A retail lobby group has warned it will be “impossible” for the sector to shield shoppers from rising costs in the months ahead as till prices hit their highest level for almost 10 years. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said there was no let-up in sight for the price pressures facing the industry which, it
The government says its 12 “levelling up missions” to spread opportunity more equally across the country will see “a complete system change of how government works”. Michael Gove will unveil the government’s Levelling Up White Paper later which officials say will set out a blueprint to bring prosperity “to all parts” of the UK. In
A semiconductor wafer during an Intel event ahead of a IFA International Consumer Electronics Show. Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg | Getty Images GlobalWafers, a Taiwanese firm that makes silicon wafers for computer chips, will no longer buy Munich-headquartered rival Siltronic after policymakers in Germany failed to approve the deal in time. The deal’s collapse late
Scottish crime writer Val McDermid has declared her lifelong support of Raith Rovers has ended over the signing of “the rapist David Goodwillie”. Former Scotland international Goodwillie joined Raith Rovers on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Clyde on transfer deadline day. Goodwillie, who previously played for clubs including Dundee United, Blackburn Rovers and Aberdeen, was ruled
More than one in five people are cutting back on their use of gas and electricity as household budgets are squeezed by inflation, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. The ONS said recent survey figures showed 66% of adults in Britain had experienced an increase in the cost of living over the
Downing Street has refused to guarantee that the public will be told if fines are issued over lockdown-busting parties. Speaking to journalists at a regular Westminster briefing, the prime minister‘s spokesman said it is for the Metropolitan Police to decide whether to make such information public. ‘Positive’ mood among Tory MPs as PM appears to
In this article NIO 9868-HK A Xpeng P7 electric car is on display during the 18th Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition at China Import and Export Fair Complex on November 20, 2020 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China. VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images Chinese electric carmakers Nio and Xpeng saw deliveries dip in
Kim Jong Un is seen limping in a documentary outlining his achievements over the last year broadcast on the country’s state-run television channel. The 110-minute film, titled The Great Year Of Victory, 2021 and aired on KRT, showcased the North Korean leader’s successes in missile development, construction, and efforts to beat the pandemic. At one
Children are being sexually exploited by networks in all parts of England and Wales in the “most degrading and destructive ways”, according to a report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). The report found that perpetrators are finding “new ways” to groom younger children, including through social media and dating apps. It
Don’t be surprised if you look at photos of the surface of Mars and see a giant cross-section of a tree stump. Recent photos of the Red Planet show large concentric rings on the surface. These rings look very similar to a tree stump’s rings. But that’s not the case. The European Space Agency (ESA)
Boris Johnson is heading off to Ukraine, but he doesn’t leave his troubles entirely behind him. Tory MPs are, for now, rallying around the PM who – after weeks of insisting he did nothing wrong – apologised yesterday after Sue Gray documented “failures of leadership” in No10. “He survives another day”, said one of his
Wearing face masks on flights will be one of the last COVID measures to be dropped globally and could be enforced for years, experts have said. Different coronavirus measures around the world will mean airlines are unable to move individually in allowing passengers to travel without coverings, sources have told The Times. Other such travel
The academic bookseller Blackwell’s has put itself up for sale for the first time in its 143-year history after scrapping plans to hand ownership of the business to its employees. Sky News has learnt that Blackwell’s, which has been owned by its founding family since its first store opened in Oxford in 1879, has appointed
For any household with children – or even just Disney fans – you are likely well versed in the songs from the studio’s latest animated classic, Encanto. Since its release on to Disney+ on Christmas Eve, streaming of the film’s soundtrack has soared, as fans get their fix of the Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned music. And now,
NASA has published plans for the future of the International Space Station which could see the 444,615kg structure taken out of orbit in January 2031 and crashed into a “spacecraft cemetery”. The laboratory will continue operating until 2030 following a commitment made by President Biden and Vice President Harris last month, but its long-term future
The police watchdog has condemned Scotland Yard officers for a range of bad behaviour, including racism, misogyny, harassment and offensive social media messages. An investigation was launched after a complaint that an officer had sex with a drunk person in a police station, but it later uncovered much more. The Independent Office for Police Conduct
Could today’s word be MONEY? Perhaps GAMES? Or DEALS, or TIMES, or even VIRAL? Just kidding, of course. I’ve already done my Wordling for the day. No spoilers here. Welcome to Wordle, the free online daily word game that has reportedly amassed millions of players since its inception just four months ago. For many, it
After several delays, SpaceX has finally launched an Italian satellite aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from a station in Florida, US. The space company founded by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk initially planned to launch the Earth-observation satellite last week but continuous bad weather forced it to reschedule the launch several times. A window of
Two thousand rupee notes on display with an Indian flag in the background. Manish Rajput | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images India’s central bank will launch a digital version of the rupee in the next financial year, the country’s finance minister said on Tuesday. “Introduction of a central bank digital currency will give
Labour is calling on Rishi Sunak to allow the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate fraud associated with the government’s COVID support schemes. In an opposition day debate in the Commons today, the party will urge the government to allow the “astronomical levels of fraud” committed during the coronavirus pandemic to be investigated. But the