55 m. ago From the archive: The last phone boxes: broken glass, cider cans and – amazingly – a dial tone – podcast

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2022: Five million payphone calls are still made each year in the UK. Who is making them – and why?By Sophie Elmhirst. Read by Emma Powell Continue reading...

Politics

55 m. ago Universal Credit payments could be stopped just for going on holiday

Universal Credit claimants have been warned that their payments could be stopped if they go on holiday - here's what you need to know

Politics

85 m. ago Plan to give council chief executives £19,000 pay hike shelved

A proposal that triggered a backlash has been deferred by council chiefs.

Economics

85 m. ago Universal Credit DWP claimants on holiday face risk of payments being halted

Going on holiday could affect your Universal Credit eligibility

Events

2 h. ago Priscilla Pointer dead: Dallas and Carrie star dies aged 100 as family pay tribute

Priscilla Pointer, who starred in films including Carrie and TV series Dallas, has sadly died at the age of 100, her family have confirmed in a touching social media post

Events

2 h. ago Cocaine, corruption and bribes: the German port under siege by Europe’s criminal drug gangs

After seizure in Hamburg of 16 tonnes of high-purity powder, state attorney is accused of being on payroll of gang he was supposed to be prosecutingIn Hamburg’s spring sunshine, 200,000-tonne cargo ships almost half a mile long, piled high with the same weight in shipping containers, are docked quayside along the Elbe River. Cranes slowly offload the metal boxes packed with everything from raw materials to food and electronics, and, in some, cocaine.Between 2018 and 2023 cocaine seizures rose by 750%, marking out Germany as another major European hub in the ever-expanding global trade. But the influx is not just ramping up addiction, it is also fuelling corruption in a country perceived as being one of the least corrupt in the world. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Popular holiday destination that's 'leaving people skint' is ditched by Brits

Holidaymakers have been sharing their experiences of a popular holiday destination to warn others to avoid it. It comes as many Brits have complained about the cost of visiting the hotspot

Politics

3 h. ago Drivers urged to write one word on car insurance to slash cost by 25 percent

Motorists could save up to 25% on premiums by tweaking just one word in their job title when applying for car insurance

Transport

3 h. ago Premium Bonds warning over prize rate as 'most will earn less'

The prize fund rate for Premium Bonds was cut again from the April draw

Events

4 h. ago Council Tax fraud warning as 1 in 6 Brits admit to dishonestly claiming discount

New research highlights an alarming trend in individuals dishonestly claiming the Single Person Discount

Events

5 h. ago A cashless society risks cutting off vulnerable victims: DAME MEG HILLIER

Online banking and digital payment services have become the norm for many. However, there have been some devastating unintended consequences for some groups.

Events

5 h. ago Businesses could be forced to accept cash under new rules, MPs warn

The number of people paying in cash has plummeted over the past decade

Events

5 h. ago Trump reveals what he really thinks about Jeff Bezos after declaring WAR on billionaire over Amazon tariffs

Donald Trump said he was able to settle things with Jeff Bezos Tuesday afternoon after Amazon caved and said it would remove a line for the cost of tariffs on the price tag for products.

Politics

5 h. ago HMRC is a 'lumbering dinosaur' say MPs who call on tax office to start using AI

MPs are urging HMRC to start using AI to improve its productivity and 'out of date' services as the cost of collecting taxes soared by half a billion.

Politics

5 h. ago DWP Universal credit change brings £420 boost to over a million households

The change comes into effect today and is predicted to help more than a million households across the country

Economics

5 h. ago ‘Lumbering dinosaur’ HMRC becoming more expensive and less trusted, say MPs

The Commons Public Accounts Committee found the cost of collecting taxes rose by £563 million over the last parliament, while productivity fell.

Politics

5 h. ago Gen Z most likely to be hit by trains due to phone distraction as shocking CCTV released

Gen Z's phone distraction could cost them their life after experts warned they are the most likely group of people to be hit by a train, as Network Rail release shocking footage

Events

6 h. ago Metrolink issues update after electrical fault brings city centre trams to standstill

An electrical failures halted city centre trams entirely

Science

7 h. ago Luka Dončić pays entire cost to restore vandalized Kobe Bryant mural

Lakers star makes $5,000 donation to GoFundMe pageKobe and Gigi Bryant died in January 2020Luka Dončić has stepped up to pay the entire expected cost of restoring a vandalized mural depicting Kobe and Gigi Bryant in downtown Los Angeles.The Los Angeles Lakers’ new guard made a $5,000 donation on Tuesday to cover the entire goal of a GoFundMe page created by artist Louie Palsino. He wants to restore the mural, titled Mambas Forever, at 14th and Main Streets. Continue reading...

Economics

7 h. ago Los Angeles approves $4bn payout to settle thousands of sexual abuse claims

Deal represents largest aggregate settlement in US history as officials issue apology for ‘reprehensible acts’Los Angeles county officials on Tuesday approved a $4bn payout to settle nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities since 1959.The agreement reached on April 4 far surpasses a $2.6bn settlement reached in 2022 with the Boy Scouts of America that was the largest aggregate sexual abuse settlement in US history at the time. Continue reading...

Economics