Newscast The First American Pope: Pope Leo XIV
Today, Robert Prevost has become the first American Pope, and will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
Adam is joined by the BBC's Religion editor Aleem Maqbool to talk through how the news broke from the Vatican, and what we know about Chicago-born Prevost who worked for many years as a missionary in Peru before being made an archbishop there
And, the UK and US have announced a tariff agreement. Tariffs have been removed from UK steel and aluminium, plus reduced on car exports. In exchange the UK has allowed the US more access to certain markets. Adam unpicks this afternoon's made-for-TV announcement with Faisal Islam, the BBC's economic editor.
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New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1
Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Rufus Gray. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Budget airline axes all flights to US as airspace restrictions bite
An Icelandic-based airline has announced it plans to axe all its flights to the US, stopping trips to major cities like Washington D.C. and New York by the autumn. Low-cost airline Play operates flights between Iceland and destinations in the US and Europe, offering budget tickets on Airbus aircraft to and from its main hub, Keflavík International Airport. Play flies in and out of Iceland to European countries such as Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. As well as Europe, the airline also directly links Iceland to Baltimore, Boston, and New York City. The airline operates on a hub-and-spoke model, meaning it uses one central airport, Keflavík, to connect to other airports around the world. Play launched its transatlantic flights in the spring of 2022, and has been flying to the US for just over three years. Play's hub-and-spoke routes have since financially underperformed, and an over-saturation in the transatlantic market has meant a growth in competition between airlines. Play will suspend its flights to New York Stewart on 1 September, followed by Boston Logan on 15 September, then finally Baltimore/Washington on 24 October. Its routes in Northern Europe are also expected to be scaled back due to Play dropping the hub-and-spoke strategy it has used since launching four years ago. The strategy has seen a loss of $20 million (£14.7 million) in 2024 in comparison to profits made in point-to-point European leisure markets. The restructuring will come as part of a proposed executive takeover by Play's CEO Einar Örn Ólafsson and Vice Chairman Elías Skúli Skúlason. In a notification to the Central Bank of Iceland, the executives said they plan to submit a voluntary offer for all outstanding shares in the airline via a new holding entity, Aviation Week reported. 'Due to airspace restrictions, several European airlines have redeployed capacity across the Atlantic, leading to overcapacity in the transatlantic market,' the offer document seen by Aviation Week says. 'Many carriers have suspended or terminated East Asia routes, facing a competitive disadvantage against Asian airlines still able to overfly Russia. 'This has increased pressure on transatlantic yields.' If the proposal is approved, Play's revised strategy hopes to target the leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) market. The airline wants to target 'underserved sun destinations' and has recently announced new flights to Antalya, Faro and Agadir. 'We're focusing on the profitable aspects of the business—sun destination flights—and discontinuing those that have not yielded results,' Mr Ólafsson said. The airline will also offer wet-lease services, which provide short-term aircraft and crew to help other airlines fill gaps in schedules.
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Chelsea to trim sizeable loan group
Chelsea are open to the fact that they need to sell a host of players, especially those that spent last season on loan. The club's policy is not to carry a large group of loanees that are not expected or likely to make it into the first team. In their 28-man Club World Cup selection, only one loanee progressed into Enzo Maresca squad from last season, midfielder Andrey Santos. The rest, Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and more - are mostly available for sale. The asking price for Kepa is known to be only £5m as he enters the last year of his contract, while Benfica are being credited with serious interest to re-sign Felix. In Sterling's case, the winger made 12 starts on loan at North London club Arsenal last season while the Blues paid around half of his current £300,000-a-week loanees like Alfie Gilchrist, Alex Matos, Leo Castledine and Zak Sturge are also exploring permanent transfers away from Stamford Bridge. Defender Sturge, 20, is in advanced talks about making his loan move at Millwall permanent at the end of the season. Chelsea prefer sales rather than loan moves at this stage but could relax their position later in the transfer window if they struggle to find exits for players. Midfielders Kendry Paez and Mathis Amougou are expected to join Strasbourg on loan while goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe is in talks over a new contract and potentially joining League One club Bolton Wanderers on loan.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Labour MPs push front bench for ‘crackdown' on ‘dodgy' vape and barber shops
Labour MPs have called for a 'crackdown' on 'dodgy' vape, barber and souvenir shops, which a minister warned 'undermine the legitimate' firms on Britain's high streets. Melanie Onn said she 'really must press' the Government for long-term action to tackle these shops, which MPs heard had links to tax evasion and money laundering, and Joe Powell said well-known London streets such as Portobello Road and Notting Hill Gate are 'blighted'. Business and trade minister Gareth Thomas told MPs that the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) had visited almost 400 premises during a three-week operation in March, freezing several bank accounts. Mr Powell, the MP for Kensington and Bayswater, told the Commons: 'Small businesses across my constituency on our high streets from Earls Court Road to Queensway, Notting Hill Gate and Portobello Road are fed up of being blighted by candy shops, low-grade souvenir shops, Harry Potter shops and, yes, even barber shops, with accusations of VAT and business rates evasion, and even links to money laundering and serious organised crime.' He urged Mr Thomas to say 'what steps' the Government is taking 'to crack down on these operations and create a legitimate level playing field for our small businesses'. The minister replied: 'We've been working with colleagues in the Home Office and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to take action to crackdown on illegitimate businesses that threaten to undermine the legitimate ones that are on all of our high streets. 'In March, the NECC co-ordinated a three-week crackdown against barber shops and other cash-intensive businesses where there were concerns, visiting almost 400 premises, securing freezing orders over a series of bank accounts totalling more than £1 million.' In response, Ms Onn said: 'I really do need to press him because my constituents in Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes are equally as fed up as (Mr Powell) of seeing high streets dominated by dodgy vape shops, unlicensed barbers.' She said 'some of them are legitimate' but asked: 'Is he working closely with the Home Office to try and tackle this blight because I think we probably need a national strategy, not a three-week operation?' Mr Thomas said he recognised 'a concern up and down the country' and added the NCA and Home Office 'are seeking to take action against illegitimate business'. He said a Government commitment to bolster police forces with 13,000 extra officers and special constables, backed by an uplift to forces' 'spending power' of 2.3% per year unveiled in Wednesday's spending review, 'will help'. In a viral video, Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick claimed 'weird Turkish barber shops' were 'chipping away at society', along with fare evasion, when he caught passengers allegedly 'bumping' London Underground ticket barriers on camera. 'The state needs to reassert itself and go after lawbreakers,' he said. Conservative MP Graham Stuart said that if a book which Labour MP for Central Ayrshire Alan Gemmell is writing were a 'political thriller about fighting for small business', then he was 'sure it features five heroes on the front bench opposite, doing everything they can to promote small business'. Ministers laughed and pointed at Tory MPs when Mr Stuart added: 'Readers will ask 'who is the villain of the piece?'' The Beverley and Holderness MP suggested the villain would be Rachel Reeves, 'the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is doing everything possible to undermine business – 276,000 people having lost work since the autumn statement'. He asked: 'When will the ministers, the heroes of this story, fight against the Chancellor who's getting so much so wrong?' Mr Thomas said: 'It's a little while since I've been called a hero by (Mr Stuart) but I'm glad that I've finally had some recognition from him in that regard. 'I don't think the Chancellor of the Exchequer is a villain at all. 'Indeed, I think the spending review that she announced yesterday will help to unlock investment in our high streets and in our small businesses up and down the country – the record investment in research and development, the record investment in infrastructure, and the additional capacity to the British Business Bank will help to unlock billions of pounds of new investment and many more job opportunities across the country.' Labour former minister Liam Byrne later called for 'a plan to cut industrial energy costs now'. The Commons Business and Trade Committee chairman said: 'As our committee pointed out on Friday, the success of the industrial strategy will depend on a plan to cut industrial energy costs now. 'When the industrial strategy is published, will the Secretary of State reassure us that there will be a plan to ensure that UK energy prices are internationally competitive?' Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds replied: 'The very significant increase in industrial energy prices under the terms of the last government are a significant issue for our competitiveness, and yes, that is something we're seeking to address.'
