Car finance victims to get an average £830 payout but fewer loans eligible
Posted on Monday March 30, 2026

City regulator reduces number of loan agreements in line for compensation from 14m to 12m

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Victims of the car finance scandal will be in line for payouts worth £830 on average, as the City regulator tightened the rules of its compensation scheme to cover fewer contracts.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released the final details of its planned redress programme, saying it had narrowed the number of loan agreements eligible for payouts from 14m to 12.1m contracts.

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British Steel on track to be fully nationalised within weeks
Posted on Monday March 30, 2026

UK plans to take economic control from Chinese owner Jingye a year after stepping in to run plant, sources say

British Steel is on track to be fully nationalised within weeks, the Guardian understands, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner.

The steelmaker, which employs 3,500 people at its plant in Scunthorpe, was taken under government control last April amid fears that the owner Jingye was planning to shut down the site.

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IMF warns Middle East conflict will lead to higher prices and slower global growth
Posted on Monday March 30, 2026

Washington-based fund says rising energy and food costs will hit economies worldwide and could leave lasting scars

The International Monetary Fund has warned that “all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth worldwide” should the conflict in the Middle East continue to throttle the amount of oil, gas and fertiliser making its way out of the Gulf.

In a stark message that countries on all continents will be affected, the Washington-based organisation said a rise in energy and food costs would harm economic growth this year and could leave lasting scars on the global economy.

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Putin likely to stage another Salisbury-style attack, exiled oil tycoon says
Posted on Monday March 30, 2026

Mikhail Khodorkovsky says Russian security services may seek to create a ‘sense of vulnerability’ in Britain

Vladimir Putin is likely to stage another Salisbury-style attack on UK soil unless the government adopts more aggressive tactics against the Kremlin, the exiled Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky has said.

The former oil tycoon has emerged as a leading figure in Russian diaspora opposition circles and claims to be well-informed about current thinking and developments among Moscow’s elite.

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Apple subsidiary fined by UK government over Moscow sanctions breach
Posted on Monday March 30, 2026

Apple Distribution International, based in Ireland, made payments worth £635,000 to a Russian streaming service

The UK government has fined a subsidiary of Apple £390,000 for breaching sanctions against Moscow over payments it made to a Russian streaming platform.

Apple Distribution International (ADI), based in the Republic of Ireland, instructed an unnamed UK-based bank to make two payments to a company owned by a sanctioned Russian entity.

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Keir Starmer says UK will ‘have to act’ to curb addictive features of social media
Posted on Sunday March 29, 2026

In his strongest intervention yet, PM says some features ‘shouldn’t be permitted’, while education secretary says things ‘are going to change’

Keir Starmer has backed banning addictive social media features in his strongest intervention yet on curbs that could be placed on tech companies, saying the features “shouldn’t be permitted”.

The prime minister said the government was “going to have to act” on the algorithms that hook young people and children to social media, such as scrolling or “streaks” that encourage daily usage of apps.

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‘Boxing is a dirty business, like politics, bro’: Derek Chisora on Nigel Farage, brain damage and burgers
Posted on Monday March 30, 2026

The great old warhorse of British boxing, who faces his 50th and final bout on Saturday, reflects on retirement, Deontay Wilder and his friendship with the Reform leader

“Nigel’s here,” Derek Chisora says as he gives me a nudge when we walk into a restaurant called Boisdale in Belgravia. The great old warhorse of British boxing and I have been ambling around this stretch of London in search of a place where we can sit down and talk. He settles on Boisdale, which tags itself as “a British restaurant” and “a carnivore’s delight”.

Even though we are not dropping in for lunch, Chisora has enough of a swagger to blag us a private room. We look more ragged than the diners, including Nigel Farage, and I’m not sure the seemingly bewildered staff have a clear idea who Chisora is, but we sweep through the restaurant, climb the stairs and find ourselves in a discreet room. After Chisora orders a bottle of water for us to share he asks the waiter to let Farage know he is here.

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Thomas Tuchel has ‘100% trust’ in Rice and Saka over England injury absences
Posted on Monday March 30, 2026

• Arsenal duo unavailable for Japan game on Tuesday

• ‘We did medical tests. I saw them,’ head coach says

Thomas Tuchel has plotted a diplomatic course through the storm that has followed the withdrawals of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka from the England squad, saying the optics may look bad but he has “100% trust” in their integrity.

The England head coach gave Rice and Saka last week off, letting them rest rather than play in the 1-1 draw against Uruguay at Wembley on Friday – along with nine others. His idea was to have all 11 back for the game against Japan on Tuesday, also at Wembley, for which he would release a group of players.

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