CATEGORIES

Time for ministers to get serious about stamp duty on shares - a terrible advert for London

This is the 0.5% levy on purchases of shares in UK companies. The US, China and Germany don't impose any equivalent tax at all

Plug-free hybrid cars must be banned by 2030, ministers told

Britain must press ahead with a ban on the sale of new hybrid cars with no plug from 2030 or risk taking \"a catastrophic misstep\" on the road to net zero, ministers have been warned.

Consumers warned against 'easy money' websites that buy IDs to use in betting

Consumers struggling to pay bills over the festive season have been urged not to sign up with companies that offer money in exchange for personal details in order to open multiple betting accounts in their name.

UK lost 37 shops a day in 2024 as high street continues to struggle

With the business rate discount falling to 40%, experts warn 2025 could be worse for high street shops

Endangered monkey's fate rests on Brazilian city's planning policy

The fate of one of the world's most threatened primates will be on the line in the coming months when Brazilian authorities decide whether to incorporate the pied tamarin into the urban planning policies of Manaus.

'We can be weirdos too' Black mermaids creating their own fantasy worlds

Dressed in a purple and turquoise seashell bra and an iridescent green tail, the professional mermaid Carrie Wata swam through a hula hoop that a group of children held underwater in a pool at a birthday party outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

'Heck of a light show' as glittering algae mass off coast of Tasmania

Masses of glittering algae have returned to Tasmania's coastline in a spectacular bloom of bioluminescence that experts say is the largest seen in years.

Judge's warning Threats called out

Allies and aides to Donald Trump should be increasingly concerned by Elon Musk's proximity to and influence on the US president-elect, the Yale historian and bestselling author Timothy Snyder has said.

Republican States 'Will Feel Empowered by Trump' to Pursue Rightwing Agenda

Republican state lawmakers and conservative leaders around the US see Donald Trump's re-election as a mandate that will help them enact rightwing policies in Republican-run states across the US.

Belgium becomes first in EU to outlaw sale of disposable vapes

Belgium has become the EU first country to ban the sale of disposable vapes in an effort to stop young people from becoming addicted to nicotine and to protect the environment.

We are driven by a passion'

Looking towards the semicircular apse with a frescoed image of a partially identifiable Christ on a throne staring back at them, the archaeologists crouching in the small space deep beneath a residential building in Naples were left speechless.

I Was Lucky Social Media Activist on His Journey to Escape From China

As he trekked through the mountains on China's border with Laos, Lu Yuyu felt exhausted. His companions were smugglers to whom he had paid 15,000 yuan (£1,622) to help him escape China, and they forced him to keep going until he could be delivered to two men and a scooter for the last few hours.

12 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Strikes as War Continues into New Year

Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip yesterday, mostly women and children, officials said, as the nearly 15-month war ground on into the new year.

Wrongly jailed critic of Duterte hopes for return to politics in Philippines

Leila de Lima, one of the fiercest critics of the former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody \"war on drugs\" who was jailed for more than six years on baseless charges, will try to return to politics in 2025.

Black box data recovered in search for cause of crash that killed 179 in South Korea

Investigators in South Korea have extracted data from one of two black boxes retrieved from a Jeju Air plane that crashed shortly after landing on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people onboard.

New appeal after 52 years helps solve mystery of missing woman

A woman who went missing 52 years ago has been found alive and well after police released a grainy photograph, right, as part of an appeal, solving one of Britain's longest-running missing people cases.

Trouble at mill Campaign to halt demolition of historic site

The wooded banks of the River Lemon, which tumbles through the town of Newton Abbot from the heights of Dartmoor, have long been a hive of activity, the site of corn and wool mills and tanneries that have employed thousands of people over the centuries.

Crowds throng Birmingham city centre for non-existent fireworks

Thousands of people gathered in the centre of Birmingham on New Year's Eve despite a police warning that the announcement of a fireworks display was a hoax.

BBC to air nature documentary series narrated by Tom Hanks

The BBC has acquired a nature documentary series narrated by the Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks.

Almond and fig trees are thriving as country sees fewer frosts

Fig and almond trees are thriving in Britain as a result of fewer frosts, the Royal Horticultural Society has said.

'Nudge unit' hired by ministers to dispel myths and misinformation on heat pumps

Experts from a \"nudge unit\" have been hired to help ministers fight misinformation about heat pumps to try to encourage their take-up.

Hospital failings led to woman's death after surgery, says coroner

Failings at a hospital contributed to the death of a 55-year-old woman who suffered sepsis after weight loss surgery at the time of a junior doctors' strike, a coroner has said.

'I love the four-day week... it's helped' Pupils on London school's quiet revolution

A small independent school on the fringes of a National Trust park in Morden, south London, a quiet revolution is under way.

Ambitious staging will celebrate centenary of 'the Irish Chekhov'

Plays by the acclaimed dramatist Brian Friel, who has been referred to as an \"Irish Chekhov\", have been performed in London, Dublin, on Broadway and elsewhere.

Lack of mental healthcare 'putting young lives at risk'

The number of children referred to emergency mental healthcare in England has risen by 10% in a year, with lengthy waiting lists for regular NHS care pushing more to crisis point.

Trump's killing of Suleimani led to fall of Assad, says Tugendhat

Donald Trump's decision to sanction the assassination of an elite Iranian commander triggered a chain of events that revealed Iran as a paper tiger and led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the UK's former UK security minister has said.

Hi-tech nod to history NHS using model patients to help bridge training gap

NHS using model patients to help bridge training gap

DNA of ancient Roman buried in York reveals Scandinavian ancestry

People with Scandinavian ancestry were in Britain long before the Anglo-Saxons or the Vikings turned up, researchers have found after studying the genetics of an ancient Roman man buried in York.

TV review Captivating show is back with new twists and savvier players

Series three of The Traitors begins with an utterly gutting twist.

Orc Wars: Dungeons and Dragons Players Split Over 'Species'

My first dungeon master was an anti-racist skinhead,\" Jeremy Cobb says of his introduction to the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.