[ Mon Dieu! What has happened as Paris limbers up for the Olympics? I had thought service est compris was practically written into the French Declaration of 1789? Yet, I hear, Parisian restaurants are starting to push their patrons to tip. As more people pay by card, customers in the city are increasingly finding that, … Read more
[ The hunt for one of the the country’s most prolific and terrifying criminals nicknamed The Fox will be chronicled in a documentary on Monday night. The Intruder: He’s Watching You From Within premieres 0n Channel 5 at 10pm on Monday detailing the police investigation and manhunt in 1984 which led to the capture of … Read more
[ Picture a four-hour train ride in spacious first-class seats, with hot drinks and a brownie brought to your seat as the countryside whizzes by. Coming in at just €34 (£29), you’re not paying UK rail prices – this is a new, four-and-a-quarter-hour-long service linking the Baltic capitals of Vilnius and Riga. The LTG Link … Read more
[ Welcome to Monday’s Early Edition from i. It’s a word that conjures up images of wars fought a century ago. But the concept of conscription has made headlines in recent weeks, after Britain’s outgoing head of the Army General Sir Patrick Sanders said the UK should “train and equip” a “citizen army” to stand … Read more
[ Now we are in the third week of January, over a quarter of our New Year’s resolutions will have been abandoned, according to research by financial website Forbes Advisor. Meanwhile, those yet to set any good intentions may assume they’ve missed the boat. But it’s not too late to kick start 2024, no matter … Read more
[ Half of the major banks and building societies in the country have dropped their rates by as much as 1 percentage point this week, with more expected soon. HSBC, Lloyds, TSB, Halifax and Natwest have all reduced their costs in recent days in a “frenzied” series of rate cuts. All members of the “Big … Read more
[ HSBC has become the second major mortgage lender to slash rates this year in a further boost for households. The bank has announced a slew of cuts to its products that will come into effect from tomorrow (Thursday 4 January). It is launching a five-year fixed mortgage at 3.94 per cent, for those with … Read more
[ Labour’s bold plans to create a new generation of new towns will focus heavily on expanding existing ones and settlements, i understands. Sir Keir Starmer has placed housing at the heart of his party’s policy agenda, declaring himself to be a “Yimby” (yes, in my backyard) as he vowed to “bulldoze” through local planning … Read more
[ Homeowners with large amounts of equity in their houses are seeing the biggest benefit from falling mortgage rates – with the deals available to them being slashed more quickly than those available to cash-strapped first-time buyers with small deposits, data shared with i show. Average mortgage rates have tumbled over the past four months, … Read more
