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Martin Lewis explains two ways to claim car finance compensation

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Martin Lewis explains two ways to claim car finance compensation



Martin Lewis has explained two ways that millions of people affected by the car finance scandal can claim compensation.

Approximately 12 million drivers are now in line for a payout, at an average of £829 each, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said.

The financial regulator has now published the final details of its long-awaited redress scheme for people who were treated unfairly when they took out a motor finance agreement.

An estimated £7.5 billion in redress is expected to be paid out, the regulator said.



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EU voices concern over reports of violence during Serbia elections, urges action

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EU voices concern over reports of violence during Serbia elections, urges action


BELGRADE, Serbia — The European Union on Tuesday expressed concern over reports of violence during local elections in Serbia on the weekend and called on President Aleksandar Vucic ‘s authorities to punish the attackers.

The EU delegation in Serbia — a candidate nation for membership in the 27-nation bloc — cited findings of international monitors who said they had witnessed violence and irregularities during Sunday’s balloting.

“We regret the number of reported irregularities and incidents during the elections, the uneven playing field, and note with concern reports of acts of violence against independent observers, citizens, representatives of political parties and media workers,” the EU said in a statement.

“We call on the competent national authorities to ensure swift and transparent follow up and to hold perpetrators accountable,” the statement added.

The vote in Serbia on Sunday was held in 10 towns throughout the country. It was seen as a test for autocratic leader Vucic following more than a year of youth-led street protests that have shaken his tight grip on power.

Vucic declared victory for his right-wing populist Serbian Progressive Party in all 10 municipalities. The Serbian president led the campaign himself, seeking to reaffirm his rule after the protests that first started in November 2024, triggered by a train station tragedy in the country’s north.

Election observers from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe said on Monday that while the voting itself was in line with regulations, they were “alarmed” by the situation outside the polling stations.

Observers “saw heated arguments and the threatening presence of large groups of people, often unidentified and sometimes masked,” the group said.

The Associated Press asked the Serbian government to comment on the allegations but did not have a reply yet.

Several people were injured in the clashes in at least three towns, including students and journalists, who said they were attacked by organized pro-government supporters. Vucic has accused his opponents of stirring unrest.

While he formally says he wants Serbia to join the European Union, Vucic has been accused of clamping down on democratic freedoms as he nourishes close relations with Russia and China.

The youth-led protests over the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse that killed 16 people, has posed the biggest challenge to Vucic’s rule in over a decade. The authorities have since stepped up pressure on dissent with hundreds of people detained by police or reporting losing their jobs.

On Tuesday, police raided the headquarters of the University of Belgrade, saying they were conducting an investigation into the death of a student last week. Employees told local media they felt the raid was part of the ongoing pressure on the university following the student-led protests.

Both presidential and parliamentary elections are expected in Serbia late this year or next year. Support for Vucic is believed to have eroded though mass protests have subsided in recent months.



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Cost of petrol, diesel and heating oil: What the latest figures show

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Cost of petrol, diesel and heating oil: What the latest figures show


A range of data measuring the rising price of petrol, diesel and heating oil shows the impact of the disruption to supplies caused by the Iran conflict.

Here the Press Association runs through the latest available figures:

– Petrol and diesel

The average pump price of a litre of unleaded petrol in the UK stood at 148.8p on Monday March 30, up 4.6p week on week and a jump of 16.6p, or 13%, since March 2, according to figures published by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ).

This is the highest price for unleaded petrol since May 2024.

The Iran conflict began on February 28.

The figures are compiled by DENSZ as part of a weekly fuel price survey that covers around 60% of the total market volume sold.

Estimates of the average price of fuel are calculated on the Monday of every week.

Unleaded petrol reached a peak of 191.6p per litre in July 2022, a few months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The survey also suggests the average price of a litre of diesel stood at 176.5p on Monday March 30, up 9.6p week on week and an increase of 34.4p, or 24%, since March 2.

It is the highest price for diesel since December 2022.

Diesel peaked at 199.2p per litre in July 2022.

Separate estimates of the average price of petrol and diesel are published by the RAC.

These are updated daily and are based on wholesale prices and pump prices, including the UK’s four largest supermarkets (Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons) plus other brands.

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The RAC’s figure for the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol as of Tuesday March 31 is 152.8p, an increase of 20p since the Iran conflict began.

Average diesel prices on Tuesday stood at 182.8p per litre, up 40p since the start of the conflict on February 28.

This means it costs £100.52 to fill a 55-litre family car, breaching the £100 mark for the first time since December 2022.

– Cumulative extra spending on petrol and diesel

Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation estimates the increase in road fuel prices have led to motorists paying a cumulative additional £544 million for petrol and diesel since the start of the conflict.

This consists of £409 million for diesel and £135 million for petrol.

The figures estimate how much extra the rise in pump prices has cost UK drivers in total, compared with what would have been spent on petrol and diesel had prices remained at the same level they were on February 27.

The data is based on average daily pump price rises and last year’s fuel consumption rate.

– Heating oil

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero publishes monthly figures on the average price of heating oil.

The latest figures, released on Tuesday, show the average price per litre of standard grade burning oil stood at 104.1p in March.

This is nearly double the average in February (53.5p) and the highest monthly figure since official data began in January 1989.

The previous peak was in June 2022, when the figure reached 99.3p.

The average price per litre of gas oil stood at 99.5p in March, up 51% from 66.0p in February and the highest monthly figure since November 2022, when it reached 128.1p.

Gas oil is typically used for commercial and agricultural heating systems, while standard grade burning oil – most commonly kerosene – is used in central heating systems in homes.



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NASA is shooting for the moon. A guide to the Artemis II mission

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NASA is shooting for the moon. A guide to the Artemis II mission


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It’s humanity’s first flight to the moon since 1972.

In a throwback to Apollo, NASA’s Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a lunar fly-around. They’ll hurtle several thousand miles beyond the moon, hang a U-turn and then come straight back. No circling around the moon, no stopping for a moonwalk — just a quick out-and-back lasting less than 10 days.

NASA promises more boot prints in the gray lunar dust, but not before a couple practice missions. The upcoming test flight by Artemis astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen is the first step in settling the moon this time around.

Here’s a snapshot of the Artemis II mission.

The moon is about to welcome its first woman, first person of color and first non-American.

Koch already holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. During her 328-day mission at the International Space Station spanning 2019 and 2020, she took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

Glover, a Navy test pilot, was the first Black astronaut to live and work aboard the space station in 2020 and 2021. He also was one of the first astronauts to launch with SpaceX.

The Canadian Space Agency’s Hansen, a former fighter pilot, is the lone space rookie. Their commander is Wiseman, a retired Navy captain who lived aboard the space station in 2014 and later headed NASA’s astronaut corps. They range in age from 47 to 50.

NASA’s new Space Launch System rocket stands 322 feet (98 meters), shorter than the Apollo program’s Saturn V rocket but more powerful at liftoff thanks to a pair of strap-on boosters. Atop the rocket is the Orion capsule carrying the astronauts.

Made of salvaged space shuttle engines and other parts, the SLS uses the same fuel — liquid hydrogen — as the shuttles did. Hydrogen leaks repeatedly grounded the shuttles as well as the first SLS rocket test without astronauts aboard in 2022. More than three years later, Artemis II suffered the same hydrogen leaks during a February fueling practice run, missing the first launch window. A repeat of helium-flow issues bumped the mission into April.

After liftoff, the astronauts will spend the first 25 hours circling Earth in a high, lopsided orbit. They’ll use the separated upper stage as a target, steering their Orion capsule around it as docking practice for future moonshots. Instead of fancy range finders, they’ll rely on their eyes to judge the gap, venturing no closer than 33 feet (10 meters) to the stage.

“Sometimes simple stuff is the best,” Wiseman said.

If all goes as planned, Orion’s main engine will hurl the crew to the moon some 244,000 miles (393,000 kilometers) away. This free-return trajectory made famous in Apollo 13 relies on the moon and Earth’s gravity, minimizing the need for fuel.

On flight day six, Orion will reach its farthermost point from Earth as it sails 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) beyond the moon. That will surpass Apollo 13’s distance record, making Artemis astronauts the most remote travelers. After emerging from behind the moon, the crew will head straight home with a splashdown on flight day 10 — nine days, one hour and 46 minutes after liftoff.

The Artemis II crew may behold never-before-seen regions of the lunar far side — with the moon appearing the size of a basketball at arm’s length during the closest part of the roughly six-hour flyby. They’ve been poring over maps and satellite images of the lunar far side and anticipate a photo frenzy. Their lunar mentor is NASA geologist Kelsey Young, who will monitor the flyby from Mission Control in Houston.

“The moon is like such a unifying thing,” she said. “What we’re doing with this mission is going to bring that a little closer to everybody around the world.”

Besides professional cameras, they’ll carry the latest smartphones. NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman added smartphones to the mission for “inspiring” picture-taking.

While NASA and private companies have focused over the years on reaching the moon’s near side — the side that constantly faces Earth — only China has planted landers on the far side. That makes the astronauts’ observations of the lunar far side all the more valuable for NASA.

Like Apollo, the Artemis mission ends with a splashdown homecoming into the Pacific.

All eyes will be on Orion’s heat shield as the capsule plunges through the atmosphere. It’s the part of the spacecraft that took the biggest beating during 2022’s test flight, with charred chunks gouged out. The heat shield is being retooled for future capsules but remains the original design for Artemis II.

NASA is limiting the heat exposure during reentry by shortening the capsule’s atmospheric descent. Navy recovery ships will be stationed off the coast of San Diego as Orion parachutes into the ocean.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.



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Taylor Swift sued by Vegas performer for trademark infringement over

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Taylor Swift sued by Vegas performer for trademark infringement over


Taylor Swift is facing a new lawsuit over her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which accuses the singer of trademark infringement. 

Filed Monday in federal court by Las Vegas performer Maren Wade, the complaint claims Swift titled her hit record despite being aware of its resemblance to the title of a column that Wade penned for Las Vegas Weekly called “Confessions of a Showgirl,” centered around anecdotes about her experiences in the entertainment industry. The column was first published in 2014, the document said, and Wade later adapted it into a live show and book by the same name.

Wade obtained a registered trademark for “Confessions of a Showgirl” from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2015. The trademark eventually received “incontestable” status, signaling the owner’s right to exclusively use it after having done so consistently for a period of years, according to the lawsuit and the trademark office.

When Swift later applied to register a trademark of her own for “The Life of a Showgirl,” the office denied her application, allegedly on the grounds that the title “is confusingly similar” to Wade’s already established one, according to the complaint. 

“They continued using it anyway, expanding it across a coordinated commercial program and distributing it through retail channels reaching millions of consumers” the lawsuit said, referring to Swift’s team. It added that Wade “was never contacted” about the name.

The lawsuit claims that Swift’s album title undermined Wade’s personal brand, after the performer had spent more than a decade building it. It said similarities between “Confessions of a Showgirl” and “The Life of a Showgirl” are “immediate,” as both titles “share the same structure, the same dominant phrase, and the same overall commercial impression.” It also said the brands “are used in overlapping markets and are directed at the same consumers.”

In addition to trademark infringement, the suit also accused Swift and UMG Recordings of unfair competition and, specifically, false designation, a law that prohibits goods or services circulated in commerce from misrepresenting their origins to consumers. UMG Recordings is a branch of Universal Music Group, to which Swift is signed. The lawsuit also named Bravado International Group Merchandising Services, Inc., another branch of UMG.

Wade is seeking unspecified damages for “the irreparable harm to her business, reputation, and goodwill” a result of the alleged trademark violation, as well as a court order that would prevent Swift from continuing to use the title of her hit album.

Swift’s commercial success “does not depend on the continued use of any single designation,” the lawsuit argued, while “Confessions of a Showgirl” is Wade’s only trademark and the basis of “professional identity and career.”

“It is not one mark among hundreds,” the complaint said. “It is the only one she has.”



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Browns owner gives optimistic outlook for injury-riddled Deshaun Watson

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Browns owner gives optimistic outlook for injury-riddled Deshaun Watson


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Deshaun Watson’s tenure with the Cleveland Browns has been one to forget.

The Browns acquired Watson from the Houston Texans before the 2022 season and signed him to a five-year, $230 million deal, marking the richest deal for a quarterback at the time. But his lack of availability due to injuries and his play on the field have forced the organization to restructure his deal.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson watches on the sidelines against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025.  (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

He’s only played 19 games for the Browns over his first four seasons, while Cleveland has trotted out multiple quarterbacks, including Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and others to try to find a temporary fix to a long-term problem.

Still, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam has an optimistic outlook for Watson.

“Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, offensive-minded coach, who has in his past been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful,” he told reporters at the NFL annual meeting on Monday, via ESPN.

Deshaun Watson at minicamp

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) works out during mini camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 12, 2025.  (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

SHEDEUR SANDERS DITCHES ROOKIE NUMBER AS BROWNS ANNOUNCE CHANGE HEADING INTO 2026 SEASON

“So, Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day, he said he weighs the (least) he has in several years. He’s in great shape, he’ll be (in Cleveland) on April 7 when we start (the offseason workout program). Let’s see what Deshaun can do. We’re all excited.”

Browns general manager Andrew Berry previously said that each Browns quarterback on the roster will compete for the starting job. Right now, the depth chart includes Watson, Sanders and Gabriel. It’s unclear if Cleveland would target another quarterback in the upcoming draft.

Watson missed the entire 2025 season after he re-ruptured his Achilles in the offseason that year.

Deshaun Watson throws a passin 2024

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field on Oct. 20, 2024. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

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He’s 9-10 as a starter for Cleveland with 3,365 passing yards, 19 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and 70 sacks.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.





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Pakistan cricketer Fakhar Zaman handed two-match PSL ban for ball tampering

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Pakistan cricketer Fakhar Zaman handed two-match PSL ban for ball tampering


Lahore Qalandars batter was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball in the match against Karachi Kings.

Pakistan international Fakhar Zaman has been banned for two matches after being found guilty of ball tampering during the country’s showpiece T20 cricket league.

“Zaman has been suspended for two Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches after he was found guilty of a Level 3 offence for tampering with the ball,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old opener was seen on video footage altering the condition of the ball during his team Lahore Qalandars’ match against Karachi Kings in Lahore on Sunday night.

The PCB charged Zaman, who denied ball tampering, at a disciplinary hearing with match referee Roshan Mahanama of Sri Lanka.

Mahanama viewed television footage which showed Qalandars’ players Zaman, skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, and umpire Faisal Afridi inspecting the condition of the ball.

Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman talk during the PSL match against Karachi Kings [Syed Murtaza Ali/AFP]

The umpire awarded five penalty runs against Qalandars, who lost the match by four wickets.

Shaheen was also fined $3,500 for breaking the tournament’s tight security protocols.

The PSL is taking place behind closed doors without fans – and only at two venues instead of six – because of fuel supply concerns caused by the Iran war.

Afridi was fined by the Qalandars for breaching security protocols at his team hotel in Lahore, one of two host cities along with Karachi for this year’s tournament.

Punjab Police said Afridi was refused permission to take visitors to teammate Sikander Raza’s room but did so anyway.

Earlier, fast bowler Naseem Shah was slapped with the biggest fine in Pakistan cricket history after criticising a politician on social media.



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King Charles to visit US in landmark trip marking America’s 250th birthday

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King Charles to visit US in landmark trip marking America’s 250th birthday


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King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit the United States next month to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, according to Buckingham Palace. 

Officials said the trip will highlight historic ties and the modern bilateral relationship between the two nations, with full details of the itinerary to be announced closer to the visit.

Buckingham Palace said that King Charles III and Queen Camilla accepted an invitation from President Donald Trump.

RARE, HISTORIC US DOCUMENTS TRAVELING COUNTRY ON ‘FREEDOM PLANE’ AHEAD OF AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit the United States next month to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, according to Buckingham Palace.  (Channel 4 / Bango Studios)

The visit will be Charles’ first state visit to the U.S. as king. 

Queen Elizabeth II previously carried out four state visits to the country in 1957, 1976, 1991 and 2007, according to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles and President Trump walking outside together.

President Donald Trump (right) walks with Britain’s former Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (left) as he arrives for a welcome ceremony at Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2019.  (TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Charles, as Prince of Wales, visited the United States 19 times, including a 2005 tour with Camilla.

Following the U.S. leg, the king will travel to Bermuda for his first visit to a British Overseas Territory as monarch.

KING CHARLES TO ADDRESS ‘INCREASING PRESSURES OF CONFLICT’ IN SPEECH AS TRUMP CRITICIZES BRITISH PM ON IRAN

Charles and Camilla hosted President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during a state visit in 2019.

Charles and Camilla hosted President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during a state visit in 2019. (Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

It will mark the first visit by a reigning king to Bermuda, where Charles last visited in 1970, while Queen Elizabeth II most recently traveled to the island in 2009.

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President Trump has made two state visits to the United Kingdom — first in June 2019, when he was received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, and again in September 2025, an unprecedented second state visit where he was hosted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle.



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Why Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra changed her Instagram name to “Xtianna” after divorce

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Why Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra changed her Instagram name to “Xtianna” after divorce



Of course, you can’t talk about Mahra’s reinvention without mentioning the man currently holding her hand. Her engagement to Moroccan-American rapper French Montana (Karim Kharbouch) in late 2025 surprised everyone. It was a union which was much talked about for long, but was now confirmed now bringing both the music and royal worlds together.

On paper, a hip-hop star from the Bronx and a princess from Dubai seem like a script from a Hollywood rom-com. But when French Montana opened up about his relationship with Sheikha Mahra on the Joe and Jada podcast earlier this year, he revealed exactly what hooked him: It was her viral divorce post! He saw that viral divorce post—the raw, unfiltered honesty of a woman refusing to be cheated on in silence—and thought, “I like her.” Their relationship, which culminated in a $1.1 million emerald-cut diamond ring and a romantic Paris proposal, represents a fusion of two people who have both had to fight for their narratives. For Mahra, French Montana isn’t just a partner; he’s a witness to her resilience.



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Monte Carlo Masters: Jack Draper withdraws from clay-court event

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Monte Carlo Masters: Jack Draper withdraws from clay-court event


Britain’s Jack Draper has withdrawn from next week’s Monte Carlo Masters as he continues his cautious comeback following an arm injury.

The 24-year-old did not play a tour-level tournament for six months because of a bruised humerus bone, but has competed in three events in five weeks since making his return to competitive action.

The 2024 US Open semi-finalist won on his return in Doha, earned a notable victory over Novak Djokovic on his way to the Indian Wells quarter-finals, then lost in his first outing at the Miami Open.

Draper said he was “feeling good” physically after being beaten by Reilly Opelka in Miami, but also outlined how he needs to continue to be patient with eight months of the season ahead.

Draper therefore believes playing Monte Carlo – which gets the European clay court swing under way on 5 April and is one of the most prestigious events on the ATP Tour – is not a wise move at this stage of his recovery.

Instead he plans to continue training in London, building his fitness and honing his game for the months ahead.



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