32 h. ago State pension warning over 'letter from the taxman through the door'

The Government set out new policies for the state pension in the Budget

Events

36 h. ago 10 best kitchen knife sets for sharpening your culinary skills

From Japanese steel to carbon and stainless, carve out a space for these high-quality blades

Events

3 d. ago Property market bounce after the Budget gloom: Market heats up ahead of Boxing Day surge

The housing market is rebounding after getting stuck in the Budget doldrums and is set to enter the new year firing on all cylinders, property experts say.

Society

6 d. ago BORIS JOHNSON: If Labour MPs try to reverse Brexit they will be walking into a hail of machine gun fire

It is a good general rule that you should not interrupt your enemy when they are in the process of making a mistake. So I hesitate to intrude on the current calculations of the Labour Party.

Politics

8 d. ago Australia news live: PM says ‘enough is enough’ as social media ban comes into effect; Gina Rinehart’s helipad plan rejected

Follow the latest updates liveSocial media ban: some platforms still allowing 14-year-olds as landmark ruling comes into forceCallout: How is Australia’s social media ban affecting you and your family?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInman Grant says getting ‘the most powerful, rich companies’ to comply was always going to be messyInman Grant said she expects kids to experience massive changes as the social media ban sticks around. The eSafety commissioner added that some social media companies were more difficult to work with than others during the rollout of the ban, telling ABC News:To the extent that there are seven stages of grief, we have seen some be very accepting, some in denial, some are quite angry.I guess that shows the character of the company and how they’re taking this. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Australia news live: social media ban comes into effect; apps not included in banned list surge on app stores

Follow the latest updates liveCallout: How is Australia’s social media ban affecting you and your family?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInman Grant says getting ‘the most powerful, rich companies’ to comply was always going to be messyInman Grant said she expects kids to experience massive changes as the social media ban sticks around. The eSafety commissioner added that some social media companies were more difficult to work with than others during the rollout of the ban, telling ABC News:To the extent that there are seven stages of grief, we have seen some be very accepting, some in denial, some are quite angry.I guess that shows the character of the company and how they’re taking this. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago 'Shocking' jump in business rates could be last orders for pubs, warns Greene King boss

The Budget presented a set of complex changes that left many publicans despairing, questioning how they will stay in business over the coming years.

Events

9 d. ago Former children’s commissioner to lead grooming gangs inquiry

A former children’s commissioner will chair the national inquiry into grooming gangs after months of delays.Baroness Anne Longfield will lead the inquiry over three years with a budget of £65 million.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out the appointment and the inquiry’s terms of reference in the Commons on Tuesday.Of her appointment, Baroness Longfield said: “The Inquiry owes it to the victims, survivors and the wider public to identify the truth, address past failings and ensure that children and young people today are protected in a way that others were not.“The Inquiry will follow the evidence and will not shy away from difficult or uncomfortable truths wherever we find them.”There has been mounting pressure on the Government to move forward with the inquiry, first announced by the Prime Minister in June.In October, the final two candidates to chair the inquiry dropped out of the process which led to concerns it could take months to get someone in post.Five women also resigned ...

Events

9 d. ago Christmas, Again review – laidback tale of a forlorn Christmas tree seller has authentic charm

Charles Poekel’s directorial debut has taken a decade to reach the UK, but its indie take on seasonal cinema brings low-key warmthThis is a New York drama so laidback that it has taken a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s an ultra-low-budget debut from first-time director Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too authentic-indie and unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he pitches his film just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth.Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about his name before I twigged). Noel is back for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and sleeping in a not-much-warmer caravan parked next to the trees. A few customers ask about the girl working with him last y...

Politics

1 week ago Young people on benefits to be helped into jobs with £820 million boost

The cash includes funding for training and work experience in construction, hospitality, and health and social care for 350,000 young people on universal credit

Economics

1 week ago DAN HODGES: 'People despise Starmer. It's genuine hatred'. MP's damning verdict on PM and the proof that Labour's fight to save the Red Wall is over

The Labour MP in the Red Wall seat was angry and despondent. 'Starmer's abandoned us,' he told me. 'It's basically every man for himself.'

Politics

1 week ago Poundland will have shut 100 stores by New Year and there will be massive savings

The budget retailer is set to have closed over 100 UK shops by early next year, following the launch of its restructuring programme and all of the UK will be affected

Politics

1 week ago Four major pledges in Keir Starmer's plan to tackle child poverty

Keir Starmer has said Labour's 'moral mission' is to fight child poverty as he launched a blueprint to lift over half a million kids out of poverty by the end of the decade

Politics

1 week ago 3.3m pension savers set to lose out after major Budget changes announced

It's estimated over 7 million employees currently use salary sacrifice to make pension contributions

Economics

1 week ago 3.3 million pension savers set to lose out after major Budget changes announced

It's estimated over 7 million employees currently use salary sacrifice to make pension contributions

Economics

2 w. ago ‘A joyous and emotional journey’: immersive exhibition charts Coventry’s south Asian heritage

Hardish Virk uses photography, film, music and his family’s memorabilia to tell a wider story of migration and community resilienceAs you enter the living room at the Stories That Made Us exhibition, a stereo plays the Hindi anthem Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge. It’s a ballad celebrating friendship and love from the epic film Sholay. Beside the stereo, sits a bottle of Johnnie Walker and a red glass decanter. On the table are copies of the Punjabi newspaper Des Pardes, which translates as “home abroad”.The scene, which depicts the childhood home of Coventry-born curator and artist Hardish Virk, is one of several spaces in an immersive exhibition at the city’s Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. It traces four decades of the experiences of south Asians as they arrived and adapted to the social, political and cultural changes in modern Britain. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Starmer's House of cronies could erase dissent within TWO YEARS: Warning that plot to fill Lords with Labour loyalists will allow PM to trample opposition after fight over workers' rights

The PM has been hit by fresh cronyism accusations amid reports he will ennoble party advisers and staffers to strengthen Labour's presence in the House of Lords.

Events

2 w. ago Inside historic UK town's Christmas market labelled 'dreadful' with heaving crowds, 'out of hand' food prices and £58 pens

Visitors have taken to social media to document what they call a 'dreadful' and 'chaotic' experience at the annual Christmas event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Economics

2 w. ago I tried to do all my Christmas shopping in 60 minutes – here’s what happened

The average person spends 41 hours prepping for Christmas – and more than six hours of that time is spent shopping. Armed with a timer, a laptop and a tighter budget than usual, Charlotte Cripps set out to find 27 gifts in under an hour

Economics

2 w. ago Venmo users have trouble sending and receiving money amid service outage

Users of the payment app Venmo are experiencing problems sending and receiving money amid widespread social media posts about service issues

Events