UK van drivers face extra £2.5bn in diesel costs this year, figures show 12. October 2026 (08:00) Calls for planned fuel duty rise to be scrapped as analysis finds average fuel bill could hit £1,965, up from £1,294Millions of British van drivers face a combined £2.5bn cost to cover the rising price of diesel this year, according to figures, fuelling calls for the government to scrap its planned fuel duty rise.The owners of diesel vans and pickups can expect to collectively spend almost £8.5bn at the pump this year, according to analysis for the Guardian, after diesel prices climbed to record highs due to a global fuel shortage caused by disruption to refineries in the Middle East and Russia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Drivers forced to use parking apps can pay up to 40% more 12. October 2026 (08:00) Council car parks have switched away from ticket machines to cut costs, leading to extra fees for usersDrivers are unwittingly paying up to 40% more to park as more councils switch to app-only payments and force customers to pick up the tab.Many councils across England have removed pay and display machines and replaced them with app payments, including a number in London. Most local authorities encourage drivers to pay by app to beat queues, while apps are often the only way to pay when ticket machines are out of order. However, many car park signs fail to mention that app payments may incur an additional service fee. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Delhi police shut metro stations ahead of election protest march 12. October 2026 (07:51) India’s opposition parties and supporters of the ‘cockroach’ youth movement have been demonstrating against a controversial revision of election voter listsAuthorities in India’s capital closed six metro stations and warned of traffic disruptions on Monday, as opposition parties planned to march to the supreme court in protest against a controversial revision of voter lists that has sparked days of unrest in Delhi.Opposition parties and supporters of the “cockroach” youth movement have taken to the streets almost daily this month to demand the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision that critics say benefits prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
IFS: budget will be ‘work of fiction’ without clear plan to cover UK’s £35bn spending pressures 12. October 2026 (07:49) Thinktank’s influential pre-budget report urges key decisions to be made now and not put off until next yearJohn Healey has been warned by Britain’s leading tax and spending experts that his budget risks being a “work of fiction” unless he sets out plans to cover £35bn in spending pressures.As the war in the Middle East rattles the public finances, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the damage from higher inflation meant the chancellor would need to either top up funds for his current government spending plans or impose deep real-terms cuts by the end of the decade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham to urge MPs to embrace closer ties with EU 12. October 2026 (07:00) Post-recess statement will focus on damage caused by Brexit and the need to cooperate on immigration and tradeAndy Burnham will put Brexit back on the Commons agenda as MPs return from recess, warning that failing to pursue a better deal with the EU would be a “major dereliction of duty”.The prime minister will use a statement to the Commons on the first day back after the party conference break to urge MPs to face up to the damage caused by Brexit, and embrace closer ties with the EU to increase economic growth and tackle illegal immigration. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Melbourne Islamic leader silent on centre’s alleged Flydubai hijacker links in Facebook video 12. October 2026 (06:55) MyCentre leader Samir Mohtadi, who also goes by Abu Hamza, refers to Islamic texts on the virtues of staying silentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA leader of a Melbourne Islamic centre allegedly linked to the accused Flydubai hijacker has released a video extolling the virtues of staying silent, without directly commenting on the accusations from prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates.Dr Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, the attorney general of the UAE, on the weekend said that investigators had traced the ideological and professional background of the 29-year-old suspect and that their findings indicated his “drift towards extremism and terrorism” began while he was studying at RMIT University in Melbourne in 2017. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
