AG百家乐在线官网

A developing news story to bring you now, which is scuppering lots of summer getaway plans today.

Eurostar is advising its customers to abandon or put off their planned trips, after a double whammy of delays.

The alert comes after 600 metres of copper cables were stolen overnight in the city of Lille in northern France, according to reports in the country.

Eurostar said this was forcing it to run services on alternative routes, causing extended journey times.

Its services were already disrupted because many trains and staff members were out of position after two fatalities on rail lines in France on Tuesday.

In a post on X, Eurostar said the cable theft meant trains were likely to be "subject to severe delays and last-minute cancellations", adding: "We advise you to cancel or postpone your trip."

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter

Sterling is at a more than three-year high as the value of the dollar fell to similar lows. 

The US dollar index against a basket of currencies such as the euro, pound and Japanese yen is at a low not seen since February 2022. 

The highest point reached was yesterday afternoon, when a pound was equal to $1.3646.

What it could mean for you 

It means Britons travelling to the US will see their pound go further than it has in the past three years and four months.

Consumers may benefit in general if the rate remains good for sterling, as the price of importing goods priced in dollars could come down. 

Should costs remain lower for importers, the savings could be passed on to shoppers. 

Goods such as oil are priced in dollars.

Homeowners may be able to get thousands of pounds more for their property if they have certain features, but it depends on what time of year they are trying to sell, experts have said.

A study, commissioned by Zoopla, also found buyers may be able to bag a bargain by purchasing a home with particular features 鈥渙ut of season鈥�.

The estimates were based on a three-bedroom property with an average UK asking price of 拢324,000.

Hover over the cards below to see how much each feature could add to your home...

How much a feature could add to a property鈥檚 value will depend on individual circumstances, such as where it is located in the UK, how popular the local area is with buyers, and the desirability of other features in the house.

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter

Three UK airports need to improve their special assistance services, according to the aviation regulator.

Heathrow, Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick were rated "needs improvement" in the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) airport accessibility report. 

It covered 2024, a year which saw more requests for assistance than ever before.

The CAA found "generally good" service at Heathrow's terminals 2, 4 and 5 but said it wasn't clear that waiting time standards were met at terminal 3.

At Edinburgh Airport, standards weren't met "in a timely manner primarily due to operational issues caused by a change of contractor", an issue which the CAA added "appears to be resolved".

Glasgow Prestwick "failed" to meet the standards to consult with disabled groups and individuals, the regulator said. It has since committed to putting in place an "access forum", the CAA added. 

The report rated performance assisting disabled and less mobile passengers in the UK's 28 airports with more than 150,000 passengers. 

None of the 28 were rated "poor", 14 were classed as "good", and 11 were said to be "very good".

For this week's guide, Anna Bowes, savings expert from , reviews the best account options on the market this month, with plenty of good news around for savers.

Easy access

There has not been a lot of change to the easy access table, apart from the addition of a new financial app provider, Snoop.

Like other fintech providers such as Chip, Moneybox, Tembo, Plum, and Sidekick, Snoop offers savings and investment services. 

These companies are not banks themselves, but they partner with fully authorised and regulated banks. 

This means that funds placed in their savings accounts are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

However, it's important to remember that the FSCS protection limit of 拢85,000 applies per person, per bank. So if you already hold money with one of these underlying partner banks - either directly or through another financial app - you'll need to consider your total balance across all accounts. 

If you exceed the 拢85,000 limit, any amount over that may not be protected.

Of the top five accounts listed in the table, Chase and Atom are also app-only, but unlike the fintechs above, these are authorised and regulated banks in their own right.

For those who would prefer not to use an app-only provider, Cahoot's Simple Saver offers a straightforward, unrestricted, easy access account with an interest rate of 4.55% AER. 

However, note that after 12 months, any remaining funds in this account will be transferred to a Cahoot Savings Account, which currently pays only 1.20% AER.

Fixed-term bonds

The Bank of England's decision to keep the base rate on hold at 4.25% last week has given savers another reprieve 鈥� and the good news is that fixed-term bond rates have not only remained steady, but we've actually seen some improvements.

Of the top five one-year fixed-term bonds, four are new and improved since the base rate decision last Thursday 鈥� and the top rate on offer has jumped up to 4.55% AER, from 4.50% a week before.

It's not quite as impressive in the two-year table, but the top rate has edged up from 4.42% to 4.45% AER. 

However, we have also seen one provider cutting the rate it is offering very slightly, leaving the new rate high enough to keep it in the best buy tables.

The longer-term tables have seen very little activity, which makes sense - although there was no base rate cut this time around, the trajectory is very much downwards, so providers don't want to be paying out more than they need to over the longer term.

While the new, better rates are only marginally higher, it does mean that savers have more options than ever to choose from that still beat inflation 鈥� especially if we see inflation fall in the next few months and years.

Fixed-term cash ISAs

It's a similar picture for fixed-term ISAs - in fact, in some cases, it's even better.

We've seen some rate hikes among the top longer-term accounts. And, just like with the one-year bonds, there have been multiple improvements. All of the top five fixed-term cash ISAs are now paying more than they were a week ago. 

The average has improved from 4.26% to 4.30% following a little battle between Cynergy, Castle Trust and Hodge. 

Cynergy is currently the winner, paying 4.35% tax free/AER.

If you are looking to fix for two years, the top rates are still slightly lower, as the markets are expecting rates to fall in the next few months and years, but there have been a few increases in the meantime. 

The top rate available over this term is now 4.25% with both Cynergy Bank and United Trust Bank, with Vanquis falling slightly behind them, paying 4.22%.

Over in the three-year table, the top rates are all exactly the same as in the two-year table, so if you want to hedge against further cuts by locking in for a bit longer, you're not missing out by doing so.

Finally, in the five-year table, the average among the top five is 4.22%, which is the same as both the three-year and two-year terms, as the rates are very similar. 

However, the top five-year rate is very slightly less at 4.23% with the Nottingham Building Society.

What term you choose all depends on what you think will happen to interest rates over the next few years.

In the meantime, once again, there are plenty of inflation-beating accounts to choose from for those who have not yet used this year's ISA allowance or who are looking to switch from a poorer-paying ISA account.

Easy access cash ISAs

Competition has been more muted among the easy access cash ISA providers and we have seen a few rates being cut over the last few days.

That said, the top easy access ISA with Plum increased the rate for new customers from 4.85% to 4.88% - an unexpected move as it was already paying quite a bit more than the rest of the field.

For those who do not want to choose a financial-app-only fintech provider, the top rate is now a little less, as Vida Savings has reduced rates.

The new best Easy Access ISA is with Kent Reliance, paying 4.46%. 

This is a refreshingly straightforward account, as there are no restrictions on the number of withdrawals you can make, and there is no short-term bonus to watch out for. 

It can be opened online or even in branch if you live close to one.

As ever, check all the terms and conditions to make sure you choose the best account to meet your needs.

Russian vodka and Israeli carrots soon won't be available on Co-op shelves, as the company announces plans to stop sourcing food from "countries of concern".

The supermarket has announced it would no longer be buying products from countries where there are "internationally recognised community-wide human rights abuses" and "violations of international law".

Using information from recognised bodies like the UN, the supermarket's list of banned countries will be regularly updated.

There are 17 countries on the list: Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, North Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

When a country is added to the list, the member-owned retailer will stop arranging new sourcing agreements from there. 

It will also phase out products in its supply chain from that country, and if a branded product is clearly from a country of concern, it will be removed.

Products will be removed from Co-op shelves on a phased approach, starting from this month, according to the business.

"We are committed, where we can, to removing products and ingredients from our shelves which are sourced from those countries where the international consensus demonstrates there is not alignment with what happens in those countries and our co-operative values and principles," said Debbie White, chair of the Co-op Group board.

The move comes after a "clear call" from Co-op members for the company to "do all it can to advocate and build peace", according to the business.

Amazon will create thousands of jobs across new British warehouses in the next two years, the retail giant has announced.

Hull and Northampton will host two fulfilment centres employing 2,000 people each, opening in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

Another two warehouses will be built in the East Midlands, due to open in 2027 as part of a 拢40bn investment strategy, creating thousands more roles.

Keir Starmer hailed the expansion plans as a "major win" for the UK, while Amazon's boss stressed the investment will boost areas outside of London and the southeast.

"We're bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland," said chief executive Andy Jassy said

Fulfilment centres are large warehouses where customer orders can be picked, packed and shipped.

Amazon hires more than 75,000 people in the UK and is one of the country's biggest private sector employers.

The number of family inheritances being disputed in the UK has hit the highest level in a decade. 

A total of 11,362 wills were challenged last year - nearly 1,000 more than the year before, according to .

The number of disputes has risen by 56% since before the pandemic, with experts blaming the rise on increasing property values and the cost of living.

"Rising property values mean there's simply more at stake when it comes to inheritance," said Scott Taylor, partner in private wealth disputes at law firm Moore Barlow, to the newspaper.

"The cost of living crisis has left many people viewing inheritance as essential rather than a bonus."

Unlike in France, where a portion of someone's estate must be left to direct descendants, people in the UK have the freedom to leave their money to whoever or whatever they like. 

However, financial dependents can lodge a complaint - called a caveat - if they've been left out of someone's will.

Around 60% of claimants are thought to succeed, with the majority of disputes settled out of court, while fewer than 5% of cases will be successful at trial.

Decathlon has pledged to offer a full gift card refund for the return of every tent it sells this summer - regardless of how much you have used it.

The sports retailer wants to encourage campers and festival-goers not to abandon tents, which contain as much plastic as 9,000 straws or 200 bottles.

Customers who buy any of its tents online or in store between 9 June and 14 September and return them with proof of purchase before 14 September will receive the full purchase value back.

It's important to note you need to be a Decathlon member at the time of returning the tent.

"Whether you're dancing at Glasto, on a hilltop, or roasting marshmallows with family, your tent deserves more than one weekend of glory," said broadcaster Vick Hope, who is supporting this year's campaign.

The company has expanded the No Tent Left Behind scheme from previous years to include every Decathlon brand tent across both its Quechua and Simond ranges.