Business

A tube driver who performed as a Will Smith lookalike met the actor on set during filming, and the two shared a private conversation on the last day of shooting in Papua New Guinea.

A Port Talbot pub owner asked his children to work because he could not afford staff; trade groups have urged the Welsh government to review business rates while ministers say they have provided targeted relief.

Maleeka 'Mollie' Boone, 8, was found dead on the Navajo Nation in Arizona a day after her family reported her missing; Navajo police, the FBI and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation have opened a joint investigation.

President Donald Trump told the credit card industry it had until Jan. 20 to comply with his demand for a 10% interest-rate cap; the White House has not detailed enforcement or consequences.

Prime Minister Mark Carney met President Xi Jinping in Beijing and announced preliminary trade measures, including reduced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for lower Chinese duties on Canadian farm products.

HMRC will expand Making Tax Digital from April 2026 to require many sole traders and landlords to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates, with new penalty-point rules announced and a temporary easing for 2026/27.

Plymouth City Council has confirmed it will bid for the UK City of Culture 2029 title. The winning city will receive £10m to fund a year-long arts and culture programme.

Martin Lewis warned that about 5.65 million people had yet to file Self Assessment returns as of 5 January 2026, and the online filing deadline is 11:59pm on 31 January; missing it carries an initial £100 penalty.

The National Living Wage is due to rise in April 2026 and the State Pension age will increase to 67 from April for people born after April 1981.

Saba Capital has mounted campaigns to change boards at UK investment trusts including Herald and Edinburgh Worldwide (EWIT). Key shareholder meetings and voting deadlines are imminent and will determine who controls those funds.

Experts say the first step in building credit is to obtain and review credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to find errors; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends checking these reports annually. FICO notes that payment history is the largest factor in scores, accounting for 35% of the calculation.

Kevin Hassett, a long-time Trump economic adviser who now leads the National Economic Council, is seen as a top contender to replace Jerome Powell; his ties to the president have prompted questions about whether he would act independently at the Federal Reserve.

Sommeliers, wine consultants and influencers have highlighted standout supermarket wines, and say social media and supermarket investment in wine buying have expanded variety and quality on shelves.

A DDN report finds 65% of enterprises say their AI environments are too complex and 54% cancelled AI projects over two years because of infrastructure issues, while energy and sustainability concerns are rising.

Forecast maps from WXCharts indicate a wintry front could bring snow and sub-zero temperatures to parts of southern England around Monday 26 January, with accumulations up to 30mm in some areas.

Outline planning applications for 5,500 homes and a town centre near Worcestershire Parkway have been submitted and will be considered by Wychavon District Council.

Some major drugmakers are using the FDA Commissioner's National Priority Voucher Program while other leading companies are hesitating over potential legal and safety risks; the program allows the FDA commissioner to issue approval decisions in one to two months for a limited set of drugs.

South East Water says supplies are restored for most properties after outages that affected about 30,000 homes; regulators have opened multiple investigations and statutory compensation rules apply.

Officials say millions of Americans may receive unusually large tax refunds in early 2026 after a retroactive tax cut left payroll withholding unchanged; estimates put as much as $100 billion in higher refunds and an average refund rise near $1,000.

From 1 April 2026 the national living wage for over‑21s will rise to £12.71 an hour, but experts say unpaid hours can cut some workers' effective pay to about £10.59 and the income tax personal allowance is frozen at £12,570 to 2031.

The Telegraph reports HMRC's customer service is under strain just ahead of the self-assessment deadline, while more than 12 million people are expected to file tax returns this year.

After record 2025 production and a 25% rise in European LNG purchases, exporters face concern as imports fell in key Asian markets and benchmark gas prices remain near three-year highs.

Lloyds Bank is offering a £250 cash incentive to customers who complete a full Current Account Switch into a Club Lloyds account and transfer at least three active direct debits, with applications required by February 3.

HMRC says tax codes determine allowances and can affect how state pension is taxed, and they can be viewed and updated via the HMRC app or online account. Finance experts warn that claimants who receive taxable benefits may risk paying the wrong amount of tax.

A Lesbos court acquitted 24 aid workers of people-smuggling charges, ending a seven-year legal case that had drawn criticism from rights groups and international observers.

Patents on semaglutide are expiring in several countries, allowing generic versions of Ozempic to be produced; Canada has already lost patent protection this month.

The US said it signed an agreement to cut tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15% and Taiwanese chip and tech firms pledged at least $250 billion in new U.S. investments.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the Fund is ready to support Venezuela but needs major shareholders to recognize the country's leadership and for Venezuelan authorities to request assistance. She expressed concern about 8 million people leaving Venezuela and about rising inflation, including the risk of hyperinflation.

WXCharts weather maps indicate a roughly 400-mile snow system may approach the UK around January 27, with snow reported from northern Scotland down to London and accumulations of around 20cm possible in parts of northwest England and Scotland.

Spain recorded a record 97 million foreign visitors in 2025 and expects further growth in 2026, while popular destinations report resident tensions over housing, congestion and resource strain.