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Experts say the global shortage of the main ingredient of chocolate is linked to poor conditions for farmers supplying large companiesEvery Easter, UK consumers collectively spend more than £1bn on food, drink, gifts, entertainment and about 80m chocolate eggs, racking up an average bill exceeding £50 each. But shoppers this year are paying more than usual: since last Easter, chocolate prices have increased by...

Calm outlook for Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney follows extreme bouts of dry and warm weather across south and west of countryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA spectacular Easter long weekend is expected for much of Australia, with warm and sunny conditions forecast for most capitals before rain...

Dan Dafydd, who accidentally ordered 80 cases of eggs, aims to raise £20,000 for the RNLI by Easter SundayFor a small shop owner on a small island as far as mistakes go, Dan Dafydd’s was a pretty big one leaving him with quite a dilemma: how do you get rid of 80 cases of Easter eggs when you meant to order only 80 eggs?For...

Bank holiday weekend and start of school holidays take place at same time, with high traffic volumes expectedDrivers are being warned to expect long delays over Easter as millions of getaway trips lead to soaring traffic volumes and congested motorways.The RAC said that more than 14m journeys on some popular routes could take twice as long as normal, as the first bank holiday weekend...