Europe has only six weeks’ supply of jet fuel left owing to Iran war, says energy chief
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

There will be flight cancellations ‘soon’ if oil supplies are not restored in coming weeks, says head of IEA

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• Middle East crisis – live updates

Europe has only six weeks of jet fuel left before shortages will hit because of the Iran war, according to the head of a global energy watchdog.

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said there would be flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies from the Middle East were not restored within the coming weeks.

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UK economy showed surprise 0.5% growth before Iran war
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

ONS figure for February suggests Britain was gaining momentum before conflict dashed hopes of recovery

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UK GDP expanded by a stronger than expected 0.5% in February, official figures show, suggesting the economy was gaining momentum before the onset of war in the Middle East dashed hopes of recovery.

The jump, reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), was significantly bigger than the 0.1% forecast by economists. January’s flatlining figure was also revised up, to 0.1% growth.

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Metro Bank boss handed record £2.6m a year after slashing 1,000 jobs
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

Dan Frumkin’s pay package comes after bank’s near collapse and rescue by Colombian billionaire

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Metro Bank’s chief executive has been handed a £2.6m pay packet – the largest in its history – a year after slashing 1,000 jobs in response to the lender’s near collapse.

The figure is more than double the £1.2m Dan Frumkin was paid in 2024. Metro pushed through the pay bump and complex bonus scheme for the former RBS and Northern Rock banker at a shareholder meeting last year.

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Man used AI to make false statements to shut down London nightclub, police say
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

Heaven club neighbour admits offences under Licensing Act, as Met says fictitious AI-generated complaints a growing issue

A businessman has pleaded guilty to making false statements in order to shut down a nightclub, which police believe were generated using AI.

A Metropolitan police source said the use of AI to generate letters by complainants who do not exist is a growing issue.

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Starmer tells social media firms: ‘Things can’t go on like this’
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

PM demands real world changes in Downing Street meeting with senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google and X

Keir Starmer has told social media bosses “things can’t go on like this” in a meeting about internet safety at Downing Street.

The prime minister summoned senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google, Snapchat’s owner and X to No 10 on Thursday morning as the government considers imposing new restrictions on platforms, including an Australia-style ban for under-16s. Meta owns Facebook and Instagram, and Google owns YouTube.

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Norway’s state telecoms firm accused of helping Myanmar regime seize activists
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

Lawsuit in Norway alleges Telenor passed on data helping Myanmar military arrest 1,200 activists, some in safe houses

When even two weeks of torture could not force Aung Thu to betray his fellow anti-coup activists, his military interrogators in Myanmar tried something different: they asked a Norwegian telecoms company, Telenor, then the largest one operating in the country, for its data on him.

The company – whose majority shareholder is the Norwegian government – had first entered Myanmar in 2013 as it was transitioning to democracy, promising to connect users who had been isolated from the world.

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Nottingham Forest v Porto: Europa League quarter-final, second leg – live
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

⚽ Europa League updates; kick-off 8pm BST (first leg: 1-1)
⚽ Aston Villa v Bologna – updates | Live scores | Mail Scott

Forest coach Vítor Pereira speaks to TNT Sports. “One chance … just today, not tomorrow … today is the game … we have to do everything to show our ambition … show our quality, personality and organisation to be in the next round … in three days we play again in an important game in the league … Porto play with intensity … we must learn from the last game and play on a better level today … my condolence to the [Anderson] family … a very sad situation and we need to respect.”

Our man Will Unwin is currently sunning himself on the rolling verdant verges of the River Trent. Here’s his pre-match scene-setter.

It is currently a calm night on the banks of the Trent, although it will get quite lively come kick-off. There are plenty of Porto fans inside the City Ground, both in the away end and elsewhere in the corporate areas.

The Portuguese side will be disappointed they did not come away with from the first leg after an impressive display but Forest dug in to ensure things are level after 90 minutes. Vitor Pereira has selected a strong team, with centre-back the only area he has selected a backup in the form of Jair Cunha. If the Premier League side do get this done, it will be a historic night for the club and the home supporters will play their part. The bad news for them is Martim Fernandes is not playing, so they will have to do their own dirty work today.

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Aston Villa v Bologna: Europa League quarter-final, second leg – live
Posted on Thursday April 16, 2026

⚽ Europa League updates; kick-off 8pm BST (first leg: 3-1)
⚽ Nottingham Forest v Porto – latest | Live scores | Mail Niall

As dozens of TV ads paid for by bookmakers relentlessly advise me to take a break from betting, I can report that it’s finished Celta 1-3 Freiburg (1-6 on agg) in the Europa League, and AZ 2-2 Shakhtar (2-5 on agg) in the Conference League.

I noticed on the team sheets that both of tonight’s captains are Scottish: John McGinn and Lewis Ferguson. Has this ever happened before in a European tie – particularly one not featuring a Scottish team? Hey, it’s like a live Knowledge, this. Just don’t ask me anything.

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