UK retail sales had slumped in March amid weak consumer confidence, according to the confederation of British industry latest distributive trades’ survey. This marked the sixth consecutive month of decline, with retailers expecting sales to fall again in April, but at a slower rate. The CBI’s retail sales balance fell to -41 in March from -23 in February. A balance is the weighted difference between the percentage of firms reporting…

Britain’s government on Tuesday pledged 2 billion pounds ($2.58 billion) to build up to 18,000 social and affordable homes in England as part of its efforts to deliver 1.5 million properties by the end of parliament and boost economic growth and social and affordable house building. Construction is set to start in March 2027, with an aim to finish building by 2029, by fixing house crises, the government said. Prime…

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority is weighing changes to disclosure rules on mortgages, lending and savings products to give clearer information to consumers, as it prepares to unveil a new five-year plan to deepen trust and promote growth in UK financial services. The watchdog said on Tuesday it wanted to retire hundreds of pages of outdated guidance and supervisory publications as part of a broader plan to streamline demands on financial…

Britain had announced plans to invest 600 million pounds ($775 million) to train more construction workers and help tackle severe skills shortages that could undermine its plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2029 and boost economic growth. House Building and improving British infrastructure are key parts of the Labour government’s growth strategy. Construction represents around 6% of gross domestic product,but underpins growth in other sectors. “We are determined to…

Turkish authorities detained several journalists from their homes, a media workers’ union reported Monday, in what it said was a crackdown amid escalating protests triggered by the imprisonment of the mayor of Istanbul and top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Sunday, a court formally arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges. His detention on Wednesday sparked the largest wave of street…

Martin Sorrell’s advertising group, S4 Capital (SFOR.L) declared its first-ever dividend on Monday, sending its shares up more than 10%, even as it warned that clients would remain cautious in the near term amid increasing macroeconomic uncertainty. Shares in the company, which have lost nearly 18% over the past year, rose as much as 13% to 37.28 pence as S4 proposed a final dividend of 1 pence per share for…

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…

Pope Francis appeared at the window of the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Sunday, offering a blessing for the first time since being admitted on February 14. The 88-year-old pontiff was discharged shortly afterwards, and doctors advised that he would need at least two months of rest at the Vatican, BBC reports. Dr. Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors treating the Pope, revealed that during the past five weeks, Pope…

The main rival to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on Sunday arrested and charged with corruption. Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, is expected to be selected as the opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate in a ballot on Sunday. He denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated. “I will never bow,” he wrote on X before he was remanded in custody. His detention sparked…

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…

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…

Social media users criticise the announcement, with one questioning whether the headteacher will also cancel Christmas. In England, conflicts between Muslim and Christian communities in UK primary schools have surfaced in various contexts, reflecting the nation’s diverse and evolving educational landscape. A primary school has scrapped its annual Easter celebration and service to “respect diverse religious beliefs.” However, the announcement has been criticised online, with some suggesting that Christmas celebrations…