Taxpayer bill for saving Scunthorpe steel furnaces could top £1.5bn by 2028, auditor says

Primary school teacher Pavel Talankin’s record of the indoctrination of his pupils to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine beats contendersMr Nobody Against Putin, a primary school teacher’s record of the indoctrination of his pupils to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has won the Oscar for best documentary in Los Angeles.Pavel Talankin, who is now in exile in Europe, picked up the award alongside the film’s American co-director, David Borenstein. It beat favourite The Perfect Neighbor to take the prize, along with other contenders The Alabama Solution, Come See Me in the Good Light and Cutting Through Rocks. Continue reading...

The actor and singer remembered her co-star in 1973’s The Way We Were, who died in SeptemberBarbra Streisand has paid tribute to her friend and former co-star Robert Redford at the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.The actor and singer, 83, sang a portion of the title song from their 1973 romantic drama The Way We Were, directed by Sydney Pollack, after remembering the pair’s respect and affection for one another. Continue reading...

Much-loved actor, who died in October aged 79, remembered an emotional segment at the 98th Academy AwardsOscars 2026 – follow the action live!The winners: the full list – updating liveThe 98th Oscars in Los Angeles have paid tribute to one of Hollywood’s best-loved and most singular stars, Diane Keaton, who died in October 2025, aged 79.Rachel McAdams took to the stage to pay tribute to a woman who “wore so many hats, literally and figuratively”, calling her “a legend with no end”. Continue reading...

Rain fell between 1 and 2in hourly in Maui, Molokai and the Big Island while tens of thousands are without powerRain continued falling in Hawaii on Sunday where a strong storm brought flash flooding, blizzard conditions and landslides to the islands as residents reported collapsed roads and one home washing away in rising waters.Flash flooding has been a major problem in recent days in places such as Maui, Molokai and the Big Island, where rain had been falling between 1 and 2in (2.5 and 5cm) an hour overnight, according to the Hawaii emergency management agency. Continue reading...

Pretending not to hear parents or hiding toys are among children’s early ploys, while by age of three they may be telling lies such as ‘a ghost ate the chocolate’, research finds They may be yet to take their first step or say their first word, but some babies have already grasped the basics of deception before their first birthday, according to research.The study, based on interviews with 750 parents, suggested that by 10 months about a quarter of children were practising some rudimentary form of deceit such as pretending not to hear their parents, hiding toys or eating forbidden foods out of view. By the age of three, children were more proficient, creative and frequent fabricators, according to the parents’ responses. Continue reading...

Borrowers coming off fixed deals hit hard as Savills says big spike in interest payments made up half the overall rise UK households spent a record £226bn to keep a roof over their heads last year, figures showed on Monday, with mortgage borrowers finishing fixed-rate deals particularly hard hit by rising payments.Overall housing costs have gone up by £66bn over the past five years, a rise of 41%, the property group Savills said. Continue reading...

Having been nominated in the same category 40 years earlier, the actor sets a new record for the longest gap between nominations before a winAmy Madigan has won the best supporting actress Oscar for Weapons at the 98th Academy Awards, currently under way in Los Angeles.Madigan defeated a strong field to take the prize, including Elle Fanning for Sentimental Value, Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another. In doing so she set a new record for the longest gap between nominations before a win; she was previously nominated in the same category 40 years ago, in 1986, for Twice in a Lifetime. Continue reading...

Government reluctant to dispatch ships amid concerns complying with Trump’s demands could escalate Iran crisisMinisters are drawing up plans to send minesweeping drones to the strait of Hormuz amid concerns in Whitehall that complying with Donald Trump’s demand to send ships could escalate the crisis.The government is considering dispatching aerial minesweepers to help clear the vital waterway of mines in an attempt to allow the flow of oil exports to resume. However, officials said that sending ships, as requested over the weekend by the US president, could worsen the situation given the volatile nature of the war. Continue reading...

Prime minister expected to set out tens of millions of pounds in help for heating oil users as conflict with Iran drives up costsKeir Starmer will on Monday announce tens of millions of pounds’ worth of support for Britons hit by a spike in energy prices as a result of the Iran war.The prime minister will lay out the plans during a press conference in Downing Street on Monday, during which he will also take aim at some suppliers of heating oil for price gouging. Continue reading...

Share of 16- to 24-year-old Neets who report a work-limiting condition up 70% in a decade, says thinktankThere has been a sharp rise in the number of jobless young people in the UK citing health problems as the reason they are not working, according to analysis.The share of 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training – known as Neets – who reported a work-limiting condition has surged by 70% in a decade, a charity thinktank found. Continue reading...

Powerful storm chain to affect 200 million in US as it carries blizzard conditions, damaging winds and thunderstormsWinter’s grip has yet to release as an erratic patchwork of severe weather moved across much of the US, dumping heavy snow and making roads impassable in the upper midwest while damaging high winds swept across the Plains.As portions of the mid-south readied for thunderstorms, forecasters said the storms will spread eastward and by Monday threaten a large swath of the eastern US, with mid-Atlantic states and Washington DC at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes. Continue reading...