The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is conducting a thorough review of its cost of living payments to determine if more are needed, reports BirminghamLive. Charities, campaigners, and MPs have been urging for another round of financial aid as daily costs remain high, but the government has so far stated that no further payments will be made after the recent £299 sum.more

Iga Swiatek, last year's winner of the tennis Grand Slam French Open, was on the list of nominees for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Award in the "Sportswoman of the Year" category for the second year in a row. The awards gala will take place on April 22 in Madrid.more

Labour is being warned by a powerful alliance of thinktanks and charities that poverty will soar if it comes to power and then fails to spend many billions of pounds on welfare reform to help those struggling most with the cost of living.more

Around 250 banks are set to close this year or have already shut - as financial services continue to be stripped from the high street at pace. Twelve major bank branches closed in January alone and another 38 will have been shut down by the end of this month. They are among 245 banks set to close in 2024, with another six branches also due to shut but with no end date yet announced.more

The disciplinary committee of the Saudi Football Federation has initiated proceedings against Cristiano Ronaldo, local media reported. The famous Portuguese from Al-Nassr club is accused of making a controversial gesture towards Al Shabab fans after Sunday's match between these teams.more

The speech of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, at the UN Security Council, pointing out Russia's false narrative about the war in Ukraine, became a sensation and received enthusiastic praise - the American Bloomberg agency reported yesterday.more

The majority of councils across England and Wales have introduced measures to dim or cut street lights altogether over the past 15 years, some saving millions of pounds a year. Now cash-strapped local authorities have increased the cuts in an effort to plug gaping holes in budgets, with Croydon, Cornwall, Havering and Hampshire the latest to declare plans to switch off lights.more

Warning strikes are to be held in local transport in many regions of Germany until Saturday. Yesterday, city bus drivers in Schleswig-Holstein, Saarland and parts of Trier went on strike, resulting in many connections being canceled. There are also several hours of disruption in Berlin, the Tagesschau portal reported.more

Girona's players won at home against Rayo Vallecano 3-0 in the match ending the 26th round and returned to second place in the Spanish Premier League table, pushing Barcelona to third.more

Bus company staff in London are set to strike next month over pay. Around 40 members of staff will be involved in the strike that is set to impact 18 bus routes for 9 days.more

Serbian police detained a Polish citizen in connection with an attempt to launder over PLN 30,000 in the country. euro - the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced yesterday.more

To alleviate the problem of lack of prison space and reduce costs, British Justice Minister Alex Chalk wants foreign perpetrators of less serious crimes not to be tried, but deported with a lifetime ban on returning to the UK.more

Hubert Hurkacz advanced to the second round of the ATP 500 tennis tournament on hard courts in Dubai. After an extremely close fight, he defeated German Jan-Lennard Struff 7:6 (7-5), 6:7 (4-7), 7:6 (8-6). The match lasted two hours and 42 minutes.more

For more than 10 years, the US has developed intelligence cooperation with Ukraine, which is now critical for both countries to counter Russia, writes the "New York Times" in a lengthy article.more

England should ditch its school calendar “stuck in place since Victorian times” and replace it with shorter summer holidays and longer half-term breaks to improve the lives of pupils and teachers, according to a new report.more

Figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) show the average rent for new tenants has increased to €1,598. The latest report from the RTB for Q3 2023 show the average rent for new tenants is higher than existing tenants, who are on average spending €1,357 per month. In Q3 2023 the standardised average rent in new tenancies grew by 11 per cent year-on-year and in existing tenanciesmore

English Premier League football rivals Everton will have six points deducted rather than 10 for financial irregularities. The Premier League's governing body reduced the penalty after allowing the Liverpool club's appeal.more

A traveller from England was fined PLN 500 for trespassing on a border road lane, the Warmia and Mazury Border Guard reported yesterday. The man explained that he wanted to visit a girl he had met online in Russia.more

Oxford Street has begun to bounce back, with the proportion of vacant shops down by 40% and almost a fifth of its troublesome candy and souvenir shops now closed.more

Iga Swiatek continues to lead in the world women's tennis ranking. The Pole's lead over the runner-up, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, is 1,380 points. Magdalena Fręch moved up to a career-best 42nd place and overtook Magda Linette, among others, 53rd on the list. Hubert Hurkacz remained at number eight in the world tennis ranking. He is still led by Serb Novak Djokovic. more

The energy price cap in Great Britain will fall by £238 to £1,690 this spring thanks to a mild winter and lower gas prices, easing pressure on household finances. Set by energy regulator Ofgem, the cap reflects the average annual bill for 29 million households in England, and takes effect from April. It is a 12.3% reduction from £1,928 in the current quarter.more

A Which? survey has named Wizz Air the worst short-haul airline for the second year in a row. In October 2023, the consumer champion’s annual airline satisfaction survey assessed 10,775 flights, with UK passengers asked to rate airlines on customer service, value for money, seat comfort, and food and drink.more

Real Madrid, thanks to a goal by experienced Croatian Luka Modric, beat Sevilla 1:0 at home in the 26th round of the Spanish football league and are eight points ahead of runner-up Barcelona. The defending champions won 4:0 against Getafe on Saturday.more

Waitrose was today crowned Britain's most expensive supermarket of the year - and Aldi the cheapest - in a price comparison of 43 shopping basket essentials. The news will boost sales at the German discounter which - along with rival Lidl - has seen a boom against the background of the cost of living crisis.more

'If Vladimir Putin really threatens us, we are ready to double our defence spending; we will never again be a Russian colony,' Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced in an interview with US television channel CNN broadcast yesterday.more