Thousands of Barclays staff are demanding concessions from the bank after it said it wants employees to work from the office more often. Staff who have been expected to work in the office for two days per week should be in the office for at least three days a week from next month, according to the bank. Unite, which represents about 36,000 Barclays staff, is calling for the bank to reverse its decision. The union is also pressing for exemptions and a one-off payment for employees to offset increased travel and childcare costs. Barclays said many employees already work in the office for three or more days, depending on business need.

'No doubt' that climate change played role in Nepal-Tibet flood, study finds A study has found that climate change had contributed to the glacier collapse that unleashed devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border. More than 1,400 people were killed and thousands are missing following the deluge on 26 August. There was absolutely no doubt that human-induced climate change played a role here in the preconditioning of the disaster, said Friederike Otto, a climatologist at Imperial College London and one of the study's authors. The World Weather Attribution study, published on Thursday, said the disaster was the result of a compound event caused by rising temperatures, thinning glaciers, thawing permafrost and pre-existing geological weaknesses. Massive floods and landslides swept through border towns and villages in Nepal and Tibet, wiping out thousands of houses, destroying energy infrastructure and leaving thousands dead or missing.

Balaclava boys on electric bikes: How to tackle the problem? From the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh to the streets of the country's biggest cities, a common menace is causing irritation, alarm and in some cases even death. The sight of young men, their identities hidden by black balaclavas, tearing around on electric bikes or scooters is becoming a familiar one. The picture above was taken by a man who posted on social media about morons on electric bikes scaring a nearby horse, external as they rode illegally on public footpaths. Aside from being showered with gravel churned up by the gobby miscreants, no one came to harm that day, but others have not been so lucky.

An inquiry into allegations British Special Forces murdered unarmed Afghan civilians has cost UK taxpayers £58m, figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) show. When the inquiry was launched in 2023, its chair Lord Justice Haddon-Cave said it would aim to report, at least on an interim basis, within 12-18 months. However, the inquiry has now been running for more than three and a half years, and has yet to publish any findings. In a statement, the inquiry said its work was greater and more complex than it originally envisaged. It added that delays by the MoD in disclosing information had also affected the timetable.

Rosenberg: Russia's elections will have few surprises, but for the Kremlin they matter To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Figure caption, Low expectations that Russia's election will bring peace closer, Steve Rosenberg reports The system of power in Russia is often referred to as managed democracy (where the Kremlin does the managing). That means huge powers for the president and few political surprises. This weekend's election is set to deliver another parliament dominated by the party of power, United Russia, and a house of MPs fiercely loyal to Vladimir Putin. Critics dismiss the vote as neither free nor fair.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Buckingham Palace is in a war of words with Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, over a controversial memoir about her life and death. King Charles is accused of insensitively saying to Earl Spencer, in the wake of Diana's death in 1997, that we'll forget her soon enough, according to excerpts published in the Daily Mail. But the Palace has pushed back unusually strongly, angered by the claims and attempting to cast doubt on them. While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss, it said.

Assad regime planned US journalist's kidnap for weeks, BBC finds US journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012, was kidnapped in a calculated operation which was more than a month in the planning, the BBC can reveal. A member of the group which detained Tice has also claimed the abduction was sanctioned by Syria's leader at the time, President Bashar al-Assad. Tice was seen getting into a car with a driver he knew and trusted. For years, many assumed they had stumbled upon a government checkpoint, and that the abduction of the journalist had been opportunistic. But we have uncovered evidence that, in fact, his disappearance was anything but chance.

A 13-year-old schoolboy has made his voice-acting debut as Thomas the Tank Engine in a new animated series. Harry Sparkes, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, stars in Thomas & Friends: Railway Stories alongside Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding, who narrates the series in a role made famous by Sir Ringo Starr. For nine months, Sparkes kept his weekly recording sessions secret from his classmates by telling them he was attending physiotherapy for a foot injury. It feels amazing, because I played and watched Thomas as a kid, and now I get to be Thomas. It just feels insane, he said.

Image caption, Emily, out with her friends in London, says that coffee and caffeinated energy drinks don't have much effect on body or her sleep Coffee just doesn't have much effect on me, says 20-year-old Emily, who is leaving a cafe in central London at 18:00 BST. I'll normally have two cups a day and then maybe an energy drink too. And then I can drink coke all night and feel completely fine. We've all got a friend like Emily. The one who can knock back a double espresso or even an energy drink in the evening and still drift off to sleep an hour or so later.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Figure caption, 'I sent 200 DMs': Networking in New York For some, networking comes naturally but for others, the thought of approaching someone they don't know and trying to make a professional connection can fill them with dread. Whether you're looking for your first job, trying to get ahead at work or hoping to change career, building a network can help you find opportunities and make connections. Networking doesn't have to mean working a room at a formal event - it can happen in person over a coffee at work, through a chance conversation or online, through email and social media. Just under half (44%) of Gen Z say not having the right network is the biggest barrier to landing an entry-level role, according to research from LinkedIn, external .