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• The best power banks and battery packs for reliable charging on the go, tested

  10-04-2025 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Forever running out of juice? Top up your battery-powered devices with our expert picks, from tiny smartphone chargers to portable power banks and even a power hat• The best iPhones in 2025: which Apple smartphone is right for youIt’s disempowering when your smartphone, laptop or other important gadget runs out of battery. With the flash of a graphic or a plaintive bleep, we lose a way to entertain ourselves, get things done, stay in touch or even get home safely. There’s a time
  
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• Rachel Reeves humiliated as survey shows Brits 'reject her pension gamble!'

  16-04-2025 19:04 via express.co.uk
  
  British savers are wary of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' plans to require pension funds to invest more in the UK economy.
  
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• Rachel Reeves' brutal tax plan sees some fork out £800,000 to avoid massive bills

  16-04-2025 18:44 via express.co.uk
  
  The Chancellor has changed the rules on inheritance tax and the moves have led to a stampede to avoid steep bills.
  
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• The worst mobile phone providers ranked - including EE, Vodafone and O2

  16-04-2025 18:42 via express.co.uk
  
  The larger mobile network providers were outshone by their smaller rivals in a leading UK consumer survey.
  
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• State pensioners to be hit with stealth tax raid as HMRC data shows millions affected

  16-04-2025 17:55 via express.co.uk
  
  HM Revenue and Customs has revealed the freeze on thresholds will mean 17.9 million Brits being dragged into paying the basic rate of tax.
  
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• HMRC issues letters with new tax codes to UK households - what they mean

  16-04-2025 17:25 via express.co.uk
  
  Britons are urged to be proactive and check if they're on the right tax code.
  
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• Martin Lewis urges Direct Debit customers to 'check today' to get £100s back

  16-04-2025 17:12 via express.co.uk
  
  Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis says those paying for their energy via Direct Debit may be owed hundreds of pounds with one check.
  
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• HMRC issues new £2,200 alert urging people to 'cash in'

  16-04-2025 13:32 via express.co.uk
  
  Thousands of people may be able to cash the money in.
  
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• Number of UK homes overheating soars to 80% in a decade, study finds

  16-04-2025 13:28 via theguardian.com
  Researchers say urgent action needed to inform people about risks of heatwave temperatures and adapt homesThe number of UK homes overheating in summer quadrupled to 80% over the past decade, according to a study, with experts calling the situation a crisis.Heat already kills thousands of people each year in the UK and the toll will rise as the climate crisis intensifies. Urgent action is needed both to inform people on how to cope with high temperatures and to adapt homes, which are largely desi
  
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• DVLA names eight types of vehicle exempt from paying road tax - full list

  16-04-2025 13:27 via express.co.uk
  
  If you drive any of these kinds of vehicles you may not have to pay the annual fee
  
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• HMRC cuts tax-free Personal Allowance for people with letter K on payslip

  16-04-2025 13:14 via express.co.uk
  
  If you have a letter K on your payslip you could be made to pay more tax to HMRC.
  
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• Asian shares sell off as US curbs on Nvidia chip sales to China fuel trade fears; UK inflation slows to 2.6% – business live

  16-04-2025 08:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Gold surges nearly 2% to new record high; Donald Trump orders investigation into potential tariffs on US critical mineral importsGood morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.Asian shares have sold off as US chipmaker Nvidia took a hit from US curbs on chip sales to China, highlighting the damage from the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing.Inflation falling for two months in a row, wages growing faster than prices and
  
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• UK inflation falls to 2.6%, increasing pressure on Bank to cut interest rates

  16-04-2025 08:01 via theguardian.com
  
  March annual rate comes before expected rise because of household bills going up this monthUK inflation dropped to 2.6% in March, increasing the pressure on Bank of England policymakers to cut interest rates next month.Prices growth was weak ahead of an expected rise in April as households begin to pay higher council tax and utility bills. Continue reading...
  
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• Snub the tub and buy a butt: nine ways to cut your water bill

  16-04-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  With household water bills in England and Wales rising by an average of 26% this year, here are the best ways to saveIf you live in England or Wales, your home has more bedrooms than people and you are not already metered, then switching to a water meter could save you hundreds of pounds each year. Continue reading...
  
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• Direct Line chasing me over dead uncle’s cancelled car insurance

  16-04-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Bereaved executor questions lack of tact and why insurer was not alerted by closed bank accountMy uncle (RC) died last year and I’m his executor. When I checked his post I was surprised to find a bill from Direct Line addressed to the “executor of RC” stating a “final payment of £148 is overdue” for his cancelled car insurance. This was news to me as my uncle didn’t own a car.I was upset by this and contacted the insurer to suggest that it owed us money,
  
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• China to snub UK energy summit amid row over infrastructure projects

  16-04-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Absence of world’s biggest clean energy producer will be welcomed by US pushing oil and gas exportsChina is to snub a major UK summit on energy security next week, the Guardian has learned, amid a growing row over the country’s involvement in UK infrastructure projects.The US will send a senior White House official to the 60-country summit, to be co-hosted with the International Energy Agency. Leading oil and gas companies are also invited, along with big technology busine
  
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• ASA bans Brazilian liquid butt lift ads from six UK cosmetic treatment providers

  16-04-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Providers reprimanded for pressuring customers, exploiting women’s insecurities or trivialising medical risksThe Advertising Standards Authority has reprimanded six cosmetic treatment providers for pressuring customers, exploiting women’s insecurities or trivialising medical risks after an investigation into adverts for liquid Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs).The cosmetic procedure, which involves injecting fillers into the buttocks to enhance their shape and size, is unregulated in the U
  
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• Water companies’ pollution incidents in England increased by 30% in 2024

  16-04-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The sector, which had been set a target to reduce spillages by 40%, needs ‘radical reform’, campaigners sayWater companies have missed their targets to reduce pollution with 2,487 incidents recorded in 2024 – twice the limit set by the Environment Agency.Data revealed under freedom of information law shows the companies were collectively set an Environment Agency target of a 40% reduction in pollution incidents, but instead recorded a 30% increase. Continue reading...
  
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• Hong Kong halts postal service for US-bound goods over Trump’s ‘bullying’ tariffs

  16-04-2025 04:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Post office says it ‘definitely’ won’t collect tariffs on Washington’s behalf and Hongkongers should prepare to pay exorbitant feesHong Kong Post said on Wednesday it had suspended goods mail services by sea to the US and will suspend its air mail postal service for items containing goods from 27 April due to “bullying” US tariffs.When sending items to the US, people in Hong Kong “should be prepared to pay exorbitant and unreasonable fees due to the US&r
  
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• Zuckerberg feared monopoly scrutiny and mulled Instagram split, files show

  16-04-2025 01:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Testimony that Instagram was ‘better’ seems to bolster allegations Meta used ‘buy or bury’ tactic to snap up rivalsMeta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg considered spinning off Instagram in 2018 in anticipation of a potential antitrust suit, documents unveiled at a trial in Washington showed on Tuesday.​​“While most companies resist break-ups, the corporate history is that most companies actually perform better after they’ve been split up,&r
  
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• UK trade secretary to visit China with aim of reviving key joint trade commission

  15-04-2025 20:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Jonathan Reynold’s trip suggests government will continue its rapprochement with Beijing despite security concernsThe trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will travel to Beijing to revive a key trade dialogue with China despite saying it had been naive to allow Chinese investment in sensitive sectors, the Guardian has learned.Reynolds is scheduled to travel to China later this year for high-level talks in an effort to boost bilateral trade and investment. Continue reading...
  
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• Increased bills for higher earners could fund UK energy upgrade, Ofgem says

  15-04-2025 19:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Regulator to consult industry on how to recover network costs via standing charge in a ‘more progressive’ wayWealthier households could be made to shoulder higher costs for running and upgrading the UK’s network of energy cables and pipes to help low-income bill payers under new plans to be considered this summer.The proposals could mean that high-income households will pay more via the standing charge on their energy bills, while those who are not in work or are on low pay are
  
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• The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s industrial policy: inward turn by ultimatum | Editorial

  15-04-2025 19:38 via theguardian.com
  
  The US is retreating behind chokepoints and tariffs. It remains determined to invent the future but is struggling to ensure its controlGlobalisation is out; reshoring is the new realism. Intel’s half-built Ohio campus and Nvidia’s US supercomputer plan demonstrate the very different routes taken by Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the search for homegrown tech dominance. Mr Biden relied on institutions: grants, land and investment incentives. That approach has stalled after last year&rs
  
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• The Guardian view on unpaid carers: the scandal of their allowances is far from over | Editorial

  15-04-2025 19:37 via theguardian.com
  New rules for checking overpayments are a milestone. But deep concerns remain about the DWP’s approachThe announcement by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of a new regime for checking breaches of carer’s allowance rules is a milestone in the campaign to end the shockingly poor treatment of claimants. Rules directing officials to investigate only half of alerts about suspected overpayments are rightly being ditched. In future, all reports will be checked, so that claima
  
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• Apple airlifted iPhones worth $2bn from India in March as Trump tariffs loomed

  15-04-2025 19:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Tech giant stepped up production and chartered cargo flights with at least six jets to ensure sufficient inventoryApple’s main Indian suppliers Foxconn and Tata shipped nearly $2bn worth of iPhones to the United States in March, an all-time high, as the US company airlifted devices to bypass Donald Trump’s impending tariffs, customs data shows.The smartphone maker stepped up production in India and chartered cargo flights to ferry 600 tons of iPhones to the United States to ensure su
  
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• UK government refuses to rule out redundancies at Scunthorpe steelworks

  15-04-2025 18:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Business secretary says plant may need ‘different employment footprint’ after government takeover of siteThe business secretary has refused to rule out redundancies at the Scunthorpe steelworks, despite calls from trade unions to end the programme of job losses started by its former owners.Jonathan Reynolds said on Tuesday the plant might need to have a “different employment footprint” after the government’s takeover, even as he promised to try to save the plant&rsq
  
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• Starbucks’s UK retail business paid no corporation tax last year

  15-04-2025 18:13 via theguardian.com
  
  US-owned coffee chain dived to £35m loss after paying £40m in royalty and license fees to parent companyStarbucks’s UK retail business paid no corporation tax for last year as it dived to a £35m loss after paying £40m in royalty and licence fees to its parent company.The US-owned coffee chain said it made the payments despite sales declining 4% to £525.6m in the year to 29 September 2024, amid what it called a “challenging economic climate” and a c
  
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• X’s UK profits collapsed the year after Elon Musk’s takeover

  15-04-2025 18:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Social media platform formerly known as Twitter says 66.3% revenue drop was down to fall in advertising incomeX’s revenues and profits collapsed in the UK in the year after Elon Musk took over the social media platform, the company has admitted.A decline in advertising spending amid concerns about “brand safety and/or content moderation” were cited as the reason for the fall, according to accounts filed this week to Companies House. Continue reading...
  
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• Trump tariffs will mean world uses less oil this year, IEA says

  15-04-2025 17:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Energy watchdog cuts forecast for growth in demand by a third, and says a trade war could mean it falls furtherThe world will use less crude oil than expected this year due the “substantial risks” posed by Donald Trump’s trade tariffs to the global economy, according to the global energy watchdog.The International Energy Agency slashed its forecasts for global oil demand growth by a third for the year ahead, and warned that it could make further downward revisions depending on
  
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• DWP to overhaul carer’s allowance checks after overpayment scandal

  15-04-2025 16:38 via theguardian.com
  Department previously investigated only 50% of earnings limit alerts, meaning many carers fell into debtMinisters have announced an overhaul of the way carer’s allowance overpayments are checked in an attempt to fix the failing system which has left thousands with life-changing debts,fines and criminal records.In a significant policy change, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been ordered to hire extra staff to investigate 100% of the carer’s allowance earnings breach ale
  
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