Brisbane, Australia CNN — Marion Barter won plaudits for her warmth as an elementary school teacher, but in 1997 the 51-year-old mother-of-two became restless, quit her job, sold her house, and flew from Australia’s beach-lined Gold Coast to start a new life in Europe. Her family never saw her again. If Barter had vanished without […]
A version of this story appeared in the November 25 edition of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. Sign up here. London CNN — Another week, another set of firsts for the new King. This time round, Charles III hosted the first state visit of his […]
London CNN Business — Britain’s cost-of-living crisis is already taking the shine off Black Friday. Now, the annual shopping bonanza faces an additional threat from strikes that could disrupt deliveries, subdue online sales and deliver another blow to the slumping economy. Some 235,000 workers have gone on strike across the United Kingdom this week, encompassing […]
London CNN Business — Last year, Auckland’s largest real estate company couldn’t sell properties quickly enough to meet demand in New Zealand’s biggest city. Houses were “flying out the door,” said Grant Sykes, a manager at real estate agency Barfoot & Thompson. “There were chin-dropping moments when agents stand around the room and are gobsmacked […]
London CNN — Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland’s government cannot unilaterally hold a second referendum on whether to secede from the United Kingdom, in a blow to independence campaigners that will be welcomed by Westminster’s pro-union establishment. The court unanimously rejected an attempt by the Scottish National Party (SNP) to force a vote […]
London CNN Business — For Rebeca Blázquez, the past few weeks have been a “nightmare.” Based in Madrid but hoping to find work in London before starting her master’s degree, the 22-year-old university graduate spent a month searching online for a room to rent in London on a £900 budget ($1,070). She sent dozens of […]
London CNN Business — The UK government is hiking a windfall tax on oil and gas companies and extending the levy to electricity generators, as it scrambles to balance its budget amid an economic downturn. It is also investing in nuclear power for the first time in decades. UK finance minister Jeremy Hunt announced the […]
London CNN Business — The United Kingdom has already entered a recession and is battling decades-high inflation, eroding standards of living for millions of people across the country. Now, Britons must also stomach higher taxes and reductions to public services as the government tries to get its finances on more solid footing — underscoring the […]
London CNN Business — The last time a British finance minister revealed tax and spending plans, markets went haywire and the country’s prime minister ultimately lost her job. The new government is not looking for a repeat performance. On Thursday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to unveil a budget that will aim to restore confidence […]
London CNN Business — Soaring energy costs drove UK inflation to a fresh high in October, the latest piece of bad news for an economy sliding into recession. The annual rate of inflation rose to 11.1% in October, up from 10.1% in the 12 months to September, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. […]