The headline of April 2026 promised an end to a terrifying chapter in modern history. Following a high-intensity, devastating military campaign in February that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and obliterated key segments of the country’s defense infrastructure, US President Donald Trump announced a formal ceasefire.
The Government is telling households to prepare for three days of disruption, while military chiefs warn that the public must face up to the possibility of war. Is Britain being given the full picture?.
National Audit Office warns that older debts are becoming harder to collect, despite improvements in HMRC’s performance HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has reduced tax debt as a proportion of tax receipts for three consecutive years, despite dealing with significantly more new debt than before the pandemic. However, around half of the outstanding balance is now more than a year old, making it harder and less likely to be recovered.
Audit Scotland warns that cuts to community services could deepen inequalities, while councils lack the evidence to measure the full consequences. Scotland’s councils are spending less on culture and leisure services while asking the public to pay more to use them, raising questions about the future of libraries, swimming pools, sports facilities, museums and other important parts of community life.
Oil prices climbing above $116 a barrel are a warning that markets remain deeply nervous about the outlook. The question is whether investors are simply pricing in the risk of renewed conflict, or whether several international pressures are combining to push prices higher.
Self Assessment customers have just 100 days to file their tax return for the 2025 to 2026 tax year and pay any tax owed. The Self Assessment tax return deadline for 2025 to 2026 tax year is 31 January 2027.
Hurry! Only two left! Fourteen people bought this in the last hour! Fifty people are looking at this item!. Anyone who shops online will be familiar with these kinds of messages popping up on their screen.
International tensions are rising, oil prices are volatile and governments are increasingly concerned about security. Against this background, should British holidaymakers be thinking more carefully before booking a trip abroad? The answer is yes, but that does not mean cancelling every holiday or treating the world as too dangerous to visit.
With Christmas still two months away, shoppers might be wise to start looking at phones, tablets and laptops sooner rather than later. The cost of memory chips is rising sharply, and there are growing concerns that higher manufacturing costs could feed through to the prices consumers pay for electronic goods.
When motorists see petrol and diesel prices rising, or households face higher heating and electricity costs, attention usually turns to the price of crude oil. But there is another important factor that receives less attention: the cost of transporting energy around the world.
A historic Wick church that could have become another empty building on the edge of the town centre is being given a new future in community ownership. Wick Development Trust completed the purchase of St Fergus Church on 8 October, securing the 196-year-old building for £80,000.
The Chancellor wants to make it easier for HMRC to recover unpaid tax through automatic bank-account deductions. The proposals raise questions about debt collection, taxpayers' rights and protection for people who are struggling financially.
Major package to unlock the opportunities of AI in every postcode, scale up home grown AI firms, and keep UK safe from threats announced by the Chancellor. A major package of investment to unlock the opportunities of AI in every postcode, scale up home grown AI firms, and keep the country safe from hostile threats will be announced by the Chancellor next week.
UK deepens nuclear defence ties with France in historic first joint air exercise as RAF Typhoon fighters join French Rafale jets in a French nuclear exercise. For the first time, RAF Typhoon fighters have taken part in a French nuclear air exercise, flying alongside French Rafale in a show of allied strength.
Backed by up to £300mn of government funding and company commitments, the AI Biosecurity Lab will use AI to strengthen UK resilience to biological threats. Advances in AI are creating unprecedented opportunities for scientific discovery, but they are also changing the biological risk landscape.
Companies House will pause the introduction of small companies and micro-entities filing profit and loss accounts while the government considers alternative options to simplify filing processes. The government reconfirms its commitment to mandatory software filing of accounts and other planned reforms for April 2028.
Caithness is becoming an increasingly important location for the infrastructure needed to move electricity around Scotland. Major transmission projects are bringing investment, construction activity and opportunities for local contractors.
Children across the country are benefitting from a record high in payments being made by parents through an improved Child Maintenance Service (CMS). Nearly 130,000 parents are now paying more than 90% of the child maintenance due, a record high and up 27% in a year.
The worldwide race to develop artificial intelligence is creating an unexpected problem for ordinary consumers. The cost of computer memory chips is rising sharply, putting pressure on the prices of laptops, smartphones, storage devices and other technology products.
Storm Boelo will impact Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend. Warnings have also been updated for Storm Austen which impacts the south of England and Wales on Thursday night and Friday.