
University of Idaho says it has consent to demolish home where 4 students were murdered
The University of Idaho said it does not know when it will demolish the home where four of its students were murdered but it does have consent from prosecution and defense attorneys to tear down the property.
1970-01-01 08:00

Yellen expresses 'concern' about China's export curbs on strategic raw materials
Beijing's newly unveiled export controls on two strategic raw materials critical to the global chipmaking industry are a "concern," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told a group of executives in China on the first day of her trip to the country, where she will try to stabilize bilateral relations after a particularly difficult period.
1970-01-01 08:00

Biotech firms target weight-loss drugs without Wegovy's side-effects
By Maggie Fick LONDON Weight-loss drug Wegovy helped Rebecca Vogt achieve a major goal - shedding the weight
1970-01-01 08:00

4 things making it harder for Janet Yellen to repair the US-China relationship
As US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen gears up Friday for two days of meetings with officials and economists in Beijing, she has a tough job: to stabilize a fractious relationship that worsened this week when China retaliated in a tech war with the United States.
1970-01-01 08:00

Judge rules Trump can be deposed in lawsuit from ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok
A federal judge ruled Thursday that Donald Trump can be deposed in the lawsuit ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok brought against the Justice Department for his wrongful termination after the Russia investigation.
1970-01-01 08:00

Belarus jails Eduard Babaryko, son of jailed rival to Lukashenko
Eduard Babaryko was detained while running his father's presidential election campaign in 2020.
1970-01-01 08:00

Concerns travel rules will deter French visitors
Some are concerned changes to travel rules will make it harder for people to visit Jersey.
1970-01-01 08:00

China detains graduate who allegedly stole data for website rating students' attractiveness
Police in China have detained a college graduate suspected of stealing university data to create a website rating the attractiveness of his fellow students.
1970-01-01 08:00

NHS 75: Windrush nurse's 50 years of the NHS in Shropshire.
Marjorie Brown recalls leaving Trinidad and Tobago aged 17 and working as a nurse in Shrewsbury.
1970-01-01 08:00

Canada media guide
An overview of the media in Canada, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.
1970-01-01 08:00

Why is Belarus admitting Wagner leader and backing Russia against Ukraine?
Belarus let Russian forces invade Ukraine from its territory and is now hosting its nuclear weapons.
1970-01-01 08:00

Broadband customers plagued by issues despite inflation-busting price hikes
More than half of broadband customers have experienced problems with their connection over the past year, despite providers inflicting inflation-busting price hikes, a survey suggests. The latest “broadband satisfaction survey” by Which? found that 53% of the nearly 4,000 broadband customers polled had experienced connection issues in the year to January, most commonly frequent connection dropouts, “very” slow speeds and slow uploads and downloads. The issues were “persistent” across all the providers, with narrow margins between the best and worst offenders for poor customer experiences. It's completely unacceptable that customers who have faced these eye-watering increases are also experiencing so many problems with their connection Which? The watchdog noted that the scale of problems added “insult to injury” as many customers saw their bills jump by more than 14% after many providers chose to impose inflation-based price increases earlier this year. Providers often link their annual price rises to January’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Price Index (RPI), which were 10.5% and 13.4% respectively – an amount which would have been unforeseeable for customers signing up to their contract 18 or 24 months previously. The current system forces millions of customers to choose between paying more each month or exorbitant exit fees, which can exceed £200. Industry watchdog Ofcom is currently investigating whether inflation-linked, mid-contract price rises give customers sufficient certainty and clarity when signing up to new contracts. Of the UK’s biggest providers, Sky, Virgin Media, and EE had the lowest proportion of customers who had not experienced any issues, with just 32%, 35% and 37% of their customers not reporting any problems. Of the major providers, BT fared best with 49% of its customers not experiencing a performance issue in the past year. Hyperoptic, Shell Energy Broadband and Utility Warehouse performed better, with half or more of their customers not experiencing any performance issue over the 12 months. However, even with these providers, at least four in 10 customers said they had experienced at least one problem. Frequent connection drop outs were the most common broadband issue, experienced by 19% of those who had suffered a problem. Some 17% suffered slow speeds, while 15% experienced slow uploads and downloads. One in seven (14%) said they had been left without a connection for at least an hour. One in 10 (12%) experienced slow or disrupted streaming when listening to music or watching videos and 8% said they were left without connection for more than a day. Overall, around four in 10 (44%) said they had experienced some kind of customer service issue and 11% said they had either found it difficult to get in touch with their provider or struggled to get their issue resolved. It’s absolutely critical that Ofcom’s review of inflation linked mid-contract hikes results in changes that ensure customers are never trapped in this situation again Rocio Concha, Which? Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “A reliable connection is essential to modern life. Earlier this year, many broadband consumers were hit with mid-contract price hikes of more than 14% – meaning that it’s more important than ever that their provider offers a reliable connection and good customer service. “It’s completely unacceptable that customers who have faced these eye-watering increases are also experiencing so many problems with their connection. Broadband firms need to work harder to resolve these issues and offer a better service. “While some customers are able to switch away to better service and prices, many are trapped in contracts where they either have to accept above inflation price hikes in the spring or pay exorbitant exit fees to leave the contract early. “It’s absolutely critical that Ofcom’s review of inflation linked mid-contract hikes results in changes that ensure customers are never trapped in this situation again.” A Sky spokeswoman said: “We are committed to providing the best service to our customers. “We do not believe this is a representative survey – Ofcom’s quarterly complaints data shows we are consistently one of the least complained about broadband providers and, in Ofcom’s latest report, we received the fewest complaints out of all broadband providers.” A Virgin Media spokesman said: “While these findings are only taken from a small sample of customers, the latest, fuller data from Ofcom shows that our customers benefit from the fastest download speeds, and customer complaints on our broadband services fell by 22% in the first quarter of this year.” EE said: “Ofcom’s latest complaints report shows that we remain one of the least complained about broadband providers, with complaints remaining well below the industry average throughout recent years. “We have proudly led the way with social tariffs since 2008, with around 80% of the total market being supported on BT social tariffs. “Customers who are struggling financially and are eligible for our social tariffs can move penalty-free at any point in their contract, this also includes EE and Plusnet customers. “ Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Will.i.am hails AI technology as ‘new renaissance’ in music Heart transplant woman’s daughter twice saved her life using Alexa Dolly Parton on AI and not wanting to leave her soul ‘here on earth’
1970-01-01 08:00