French Connection shares soar as it reveals two takeover approaches

French Connection has revealed it has received two takeover approaches by investment specialists looking to snap up the struggling clothing retailer.

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  • Bookings soar for Spanish holidays after ‘green corridor’ news

    When can I go on holiday The destinations most likely to make the 'green list' this summer The countries already rolling out vaccine passports Which of our 10 favourite summer holiday destinations could reopen by June? Sign up to the Telegraph Travel newsletter Britons are racing to book holidays in Spain this summer following the announcement that a ‘green corridor’ could be set up for vaccinated travellers. The bookings boom has been sparked by comments made by the Spanish Minister for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, who confirmed earlier this week that Spain and the UK are in “discussions” over potentially lifting travel restrictions for those who have been inoculated against Covid, as long as there is no collective EU decision on vaccine passports in the next few months. With the UK government also revealing its roadmap out of lockdown last week, with international travel a possibility by May 17 at the earliest, Spanish holiday firms are now experiencing a surge in demand from UK customers keen to fly south for the summer. One Ibiza hotel, the Nobu Hotel on Talamanca Beach, has already seen a 250% week-on-week spike in bookings, while the Puente Romano Beach Resort in Marbella has already reached 50% occupancy for the whole of August. Villa holidays are in high demand too, with one rental company, The Thinking Traveller, reporting a 100% increase in enquiries compared to this time last year, and a threefold increase compared to last week. Airlines have also witnessed a boost in the last week thanks to renewed passenger confidence: EasyJet sales for June, July and August have more than quadrupled in recent days, while TUI has seen reservations in Spain, Greece and Turkey rise by 600%. Scroll down for more updates

  • Nicola Sturgeon chokes back tears as she rejects 'absurd' claims she was out to destroy Alex Salmond

    Nicola Sturgeon choked back tears and insisted "I would never have wanted to 'get' Alex Salmond" as she rejected as "absurd" his claims of a plot among senior SNP figures to destroy him. The First Minister told a Holyrood inquiry the "simple" truth was that several women made complaints about Mr Salmond's behaviour and "I refused to follow the usual pattern of allowing a powerful man to use his status and connections to get what he wants." In an appearance spanning more than eight hours, against the backdrop of calls for her resignation, Ms Sturgeon insisted she had seen "nothing that comes within a million miles" of backing Mr Salmond's conspiracy claims. Although she reiterated it was "beyond question" that Mr Salmond had been cleared of all criminal charges, she said his behaviour was still "deeply inappropriate" and "there was not a single word of regret" from him during his six hours of testimony last week. Ms Sturgeon appeared on the verge of tears, with her voice breaking, as she was invited to apologise to the Scottish people for arguing for years they could trust Mr Salmond to take them to independence. Murdo Fraser, a Tory MSP, pressed her when she had decided he "was no longer the Charles Stewart Parnell of Scotland, and was in fact a liar and a fantasist?’"

  • COVID-19: Italy and EU block Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shipment to Australia as shortages row escalates

    Italy and the European Commission have blocked a shipment of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine destined for Australia. The British-Swedish drug manufacturer had failed to meet its EU contract commitments so the Italian government refused its request to export 250,000 doses from its Anagni plant near Rome, according to the Reuters news agency. Italy made the request and it was signed off by the European Commission under a new export control system that came into law on 30 January.

  • Covid Cases May Be Rising In Four Regions Of England, New Figures Suggests

    While infections across the country have fallen by two thirds since January, some areas are showing worrying trends.

  • EU says it expects financial services deal with UK, but trust an issue

    Britain and the European Union are on course to agree a deal on regulatory cooperation in financial services this month, but the UK's actions in Northern Ireland makes it harder to build trust, the bloc's financial services chief said on Thursday. "We are on track," Mairead McGuinness told a Politico event. The British government unilaterally extended a grace period for checks on food imports to Northern Ireland, a move Brussels said violated terms of Britain's divorce deal.

  • Priti Patel bullying case dropped after civil servant receives undisclosed settlement

    Home secretary was due before employment tribunal in September

  • The key allegations Nicola Sturgeon faces - and what she said to rebut them

    Nicola Sturgeon was fighting for her political career when she faced MSPs during a marathon eight-hour hearing on Wednesday. Her opponents believe the multiple accusations she faces over her handling of complaints against Mr Salmond may well be enough to force her from office. The Scottish Tories have already called for her resignation. However, she denies wrongdoing and the accusation that she broke the ministerial code on multiple occasions. She also faces a separate inquiry, specifically into whether she broke the ministerial code. Here are the main allegations facing the First Minister, and what she said to rebut them.

  • Why the ICC war crimes probe into the Gaza war has rattled Israel and what will happen next

    The International Criminal Court this week announced it will begin an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by Israel and Palestinian militants since 2014, which could theoretically put senior figures on both sides in the dock at the Hague. Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, has described the process as “daunting and complex” because it will be launched during a global pandemic, signalling that the investigation and any trial which follows could drag on for many years. Israel has condemned the ICC’s decision as “pure anti-semitism,” while Palestinian leaders and human rights groups say that a war crimes probe is long overdue. Here we look at the key allegations over war crimes, the possible timeline for the ICC process and what penalties could be imposed in the event of a guilty verdict. How did we get here? The ICC has powers to prosecute those accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes in the territories of the court's members. Back in December 2019, the ICC said that after a “thorough” investigation it had sufficient grounds to investigate both Israel and Palestinian militants over allegations of war crimes. Ms Bensouda, the ICC chief prosecutor, then asked senior judges at the court to make a ruling on whether it had jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

  • Sussex society: The key figures at the centre of the Meghan bullying claims

    Buckingham Palace is to investigate claims that the Duchess of Sussex bullied members of her staff. These are the key figures at the centre of the allegations. Simon Case Briefly director of strategy at GCHQ before going on to work for the Duke of Cambridge as his private secretary (pictured below). He then returned to government, first as permanent secretary in Downing Street to Boris Johnson and then more recently as Cabinet Secretary.

  • Stamp duty holiday extension will spark modest rise in house prices

    An extension to the stamp duty holiday announced in the Budget will spark a modest rise in house prices and stimulate additional transactions, the Treasury’s independent forecaster has said. Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that the tax relief would continue for another six months, in a boost to the housing market and a major victory for The Telegraph's Stamp out the Duty campaign. As the Chancellor read out the measure, the Prime Minister, who was sitting beside him, gave a thumbs up signal to The Telegraph’s journalist present in the Press Gallery of the Commons. The Chancellor said the current holiday, which sees the nil-band rate apply up to a threshold of £500,000, would be extended for three months until June 30.

  • Brexit: EU ‘simply can’t trust’ Boris Johnson’s government as negotiating partner, says Simon Coveney

    ‘It’s the British government essentially breaking the protocol – breaking their own commitments again’

  • 'This Morning' hit with complaints over 800 calorie a day diet segment

    The broadcasting watchdog has had 1,932 complaints about the episode.

  • Trump served with lawsuit accusing him of breaking ‘Ku Klux Klan’ laws on day of Capitol riot

    NAACP accuses Trump of disenfranchising Black voters and trying to ‘destroy democracy’

  • Three EU countries now say one COVID vaccine jab enough to protect some people

    Italian officials are thought to have introduced the one-shot policy in an attempt to not run out of jabs.

  • Hollyoaks star Ross Adams on Scott Drinkwell story plans changing

    Ross Adams reflects on Scott's villainous days.

  • Nicola Sturgeon news: Scottish leader says she feels ‘very let down’ by Salmond and he should say sorry

    Follow events as they happened

  • Covid news - live: Pubs will be able to serve pints in car parks as hospitality services prepare to reopen

    Follow the latest news and updates

  • Smoke Billows From Guatemala's Pacaya Volcano

    Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano erupted on Wednesday, March 3, spewing lava and ash into the air near Villa Nueva, south of Guatemala City.Guatemala’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) said the volcano’s lava was flowing to the northwest early on Wednesday morning.Communities surrounding Pacaya were being monitored due to the increased risk, according to reports.This timelapse footage shows the billowing smoke on March 3, captured by Jeison Morales. Credit: Jeison Morales via Storyful

  • Self-Proclaimed Billionaire Trump Now Begging Small-Dollar Donors For Money

    The lies Trump told at CPAC about the election and his record were not new, but his request for supporters to give money to his new political committee was a first.

  • Yukon man shares delight in Covid vaccine by bhangra dancing on frozen lake

    Gurdeep Pandher went viral after he shared his joy at receiving his coronavirus jab.