Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as French GDP accelerates, and HSBC announces CEO’s retirementNewsflash: France’s economic growth has accelerated in the first quarter of this year, beating expectations.In an encouraging start to eurozone GDP day, French GDP expanded by 0.2% in January-March, a pick-up on the 0.1% growth recorded...

The comedian, author and presenter learns about the long shadow of British colonialism. Plus: it’s the Interior Design Masters final. Here’s what to watch this evening Continue reading...

Virus has already killed other mammals including sea lions and seals, while also taking toll on farm animalsThe first case of a walrus dying from bird flu has been detected on one of Norway’s Arctic islands, a researcher has said.The walrus was found last year on Hopen island in the Svalbard archipelago, Christian Lydersen, of the Norwegian Polar Institute,...

Former chancellor Nigel Lawson, who PM cites as inspiration, warned merging NICs with income tax would ‘create many losers’A secret, unpublished memo from Margaret Thatcher’s tax-cutting chancellor Nigel Lawson warned against merging national insurance and income tax because it would “create many losers” including pensioners.The advice in the memo will...

Observation was made by medics contributing a new pain management manual for treating children in conflict zonesChildren being treated in Gaza’s hospitals are “underplaying” pain because it “seems trivial” in the context of the wider conflict, doctors have said.International medics met in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday to discuss plans for a new trauma pain...

It’s a recruitment and retention emergency when even desirable schools can’t fill vacancies. This is what a crisis looks likeLucy Kellaway loves teaching. She came to it remarkably late, deciding to retrain at 58 after a long career in financial journalism, but is so evangelical about the switch that she set up a charity to help others do the same....