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More than two million people will have their gas and electricity cut off this winter because they cannot afford to top up their prepayment meter, Citizens Advice has said. The charity said it was concerned that having no gas and electricity would not be a “one-off” experience for many, after finding that 1.7 million people disconnected at least once a month last year. Some 800,000 people went for more than […]

More than a quarter of bosses who left global listed companies last year were fired, as the pressures facing some of the world’s top leaders are heating up, according to a study. Meanwhile, the UK remains far behind international peers in the race to achieve gender parity at its leading firms. Analysis from advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates found that 178 chief executive officer (CEO) roles changed hands over 2023, […]

Sir Anthony Hopkins has announced he is writing his biography and said his wife is also memorialising his life with a documentary. The 86-year-old actor, most known for playing Hannibal Lecter in 1991 film The Silence Of The Lambs, described writing his life story as “a weird process”. Speaking to US publication People, he said: “I’m writing a biography.” “I realised how I’m blessed with one thing,” he added. “Maybe […]

More than 465,000 households in the UK will experience “fuel poverty” this winter due to a price cap increase in January, figures show. Data science firm Outra revealed that the price cap increase on January 1 led to a 12.2% rise in households affected by fuel poverty, compared to October 2023. A household is in fuel poverty when they spend more than 10% of their income on heating. The UK […]

Staff in Scotland’s schools and nurseries have taken more than a million days off for mental health reasons in the last five years, “alarming” figures show. The Scottish Liberal Democrats used freedom of information legislation to obtain data on time off taken by staff in schools and council-run nurseries from 2018-19 to 2022-23. Twenty-seven of the country’s 32 councils provided figures, which cover teachers, support staff and nursery workers, and […]

A video game version of the farm where Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne has been launched for mobile phones. The Minecraft version of Explore Ellisland! created by students and academics at the University of Glasgow allows users to explore the 18th century farm and interact with Burns and his family. An educational version of the game will also be released in schools on January 25 – the date of […]

The bodies of four people were discovered in a house on Friday morning Detectives investigating the deaths of four members of the same family at a house in Norfolk have confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the tragedy. The bodies of two young girls, a 36-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man were found at an address in Costessey, Norfolk, on Friday morning. A man called 999 from the […]

New green cars hold the highest market share since 2004 as sales of electric models continue to rise, new figures show. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 53,426 new cars were registered in that colour in the UK in 2023. That was 2.8% of all new cars, representing the highest market share for green in 19 years. Many buyers choosing a green electric car are keen to […]

They say there's been a big rise since the Israel-Hamas conflict began Children as young as 11 are being linked to alleged online terrorism offences on a “monthly basis” following the Israel-Hamas conflict, UK counter-terror police say. They say information from the public about potential extremist materials or behaviour jumped by 25% after October 7 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel. Some 3,000 reports of online extremist behaviour have been received in […]