UK ministers to meet bank bosses over lending to small businesses

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Rachel Reeves concerned that lenders’ restrictions are holding back growth in the SME sector

Ministers will meet bank bosses on Tuesday to discuss how big lenders can support the government’s growth strategy as concerns mount inside Whitehall that small businesses are struggling to access the funds needed to make vital investments.

Senior executives from HSBC, NatWest and Lloyds are expected to explain how they will meet the government’s mission to increase lending after criticism from business groups about the lack of credit available after the pandemic.

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Romania’s pro-EU prime minister resigns as Trump ally eyes presidency

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Marcel Ciolacu quits after coalition candidate fails to make it to run-off against nationalist George Simion

Romania’s pro-EU prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, has resigned after his ruling coalition’s candidate crashed out of a presidential election rerun decisively won by a far-right Trump admirer, dramatically deepening the country’s political turmoil.

“Rather than let the future president replace me, I decided to resign myself,” Ciolacu, told reporters after a meeting at the headquarters of his Social Democratic party (PSD). “The ruling coalition has no legitimacy, at least in this formula.”

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British Superbikes event abandoned as two riders die after being caught in ‘severe & catastrophic’ 11-bike crash – The US Sun

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  1. British Superbikes event abandoned as two riders die after being caught in ‘severe & catastrophic’ 11-bike crash  The US Sun
  2. Two riders dead after ‘catastrophic’ 11-man crash at British Superbikes Championship  Yahoo Sports
  3. Second tragedy for motorcyclist Shane Richardson's partner  NZ Herald
  4. British Supersport Championship: What happened at Oulton Park and what next for the sport?  BBC
  5. Police probe launched after two killed in superbike ‘chain reaction’ collision  The Independent
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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after death of man on UK cruise ship

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Police detained 57-year-old from Exeter as MSC Virtuosa returned to Southampton after ‘altercation’

A 57-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of a 60-year-old man on a cruise ship.

The man died in what police said was an “isolated incident” after an altercation that took place two and a half hours after the cruise began while the vessel was still in British waters.

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US media stocks slide on Wall Street after Trump threatens movie tariffs

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Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount shares fall as studios reel from announcement

Shares in US streamers and production companies fell on Monday, after Donald Trump said he would introduce 100% tariffs on films made abroad, a move that couldsharply raise costs for Hollywood studios.

Trump’s announcement on his Truth Social platform, revived worries about the US president’s trade policy and its impact on the world economy.

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Announcement of Israel’s Gaza occupation plan is carefully timed

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By going public now Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to squeeze Hamas for concessions and please the far right

The announcement of Israel’s plan to launch imminently a new, expanded offensive in Gaza and to retain the territory it seized is a significant moment, at least in terms of public rhetoric.

Throughout the nearly 19-month war, Israeli troops have carried out large and frequently bloody operations that have covered all except central parts of Gaza, but they have largely restricted their permanent presence to a buffer zone about 1km deep along the devastated territory’s perimeter and two relatively narrow east-west corridors.

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Trump administration offers $1,000 to undocumented immigrants to leave US

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DHS claims payment will be issued after individuals leave the US and it has been confirmed through their app

The Trump administration has announced a new program offering a $1,000 payment to people in the US without immigration status as an incentive to return to their home country voluntarily.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) outlined the initiative on Monday, pledging “financial and travel assistance” to undocumented immigrants who agree to leave the country using an app called CBP Home.

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UK access to EU crime and illegal migration data reportedly denied

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Blow to Starmer’s hopes of post-Brexit reset and efforts to clear asylum claims amid rise of populist right

A UK request for access to shared European Union crime and illegal migration data has reportedly been rejected in a blow to Keir Starmer’s hopes of a post-Brexit relations “reset”.

British negotiators have been hoping to reach a deal on gaining access to the Schengen Information System (SIS), a vital tool for sharing police alerts across borders within the area where 29 countries have abolished passport controls.

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‘Step back from the brink’, Guterres urges India and Pakistan – UN News

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  1. ‘Step back from the brink’, Guterres urges India and Pakistan  UN News
  2. 'LeT Involved?': UN Security Council Blasts Pakistan Over Pahalgam  NDTV
  3. Shashi Tharoor shares insider view of UNSC meet: ‘China will veto any resolution against Pakistan…’  Hindustan Times
  4. In closed-door meeting, UNSC asks Pakistan tough questions amid heightened tensions with India  The Indian Express
  5. Pakistan’s objectives ‘largely served and achieved’ by UNSC moot on South Asia tensions: Asim Iftikhar  Dawn
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UK marks VE Day 80th anniversary with large crowds and military pomp

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Royal family and war veterans watch 1,300-strong military procession in London while street parties held around UK

As Big Ben chimed at noon and with the Cenotaph, the symbol of sacrifice, draped in the union flag for the first time since its unveiling in 1920, the UK marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with military pomp before large crowds who had gathered in central London.

Buckingham Palace may have served as the centrepiece of Monday’s spectacle before Thursday’s anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. At the event’s heart, however, were the VVIP second world war veterans, those remaining few who bore actual witness then and who today serve to remind.

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EU to set 2027 deadline for severing energy contracts with Russia – Financial Times

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  1. EU to set 2027 deadline for severing energy contracts with Russia  Financial Times
  2. EU to set out plans to halt Russian gas imports by end-2027  Reuters
  3. Europe’s final plan to quit Russian energy: Enlist wary execs  politico.eu
  4. The man with the plan to end Europe’s Russian gas addiction  Financial Times
  5. EU Aims to Sever Energy Ties With Moscow  Bloomberg
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Sudan fails in attempt to make UAE accountable for acts of genocide

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Largely expected decision by international court of justice marks second diplomatic victory for Gulf state

An attempt by Sudan’s government to make the United Arab Emirates legally accountable for acts of genocide in West Darfur has been rejected by the international court of justice after the judges voted by 14 to 2 to declare they had no jurisdiction. By a narrower majority the judges voted 9 to 7 to strike the case entirely from the ICJ list.

There have been repeated allegations during the two-year civil war in Sudan that the UAE has been flying arms to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in an attempt to oust the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

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Francis’s popemobile to become a mobile clinic for children in Gaza

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Catholic charity says the late pontiff endorsed the idea of creating a ‘vehicle of hope’ to deliver medical aid

Just over a decade ago, the converted Mitsubishi whisked Pope Francis through the streets of Bethlehem before it was left to gather dust. Now, in keeping with one of the late pontiff’s last wishes, the popemobile is being given a second life – as a mobile health clinic for children in the Gaza Strip.

In a region ravaged by more than 18 months of war, the initiative is both symbolic and practical, said Peter Brune, the secretary general of the Catholic charity Caritas Sweden.

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