2 h. ago Reeves names last possible date for Budget as she eyes tax hikes to plug £40bn black hole

Sources tell The Independent the chancellor favours raising capital gains tax and introducing a gambling levy to plug the £40bn hole in public finances

Economics

10 h. ago The Bundesliga’s deal with Mark Goldbridge is odd, and exactly what MLS is missing with Apple

An unusual streaming deal sees the German league going where its fans are, instead of asking the fans to come to themIn a change to his regularly scheduled programming, Mark Goldbridge took a break from blowing steam out his ears at another Andre Onana howler and venting his shouty exasperation at Manchester United’s latest calamity to talk – and watch – all things Gegenpressing and Ballbesitzfußball with his audience of over one million YouTube subscribers.This was after the Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) struck an agreement with Goldbridge to broadcast 20 live Bundesliga matches on his That’s Football YouTube channel this season. Bayern Munich’s opening weekend win over RB Leipzig raised the curtain on the new deal, with nearly 500,000 viewers watching along with Goldbridge. Continue reading...

Economics

28 h. ago Seattle border agents seize $500,000 worth of fake Labubu dolls

Over 11,000 knock-off Labubu dolls were seized at the U.S.-Canada border near Seattle.

Politics

29 h. ago Heston Blumenthal demands Government action to save the great British boozer

Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal owns the one Michelin star gastropub, The Hinds Head, and said the state of the industry is worse than people realise as he urges the UK Government to step in

Politics

32 h. ago West Lothian MSP praises education investment for making a difference where it matters

Up to £1.75 billion has been used to improve outcomes for children affected by poverty

Politics

32 h. ago Free school meals new eligibility rules to help 500,000 more children

The free school meals scheme is set for a significant change as the eligibility criteria is expanded

Politics

35 h. ago NHS GP says bloating and pain could be signs of undiagnosed condition

Around 500,000 people are thought to be living with the disease without knowing

Politics

45 h. ago More than 700,000 GCSE students without specialist physics teachers as government urged to address shortage

The Institute of Physics (IOP) has called for urgent action to tackle the shortage in physics teachers

Politics

53 h. ago New homeowners handed huge £10,000 discount on houses if you finish it off yourself

People who would have struggled to get on the housing ladder were offered a whopping £10,000 discount on new homes if they contributed 500 hours to the build themselves

Society

58 h. ago Science research gets more engagement on Bluesky than X, study finds

Bluesky posts referencing scholarly articles ‘find substantially higher levels of interaction’ than on Elon Musk’s platformBluesky’s growing status as the social media platform of choice for the world’s scientists has been boosted by analysis suggesting research receives more engagement and original scrutiny than on Elon Musk’s rival platform, X.A study examining 2.6m Bluesky posts referencing more than 500,000 scholarly articles over the past two and a half years found they demonstrated “substantially higher levels of interaction” – likes, reposts, replies and quotes – and greater “textual originality” than previously reported for X, formerly Twitter. Continue reading...

Politics

58 h. ago New calls for pensioner benefits reform to help provide easier access to financial support

Independent Age is urging the UK Government to make it easier to claim Pension Credit.

Economics

59 h. ago Two men due in court after £500,000 cannabis farm discovered in Lanarkshire

A total of 874 plants were recovered in Merry Street with an estimated street value of £522,000.

Economics

64 h. ago Afghanistan earthquake latest: Hundreds feared dead after 6.0

Taliban government has urged international aid agencies to provide assistance

Events

3 d. ago I won a £4,500,000 Omaze London house and said goodbye to my studio flat

I won a £4,500,000 Omaze London house and said goodbye to my studio flat  Metro.co.uk

Economics

4 d. ago Former UN climate chief urges Australia to set ‘prosperity’ target of cutting emissions by 75% by 2035

Exclusive: Ambitious emissions reductions target would increase the country’s chance of winning rights to host Cop31 in 2026, Christiana Figueres saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former UN climate chief has urged the Australian government to set a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least a 75% cut by 2035, backing calls from a group of more than 350 businesses that it would be better for the economy than a lower goal.The intervention by Christiana Figueres, an architect of the 2015 Paris agreement when she was the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, comes before discussions about Australia’s commitment, due to be announced next month. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Coventry council to use Palantir AI in social work, Send and children’s services

Exclusive: Workers say £500k contract with US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces raises ‘serious ethical questions’Public sector workers have voiced “deep concern” after Coventry city council signed a £500,000-a-year artificial intelligence contract with the US data technology company Palantir.The deal is the first of its kind between a UK local authority and the Denver-based company, which supplies technology to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and to help Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Phil Spencer: catastrophic rumoured tax reforms would hit ordinary Londoners

Rumours that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering property tax reforms that include scrapping stamp duty, a tax on home sales over £500,000 and collecting capital gains tax (CGT) on homes over £1.5 million when they sell are likely to slow the housing market according to Zoopla.

Events

5 d. ago Modi and Ishiba discuss plugging gaps in Japan’s ageing workforce with Indian workers

Modi says both nations will facilitate human resource exchange of 500,000 people in next five years

Politics

5 d. ago Government issues 'red alert' as Brits in six places urged 'act NOW'

Brits have been urged to take action and move to higher ground or upper floors after heavy rain overnight sent floodwaters surging into low-lying areas in Cornwall

Politics

5 d. ago Family of woman murdered 33 years ago finally see justice as thug killed on death row

Curtis Windom murdered his girlfriend, her mother and a man he claimed owed him $2,000 (£1,500 today) and was sentenced to die in November 1992 - almost 33 years ago

Events