Banks missing opportunities to ‘break spell’ of romance scams, says regulator Banks have sometimes missed opportunities to help “break the spell” of romance scams, according to the City regulator. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it had seen examples of banks going to significant lengths to protect those at risk of romance fraud. But the
Choosing right plants for garden can help protect it from flooding – minister Homeowners are being urged to make their gardens more resilient to flooding with plants that can help them bounce back from heavy rain and floods. The Environment Department (Defra) has highlighted five plants that can help gardens of various sizes be “flood
Israeli fans’ ban from Birmingham football match ‘wrong’, Starmer says A ban on Israeli fans from attending an Aston Villa match is “wrong”, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister said “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets” after fans of Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv were barred from the club’s Europa League
Written complaints to NHS in England rises to new record high The number of written complaints submitted to the health service has risen year-on-year to a new record high, NHS England data shows. Experts said the figure should serve as a “wake-up call”. Some 256,777 complaints were made to the NHS in 2024/25, up from
MI5 faces ‘new era’ tackling terrorism and rise in state threats Russia, Iran and China have fuelled a dramatic rise in the threats posed to the UK from foreign states, the head of MI5 has warned. Sir Ken McCallum said the number of individuals being investigated for involvement in “state threat activity” had increased by
King hails resilience of farmers ‘through challenges of changing climate’ The King has praised the “resolve and resilience” of farmers “through the challenges of our changing climate”. Charles wrote the message for a harvest-themed service attended by the Queen at Westminster Abbey on Thursday. Camilla was all smiles as she arrived at the church which
Ex-West Ham star Said Benrahma fined after his dogs attack golden retriever Former West Ham footballer Said Benrahma has been fined more than £12,000 after his dogs escaped from his home and attacked a golden retriever in the street. The 30-year-old, who spent four seasons at the Hammers after joining in a deal close to
Ricky Hatton found hanged at home, inquest told Former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton was found hanged at his home, a coroner’s court heard. The 46-year-old was discovered “unresponsive” by his manager, Paul Speak, on the morning of Sunday September 14, at his house in Hyde, Greater Manchester, Stockport Coroner’s Court was told. The details
Driving penalty points up 12% in a year after ‘boom’ in speed camera offences A surge in drivers being caught by speed cameras has been blamed for a 12% increase in the number of penalty points added to licences last year. Figures obtained by Co-op Insurance show drivers in Britain received 9.61 million points in
38% of viewers say BBC ‘ineffective’ at being independent from Government As many as 38% of viewers surveyed by the BBC say it is “ineffective” at being independent from the Government. The figure, revealed in the corporation’s Our BBC, Our Future questionnaire results, was just slightly smaller than that of those who thought the BBC