7 h. ago Thousands of households can get free £425 cash to help with cost of living

Each authority decides how it wants to spend the money from the Household Support Fund and help can range from free cash payments to supermarket vouchers

Economics

9 h. ago Thousands of households to get £250 compensation payout this weekend

South West Water said around 13,000 households will receive £250 in compensation after enduring major problems with their water supplies in recent days.

Economics

11 h. ago Arne Slot issues blunt response after claims he could cost Liverpool millions

Arne Slot has denied reports that suggested he has deliberately not been playing striker Darwin Nunez in order to avoid paying Benfica another transfer instalment

Economics

57 h. ago Thousands of households to get £195 of free supermarket vouchers

Wakefield Council has decided to offer supermarket vouchers to households who are in receipt of Council Tax Support - see the exact eligibility criteria below

Economics

3 d. ago Arne Slot could cost Liverpool millions if he names Reds star in team again this season

Liverpool are on the cusp of winning the Premier League but one of their senior stars has struggled for minutes of late and could yet be on the move in the summer

Economics

8 d. ago ECB cuts rates for third time this year as Europe braces for Trump tariffs

Quarter-point cut in main rate to 2.25% aims to tackle slowing eurozone growth and impact of US border taxesBusiness live – latest updatesThe cost of borrowing has fallen across the 20-member euro area for the third time this year after the European Central Bank cut its main interest rate to 2.25% in response to slowing growth and Donald Trump’s tariffs.The Frankfurt-based bank cut its benchmark deposit rate by a quarter of a percentage point on Thursday, in line with City economist expectations, to tackle a slowdown in the bloc and the impact from the border taxes imposed earlier this month on all EU imports into the US. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Turnbull says negative gearing ‘examined by every government’ – as it happened

This blog is now closedPeter Dutton insists he ‘believes in climate change’ after refusing to say if impacts of global heating worseningAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the latest episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastBoth parties claim victory in last night’s debateThe political reaction to last night’s debate is coming in thick and fast. No surprises here that the Liberals believe their leader Peter Dutton won with flying colours, while Labor has backed Albanese for the victory.I saw a very weak, indecisive Prime Minister and a very strong Opposition leader. And I was particularly blown away, Bridget, by the prime minister not fessing up that his own government modelled changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax with respect to homeownership.The prime minist...

Politics

8 d. ago Australia news live: Turnbull says negative gearing ‘examined by every government’; measles warning issued for greater Melbourne area

Follow today’s news liveAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the latest episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastBoth parties claim victory in last night’s debateThe political reaction to last night’s debate is coming in thick and fast. No surprises here that the Liberals believe their leader Peter Dutton won with flying colours, while Labor has backed Albanese for the victory.I saw a very weak, indecisive Prime Minister and a very strong Opposition leader. And I was particularly blown away, Bridget, by the prime minister not fessing up that his own government modelled changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax with respect to homeownership.The prime minister says the government did not commission any advice on negative gearing or capital gains tax changes, but the t...

Events

1 week ago The love that dare not speak its name: why I’m coming out as a gay man who loves Taylor Swift | Joe Stone

She is tragically mainstream, allergic to ‘serving’ on the red carpet and certainly hasn’t thrived against the odds. It’s the antithesis of gay culture – so why do I love her?As a self-evidently gay man, I’ve generally been spared the awkwardness of coming out. That was, until I became a Swiftie. In recent years I have become adept at gauging the temperature of a room before revealing my predilection. Is this a safe space? Will I be sidelined or treated as a pervert because of who I choose to love? Should I lie, or just be evasive? I want to live authentically, but at what cost?Taylor Swift is at once the closest thing we have to a monoculture and the most divisive pop star of modern times. As a self-identified Swiftie, I believe her gift lies in the ability to take hyper-specific experiences and render them universal. I’ve never performed a 149-date world tour while reeling from the heartbreak of having been ghosted by Matty Healy of the 1975, but listening to I Can Do It With a Br...

Politics

1 week ago Benefit payment dates 2025: early payments over Easter as DWP and HMRC dates moved

Thousands of households will see their cash land sooner than expected this April 📅

Politics

2 w. ago Asian markets sink as Trump admits ‘transition cost’ of tariffs – business live

Nikkei plunges 5.4% and other Asian markets reverse many of Thursday’s gains after historic rally following US president’s tariffs reprieveUS stocks fall again after rally following Trump’s shock retreat on tariffsThe US dollar slumped on Friday as waning confidence in the US economy prompted investors to ditch US assets to the benefit of safe havens like the Swiss franc, yen and euro, as well as gold.The yellow metal recorded a new all-time peak in early Asia trade, and the franc notched a fresh decade high, Reuters reports.There has been a pronounced ‘sell US’ vibe flowing through broad markets and into the classic safe-haven assets, with the USD losing the safe-haven bid. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Trump admits ‘transition cost’ of tariffs as global markets sink again – business live

US stocks tumble once more after historic rally following US president’s shock retreat on ‘reciprocal’ tariffsUS stocks fall again after rally following Trump’s shock retreat on tariffsIn the UK, shoppers stayed away from the high street in March, a situation retailers said could worsen if the economic gloom caused by Donald Trump’s tariff war hits consumer confidence.Footfall fell 5% in March to extend a downturn in February that retailers said could be attributed to a recent rise in inflation and pressure on pay packets since a brief revival during the January sales.Global uncertainties resulting from tariffs and a potential economic slowdown could reduce the appetite for shopping trips in the coming months. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Convicted drug dealer ordered to hand over £425,000 of dirty cash

Gary Boone's crimes were uncovered after being stopped on the M6

Economics

2 w. ago Father and son's tragic final moments before tree fell on them while golfing

Matthew Terrell Collins Jr and his father, Matthew Terrell Collins Sr, took shelter under a tree when bad weather hit during their game of golf - a decision that cost them their lives

Sport

2 w. ago Family grew suspicious of mum's sudden luxury lifestyle... what they found was devastating

Luana Dougherty, 50, began spending thousands on her dogs, holidays, houses and household luxuries which raised her own son's suspicions

Politics

3 w. ago UK Government urged to speed up replacing RTS meters as 150k Scots homes face energy crisis

EXCLUSIVE: Delays to the roll-out of smart meters means thousands of Scottish households face disruption to heating and higher bills.

Politics

3 w. ago Ezra Klein on Trump, Vance and free speech: ‘It feels like we are in one of the darkest imaginable timelines’

The influential US commentator has written a book about how politics can change people’s lives for the better. But first, there are more pressing challenges to address ...Ezra Klein, the New York Times podcast host and progressive media’s undisputed nerd king, starts his new book with something of a palate cleanser for our troubled times. For a few paragraphs, he and his co-author, the Atlantic journalist Derek Thompson, whisk us out of the grim reality of contemporary politics to a world of Abundance (the word they picked as their title).“You open your eyes at dawn and turn in the cool bedsheets,” they purr, before conjuring a near-future utopia where the cost of living crisis is a distant memory. “You live in a cocoon of energy so clean it barely leaves a carbon trace and so cheap you can scarcely find it on your monthly bill.” The fridge is full of fresh fruit and vegetables from skyscraper farms that sit amid rewilded landscapes. This is what we can look forward to, they say, if...

Politics

3 w. ago Martin Lewis' 'burning cash' warning for anyone paying over £10 for household bill

Money-saving expert Martin Lewis has urged all Brits forking out more than £10 on a common household bill to search for a better deal, after thousands admitted to paying £30 or more per month

Economics

3 w. ago Australia election 2025 live: Dutton’s gas plan has ‘reckless’ lack of detail, resources minister says

Follow today’s news liveAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastForeign minister Penny Wong has told RN Breakfast says Labor is “realistic” on what outcomes the government could achieve on tariffs with the Trump administration.We’ll keep working hard for the best outcome, but I think all of us are realistic. As the prime minister made it clear yesterday, we are not willing to trade away the things that make Australia the best country in the world, like our healthcare system. We don’t want the Americanisation of our healthcare system. We won’t be weakening our biosecurity laws, and we won’t be trading away our PBS.He made a similar submission, and what happened to real wages over the last three years? Real wages have dropped in...

Politics

3 w. ago Australia election 2025 live: Dutton hints at cuts to ABC if he finds ‘waste’; Coalition to designate gas a ‘critical mineral’

Coalition senator Susan McDonald told a gas industry conference in Sydney the Coalition government’s plan if elected. Follow today’s news liveAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastForeign minister Penny Wong has told RN Breakfast says Labor is “realistic” on what outcomes the government could achieve on tariffs with the Trump administration.We’ll keep working hard for the best outcome, but I think all of us are realistic. As the prime minister made it clear yesterday, we are not willing to trade away the things that make Australia the best country in the world, like our healthcare system. We don’t want the Americanisation of our healthcare system. We won’t be weakening our biosecurity laws, and we won’t be trading away our P...

Politics