up 0.6%, on track for a second month of gains. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit temporarily reinstated President Donald…

British comedian and actor Russell Brand entered not guilty pleas in a London courtroom on Friday in response to rape and sexual assault charges connected to incidents involving four women more than 20 years ago. Brand, who was once among Britain’s most prominent media personalities and was previously married to American pop star Katy Perry, appeared at Southwark Crown Court. He denied all five charges brought against him. In April,…

Chevron will lay off nearly 800 employees in Texas, according to a notice on Wednesday to the Texas Workforce Commission, which is part of the U.S. oil producer’s plan to cut up to 20 per cent of its global workforce by the end of 2026. The job cuts will be in Midland County, where Chevron has large operations in the Permian Basin, the top U.S. oilfield, and the layoff date…

A Carmarthenshire farmer who admitted to stealing over 70 pregnant sheep from a neighbouring farm has been handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to theft. Hywel Williams, 40, of Llangadog, took at least 73 in-lamb ewes in March from land owned by fellow farmer Rhodri Llyr Evans near Llandysul. The theft, which Williams attributed to overwhelming financial stress, caused what Evans described as “unbearable stress” to both…

Thames Water has been fined £122.7m for breaching rules relating to its wastewater operations and dividend payments. It is the biggest ever penalty issued by the water regulator Ofwat. The regulator said the fines followed its biggest and most complex investigation and confirmed it would be paid by the company and its investors, not by customers. A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We take our responsibility towards the environment very seriously.”…

According to a U.S. State Department cable issued on Tuesday, embassies and consulates worldwide, including those in Nigeria, have been instructed to pause scheduling any new appointments for student (F, M) and exchange visitor (J) visas until further notice. “The department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor visa applicants,”the statements reads. With new guidelines on expanded vetting expected…

Equities meandered Tuesday as investors awaited the latest developments on Donald Trump’s trade war.

Difficult economic conditions, exacerbated by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and persistently weak demand for many products have forced companies across Europe to freeze hiring or cut jobs. According to a report by Reuters, some of the layoffs announced since the beginning of April are as follows: Stellantis: The automaker agreed with trade unions to implement up to 200 voluntary redundancies at its Termoli plant in central Italy on…

The White House has said it is monitoring the case of Lucy Connolly in an escalation of free speech tensions with Sir Keir Starmer. State department officials are examining the treatment of Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor, who was jailed for 31 months over a social media post about the Southport attacks. Judges threw out an appeal brought by the 42-year-old last week, meaning she will not be…

A Federal Judge has ordered Trump administration on Friday to facilitate the return of a gay Guatemalan man who said he was deported to Mexico despite fearing he would be persecuted there, after officials acknowledged an error in his case. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston issued the order days after the Justice Department notified him that its claim that the man had expressly stated he was not afraid…

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to escalate the trade war by imposing a 50 per cent tariff on European Union goods starting June 1 and warning Apple of a potential 25 per cent levy on imported iPhones. Trump’s statements, made via social media, caused global markets to fluctuate, with major U.S. stock indexes and European shares falling, the dollar weakening, and gold prices rising. The EU’s total exports to the…

U.S. singer-songwriter and pianist Billy Joel said on Friday he is canceling all his scheduled concerts after he was recently diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain disorder. Billy Joel is undergoing physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing while he recovers. According to a statement on social media. “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding,” Joel said. Joel’s condition was exacerbated…