Americans got into more than six million traffic accidents last year. 

Depending on the type of crash, the chance of getting a payout from your insurer has become increasingly remote.

Auto insurers didn’t pay out on 45% of auto liability and medical claims they resolved last year, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of thousands of company regulatory filings. That rate might change slightly as more claims are resolved, but it is up from around one in three, or 35%, of such claims a decade ago.

Americans are required to pay for car insurance as a condition of driving. Yet often, the insurance doesn’t provide the financial backstop that car owners were expecting.

The jalapeno recall came after Coast Citrus Distributors, which supplied the company with its peppers, recalled its own fresh jalapeno because of the salmonella concerns.

Taylor Farms said a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, had been identified as the source of the outbreak and that it “is no longer sourcing products from this farmer and will be filling orders from alternative suppliers”.

“Consumers who have any recalled product should discard it immediately and not consume it. Refunds are available at the location of purchase,” it added.

Eating food contaminated with salmonella usually leads to illness within 12 to 72 hours, external. Symptoms include diarrhoea, fever and stomach pain, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The recall includes products such as pico de gallo salsa, several types of guacamole, burritos, spicy sandwiches and fresh sliced jalapenos.

The retailer operates Bath & Body Works in the UK through its partnership model

Next is planning a “major upgrade” of its store at Cribbs Causeway near Bristol and is also opening a standalone Bath and Body Works outlet at the shopping centre, it has announced.

The retailer, which operates Bath and Body Works in the UK through its partnership model, has confirmed it will be bringing the concept to the South West for the first time after agreeing to lease a 1,797 sq ft unit at The Mall.

It is also planning to upsize its own clothing store at Cribbs to a larger 47,000 sq ft space in a move it says will allow it to showcase more fashion and accessories.

Katie Searle, director of asset management at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, said: “Cribbs has become a hub for brands to test new store concepts and product ranges to help them stay ahead of the competition.

“The Next at Cribbs Mall is among the retailer’s best stores in the country so we are not surprised that they are bringing Bath and Body Works to Cribbs whilst committing to a major upgrade of their space to create new flagship concepts for the South West.

“These premium stores at Cribbs will act as showrooms, with shoppers of all ages from across the West Country, West Midlands, South West and South Wales travelling to explore the latest styles and trends.”

The investment by Next follows a run of brands opening or expanding at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway over the past few years.

M&S completed a full refit of its 103,000 sq ft store at the end of 2024, adding a market-style foodhall and café, while expanding its footwear department and upgrading its beauty section.

H&M also opened a new regional flagship at Cribbs Causeway that year, incorporating new tech features across the store, while Boots invested in a modernised beauty hall, which has more than 30 premium brands.

Other retailers to open within the shopping centre in recent months include Miniso, AllSaints, Animal, Levi’s, and Rodd & Gunn.

According to CBRE, Cribbs’ retailers have experienced a 26 per cent rise in domestic visitors over the past year as well as a 13 per cent growth in Gen Z shoppers.

Sovereign Centros from CBRE provides full asset management services across Cribbs on behalf of M&G Real Estate, while Time Retail Partners and Cushman & Wakefield are retained letting agents for the centre, with Green & Partners retained in the leasing advisory role.

The Powerball jackpot surged to an estimated $905 million ahead of Monday night’s drawing, making it the eighth-largest prize in the game’s history.

The pot grew after no ticket matched all six numbers from Saturday night’s drawing.

The white balls were 5, 9, 35, 54 and 63. The red Powerball was 7 and the Power Play multiplier was three.

It now has an estimated cash value of $391.9 million, according to the lottery.

The Powerball jackpot is now the eighth-largest in the game’s history. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

Though there was no jackpot winner in the latest drawing, four tickets matched all five white balls and won $1 million each, the lottery said. Winning Match 5 tickets were sold in Arizona, Florida, Michigan and New York. A ticket matching all five white balls was sold in Texas and included the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $2 million. 

Monday’s drawing will mark the 43rd in the current jackpot run.

The odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. (CatLane/iStock)

The Powerball jackpot was last won on May 2, when two tickets in Florida and Texas split a $20 million prize.

The winner can choose between a lump sum payment or an annuitized prize – one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. Both options are before taxes.

The Powerball jackpot now has an estimated cash value of $391.9 million, according to the lottery. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)

Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom. Drawings occur three nights a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

The biggest Powerball jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – California
2. $1.817 billion – Dec. 24, 2025 – Arkansas
3. $1.787 billion – Sept. 6, 2025 – Missouri, Texas
4. $1.765 billion – Oct. 11, 2023 – California
5. $1.586 billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – California, Florida, Tennessee
6. $1.326 billion – April 6, 2024 – Oregon
7. $1.08 billion – July 19, 2023 – California
8. $905 million – Aug. 10, 2026 (current prize, estimated jackpot)
9. $842.4 million – Jan. 1, 2024 – Michigan
10. $768.4 million – March 27, 2019 – Wisconsin

Nine companies around the North have won backing from the Drive35 programme

Northern companies have shown how the region is playing a major role in the switch to electric vehicles after securing Government backing for their work.

Nine companies around the region – including the giant Nissan plant at Sunderland – have won backing from the Government’s £4bn Drive35 programme, which is intended to speed up the electrification of the car industry. Officials at the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade said the funding would support hundreds of jobs.

Among those benefitting are Gateshead’s Turntide Technologies for a £17m project to accelerate the production of new flux motors, and Manchester’s Watercycle Technologies, which has secured £3m to demonstrate how lithium for vehicle batteries can be recovered from waste.

Themulon, in Sedgefield, County Durham; Nexperia UK and Gravis Robotics, both in Stockport; Electra Commercial Vehicles in Brighouse; and Xerode, Aftrak and Cybass, all in Sheffield; have also secured financial backing.

Industry minister Blair McDougall said: “Britain invented the modern motor industry and we’re determined to ensure the next generation of vehicles are designed and built here too.

“This investment will secure skilled jobs, strengthen our manufacturing heartlands and help drive the reindustrialisation of Britain.”

As part of its project, Turntide will expand the use of its Gateshead production and R&D campus while reestablishing a dedicated component and validation facility in Cramlington, Northumberland. The company said the project would help it create new jobs.

CEO Steve Hornyak said: “Project Supreme is an important step in scaling next-generation electric motor technology production in the U.K. for the global market. By enabling high volume axial flux motor production through automation and overall cost reduction, we’re driving wider adoption of more efficient, lighter electric powertrains across automotive and industrial applications.”

At Watercycle Technologies, co-founder Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim said: “ReLiVE directly supports the UK’s ambition to build a secure, domestic supply of battery-grade lithium. The Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy sets a clear goal to establish large-scale UK lithium production and reduce our reliance on imports.

“By demonstrating that high-purity lithium can be produced from circular, low-carbon sources here in the UK, ReLiVE can help turn that ambition into reality. It shows how British innovation can support the transition to zero-emission transport while building the strategic capabilities the country needs for a more resilient battery supply chain.” for a more resilient battery supply chain.”

ReLiVE represents a significant step in scaling Watercycle’s technology from pilot operations towards commercial lithium production, demonstrating a circular approach to lithium refining at a scale not yet seen in the UK.

The Government has said it intends to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 as part of efforts to cut emissions and tackle climate change. Reports have suggested ministers are considering watering down the target in order to ease the cost of living, but a Government spokesperson insisted they were “committed to the 2030 phase-out date”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said the Government should abandon the 2030 target.