Business

The state pension will rise by 4.8% from April 2026 under the triple lock, and the uplift is set to add up to £575 a year for new state pensioners with a full National Insurance record.

Research found only 31% of people could identify pension tax relief. The system redirects some income tax into pension contributions, boosting contributions in line with a person’s income tax rate.

Gold rose about 2% to around $4,600 an ounce, reaching a new record, after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said he faced a threatened criminal indictment; the move coincided with a weaker US dollar and notable market commentary about the Fed's independence.

Gold prices surpassed $4,600 an ounce, a record peak for 2026, with rising geopolitical tensions and expectations of looser US monetary policy cited as drivers.

Vitol and Trafigura have begun talks with refiners in India and China to sell Venezuelan crude for delivery in March, after reaching agreements with the U.S. government to help market stranded Venezuelan oil. Traders are offering cargoes for the second half of March and moving to secure ships.

Martin Lewis said anyone sent an HMRC self-assessment letter should reply; more than 1.3 million people were told they owed tax for 2023-24 and the filing deadline is January 31.

Nationwide says customers have lost money to impersonation phone scams and has launched a Call Checker phone service to verify callers; further developments are undetermined at this time.

Nationwide has added a Call Checker feature to its banking app after reporting that impersonation scams have led to customers losing money, with older people disproportionately affected.

A minister told parliament that returns by GIC and Temasek are reasonable and aligned with their mandates, stressing a long-term investment focus; the article reports Temasek's 10-year total shareholder return was 5% and its 20-year return was 7%.

U.S. equity futures and the dollar slipped after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Trump administration threatened him with a criminal indictment and served grand jury subpoenas over his Congressional testimony, prompting investor concern about central bank independence.

Plus500 said 2025 revenues were $792 million and earnings were $348 million, an 8% year-on-year increase, and that it returned about $380 million to shareholders.

Gold reached a record $4,600.33 per ounce after reports said the Department of Justice served grand jury subpoenas in a criminal investigation involving the head of the Federal Reserve.

Uniper has signed a binding agreement to buy up to 500,000 tons of green ammonia per year from India's AM Green, with first shipments possible as early as 2028; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the deal.

Many Venezuelans in the U.S. report both relief and worry after U.S. forces removed President Nicolás Maduro; concerns are heightened by the pending end of Temporary Protected Status for many migrants.

A ruling party partner said he met Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and 'wouldn't be surprised' if she called a snap Lower House election for Feb. 8 or Feb. 15; the yen weakened after the reports.

Spot gold briefly rose above $4,600 per ounce and silver hit an all-time high as geopolitical tensions and growing bets on U.S. interest-rate cuts supported precious metals.

President Trump said he is inclined to keep ExxonMobil from operating in Venezuela after the company's CEO described the country as uninvestable; the president also signed an executive order intended to protect Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S. accounts.

Police in Ecuador reported that human remains were found hanging on a beach in Puerto López, and authorities said the episode is linked to clashes between criminal groups amid a wider surge in drug-related violence. Officials have increased control and surveillance operations as part of a state of emergency covering the province.

A Mirror reporter tested five common indoor drying methods in winter and found that only a tumble dryer fully removed musty odours; a dehumidifier performed well but did not always prevent smells.

Analysis by Hamptons finds 14.8% of London sellers in 2025 sold for less than they paid, the highest share in the study, while the average seller across England and Wales made a cash gain of £91,260 (41.0%) over about nine years of ownership.

ITV has paused Love Island: All Stars production in South Africa after evacuating the site because of nearby wildfires, and the broadcast has been postponed until a date to be confirmed.

William Ackman is listed as a top donor of $10,000 to a GoFundMe supporting ICE agent Jonathan Ross; officials have defended the agent as acting in self-defense and a federal investigation into the death of Renee Nicole Good is underway.

President Trump is scheduled to be briefed this week by senior aides on possible responses to widespread anti-government protests in Iran; reporting says a final decision is not expected from the meeting.

PUREPOWER Nutrition has recalled two ready meals after a mispack left milk unlisted in a Chicken & Chorizo Paella, and the Chicken Chow Mein is also recalled as a precaution.

Officials say a wild elephant in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand, has been linked to 17 deaths across about a dozen attacks; search teams are conducting field operations and have issued public notices while planning to tranquilize and relocate the animal if found.

Nine Newspapers apologised after a cartoon published on January 7 drew widespread criticism for alleged antisemitic themes; the apology was posted as a royal commission into the December 14 Bondi attack, led by Virginia Bell, gets under way.

The article reports that recent government measures — including a rise in Employer National Insurance and business rates changes — have increased costs for pubs, and that the government is preparing to reverse the planned business rates change after industry backlash; details are still awaited.

Brendan Banfield is going to trial on aggravated murder charges in the February 2023 deaths of his wife and another man; prosecutors say he and the family's au pair staged the scene, and the trial begins Monday.

Officers executed a warrant at Leigh Tenement Farm in Blackrod, Bolton, and recovered an estimated two tonnes of cannabis with an estimated street value of about £24 million; two men were arrested and remain in custody for questioning.

Police say a 14-year-old was found unaccompanied and taken to hospital; two adults have been arrested and charged with child abuse and animal cruelty.