Royal Mail criticised as first-class stamp price rises to £1.80 despite ‘failing service’

Royal Mail has been criticised for announcing another hike in the cost of first- and second-class stamps while providing what Citizens Advice described as a “failing service”.From 7 April, the price of a first-class stamp will increase by 10p, or 6%, to £1.80. The cost of the second-class service is going up by 4p, or 5%, to 91p. Royal Mail blamed the need for price increases on the “continued rise in the cost of delivery for every letter”

US lost 92,000 jobs in February just before Trump joined Iran conflict

The US lost 92,000 jobs in February, an unexpected major slackening in the labor market that came just before Donald Trump threw the global economy into upheaval with his conflict in Iran.The unemployment rate edged up to 4.4% in February. In comparison, the US added a revised 126,000 jobs in January, far surpassing expectations of 70,000 jobs but still less than January 2025. Economists predicted an increase of 60,000 jobs added in February and a steady unemployment rate of 4

BP’s new boss will take home at least £11.7m this year, more than double her predecessor

The incoming chief executive of BP will take home at least £11.7m this year after joining the embattled oil company from a rival, more than double the pay packet earned by her predecessor.Meg O’Neill will join BP from the Australian oil company Woodside Energy in April as the company’s first external hire to its top job, and the first woman to serve as chief executive at the 117-year-old oil major.The former ExxonMobil executive will earn a base salary of £1.6m, narrowly above the salary paid to her predecessor, Murray Auchincloss, but the bulk of her pay packet will be payments made by BP to compensate O’Neill for the share awards she was in line to receive over the next five years in her previous role

Rail passengers warned over six-day Easter shutdown on west coast mainline

Rail passengers planning to travel over the Easter break face disrupted journeys owing to a six-day shutdown on Britain’s biggest intercity line.Engineering work means there will be no west coast mainline services between London Euston and Milton Keynes from Good Friday (3 April) to Wednesday 8 April.There will also be no service between Preston and Lancaster on the line on 4-5 April.Network Rail said the work, which is part of a £400m project to increase the reliability of the line, was vital and that bank holidays were chosen for such works because they were among the least busy times to close.“The four-day period at Easter gives us a valuable opportunity to complete projects that simply can’t be delivered during a normal weekend,” said Jake Kelly, the body’s regional director for the north-west and central region

‘We’re powerless … and hoping nothing hits us’: trapped on a tanker as Iran war escalates

Thousands of seafarers are trapped on tankers in the Gulf after the strait of Hormuz was effectively closed to shipping by the escalating war on Iran.The Guardian spoke to a crew member on one of the stranded tankers that typically ferries vast quantities of oil from the Middle East to ports around the world.“When [Donald] Trump said Iran had 10 days to agree to his deal or bad things would happen, I did the math and thought we might get stuck here. And we did,” said the seafarer.From a cabin below deck, they explained how the crew watched explosions light up the sky as they loaded the vessel with crude oil at an industrial complex in the Gulf

US grants waiver to allow India to buy Russian oil amid Iran war

The US has temporarily allowed India to buy Russian oil currently stuck at sea in an effort to keep global supplies flowing and temper further price increases.The US treasury has issued a 30-day waiver allowing India to buy Russian oil, having previously imposed heavy sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.“To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the treasury department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil,” the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said in a statement posted to social media on Thursday. “This stopgap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran’s attempt to take global energy hostage.”In August the US president, Donald Trump, imposed an additional 25% import tariff on India over its purchase of cheap Russian oil, arguing that New Delhi’s purchases were undermining US sanctions and helpingVladimir Putin bankroll the invasion of Ukraine

‘Geopolitical uncertainties’ amid Iran war could slow fall in mortgage rates, says Halifax

Halifax has warned that the US-Israel war on Iran could slow mortgage rate decreases this year, as it said that house price growth eased dramatically in February.Halifax, which is part of Lloyds – Britain’s biggest mortgage lender – said the conflict in the Middle East was likely to affect global economies, stoke inflation and reduce the likely rate of interest rate cuts that influence borrowing costs for homebuyers.The lender said the value of a typical UK home rose 0.3% in February to £301,151.However, this is a significant dip in the rate of growth compared with the 0

Water firms sent bailiffs to tens of thousands of homes for debts under £1,000

Tens of thousands of people a year have bailiffs sent to their homes by water companies in England and Wales, data shows.Many thousands of these visits by debt collectors were for sums worth under £1,000, according to the data released by the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee. Bailiffs are debt collectors instructed by a court, who can seize items from those in debt, including electrical items, jewellery or vehicles.It is a postcode lottery as to whether a water company would send a bailiff to a person’s home to recoup unpaid bills. While Wessex Water has not used bailiffs in 10 years, the water companies that made the most use of bailiffs in 2025 – adjusted for population – were South West Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water

Nissan ‘says Sunderland plant could close’ if UK excluded from Made in Europe rules

The Japanese carmaker Nissan has reportedly said it could be forced to close its plant in Sunderland if the UK is not fully included in new “Made in Europe” manufacturing rules proposed by the EU.The UK car industry trade representative group also said it was “gravely concerned” about the proposals, which it said could damage the £70bn annual cross-channel trade.Under the EU plans, public subsidies to speed up the development of electric vehicles would only be available to EVs made in European plants. Announced by the EU industrial strategy commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, on Wednesday, the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) is designed to protect the bloc from cheap competition from China.According to reports on Thursday, Nissan has privately warned the UK government it could be forced to close if the proposals became law

Slower UK interest rate cuts likely as some mortgage providers hike rates; oil and gas prices rising again – as it happened

The travel disruption, the higher oil price and the fall in the euro caused by the Iran war has prompted low-cost airline Wizz Air to issue a profits warning.Wizz Air warned investors last night that it believes the current crisis in the Middle East will wipe €50m off its profits this financial years.Wizz had previously predicted that earnings would fall within a profit of €25m to a loss of €25m, so today’s warning means it expects a loss for the year.The company told the City:double quotation markIn terms of the expected impact, approximately one third is a result of the cessation of certain scheduled services to the Middle East, with the remainder from the adverse movement in macroeconomic factors as a result of the Iran conflict.Our assessment of the impact of these macroeconomic factors is based on jet fuel and US$/€ rates as of today, and assumes that these rates will remain at current levels for rest of Fiscal Year 2026

Emma Walmsley’s pay rose almost 50% to £15.6m in final year as GSK boss

GSK awarded Emma Walmsley a near-50% pay rise to £15.6m in her final year as chief executive of Britain’s second-biggest drugmaker.Walmsley, who led the FTSE 100 company from 2017 and handed over to Luke Miels at the start of this year, was paid a salary of £1.4m in 2025, slightly higher than the previous year, while her annual bonus rose to £3.5m, up from £2

Oil price continues to rise amid Middle East crisis but stock markets rebound across Asia

Stock markets have rebounded in Asia after days of heavy losses driven by the war in the Middle East, but oil and gas prices have continued to climb amid disruption to supplies.South Korea’s KOSPI, which posted its biggest ever fall on Tuesday of 12%, rose by almost 10% on Thursday, while Japan’s Nikkei climbed by 1.9%. MSCI’s Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan jumped by 2.7%

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for apple, honey and poppy seed cake | A kitchen in Rome

Honey is, among other things, a successful embalming agent. It is also a humectant, which isn’t an eager cyborg, but one of many short-chained organic compounds that are hygroscopic, meaning they attract and hold water, which in turn prevents hardening and encourages softness. Other hardworking humectants are glycerine, which is what keeps face creams creamy and hydrating, and sorbitol, which ensures toothpaste can be squeezed and smeared all over the sink and on the mirror. Honey, though, is the humectant that’s most suitable for this week’s recipe: a one-bowl, everyday cake inspired by my neighbour’s Polish honey cake, miodownik, combined with the tortino di mele e papavero (apple and poppy seed cake) enjoyed at a station bar in Bolzano.Not only does honey keep the cake moist, its sweetness comes largely from fructose, which is naturally sweeter than refined sugar, so the perception of sweetness is much greater even when less is added

My whey: dairy milk back on menu as protein boom cuts demand for plant-based alternatives

Gabriel Morrison hadn’t touched dairy milk for a decade until he read the ingredients label on his cheap carton of oat milk.“It’s [so much] canola oil and you imagine that in your glass, and imagine discovering that much olive oil, you’re like, that’s actually really gross,” he says.“I was just like, ‘ooft, I should stop this’.”The 28-year-old cinematographer had exclusively drunk soy, then almond, then oat milks since 2015 but had started worrying about processed foods – despite expert reassurance.In early 2025, with his housemate already buying cheaper dairy, he gave the old classic another look

It’s crunch time! Gala apples and nashi pears among Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for March

It’s a core month for pome fruit, with apples, pears and quince all heralding the start of autumn. “The first cab off the rank is the gala – a big sweet and juicy apple,” says Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne.Granny smith, jazz and kanzi apples will come in during March too, and “Australia’s most popular variety, the pink lady, generally starts in April,” he says.Royal gala apples are between $5 and $8 per kilo at supermarkets. They’re $7 to $9 per kilo at Sydney’s Galluzzo Fruiterers, and Gee is selling them for about $3 to $5 per kilo; Spudshed in Perth is selling bags of prepacked new season apples for $3

How to turn limp rhubarb into tasty jam – recipe

Rachel de Thample is one of my food heroines. She’s the author of six books, and has also been course director of the College of Naturopathic Medicine’s natural chef diploma, head of food for Abel & Cole and commissioning editor of Waitrose Food Illustrated, among so much else. She trained with the likes of Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal and Peter Gordon, and now teaches fermentation and gut health at River Cottage HQ, where I cut my own teeth in teaching eco-gastronomy more than 20 years ago. While researching honey fermenting recently, I came across her recipe in River Cottage’s Bees & Honey Handbook, which I’ve adapted here so you can make as much as you like using a variety of aromatics.The Guardian’s journalism is independent

£25 for a cookie? What the baffling luxury bakery boom tells us about Britain

Amid a cost of living crisis, pricey patisserie is all the rage – and not just in London. Our reporter goes on a crawl to find out if a tart can really be worth £45There was a time when you could get a stuffed vanilla cream slice or a neon-pink Tottenham cake for about £1 on the leafy, residential corner of Hackney, east London, where I stand today. But the branch of Percy Ingle bakery that was here for nearly 50 years is gone. In its place sits Fika, a cafe where a cinnamon bun costs £4.20 and a pistachio croissant will set you back nearly £5

Stuffed peppers and aubergine dip: Sami Tamimi’s recipes for savoury Palestinian snacks

I still remember, when I was a kid, the end of spring and early summer when markets in Jerusalem and across Palestine overflowed with freshly harvested freekeh. As you approached, the air carried a smoky, earthy aroma. Freekeh is an ancient grain, a staple across the Middle East and Turkey, made from green wheat roasted over open fires to burn off the husks, which gives it the characteristic nutty flavour. The name comes from the Arabic freek, meaning “to rub”, which describes how the grains are cleaned, dried, cracked and stored for the year.Throughout the Middle East and Palestine, mahashi (stuffing vegetables) is a true labour of love, creating dishes that are designed to be shared

Australian supermarket muesli bars taste test: the worst is ‘both dry and moist’

During a blind taste test of 19 muesli bars, for the first time in his life Nicholas Jordan asks: ‘Is this too much cinnamon?’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you value our independent journalism, we hope you’ll consider supporting us todayI have a long history with muesli. Muesli bars were a recess staple during my school years. As a uni student, I made muesli in 20kg batches and sold it from my sharehouse back yard like a drug dealer. In lockdown, I started an Instagram account where I would review and rate a different muesli every three or four days (I am the only contributor to the hashtag #mueslireviewsli). Even before this taste test, I would guess that I’ve tried more than 80% of all the muesli and muesli bar brands available in my area

Why do my potatoes go black after cooking? | Kitchen aide

Why do some potatoes turn black on cooking, and how do I stop this happening? I usually leave them to cool in the cooking water, but should I plunge them in cold water instead?”Jean, Hampshire“We’ve all been there,” sympathises spud queen Poppy O’Toole. “It’s a harmless chemical reaction,” the author of The Potato Book continues, “but it looks rank and only gets worse with the slow cooling process that Jean’s using.” But let’s wind things back for a moment. According to the food science guru Harold McGee, in his bible On Food & Cooking, the darkening of cooked potatoes “is caused by the combination of iron ions, a phenolic substance [chlorogenic acid] and oxygen, which react to form a pigmented complex”. So what’s the solution? Make the pH of the water “distinctly acidic”, which McGee does by adding cream of tartar or lemon juice “after the potatoes are half-cooked”

‘Where the magic really happens’: the influencers out to celebrate – and save – Britain’s ‘proper boozers’

The Calthorpe Arms on Gray’s Inn Road is a fairly atypical central London pub. With patterned red carpets, brass fittings, leather bar stools, a pool table and Christmas tinsel still hanging in early February, it feels very much a “local”, although on a Thursday evening it’s busy with the post-work crowd.It’s the fifth time Niall Walsh, who works nearby and runs the Proper Boozers Instagram account, has visited in recent months. “It’s just off the beaten track, but easy to get to,” Walsh says over a pint of Harvey’s. “You can get a real, authentic pub experience

Stuffed battered chillies and chilli cheese toasties: Maunika Gowardhan’s favourite Holi snacks – recipes

Celebrate Holi, the festival of colours and the arrival of spring, with sumptuous, delicious and addictive snacks. The bharwa mirchi pakode ki chaat is full of flavour and topped with tamarind, green chutney and chaat masala. Alongside it, a street-food favourite from my home town of Mumbai: the classic chilli cheese toastie stuffed with potato, peppers and green chutney. Both are the sort of dishes you can eat at any time of day, and the unifying ingredient is the humble potato, which I feel is the backbone of Indian cooking, be it in curries, stir-fries, flatbreads, snacks and even raitas.I’d happily eat this delicious street-food classic on any day of the week

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for chard borani soup with yoghurt, crispy garlic and beans | Quick and easy

I am emphatically not a dip person (see also: salad), but the first time I tried chard borani, a Persian dip made with chard and yoghurt, I became so obsessed that we’ve been having it on repeat at home ever since. Today, I’m sharing my soup version, thickened with beans and topped with crisp garlic and brown butter. It’s perfect served with flatbreads, and takes just minutes to put together: a homage to the excellent original.If you’re making this in advance, reheat it very gently so as not to split the yoghurt.Prep 15 min Cook 30 minServes 3-42 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, peeled and roughly sliced2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated400g rainbow or Swiss chard, stems roughly chopped, leaves roughly sliced2 tsp sea salt flakes 1 400g tin haricot beans, drained and rinsed (260g drained weight)Juice of ½ lemon150g natural or greek yoghurt, at room temperature , plus extra to serve For the crisp garlic butter 40g salted butter2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced2 tsp aleppo pepper (optional)Heat the oil in a large, wide-based pan, add the onion and stir-fry on a medium to high heat for five minutes

How to make the perfect bara brith – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …

Bara brith, the traditional Welsh fruit loaf whose name means speckled bread, is, as Ben Mervis notes, not dissimilar to Yorkshire brack, Irish barmbrack and Scottish “kerrie loaf” – the last is a new one on me, though, of course, I’m more than familiar with how well they all pair with strong tea and cold salty butter. According to food writers Laura Mason and Catherine Brown, they were originally known as teisen dorth in south Wales, and they date the recipe to no earlier than the beginning of the 20th century. However, the digitising of records since their book Food of Britain was published in 1999 allowed me to find a reference to it being eaten before school examinations in Bala, Gwynedd, in Seren Cymru from 1857. (Pen Vogler notes that “anything made with flour, however, is likely to be relatively modern, as wheat was too unreliable to be a staple in wet, upland Wales.”) There’s no reason to doubt the pair’s claim that bara brith was originally made from excess bread dough, but I think it’s good enough to need no such excuse