Top World News
Xi Pushes 4-Point Peace Plan For Middle East, Promises To Help Boost Security
Apr 14, 2026 - World 
The announcement comes as the US and Iran deliberate on the possibility of another round of talks before the ceasefire expires after the talks in Pakistan broke down.
Lidl and Iceland ads are first banned under new UK junk food rules
Apr 14, 2026 - World 
ASA rules ads on Instagram and Daily Mail website broke ban on promoting items high in fat, salt and sugarLidl and Iceland have become the first companies to have ads banned after the introduction of rules cracking down on the marketing of junk food in the UK.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been policing the ban on ads featuring junk food on TV before 9pm, and in paid online advertising at any time of the day, since 5 January. Continue reading...
Higher-income households benefited most from Help to Buy, thinktank finds
Apr 14, 2026 - World 
Analysis by IFS shows George Osborne’s mortgage schemes launched in 2013 had little effect on social mobilityHigher-income households were the biggest beneficiaries of George Osborne’s Help to Buy mortgage schemes, introduced in the 2010s, according to an analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank.Launched by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government in 2013, Help to Buy involved two separate schemes aimed at making home ownership more achievable in a period of rapid house price growth. Continue reading...
UK to call for end to Sudan bloodshed at Berlin talks on third anniversary of war
Apr 14, 2026 - World 
British aid to double as 19m people face acute hunger, but summit unlikely to end conflict amid Saudi-UAE tensions The British foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, will urge Sudan’s warring parties to “cease bloodshed” during a major conference on Wednesday, which analysts believe is unlikely to deliver a significant step towards peace.The talks in Berlin – held on the third anniversary of the start of Sudan’s ruinous war – are expected to help address a catastrophic funding shortfall that is compounding the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Continue reading...
Chiang Mai’s New Year revelry hit by smog and war-related price spikes
Apr 14, 2026 - World 
Air pollution caused by wildfires is another blow to northern Thailand’s tourism industry as businesses suffer amid war in IranThe Doi Suthep temple in northern Thailand is known for its spectacular views of Chiang Mai and the lush forested mountains that surround it. Over recent weeks, though, visitors can see little of the city beyond a thick cloud of grey haze.Persistent wildfires have caused intense air pollution across the north of Thailand, forcing three provinces to declare emergencies and triggering spikes in pollution-related illnesses. Continue reading...