Key changes to the rules around savings are coming in soon

Martin Lewis has issued a caution for savers as you could be missing out on greater returns. The advice from the consumer champion comes as major changes to savings allowances are just around the corner.

During a recent question time edition of his BBC podcast, Mr Lewis was questioned by a man about whether he could open a junior ISA for his nieces and nephew. A key benefit of ISAs is that these accounts are completely tax-free. The financial specialist initially told the uncle that regrettably he wouldn’t be able to open the account himself, as a junior ISA can only be established by a parent or guardian on behalf of a young person. Mr Lewis said: “You as an uncle can’t do it, it generally has to be the person who has the guardianship or the parentship of the child, to be able to open their ISA, so you will have to do it through them.”

This should be your focus

Nevertheless, if you are creating a junior ISA to save up for your little one, Mr Lewis had a firm word of caution regarding which type of account to go for. He said: “I tend to almost always get questions about cash junior ISAs.

“I think junior ISAs are one of those areas where you really, really want to be always be focusing if you possibly can on investing.” Mr Lewis explained there is a straightforward reason why, given how the account operates.

He explained: “You’re generally locking money away for 18 years that cannot be accessed. The rule of investing is if you’re locking money away for more than five years – and if you’ve got emergency funds and you haven’t got any high debts, which hopefully children won’t – then you should look at investing over savings because on a balance of probabilities, it will outperform.”

You can deposit up to £9,000 annually into junior ISAs on behalf of a child for whom you have parental responsibility. This sum can be allocated as preferred between cash ISAs or stocks and shares ISAs.

A junior ISA is held in the child’s name, but whoever opened the account manages it. When the child turns 16, they can become the registered contact for the account, and upon reaching 18, the account converts to an adult ISA, allowing them to access the funds. Mr Lewis continued in explaining that money placed into a junior ISA is in the “sweet spot” as you are saving funds which you don’t require and the sum has a lengthy period to grow.

Change to ISA rules

Several significant changes are approaching for ISA allowances. Distinct from the junior ISA allowance, adults can presently save up to £20,000 annually into ISAs.

This can be divided as preferred between cash ISAs and stocks and shares accounts. From April 2027, this is set to change, with the maximum deposit into cash ISAs being capped at £12,000 each tax year.

The remaining £8,000 must be allocated towards investment-based accounts. People aged 65 and above will be exempt from these new regulations and will maintain the existing allowance.

“If you’re here to talk about opportunity for America in America through Ireland, or for young Irish to thrive and prosper and be world leaders, irrespective of what one’s views are, it’s a really important and critical element of good connections in politics that Ireland, whoever the Taoiseach is, has established a very strong tradition of being able to talk to whoever the American president is.

The hospice, which relies heavily on charitable donations, is hoping to raise £75,000 to purchase the specialist beds, which will be included in every room.

Cuddle beds are wider than the standard hospital beds and are extendable to accommodate two people – providing patients with the opportunity for a partner, child, friend or pet to lie beside them.

The hospice currently has nine cuddle beds, which cost £15,000 each.

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Speaking about this, head of fundraising at St Leonard’s, Channon Barlow, said: “Every family deserves a chance to be together at the end, and not have to say goodbye from a distance.

“We want to make sure that everyone who comes through our doors is able to benefit from that closeness when they need it most.”

Another member of the St Leonard’s team, Nikki Smith, shared her experience of the hospice from the other side.  

‘Somewhere along the way, I had stopped being his partner and became his carer’

The Healthcare Assistant was comforted during one of the most difficult periods of her life when her partner Darren became ill and was admitted to St Leonard’s.

She said she remembered sitting beside his hospital bed prior to the hospice and holding his hands through the rails.

 “I’d say goodnight from inches away, but it felt like miles apart,” Nikki said.

She added: “Somewhere along the way, I had stopped being his partner and became his carer.”

When Darren arrived at St Leonard’s, there was a cuddle bed in his room.

The larger, adjustable bed meant Nikki could lie beside him safely and comfortably.

She explained: “For the first time in a long time, we were together again.

“We talked, laughed and rested in each other’s arms. That closeness meant everything.”

To find out more about the Cuddle Bed Appeal and donate, please visit https://stleonardshospice.org.uk/cuddle-bed-appeal/.

A charred Russian tanker is drifting crewless towards Malta after being hit by Ukrainian drones, with multiple European countries warning of an imminent ecological threat to the popular holiday destination.

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Malta, a favoured holiday destination, is reportedly at risk of a “major ecological disaster”.

A burnt-out Russian ghost tanker is thought to be approximately 50 nautical miles southwest of the island, drifting without crew towards the archipelago. The vessel was attacked two weeks ago by Ukrainian drones and since then, the punctured 900ft Arctic Metagaz has been moving towards Malta.

Now, several European countries have issued warnings of an impending ecological threat. In a letter to the European Commission, seven nations stated that the “precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialised cargo” presented a “serious risk”, reports the Mirror..

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These countries have characterised the situation as a “dual challenge” – maintaining maritime safety and averting an ecological disaster in the context of EU sanctions imposed on.

Russia alleged that Ukraine utilised “uncrewed sea drones” to target the Metagaz in the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Malta. The Security Service of Ukraine has yet to respond to the claim.

According to Russia, the attack occurred on 4 March and was launched from the Libyan coast. The vessel had previously been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet.”

Comprised mainly of elderly tankers, the fleet transports Russian oil and gas globally whilst circumventing Western sanctions. Authorities in Malta and Italy have been carefully tracking the wreck amid fears about possible pollution.

Rome stated the vessel was carrying “significant quantities of gas, heavy oil, and diesel fuel.”

WWF Italy cautioned in a statement: “A potential spill could cause fires, cryogenic clouds lethal to marine life, and widespread and long-lasting pollution of water and the atmosphere.”

It continued: “The affected area is of exceptional ecological value, with fragile deep-sea ecosystems and some of the highest biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin.”

Salvage specialists are already in Malta in readiness for the ship’s arrival in Maltese waters, whilst a specialist vessel is en route, a maritime source told AFP on Sunday.

Early reports suggested that the ship sank following explosions which triggered a fire on board. Libyan authorities stated the tanker went down approximately 130 nautical miles north of the port of Sirte.

Roughly 30 Russians were aboard the Arctic Metagaz, according to Russia’s transport ministry. They were all discovered “safe and sound in a lifeboat” by Malta’s armed forces, Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri confirmed.

However, Malta’s transport authority confirmed last week that the wreck was still afloat. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation recognised that the vessel was adrift in the Mediterranean and stated Russia’s continued involvement in resolving the situation would hinge on “concrete circumstances”.

It further noted that attempts to manage the situation – including surveillance, monitoring and other technical support – could potentially “undermine the integrity, effectiveness and the deterrent value of the EU sanctions regime”.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, revealed the ship was unmanned and was carrying 700 metric tons of various types of fuel along with “a substantial amount of natural gas”.

“The international legal norms applicable to the current situation imply the responsibility of coastal countries … for resolving the situation with the drifting vessel and preventing an environmental disaster,” Zakharova penned.

“Further involvement by the shipowner and Russia as the flag state will depend on the specific circumstances.”

Police have raised a crime for arson

A deliberate fire spread to a garden fence at the weekend. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue were called to a fire in the Green End Road area of Cambridge at around 3.16pm on Saturday (March 14).

Firefighters arrived at a tree fire that spread to a garden fence. A fire spokesperson said: “At 3.16pm on Saturday, a crew from Cambridge was called to a fire in the open on Green End Road in Cambridge.

“Firefighters used a hose reel and small gear to extinguish a fire involving a tree which had spread to a fence. The crew returned to their station by 4.30pm.”

The cause of the fire was determined to be deliberate. Cambridgeshire Police are investigating the incident.

A police spokesperson said: “The fire service informed us at about 3.45pm on Saturday, March 14, that a garden fence had been deliberately ignited at Cook Close, Cambridge. A crime was raised for arson.” Anyone with information should call police on 101 and quote 35/19043/26.

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Over the past three-and-a-half decades, India’s software industry has created millions of white-collar jobs, spawning a new middle class driven by high ambition and strong purchasing power. This, in turn, has fuelled demand for apartments, cars and restaurants across top-tier cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gurugram over the past 30 years.

Ammo Talwar, chair of UK Music’s Diversity Taskforce, which led the report, said: “The aim of the report is to act as an advocacy tool and rallying cry, that is a catalyst for ongoing analysis, growth, increased representation, equity and stronger collaboration, thereby building confidence in black music.

ALVARADO, Texas (AP) — A Palestinian woman who was the last person still in immigration detention after the Trump administration’s 2025 crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses was freed Monday after a year in custody.

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old from the West Bank who has lived in New Jersey since 2016, had been held in a U.S. immigration detention center in Texas since last March. Her detention was linked, in part, to her participation in a protest outside Columbia University in 2024.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m free! I’m free! Finally, after one year,” Kordia, with a beaming smile, told reporters after emerging from the detention center.

An immigration judge had ordered her released on bond three times. The government challenged the first two rulings, but Kordia was freed Monday on $100,000 bond after it did not challenge the third.

Kordia said she was looking forward to going home and hugging her mother “so hard.” But she also said she would keep fighting on behalf of people still being held at the detention center.

“There is a lot of injustice in this place,” she said. “There is a lot of people that shouldn’t be here the first place.”

Kordia was among a number of people arrested last year after the Trump administration began using its immigration enforcement powers on noncitizens who had criticized or protested Israel’s military actions in Gaza, many students and scholars at American universities.

Among them was Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student involved in campus protests. He spent three months detained in a Louisiana immigration jail before being freed. Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student who co-authored an op-ed criticizing her university’s response to Israel and the war, was detained for six weeks.

Others did not fight to stay — one Columbia doctoral student fled the U.S. after her visa was revoked and immigration agents showed up at her university apartment.

Arrests of activists like Khalil drew condemnation from elected officials and advocates. But Kordia was not a student or part of a group that might have provided support, so her case remained largely out of the public eye while her detention carried on.

Kordia said she joined a 2024 demonstration outside Columbia University after Israel killed scores of her relatives in Gaza, where she maintains deep personal ties. She was around 100 people arrested by city police at that protest, but the charges against her were dismissed and sealed. Information about her arrest was later given to the Trump administration by the New York City Police Department, which said it was told the records were needed as part of a money laundering investigation.

Kordia was arrested during a March 13, 2025, check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New Jersey. She was detained immediately and flown to Prairieland Detention Center, south of Dallas.

Federal officials have accused Kordia of overstaying her visa, while scrutinizing payments she sent to relatives in the Middle East. Kordia said the money was meant to help family members suffering during the war.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, had previously criticized Kordia for what she said was “providing financial support to individuals living in nations hostile to the U.S.”

The department said in an email Monday night, “The facts of this case have not changed: Leqaa Kordia is in the country illegally after violating the terms of her visa.”

“The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country,” read the statement.

An immigration judge found “overwhelming evidence” that Kordia was telling the truth about the payments.

Kordia was recently hospitalized for three days following a seizure after fainting and hitting her head at the privately run detention facility.

At a hearing Friday, Kordia’s attorneys said she had a neurological condition that had worsened while in custody, putting her at an elevated risk of seizure. They reiterated that she could stay with U.S. citizen family members and did not pose a flight risk.

The immigration judge, Tara Naslow, agreed.

“I’ve heard testimony. I’ve seen thousands of pages of evidence presented by the respondent, and very little evidence presented by the government in any of this,” Naslow said.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on X that he asked for her release when he met with President Donald Trump last month

“I am grateful that Leqaa has been released this evening from ICE custody after more than a year in detention for speaking up for Palestinian rights,” Mamdani said.

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Offenhartz reported from New York.

The reptile was seen on March 10, 2026, with the sighting coming as the species begins to emerge from hibernation during the early spring sunshine.

The sighting was made by Jim France, who sent in the photos to The Northern Echo.

An adder spotted in the North York Moors (Image: JIM FRANCE)

Over the last 18 months, multiple encounters with adders have been reported across County Durham, Tyne and Wear and North Yorkshire, with wildlife photographers, walkers and nature enthusiasts spotting the elusive reptiles in rural locations.

Experts say the sightings are expected at this time of year as warmer temperatures encourage adders to leave their winter hibernation sites and bask in the sun.

Where adders have been spotted

Reports and photographic evidence have recorded adders in a number of rural locations across the region, including:

• Rookhope, Weardale – Spotted on May 1 by Jake Lawson, a member of the Northern Echo Camera Club.
• Fatfield, Gateshead – Wildlife enthusiast Robert Wells reported a sighting near a fishing pond.
• Derwent Reservoir, near Consett – Christopher Bennett captured an image of an adder basking in the heather.
• Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve – Durham Wildlife Trust volunteer Malcolm Wilkinson regularly spots them while helping with habitat conservation.
• Pine Woods, Frosterley – A dog was bitten after disturbing an adder in the grass.
• Hamsterley Forest – Dora the dachshund was bitten after sniffing through the grass along a trail.

The latest North Yorkshire sighting highlights that the species continues to thrive in suitable habitats across the region.

An adder spotted in the North York Moors (Image: JIM FRANCE)

Adders favour environments such as heathland, moorland and woodland edges, landscapes common across the North East and North Yorkshire.

What to know about adders

Adders are generally shy and reclusive and will usually move away if disturbed.

They are identifiable by their distinctive zig-zag pattern along the back and typically grow between 50 and 80cm long. Some adders are melanistic, meaning they appear almost entirely black.

Although the snakes are venomous, experts say they pose little danger to humans when left alone.

Most bites occur when the animal is accidentally stepped on or handled.

Adder bites can cause pain and swelling and may require medical attention, particularly for young children, elderly people or pets.

Adders are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and are listed as a priority species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.

Conservation groups urge members of the public not to harm the snakes and to report sightings to local wildlife organisations to help monitor populations.

Volunteers, including those from Durham Wildlife Trust, continue to work to protect habitats that support the species.

Advice for walkers and dog owners

With adders becoming more active as the weather warms, experts advise people visiting rural areas to take precautions:

• Stick to marked paths where possible
• Be cautious in sunny, grassy or heathland areas
• Keep dogs on a lead in known adder habitats during spring and summer
• Never attempt to handle or approach a snake
• Anyone bitten by an adder should seek medical or veterinary attention immediately.