UNITED KINGDOM

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Japan misses growth forecasts for the final three months of 2025UK consumer sentiment continued to sink this month, as households grow more worried about debt levels.A poll of consumer confidence from data firm S&P Global has found that morale continued to drop in February, although not as quickly as in January.Consumers signal stronger rise in debt alongside a quicker deterioration in loan availabilityAppetite for major spending recedes to weakest in ten monthsSentiment regarding labour market conditions at lowest since last June“The mood among UK households matches the dismal weather seen

Rubio visits Orbán, who has a warm relationship with the Trump administration, ahead of Hungarian elections in April with the two countries expected to sign civilian nuclear deal later todayWe have some images come through from the newswires of Marco Rubio in Budapest:Hungary’s 12 April election is set to be one of the year’s most consequential in the EU. Voters will choose a new 199-seat national assembly under the country’s mixed electoral system, with Viktor Orbán facing his biggest electoral challenge after 16 years of uninterrupted power. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/feb/16/marco-rubio-viktor-orban-hungary-ukraine-europe-france-germany-europe-live-news-updates Author : Yohannes Lowe Publish date :

ACCC alleges the supermarket breached the law by offering ‘illusory’ discounts on many products with ‘Down Down’ promotionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes disguised price increases on at least 245 products by offering discounts that were “literally true” but also “utterly misleading”, the competition regulator has argued at the beginning of a high-profile court case.A federal court battle between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Coles began on Monday, testing allegations the supermarket breached the law by offering “illusory” discounts on many everyday products. Continue

Leader vows to repay the ‘young martyrs’ who died as North Korea intensifies propaganda glorifying troops deployed to fight for RussiaNorth Korea has said it completed a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, the latest effort by leader Kim Jong-un to honour the war dead.State media photos showed Kim walking through the new street – called Saeppyol Street – and visiting the homes of some of the families with his increasingly prominent daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae, as he pledged to repay the “young martyrs”