A newly unearthed photograph places Prince Andrew in Ascot’s Royal Box with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on the day the Queen attended, prompting fresh scrutiny of the Duke’s past associations and raising questions over how much the Palace knew at the time.
Legal loopholes mean small-boat migrants could delay or avoid removal by citing human-rights protections, potentially weakening the new returns agreement with France and intensifying pressure on ministers to tighten legislation and streamline the asylum system.
Economists at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research warn that the Chancellor must plug a projected £50 billion shortfall—potentially through a rise of about 9p on income tax or equivalent spending cuts—if fiscal targets are to be met and a prudent buffer restored to the public finances by the end of the decade.
A rare Jordanian flight over Gaza reveals vast swathes of flattened neighbourhoods, cratered streets and displaced civilians, underscoring the devastation caused by Israel’s offensive, the acute shortages of food and medical supplies pushing families towards starvation, and the escalating international calls for unhindered humanitarian corridors and coordinated airdrops to prevent a worsening catastrophe.
A damning US Coast Guard report concludes that a toxic workplace culture, marked by intimidation tactics and critically flawed safety practices, led to the fatal implosion of the Titan submersible.
Neil Woodford and his investment firm have been fined £46mn by the FCA after the regulator ruled that inadequate liquidity controls and risky asset allocations caused the collapse of their flagship fund, leaving roughly 300,000 investors with losses and leading to a prohibition on the former star manager holding senior posts in regulated finance.
A drug gang has received a century of combined sentences after investigators used video of a pet parrot repeating cocaine slang as key evidence, shedding light on the network’s methods and cash flow.
Economists warn the Chancellor faces a £50 billion fiscal shortfall and must consider immediate tax rises, arguing that weaker growth, rising debt costs and lower revenues risk breaching borrowing rules and squeezing public services.
Kemi Badenoch claims Labour’s proposal to extend inheritance tax to family farms worth over £1 million would impose a heavy financial burden on agricultural households and harm rural communities, describing the measure as cruel and unnecessary.