72 m. ago EastEnders star Jessie Wallace leaves fans saying the same thing over rare snap with daughter

The Kat Slater actress thanked one of her BBC soap co-stars for a recommendation

Politics

83 m. ago Business rates relief package a ‘sticking plaster’, Scottish ministers warned

Finance Secretary Shona Robison has announced her Budget for 2026-27.

Events

84 m. ago OBR has ‘earned people’s trust’ despite budget leak, says former chairman

Richard Hughes resigned from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in December over the mistaken early publication of its forecasts.

Politics

1 hour ago Scottish budget: Business leaders say support measures do not go far enough

“Given the extent of the increases small businesses are facing, with rises of up to 400 per cent, this is effectively a drop in the ocean” – Guy Hinks, FSB Scotland

Politics

2 h. ago Strictly's John Whaite forced to close bakery after terrifying car accident

Former Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has revealed that he's shutting down his bakery business after workload struggles and a recent near-death experience

Events

2 h. ago How the rise of weight loss jabs has boosted gym revenues across Britain

The Gym Group currently operates 260 sites across the UK, with around 70 million visits a year

Politics

2 h. ago Water bosses recalled to appear before ‘sceptical’ MPs over December outages

A Parliamentary committee has recalled company bosses over the incident before Christmas, as thousands remain without water in a new supply failure.

Politics

3 h. ago Love Island beauty strips to tiny black bikini in the snow for daring display

Love Island star Mary Bedford braved the freezing cold and posed for some scorching snaps in the snow, wearing a skimpy black bikini, a fur coat and a pair of matching earmuffs

Politics

3 h. ago Dublin Chinese restaurant closed over food 'likely contaminated with fecal matter'

A Dublin Chinese restaurant was among over 100 businesses shut down in 2025 after food safety inspectors discovered serious health and safety breaches, it has emerged

Society

3 h. ago Iran crisis live: Trump says ‘help is on its way’ as he urges Iranians to ‘keep protesting’ and to ‘take over’ their institutions

US president cancels meetings with Iranian officials ‘until senseless killing of protesters stops’Trump says countries doing business with Iran face 25% tariff on US tradePeople in Iran: share your views on the current situationNon-essential French embassy staff have left Iran, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Agence France-Presse. The personnel left on Sunday and Monday, the sources added, without saying how many people had departed. “The protection of our personnel and our citizens is a priority,” a French foreign ministry official told AFP.Commenting on the protests, the UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk said:This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue. The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality and justice must be heard. Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago Sacha Lord condemns Rachel Reeves as being 'worse for pubs than Covid' as landlords say rescue package is not enough to save them after Chancellor's hammer

The Treasury signalled a major U-turn on business rate hikes for pubs last week amid warnings hundreds could be forced to close.

Events

3 h. ago David Webb, prominent Hong Kong shareholder activist, dies at 60

David Webb, a prominent Hong Kong shareholder activist, has died at 60

Events

3 h. ago Trump may have to disclose details about assets as part of BBC lawsuit

US president is suing for defamation over documentary that joined two parts of speech he made on 6 January 2021President Trump is expected to come under pressure to make rare disclosures about his properties and business interests as part of his $10bn lawsuit against the BBC, the Guardian understands.Trump is suing the BBC for defamation over a Panorama documentary that spliced together two parts of the president’s address to a rally on 6 January 2021. The BBC has already apologised and said the edit was misleading, but has denied it defamed Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Water bosses recalled to appear before ‘sceptical’ MPs over fresh outages

A Parliamentary committee has recalled company bosses as thousands remain without water in latest supply failure.

Politics

4 h. ago Quarter of developing countries poorer than in 2019, World Bank finds

Global growth ‘downshifted’ since Covid pandemic and sub-Saharan Africa particularly affected, report saysBusiness live – latest updatesA quarter of countries in the developing world are poorer than they were in 2019 before the Covid pandemic, the World Bank has found.The Washington-based organisation said a large group of low-income countries, many in sub-Saharan Africa, had suffered a negative shock in the six years to the end of last year. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Motorists advised to take 1 action if car skids on ice this winter

With the cold snap continuing deeper into 2026, experts from Adrian Flux Insurance have shared the key manoeuvre drivers should perform if their car starts skidding on icy roads

Transport

4 h. ago 'Playboy' first husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco dies aged 85: Royal married French businessman Philippe Junot who was 17 years her senior when she was just 21

French businessman Philippe Junot 'peacefully' passed away on January 8, his daughter Victoria has revealed.

Events

4 h. ago New Home Office TikTok account ‘turning migration raids into clickbait entertainment’, charity warns

A new video posted to the official Home Office TikTok accounts shows immigration enforcement officers raiding homes and businesses and arresting people thought to be in the UK illegally

Events

4 h. ago More than 5,000 pubs facing sharp business rate hikes as tax valuations double

It comes after weeks of criticism from pub bosses, industry chiefs and politicians over changes to business rates in the Budget.

Economics

4 h. ago Meet the merpeople: ‘Once I put the tail on, my life was changed forever’

Professional mermaids risk hypothermia, seasickness and the cling of skin-tight silicone, but the reward is becoming an ‘ocean ambassador’ – and a bit more colour in the worldPropelled by a shimmering silicon tail, Katrin Gray spins underwater, blowing kisses to the audience as her long, copper hair floats around her face. Her seemingly effortless movement is anything but – a professional mermaid’s free diving and performance skills require training, practice and total concentration.Mermaiding has become a global cottage industry, with pageants, conventions, retreats and meet-ups, where people gather in “pods” to practise their dolphin kicks. Makers create bespoke tail flukes, bejewelled bras, mermaid hair and even prosthetic gills for professional and hobbyist “seasters”. There is even a Netflix reality series called MerPeople, which documents the occasionally perilous journey of several aspiring professional merfolk. “No dead mermaids,” is the motto of one business featured. Conti...

Politics