Author: News Desk

Niger coup: First UK nationals safely out of the country – FO says British nationals have safely left Niger on a French flight to Paris, with only a “very small number” left in the country, the Foreign Office said.  It did not say how many Brits were on the flight – but there have been claims there were less than 100 British nationals in the country. Niger has been swept by violence following a military coup.  Yesterday the UK government was advising British nationals to stay inside, whilst France and Italy had already begun their evacuations. Those who were evacuated…

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UK interest rates expected to rise for 14th time in a row The Bank of England is expected to raise interest rates for the 14th consecutive time in an effort to control high price increases. Most economists predict a rate increase from the current 5% to 5.25% at midday on Thursday. This would result in higher interest rates on mortgages and loans for some people, but also higher savings rates. The UK inflation rate remains high, putting pressure on households. The last time interest rates were at 5.25% was in April 2008, but this increase is smaller than the dramatic…

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Shoppers ditch the High Street as wettest July on record dampens footfall As wet weather sweeps the UK, the number of people heading out to the shops fell for the first July in 14 years. July has been one of the wettest months on record and overall footfall fell by 0.3%, retail analysis firm Springboard said. High Streets were hit the hardest whilst shopping centres and retail parks got a boost in visitor numbers. The rising cost of living and rail strikes are also in part to blame for the fall in footfall, Springboard said. They say shoppers might stay…

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Rhodes fires: Free holiday for evacuated tourists, Greek PM says Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged to give tourists who escaped the recent Rhodes wildfires, a free one-week holiday there next year. Speaking to Good Morning Britain, the PM said people could take up the offer in the spring or autumn of 2024. He has yet to reveal the details of how the scheme would work. The Rhodes wildfires saw more than 20,000 people evacuated after fires broke out in July. Thousands of UK holidaymakers were flown home to the UK. Mr Mitsotakis said: “Not a single human life was…

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