UK marketplace sellers face โ€˜second Brexitโ€™ hit from Trumpโ€™s US import rules

End of โ€˜de minimisโ€™ policy for Chinese goods also expected to hit bigger fashion retailers such as Asos and BoohooMany UK-based independent sellers on marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon could suffer a significant hit to US sales from planned changes …

Bereaved parents launch court challenge over UK benefit โ€˜discriminationโ€™

Widowed parentโ€™s allowance claims for those not married or in civil partnership can only be backdated from 30 August 2018Two bereaved parents have filed a case at the European court of human rights, claiming that the UK governmentโ€™s treatment of them i…

Consumers embrace Irelandโ€™s first bottle deposit return scheme

Since February, 630m empty cans and bottles have been deposited at reverse vending machinesAfter initial consumer confusion and irritation, Irelandโ€™s first ever bottle deposit return scheme has finally been embraced by the public, with 111m containers …

Macronโ€™s old guard spooked by new governmentโ€™s rightward shift

New ministers’ stances on immigration and social issues appear to break with some of their predecessors’ worldview.

European Commission to examine Ticketmasterโ€™s โ€˜dynamic pricingโ€™

Review follows UK competition watchdogโ€™s announcement of โ€˜urgent reviewโ€™ into Oasis concert tickets fiascoTicketmasterโ€™s ability to raise the price of concert tickets based on demand is being scrutinised by the European Commission, the Guardian has lea…

From stigma to support: Ending HIV in Europe by 2030ย 

With a new European Parliament and elections across the continent this year, campaigners are working hard to ensure the needs of people with HIV remain high on health agendas.ย 

Spain fines budget airlines โ‚ฌ150m over โ€˜abusiveโ€™ cabin bag and seat charges

Carriers including easyJet and Ryanair face being banned from charging for carry-on luggageBudget airlines including easyJet and Ryanair have been hit with fines totalling โ‚ฌ150m (ยฃ128m) by the Spanish government for policies that include charging passe…

Air Up: scent-flavoured water bottle becomes latest playground craze

School must-have is setting pressured parents back ยฃ30 but could help keep kids off sugary drinksFrom loom bands to fidget spinners, playground crazes are usually cheap and cheerful, but the latest must-have is an expensive drinks bottle that comes wit…

Are heat pumps more expensive to run than gas boilers?

The first in a series exploring the myths and realities surrounding heat pumpsEvery year about 130 million households across Europe burn almost 40% of the continentโ€™s total gas consumption to heat their homes. Those boilers contribute more than a fifth…

Chinese network behind one of worldโ€™s โ€˜largest online scamsโ€™

Exclusive: Vast web of fake shops touting designer brands took money and personal details from 800,000 people in Europe and US, data suggestsMore than 800,000 people in Europe and the US appear to have been duped into sharing card details and other sen…

Healthier ready-to-eat meals would have โ€˜hugeโ€™ EU climate benefits โ€“ report

Co-authors say โ€˜no-regrets policyโ€™ would save consumers โ‚ฌ2.8bn a year while cutting emissions by 48m tonnes Healthier ready-to-eat meals could cut EU emissions by 48m tonnes annually and save customers โ‚ฌ2.8bn (ยฃ2.4bn) each year, as well as reducing dis…

Apple reportedly faces โ‚ฌ500m fine from EU over music streaming access

Brussels to issue levy after Spotify complained about block on telling users about cheaper alternatives to app store, according to FTApple is reportedly facing a โ‚ฌ500m fine from the EU over restrictions on access to music streaming services, in what wo…

French post office opens changing room for online shoppers

Customers can collect their parcels and try on items in one trip during trial at La Poste branchesIt is an increasingly common irritant of modern life. You order an item of clothing online; you wait with anticipation for it to arrive, and five minutes …

AI fuelling dating and social media fraud, EU police agency says

Artificial intelligence enables criminals to target thousands of victims at once, say Europol expertsArtificial intelligence, combined with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, is fuelling a boom in fraud on dating and social media apps, officials at E…

Ukraine war has marked a turning point in Europeโ€™s gas consumption, says IEA

Global energy watchdog says Russia cutting supplies has prompted efficiency upgrades and move to heat pumpsThe Ukraine crisis has marked a turning point for Europeโ€™s gas consumption, which is expected to fall again this year as homes and firms embrace …

Do electric cars pose a greater fire risk than petrol or diesel vehicles?

The first in a series exploring the myths and realities surrounding EVsWhen a fire ripped through a car park at Luton airport last month it set off a round of speculation that an electric vehicle was to blame. The theory was quickly doused by the Bedfo…

Drinks firms face EU-wide complaint over plastic bottle recycling claims

Consumer groups issue formal notice to European Commission over โ€˜greenwashingโ€™ claims that bottles are โ€˜100% recyclableโ€™ or โ€˜100% recycledโ€™Big drinks companies are misleading customers with claims that their plastic water bottles are fully recycled or …

Digital nomads: rising number of people choose to work remotely

Mainstream workers join tech pioneers as the number of countries offering visas increasesWhere in the world would you work from if you could? A hilltop village in Croatia? The hip surfing town of Tarifa in southern Spain? Or the lively city of Bogotรก i…

A plan with a lot of baggage! MEPs push for airlines to stop charging for carry-on bags

Lawmakers argue it’s unfair for airlines to charge travelers for carry-on luggage when it’s an expected part of travel.

โ€˜Be very afraidโ€™: what I learned from a 26-hour Ryanair delay

The Guardianโ€™s former money editor endured two days of misery after he and others were bumped off an overbooked flightOur summer holiday, in Spanish Galicia and northern Portugal, was glorious. But our return, on Ryanair, turned into disaster after the…

Our journey on the European Sleeper turned into a bad dream

There were no working toilets, no air-con, no sleep โ€“ and finally we were locked inThis summer, my family and I enjoyed a fortnightโ€™s backpacking around northern Europe, travelling mainly by rail. As part of that, we booked the European Sleeper service…

France to spend โ‚ฌ200m on destroying excess wine as demand falls

Fund aims to help struggling winemakers as they adjust to consumersโ€™ changing habitsThe French government has announced it is to set aside โ‚ฌ200m to fund the destruction of surplus wine production in an attempt to support struggling producers and shore …

Rhodes wildfires are climate wake-up call, says UK minister

Patrick Courtown sounds warning as evacuation flights head to Greek island to rescue stranded BritonsHow bad are the wildfires in Greece โ€“ and what caused them? A visual guideWildfires in Rhodes are a โ€œwake-up callโ€ on the effects of the climate crisis…

Britons driving to France warned over clean air fines

UK motorists may need to get stickers as more low emission zones spring up in French citiesBritish drivers heading over the Channel have long had to factor in a whole host of extra things to carry, from yellow vests to warning triangles. But how many o…