- Ex-Barcelona and Spain great Iniesta retires aged 40
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for 'foundational' AI breakthroughs
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China slaps provisional tariffs on EU brandy imports
- Ex-skipper Skelton eyes Wallabies November return
- Spanish great Iniesta leaves indelible legacy after retirement
- Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade
- Hong Kong stocks crash, oil prices retreat on fading China boost
- Man City accuse Premier League of 'misleading' claims after legal case
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
- China stocks rally fizzles on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Bangladesh's Yunus says no elections before reforms
- England strike twice as Pakistan reach 397-6 at lunch in first Test
- China stocks rally peters out on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Taiwan's Foxconn says building world's largest 'superchip' plant
- Kenya's deputy president faces impeachment vote
- N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul
- 'Appeals Centre' to referee EU social media disputes
- US Supreme Court to hear 'ghost guns' regulation case
- 'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck
- Nobel literature jury may go for non-Western writer
- At Istanbul church, blessed spring offers hope to Christians and Muslims
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- Myanmar to send rep to regional summit for first time in three years
- Prabowo set to lead bolder Indonesia on world stage
- Tampa zoo rushes Chompers the porcupine and others to safety as Milton nears
- Shanghai stocks pare early surge on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- New Japan PM to hold talks on ASEAN sidelines
- Record number of climbers chase 14-peak dream in Tibet
- Former South Korea clinic for US 'comfort women' to be demolished
- China holds off on fresh stimulus but 'confident' will hit growth target
- Chiefs battle past Saints to stay unbeaten
- Deal on climate aid hangs in balance at UN COP29 summit
- Royals hit back against Yankees, Tigers maul Guardians
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case faces verdict in sex crimes trial
- Top economic official 'confident' China will hit 2024 growth target
- COP29 fight looms over climate funds for developing world
- Shanghai stocks soar to extend stimulus rally amid Asia-wide drop
- Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park
- Tragedy of Madrid street sweeper highlights how heatwaves kill
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UK inflation strikes 30-year high
Britain's annual inflation rate soared to the highest level in three decades last month as energy prices rocket, official data showed Wednesday, worsening a cost-of-living crisis.
Inflation surged to 7.0 percent in March from 6.2 percent in February, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
"Broad-based price rises saw annual inflation increase sharply again in March," said ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner.
"Amongst the largest increases were petrol costs."
Prices of restaurant meals and hotel rooms also rose steeply last month after falling a year earlier during a pandemic lockdown in the UK.
Costs are surging worldwide as economies reopen from pandemic lockdowns and on fallout from the war in Ukraine.
US inflation rose by a huge 8.5 percent over the 12 months to March, the biggest jump in four decades, official data showed Tuesday.
Sharp price rises across the board are forcing central banks around the world to hike interest rates, curbing economic growth recovery.
European Central Bank governors meet Thursday to ponder record-high inflation in the eurozone and fresh economic uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine, with policymakers signalling a willingness to take action sooner rather than later.
The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England have already announced their first rate hikes to combat price pressures, leaving the ECB looking out of step.
- 'Worrying time' -
The Bank of England has predicted that UK annual inflation could reach double figures by the end of the year.
"We're seeing rising costs caused by global pressures in our supply chains and energy markets which could be exacerbated further by Russian aggression in Ukraine," Britain's finance minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday.
"I know this is a worrying time for many families," added the embattled chancellor of the exchequer.
Sunak, along with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, confirmed Tuesday that they had been fined for breaching Covid-19 lockdown laws.
British cost-of-living is set to soar even higher owing to an April tax hike on UK workers and businesses and a fresh surge in domestic energy bills that kicked in this month.
"Soaring energy and fuel prices were the main drivers of the rise in (UK) inflation in March, but we are paying more for everything," Myron Jobson, senior personal finance analyst at Interactive Investor, said following Wednesday's data.
"Supply shortages and production bottlenecks owing to the pandemic have forced firms to raise their prices of late," while Russia's invasion of Ukraine "has made the outlook for inflation worse", he added.
P.M.Smith--AMWN