PRESS DIGEST-Financial Times - May 21

May 21 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

- Easing of restrictions lifts UK consumer confidence to pre-pandemic level https://on.ft.com/3oDUOmy

- Prince William attacks BBC over handling of Bashir interview with Diana https://on.ft.com/3f3ZUFi

- Steel industry hits out at UK plans to remove tariff protections https://on.ft.com/3v1IX3X

-Ireland examines decryption key to restore health systems after ransomware attack https://on.ft.com/3vaU22A

-UK rail passengers warned of higher fares in network overhaul https://on.ft.com/3f4ZfU8

Overview

- UK consumer confidence bounced back more than expected in May and regained all the ground lost to the pandemic, reflecting the reopening of the economy and supporting expectations of a strong consumer-driven rebound in the second quarter.

- Prince William has launched an unprecedented attack on the BBC over its handling of claims relating to the 1995 Panorama interview with his late mother, after the BBC apologised over the affair.

- A preliminary decision by the Department for International Trade to remove a large number of products from so-called import "safeguards", designed to protect domestic producers from a flood of cheap imports, needs to be "urgently rethought", according to UK Steel.

- Ireland is examining a decryption tool that could end a week-long shutdown of its healthcare service's hacked IT system and has also secured a court injunction preventing sharing and publishing of stolen data.

- The UK transport secretary has admitted that train fares might rise as part of a huge overhaul of the railways that comes as operators prepare for an expected post-pandemic decline in commuting.

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)