67 m. ago German retirees who continue working set to earn €2,000 a month tax

Active pension scheme expected to start in January is part of chancellor’s ‘autumn of reforms’ to tackle economic stagnationGermans who continue in the labour market beyond retirement age will be able to earn up to €2,000 (£1,750) a month tax-free on top of their pension under a scheme aimed at boosting economic growth and labour force participation rates.The “Aktivrente”, or active pension scheme, due to come into force in January, was promised on the campaign trail by the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, before he came into office five months ago. Continue reading...

Economics

86 m. ago Vet prescription prices should be capped to stop pet owners being ripped off, watchdog says

The Competition and Markets Authority has put forward a string of reforms to tackle soaring costs as average prices across the market rose by 63% between 2016 and 2023.

Politics

1 hour ago FTSE 100 LIVE: London muted and Europe rises as Federal Reserve chair Powell hints at US rate cuts

FTSE 100 LIVE: London muted and Europe rises as Federal Reserve chair Powell hints at US rate cuts  Yahoo

Society

2 h. ago Man Utd squad sent 'really important' Sir Jim Ratcliffe message about Ruben Amorim plan

Ruben Amorim has faced criticism at Manchester United so far this season, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said that the club needs to give their head coach time

Politics

2 h. ago To Cook a Bear review – this daft historical crime drama is like Law & Order: Special Ursine Unit

This six-part adaption of Swedish author Mikael Niemi’s novel is an odd beast. It conjures a fine sense of an isolated 19th-century village but the murder investigation at its heart is risibleA debate recently went viral on social media, after someone posed the question to women: would you rather be lost in the woods with a man or a bear? Like all the best thought experiments, it exposed wildly different worldviews and experiences, illuminated chasms between the sexes, and was likely to induce an existential crisis if you thought about it for too long. There was also the almost inevitable coda in which men of a certain stripe came online to tell women how stupid they were for choosing the bear and proceeded to limn the punishments they deserved for it. This at least allowed the women who had been hesitating over their choice to make it with a new confidence.To Cook a Bear effectively dramatises this nifty little setup. The six-part drama is adapted from Swedish author Mikael Niemi’s...

Events

3 h. ago Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Man United call prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to show his true colours

Sir Alex Ferguson was stripped of his Manchester United ambassadorial role one year ago as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's controversial cost-cutting measures at Old Trafford

Politics

3 h. ago A moment that changed me: I nearly died when I was hit by a car – then started to relish life’s little luxuries

For years, I kept a stash of ‘nice things’, waiting for the right occasion to use them. The accident taught me to live now, rather than in the futureI used to have a drawer where the “nice things” lived: posh candles and fancy bubble bath; two flagons of Greek extra virgin olive oil; that Aesop handwash, to bring out for visitors. A bottle of fizz gathered dust on the kitchen side and, in the bathroom, an expensive moisturiser remained unopened. Life’s little luxuries, I believed, weren’t for enjoying now, but were to be saved for some unspecified “special” time in the future.Then I was hit by a car. It happened in May last year, while I was walking down a quiet street soon after lunchtime in Bermuda, where I’d been sent on an assignment for work. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Sir Alex Ferguson showed true colours after Man Utd's brutal decision amid huge outcry

Sir Alex Ferguson's ambassadorial role with Manchester United was ended last October and the iconic manager had a telling reaction to the controversial decision

Politics

4 h. ago Man United latest: Echoes loom large for Ruben Amorim as new signing dubbed 'lonely'

Manchester United have struggled for consistency under Ruben Amorim this season, with the Portuguese coach under pressure to turn things around after a slow start to the new season

Politics

4 h. ago More rice, bigger chairs and reinforced toilets: sumo wrestling comes to London | Andy Bull

Royal Albert Hall to host Grand Sumo Tournament marking only the second time a full competition is held overseasThey play Major League Baseball at the Olympic Stadium, Tottenham’s ground is a second home for the National Football League, the National Basketball Association is staging a game at the 02 Arena next year, and South Africa just beat New Zealand in a rugby Test at Twickenham, but it’s been a long time since London has hosted anything on the scale of the Grand Sumo Tournament taking place at the Royal Albert Hall this week. Forty wrestlers have flown over from Japan to compete in it. That’s around six tons of elite athlete to be fed, watered, transported and supported.“We’ve actually had to source and buy new chairs which can take up to 200kg in weight,” says Matthew Todd, the Royal Albert Hall’s harassed director of programming. “Our usual standard is only 100kg.” They’ve also had to reinforce the toilets. “It’s the ones that are screwed into the wall which are the most ch...

Politics

4 h. ago More rice, bigger chairs and reinforced toilets: sumo wrestling comes to London

Royal Albert Hall to host Grand Sumo Tournament marking only the second time a full competition is held overseasThey play Major League Baseball at the Olympic Stadium, Tottenham’s ground is a second home for the National Football League, the National Basketball Association is staging a game at the 02 Arena next year, and South Africa just beat New Zealand in a rugby Test at Twickenham, but it’s been a long time since London has hosted anything on the scale of the Grand Sumo Tournament taking place at the Royal Albert Hall this week. Forty wrestlers have flown over from Japan to compete in it. That’s around six tons of elite athlete to be fed, watered, transported and supported.“We’ve actually had to source and buy new chairs which can take up to 200kg in weight,” says Matthew Todd, the Royal Albert Hall’s harassed director of programming. “Our usual standard is only 100kg.” They’ve also had to reinforce the toilets. “It’s the ones that are screwed into the wall which are the most ch...

Politics

5 h. ago Gardener names one flower to plant in October for 'most colourful garden' in 2026

A gardening expert has shared how Brits can achieve a colourful garden next year by planting a certain flower in October, and how to do it correctly and where to buy them from

Politics

5 h. ago UK snow forecast as maps reveal exact date for '7cm per hour' Arctic blast

New weather maps predict snow could arrive within days and fall at a rate of 7cm per hour in one region - as forecasters warn the UK is entering a 'transition period' towards more unsettled weather

Politics

7 h. ago Xi directs quashing of Chinese feminists even as he praises advances at women’s conference

Chinese president is behind patriarchal turn in politics with activists silenced for ‘promoting gender antagonism’Addressing dignitaries gathered in Beijing on Monday, Xi Jinping praised the “historic achievements” of women’s rights in China. In the past 30 years, the Chinese president said, maternal mortality rates had dropped by nearly 80%, and women were now participating in the project of national governance with “unprecedented confidence and vigour”.Xi was speaking at the global women’s summit, an event on Monday and Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the historic UN’s world conference on women, which took place in Beijing. It was there in 1995 that Hillary Clinton, the then US first lady, delivered her “women’s rights are human rights” speech, lines now often quoted by people in China advocating for women’s rights. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Roses 'flower better' and for longer if fed 1 kitchen scrap that repels rats

One kitchen scrap can not only boost the growth of your roses, but could also deter pests and critters from venturing near your garden beds

Politics

10 h. ago Chicago ‘Splatatouille’ was probably a squirrel, say researchers

Scientists from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, look at 37 species to identify cause of ‘rat hole’ in pavementWith a front paw outstretched and its tail at an angle, the creature that fell on to wet concrete in Chicago left quite the memento mori.Now, researchers say they have unmasked the identity of the victim, revealing the famous “rat hole” was most probably made by a squirrel. Continue reading...

Science

10 h. ago Ragdoll at Jermyn Street Theatre review: short, snappy and hugely enjoyable

Katherine Moar’s second play touches lightly on questions rather than furnishing decisive answers, but is buzzing with interesting ideas

Politics

12 h. ago Omaze winner flogs mansion for £1m below value after it took 'all day to clean'

The Omaze house in Poole, Dorset, is outfitted with a cinema, designer kitchen and comes fully furnished, but was a nightmare to clean, said winner Chris Milnes

Economics

12 h. ago England player ratings vs Latvia: Gordon and Kane scintillating as Three Lions seal World Cup qualification

Latvia 0-5 England: Thomas Tuchel’s side booked their place at the 2026 World Cup with an emphatic win in Riga

Sport

12 h. ago England player ratings vs Latvia: Anthony Gordon relentless as Elliot Anderson rise continues

Harry Kane’s remarkable start to the season goes on as Jordan Pickford extends clean sheet record in Riga demolition

Sport