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Steel company Tata has formally announced it is to separate its UK pension scheme from the business.

It could mean a potential merger between the Indian-owned firm and the German steel producer ThyssenKrupp is more likely to move forward.

The £15bn British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) has been a significant barrier to any agreement.

The deal affects thousands of current and former workers, with 130,000 steel pension scheme members across the UK.

The agreement with trustees follows a deal between unions and the company which will see reduced benefits for current employees.

But the decision will also affect all members of the pension scheme, including the many thousands already retired.

About 8,000 people are employed by Tata Steel across England and Wales, including 3,500 in Port Talbot.

Tata Steel UK has offered to pay £550m into its now-closed pension scheme and give the fund a 33% stake in its UK business.

It means Tata would no longer have any responsibility for the pension scheme.

Future pension increases for current and retired steelworkers will be less under the new scheme – but there will be no reduction in the lump sums they have already built up.

All members of the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) will now be invited to transfer to the new scheme.

They will also have the option of transferring into the pension protection fund (PPF) – the pension lifeboat – although they could lose more money.

Thousands of workers voted to back the deal in February.

Koushik Chatterjee, Tata Steel’s group executive director, said it had been a long and detailed process but this was an “important milestone in Tata Steel UK’s journey towards a sustainable and enduring future”.

He added: “Considering the continued challenges in the global steel industry as well as the uncertain global politico-economic environment, the regulated apportionment arrangement (RAA) presents the best possible structural outcome for the members of the BSPS and for the Tata Steel UK business.”

Trade unions Community, GMB and Unite said: “For over a year our members have feared for their security in retirement and this announcement helps to bring that uncertainty to an end.”

But they added that members had been “extremely disappointed at the unacceptable lack of communication” in recent months.

“This has to change immediately,” said the unions in a statement. “The company and the trustees must remember they are dealing with people’s long term future, their life savings and their family’s financial security; it is vital members are given all the support that they need.”

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Analysis from Simon Gompertz, BBC News personal finance correspondent

There is bitterness, likely to be followed by bewilderment.

Current and former steelworkers have watched their pensions being tampered with.

Next they will be faced with what could be a mind-boggling choice about what to do.

The British Steel Pension Scheme trustees say the new scheme with trimmed benefits will be better for the vast majority than falling back on the Pension Protection Fund.

But there are a lot of variables to consider: the age at which they want to retire, the tax-free lump sum they can get, or whether they should accept the tempting sums being offered to exit the scheme entirely.

It is very important, the trustees admit, that members make an informed choice after taking advice “including from an independent financial advisor”.

But who will pay for that? The trustees won’t, and the Pensions Regulator won’t make them.

There will be leaflets and written information, but many workers will feel they are being left on their own to make one of the most important financial decisions of their lives.

Lesley Titcomb, chief executive of The Pensions Regulator, said: “We do not agree to these types of arrangements lightly but after several months of robust negotiations in this case, we believe that it is the best possible outcome for everyone involved in what is a very difficult situation.”

BSPS trustees chairman Allan Johnston said: “It is the best outcome that could be achieved in the circumstances.”

Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock said it was important to remember that the agreement to the pension changes was contingent upon substantial investment from Tata.

“It is vital that Tata follow through on their £1bn investment plan to ensure Port Talbot and downstream sites remain at the leading edge of 21st Century steel-making,” he said.

The UK Government said it would “continue to work closely with the sector to help secure a viable long-term future for the UK steel industry.”

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Analysis by Brian Meechan, BBC Wales business correspondent

Tata had been warning for years that its business in the UK was under threat.

It blamed falling steel prices as well as high energy costs and business rates in the UK compared to many other EU countries.

Pensions was not one of the main reasons it gave for its concerns but it clearly was an issue.

The company attempted to radically reduce the benefits its scheme provided but that was seen off with the threat of strike action by unions.

Less dramatic changes to pensions were agreed instead.

When Tata announced it was selling its UK operations, it started to see action in areas it had long been complaining about.

The UK government introduced financial help for heavy energy using industries like steel.

EU tariffs were placed on cheap steel imports from China and Russia.

Then as you can see from the chart above, prices started to rise; the Port Talbot plant became more efficient and the drop in the value of the pound made selling overseas easier.

The dispute over pensions took many twists along the way, including an aborted attempt to change the law for the Tata scheme that many felt would set a dangerous precedent.

What has now been agreed instead is highly unusual.

Tata will still have some responsibilities over the huge £15bn pension fund but it will now be expected to stand on its own two feet with an injection of £550m to help plug its black hole and a third stake in the company’s UK operations for the new scheme.

It paves the way for a merger deal between Tata Steel and its German rival, Thyssenkrupp.

Whether that deal is actually good for the future of Port Talbot is still a hotly-contested point.

The pension changes along with the tackling of issues like energy costs and cheap imports put Tata’s UK operations – which are now largely based in Wales – on a more solid foundation.

However, the world is still making far more steel every year than it needs.

China still has newer steelworks as well as lower labour and energy costs, so will remain fiercely competitive.

Tata’s promised future investment in Port Talbot is tied to its performance.

The immediate danger may have receded but there are still many challenges ahead.

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The holiday season is in full swing.

And whether you prefer sun, sand and sangria or meze, Metaxa and monuments, it can’t have escaped your notice that the whole getting-away-from-it-all thing is a lot more expensive at the moment.

At least, that is, if you’re a Brit bound for the eurozone.

The pound is touching 10-month lows against the euro at the moment at 1.0981 euros.

And currency strategists at US investment bank Morgan Stanley are even forecasting that the euro could move “beyond parity” with the pound on the currency markets for the first time ever in early 2018.

The last time the rate was within even spitting distance of that was back in 2008, when it was languishing at about 1.0200 euros.

Of course, there have been well-publicised occasions, even in the the past year, when people have got less than one euro to the pound at some currency exchanges.

But if that barrier were breached on the wholesale markets, it would be a “hugely important psychological” event, one unheard-of in the currency’s 18-year history.

Of course, every cloud, as they say: the weak pound has attracted huge numbers of tourists from the eurozone to the UK.

April saw a record 2.93 million eurozone visitors – up from 2.499 million in April of last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Political uncertainty

So just what is driving the relationship between sterling and the euro at the moment?

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The first thing to say is that it is primarily about euro strength rather than pound weakness.

Simon Derrick, chief currency strategist at financial institution BNY Mellon, reckons there have been two key factors recently which have stoked the euro’s strength.

The first was that earlier in the year, there was a lot of political uncertainty in the eurozone, not least about the outcome of the French presidential election, and that drove the euro lower.

The National Front, led by Marine Le Pen, wanted France to abandon the euro – a move which could have caused turmoil in the eurozone – and even the European Union as a whole.

However, when it became clear that Emmanuel Macron was likely to win, “a lot of the political concerns started to dissipate”, says Mr Derrick.

“As political tensions eased, it made the currency look rather more attractive.”

Supply and demand

Another “significant factor” boosting the euro is anticipation on the markets that the European Central Bank will start cutting back on its Quantitative Easing programme, says Mr Derrick.

This has seen it pumping 60bn euros a month into the eurozone economy, in an effort to bolster its performance.

Essentially, that has meant huge amounts of euros sloshing around the system, keeping the value of the euro down.

However, if that changes, then the pressure on the euro will be lifted.

It’s a question of supply and demand.

“The market has this expectation that at some point between now and the end of the year, the ECB will say something about further reducing the QE programme and as a result, the euro’s been going up,” says Mr Derrick.

Not only because it will mean less money in the system, but also because it will be a sign that the ECB thinks the eurozone economy can manage without so much support.

‘Stumbling blocks’

There’s a flip side to the relationship, of course: what’s happening to sterling.

Ahead of August’s Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee meeting, some people had been wondering if there would be signs that more members of the committee were in favour of raising interest rates.

When it became clear that wasn’t the case, people were disappointed. That put pressure on sterling, because lower interest rates make a currency less attractive to foreign investors, explains Mr Derrick.

In addition, forthcoming political events are causing uncertainty for the pound.

Mr Derrick points to “potential stumbling blocks along the way for sterling”. He highlights the start of the next round of negotiations between the UK and the EU over Brexit, and the Conservative party conference, among other things.

However, he is unwilling to stick his neck out and predict whether and when the pound and euro will reach parity.

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He concedes it’s “possible” the pound could reach 1.05 to 1.06 euros before the end of the year.

Take a look online at some of the currency exchanges. At the moment, travellers can get about 1.0600 to 1.0836 euros for their pound, depending on how much you’re changing and who you’re doing it with.

But if the predictions are correct that the exchange rate is going to get worse for Brits, then those deals might start to seem quite attractive.

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Heathrow Airport has been rated poor for disabled travellers in a report from the UK’s aviation regulator.

Some passengers were not treated with “dignity and respect” with waits of one to two hours to get off planes, the Civil Aviation Authority said.

Manchester, East Midlands and Exeter airports also received the low rating, but 26 airports were given a good or very good rating.

Heathrow said it was addressing the issues raised in the report.

‘Make your own way’

The CAA highlighted a survey of about 1,200 passengers requiring assistance at Heathrow, where 62% rated the service poor or very poor.

The regulator said: “There have been instances of unacceptable levels of customer service where passengers’ needs have not been met and, in some instances, where passengers have not been treated with dignity and respect.

“Substantive issues still exist with the quality of the assistance service provided at Heathrow.”

• BBC man condemns plane disability access
• Disabled group ‘left behind’ at airport

The regulator admitted Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, had “certain challenges” like long walking distances.

But journeys for passengers with mobility issues would often take “significantly longer”, and the airport’s contractor Omniserv “encouraged passengers to make their own way through the airport because of a lack of staff or equipment”.

Waits of up to two hours for help when getting off flights were recorded on a number of occasions, the CAA said.

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The report acknowledged that management at Heathrow, alongside Omniserv, are implementing an improvement plan to reduce waiting time and service quality issues.

A spokeswoman for Omniserv said the company is “investing significant sums in staff training” and will “continue evaluating our performance… to provide the best service to all of Heathrow’s passengers”.

Heathrow said it was “extremely disappointed” by the CAA’s findings and apologised to customers affected.

A spokesman added: “[The findings of the report] are not acceptable and fall short of the experience Heathrow aims to provide its passengers.

“Addressing the issues raised in this report is a priority for us. We apologise to those who have been affected and are taking action.”

The CAA said the other airports rated poor – East Midlands, Manchester and Exeter – had not consulted disability organisations, or set up focus groups to receive feedback from service users.

East Midlands Airport also experienced “unacceptably long waiting times”, according to the report.

Last year a wheelchair user was left stranded at the airport because staff had “forgotten about him”.

Paddy Costello, 62, was supposed to be getting a Ryanair flight to Ireland, but his flight left without him.

At the time an airport spokesman said: “As soon as we were made aware of the situation, we reacted quickly by aiding the passengers in re-booking flights and offering an overnight stay in a premium hotel on site.”

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Although four airports were rated poor, the aviation regulator was encouraged to see a 66% increase in the number of travellers requiring assistance since 2010.

In 2016 three million passengers with mobility issues flew through British airports and CAA consumers director Richard Moriarty said: “UK aviation should be proud that it continues to serve a rapid increase in the number of passengers with a disability.”

Birmingham, Glasgow and Glasgow Prestwick, Humberside, Inverness and Norwich airports were all rated very good.

The report said: “Norwich, in particular, has created excellent partnerships with local disability organisations, especially those representing people with ‘hidden disabilities’.”

The airports rated good were: Aberdeen, Belfast City, Belfast International, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, City of Derry, Doncaster Sheffield, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, London City, Gatwick, Luton, Southend, Stansted, Newcastle, Newquay, Southampton and Sumburgh.

Games of Thrones has taken the world by storm and it’s not just from an entertainment perspective. People from all walks of life are learning a variety of skills from the HBO television series, and chief executive officers are no exception.

Each character in the show has their own set of unique leadership techniques, including the popular Jon Snow, former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and now King of the North. Here are some management tricks you can learn from him to be an awesome CEO. With my enterprise chatbot company ChattyPeople I have had many success and challenge to fighting many foes to make it a what it is today. Be warned, this article may be a spoiler!

1. Always value your team.

During the season finale, Jon Snow is accompanied by Davos, Sansa and the Northern Houses, giving them a strong chance of surviving through the winter months. Jon Snow would not be able to achieve this without his team, a valuable lesson for any leader.

The key to being a CEO and managing a company is valuing the team members that help you make it happen. Remember, you may have the vision, and you need the right minds to bring it to life.

Social relationship expert John Hall,  recently said “Relationships are like ketchup — only you can figure out if you need to have it on your burger or not.”

Related: 7 Leadership Styles on Television Entrepreneurs Can Learn From

2. Make intelligent alliances.

I’m sure nobody expected or wanted Jon Snow to let the Wildings cross the wall, but he knew that winter was coming and that he could not keep Winterfell safe from the Night’s King; he decided to stop the White Walkers from increasing their numbers by getting people out of their reach.

Sometimes, the most unlikely alliances are the most intelligent ones. As a CEO or member of a management team, you must do what’s best for your company and your team. Create partnerships where they will offer value to your organization.

Related: Imagine These 7 Entrepreneurs as ‘Game of Thrones’ Characters

3. Motivate others to achieve common goals.

Jon Snow’s main goal is to save the North, along with his friends, family and loyal followers. He wanted everyone to work towards a common goal: to survive the war against the Night’s King and the unbearable winter months.

This valuable sense of passion and drive is something all CEOs should have and embrace. If you’re the CEO of a company, you need to share your passion with your teams to motivate them towards a common goal. Aside from making your organization more productive, you’ll create a deeper connection with the people you beside.

Related: George R. R. Martin Misses Latest Book Deadline, Internet Forgives

4. Stay in control.

Your job involves you keeping everything under control and running smoothly. As a CEO, if you lose control, you could lose control of your company.

In one episode, Janos Slynt disobeys Jon Snow. Slynt is then taken outside and decapitated by Jon Snow himself, thus establishing himself as a just leader who’s in control. That said, control is slightly different when it comes to the real world and business.

Related: 4 Leadership Styles Showcased on ‘Game of Thrones’

5. Maintain a human touch.

Balance control with a human touch. Multiple episodes show Jon Snow’s compassionate side. In the beginning, Jon Snow is the only one to take up for Sam. He also lets Ygritte leave rather than killing her during the fight between the Wildings and the Watch. Lastly, he shows a level of humanity when he puts Mance Rayder out of his misery rather than letting him slowly burn to death.

To be an effective leader, you must find the balance between control and compassion, then learn to display each trait at the right time. Despite your position of power, forgetting that can undermine respect for you as an authority figure.

Related: Take a Cue From ‘Game of Thrones’ in Content Marketing

6. Never stop learning.

Jon Snow was elected Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch but was also confidnet enough to ask for help and advice. He’s not ashamed of using the advice he receives if he feels it will benefit the situation.

The moral of this story is that CEOs don’t know everything. Just because you have been given a senior role with a higher pay grade and more responsibility doesn’t mean that you have suddenly become an expert on every aspect of the organization you’re running. For example, if you’ve trained in finance and are facing an IT problem, there’s no shame in asking your IT department for help.

Related: ‘Game of Thrones’ Was Written on a DOS Machine

Finally…

Above all, it’s imperative that you remember who you are. To truly connect with your teams, you must be yourself. As the CEO of a company, you need to identify your strengths and weaknesses. From there, you can create the right teams and motivate them towards the common goal of making your organization a success.

Happiness is more than just feeling good. There’s actually a wide range of benefits of being happy. These benefits include making us healthier, strengthening relationships, and increasing productivity. Being happy also encourages us to make more positive contributions to society.

Simply put, happiness is really important if you want to have a successful life.But, what’s preventing you from staying happy on a daily basis?

Here are five common culprits that are blocking your happiness:

Related: 10 Horrible Habits That Destroy Your Happiness

1. Self-defeating self-talk.

“If you are like most people, you know your inner critic all too well. It is the voice in your head that judges you, doubts you, belittles you, and constantly tells you that you are not good enough,” writes Jennice Vilhauer, Ph.D.

Dr. Vilhauer is the director of Emory Healthcare’s Outpatient Psychotherapy Program and an assistant professor in the School of Medicine at Emory University. As to your inner voice, “It says negative hurtful things to you—things that you would never even dream of saying to anyone else. I am such an idiot; I am a phony; I never do anything right; I will never succeed.”

Even if that voice in the back of your head is wrong it doesn’t matter. That negative, polluted, and repetitive self-defeating mindset has already done some serious damage.

The good news is that you can stop beating yourself up by:

• Slowing down and paying attention to your thoughts. This will help you notice whenever that pesky critic is present.
• Separating the critic from your own identity, Dr. Vilhauer suggests you give your inner critic a name – a silly name for some levity.
• Talking back to your critic and telling it to go away.
• Replacing the critic by noticing your positive traits.

Related: Entrepreneurs Can Buy Happiness, According to a New Study

2. Avoiding deeply meaningful connections.

“Ultimately, the human experience is about connecting with other people. Connection is what provides value and meaning to our lives. We’re wired for it and research proves just that,” states author, entrepreneur, and photographer James Clear.

“For example, people with strong social ties were found to be healthier and have a lower risk of death. Additionally, it was found that as age increases, the people with stronger social ties tend to live longer. Friendships can even help you fight cancer.”

Research has also found that being in a long-term relationship, such as marriage, decreases the risk of depression, suicide, and substance abuse.

“And one study of almost 6,000 people discovered that marriage led to increased longevity while never marrying was the strongest predictor of premature death.”

Simply put, “connection and belonging are essential for a healthy and happy life” – whether it’s friendship, marriage, or family. We need close connections to be healthy.

In fact, research from the London School of Economics found that mental health and relationships are the key to happiness.

What if networking is a problem because you’re an introvert? You can get around the problem by starting to network online. Recharge yourself ahead of time. Team-up with an extrovert, adopt outgoing traits, and practice your elevator pitch.

Related: How to Network When You’re an Introvert

3. Comparing yourself to others.

While comparing yourself to others is normal — we’ve all been doing it since we were kids – it’s a waste of time, energy. As Mark Twain said, “comparison is the death of joy.”

Research shows that comparing yourself to others leads to feelings of envy, low-self confidence, and depression.  Constant critical scrutinizing will also compromises our ability to trust others. Additionally, researchers at Stanford University, Syracuse University, and the University of California, Berkeley found that people seem a lot happier and less troubled than they really are.

In other words, your comparison could be an inaccurate assessment and you could be comparing yourself to someone who really isn’t has happy or together as they let on. You know this is true. We all do this misjudgment of ourselves.

Related: The Hidden Danger of Comparing Yourself to Others

4. Lack of gratitude.

It’s common for us to become fixated on what we don’t have. We don’t slow down to take stock of what we do have. Pause and appreciate everything that you’re thankful for. I do this by writing what I’m grateful for every evening. But, don’t just take my word for it. It’s a powerful trick that has also been employed by Oprah, Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss.

Countless studies have found that giving thanks makes us happier. Psychologists Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami asked study participants to write a few sentences each week on particular topics. One group was asked to jot down what they were grateful for, while the second group wrote about daily irritations. After 10 weeks those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic, felt better about their lives and even exercised more and made fewer trips to the physician!

Other studies have discovered that gratitude can improve relationships. One study of couples found that individuals who expressed gratitude for their partner felt more positive toward the other person. These were also more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship. Finally, managers who say “thank you” to their team find that those employees are motivated to work harder.

Related: The Four A’s of Expressing Gratitude

5. Fear

“Fear has great power in our lives. Thank God it does, keeping us from doing things that could hurt us. One such hurt is like taking unnecessary and dangerous drugs,” writes William Anderson, MA, LMHC. “However, it is a terrible problem if it is keeping you from making your life better.”

Is fear stopping you from losing weight and keeping it off? Has it stopped you from getting a better job, having a good relationship? Has fear stopped you from doing and having any number of things that would make your life happier?”

And, we’ll do everything in our power to avoid this fear of “what if.” But, when we refuse to face these fears, they’ll continue to hold a great power over us.

“They make us prisoners and stuck where we are. Cause us to be unable to move from where it is painful,” states Anderson. “When we are able to face what we fear and accept dealing with it rather than running from it, the fear loses power.”

“When we have a method to take us to our dreams, whether it is a way to ride elevators without discomfort, an interview for our dream job, or a way to solve our weight problem for good, we can break out of the prison of our fears.”

Overcoming fear is all about replacing and overpowering it with something else. For instance if you want to start your business, but are paralyzed by the fear of “what if,” challenge that debilitating fear by:

• Accomplishing one small, attainable project each day, such as volunteering or finding a mentor. Start by devoting just 20 percent of your time trying new things. That’s not much!
• Getting your creative juices flowing through writing or learning a new skill or talent.
• Surrounding yourself with optimistic supporters.
• Recognize the true value of your life and talents.

One more thing; fear and happiness cannot exist together in the same brain. So if you want to stay happy, it’s time to lose a little of that fear in order to become fearless.

The bottom line.

When comes to your happiness, you’re the boss. That means that it’s your responsibility to eliminate the elements in your life that are reducing your happiness. Challenge those fears, and kick them to the curb.

Once you do you can start living a better, and more importantly, happy life personally and professionally.

In this Viewsnight, anthropologist Jason Hickel argues that our addiction to economic growth is killing us and makes the case for “planned de-growth”. Hickel is the author of The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions.

Viewsnight is BBC Newsnight’s place for ideas and debate. For more, head over to BBC Newsnight on Facebook and on YouTube

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Nationwide has reported a sharp fall in mortgage lending, mainly due to making fewer buy-to-let loans.

Net mortgage lending fell to £2.4bn in the April-to-June quarter, down from £3.5bn a year earlier.

The building society also said more people opened a current account with it during the three-month period than with any other provider.

Nationwide’s profits for the quarter fell 20% to £322m, after last year’s results were helped by a one-off gain.

A year earlier, the building society had received a £100m boost to its profits from the sale of its investment in Visa Europe.

Announcing the latest results, chief executive Joe Garner said “Profit performance in the first quarter remained comfortably within our strategic target range and, after allowing for one-off items, was broadly consistent with the prior period.”

Nationwide had a 13% share of the mortgage market in the quarter, down from 15% in the same time last year.

A spokesman for the building society said it expected its buy-to-let lending to remain “broadly flat”.

Nationwide had “raised the bar for landlord’s affordability before most other lenders with the aim of helping ensure our borrowers can meet future repayments”, he added.

“This, together with a softening of lending due to Stamp Duty and tax changes, led to a decline in buy-to-let.”

In the first quarter Nationwide opened 202,000 new current accounts, a rise of 17% on the same time last year.

The company also said that more than a fifth (22.4%) of all people switching current accounts had moved to Nationwide.

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The UK’s stock market has opened lower as worries over the situation between the US and North Korea continue to rattle investors.

On Thursday, Donald Trump said North Korea should be “very, very nervous” if it acted against the US.

The UK’s FTSE 100 index fell 57.15 points, or 0.8%, to 7,332.79 in early trade, having dropped 1.4% on Thursday.

Other markets in Europe also opened lower, with Germany’s Dax index down 0.2% and France’s Cac 40 dropping 0.6%.

On the London stock market, mining shares saw the biggest falls. Glencore, Rio Tinto and Anglo American were all down by about 3% as many metal prices were hit by the geopolitical concerns.

Asian markets fell sharply, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropping 2%, while US stocks had ended lower on Thursday.

“The tension between the US and North Korea is still dominating the news and it is looming over the financial markets,” said David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

“The uncertainty surrounding the situation has been the main driver of the markets recently.”

Gold – generally regarded as a safer asset in times of uncertainty – hit its highest price for more than two months on Friday, touching $1,288.92 an ounce before slipping back.

Investors have also headed to other traditional havens, such as the Swiss franc and the Japanese yen.

The pound was unchanged against the dollar at $1.2981 and up 0.15% against the euro at 1.1040 euros.

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The EU’s food safety commissioner has called for an end to “blaming and shaming” between countries, after eggs were found to contain traces of an insecticide dangerous to humans.

Vytenis Andriukaitis said EU ministers and regulators should meet urgently.

Eggs, coming mainly from the Netherlands, have been found to contain fipronil, which is banned by the EU in the food industry.

A row has erupted over how long Belgian and Dutch authorities have known.

On Thursday, investigators arrested two people in raids on companies in the Netherlands and Belgium.

• What do we know about the Europe egg scare?

The UK food watchdog also said about 700,000 eggs have been sent to the UK from potentially contaminated Dutch farms, up from an earlier estimate of 21,000.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was very unlikely that there was a risk to public health.

In the UK, processed foods containing eggs, including sandwiches and salads, have been recalled from Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Asda.

Supermarkets in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have withdrawn millions of eggs from sale.

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Should I stop eating eggs?

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By James Gallagher, health and science reporter, BBC News

Fipronil should not be allowed anywhere near food.

But the risk from eggs is thought to be low, because the number of contaminated eggs is also low.

While 700,000 eggs sounds like a lot, it is worth remembering we eat 34 million every single day in the UK.

It is why the Food Standards Agency says it is “very unlikely” there is any health risk.

Many of the affected eggs will have already passed through the food chain before anyone was aware of the scandal.

And the FSA has now pulled egg sandwiches and egg salads off the shelves that were made while contaminated eggs were still being imported.

It insisted there is “no need” for people to stop eating eggs.

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Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland is to issue its first polymer £10 note to the public on 4 October.

The new note features images of Scottish mathematician and astronomer Mary Somerville, her hometown of Burntisland in Fife, and two otters.

The material includes a variety of new security features which the bank said makes them “difficult to counterfeit but easy to authenticate”.

For the first time, the note includes braille to help the visually impaired.

The bank also announced that the face of its polymer £20 note, which is not expected to enter circulation until 2020, will feature Glasgow philanthropist and entrepreneur Catherine Cranston.

‘Public influence’

The new £10 note is 15% smaller than the paper ones currently in circulation. It follows the bank’s polymer £5 note, which features Scottish novelist and poet Nan Shepherd, and came into circulation in 2016.

RBS chief executive Ross McEwan said the bank felt that their notes had value beyond the figure printed on them, and were a “symbol which lives in people’s pockets and touches everyday lives”.

He said: “It has been 30 years since we produced a new £10 note, and we wanted the public to help influence the design. They helped influence our theme of ‘fabric of nature’ and helped us consider the impact Mary Somerville has had on our understanding of the world in which we live.

“It is fitting that our most advanced note yet will carry her portrait.”

A moon diagram taken from Somerville’s book Mechanism of the Heavens appears when the note is viewed under UV light.

Words from the Scottish poet Norman MacCaig also feature.

Bank of Scotland also has a polymer £10 note entering circulation, featuring the image of Sir Walter Scott, while Clydesdale Bank’s version, featuring Robert Burns, comes out on 21 September.