‘We’d be stuck’: alarm as UK’s last braille typewriter repairer ponders retirement
Alan Thorpe is Britain’s last certified fixer of the Perkins brailler, a machine vital for teaching blind children to read and write Alan Thorpe runs his fingers over the braille note attached to the latest repair job to arrive at his doorstep in Sheffield. Reading from the tactile note, he says: “The paper won’t wind…
Lidl enjoys record £1bn UK sales in run-up to Christmas
Discount grocer records 7% increase in four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve Lidl made more than £1bn in sales in the run-up to Christmas for the first time in the three decades the discount grocer has been operating in the UK as cash-strapped shoppers cut costs. The German-owned discounter, which is close to overtaking…
Neil Young pulls out of Glastonbury and says it is ‘under corporate control’
Rock star Neil Young has announced he will not be performing at this year’s Glastonbury, saying he believes the festival, which is partnered with the BBC, is “now under corporate control”. The 79-year-old Canadian wrote on his website that he and his band the Chrome Hearts “were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my…
UK house prices rise for fourth month in a row, says Nationwide
Cost of average home in December reaches £269,426, with value increasing over year by almost £12,000 House prices rose for a fourth consecutive month in December, ending 2024 on a “strong footing”, Nationwide said, with the cost of an average home hitting £269,426. The building society’s monthly tracker found prices in December rose 0.7% on…
Centrelink payments increase, higher passport fees and pay rises: all the 1 January changes in Australia in 2025
Bigger Austudy and carer allowance payments, higher Medicare safety net thresholds and mandatory corporate reporting on climate also in 1 Jan changes With the new year come new policies, laws, taxes and reforms. Here’s everything to know about changes on 1 January, 2025 that could affect you. Centrelink payments, including youth allowance, Austudy and carer…
It’s time to get serious about stamp duty on shares, a terrible advert for London
The number of listed companies fleeing can’t be ignored – cutting or abolishing the tax could revive the capital market Last year was another depressing one for departures from the London stock market. Back in January, it was Flutter heading for the exit. The owner of Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet got itself a…
Australian property prices fall for the first time in two years
Australia’s property market has finally come off the boil after a resilient run of growth at a time of high interest rates and inflationary pain. The 0.1% fall in December followed a flat result in November and a gradual slowing in the pace of growth over the course of the year. Sign up for Guardian…
Turnout inequality in UK elections close to tipping point, report warns
IPPR says elections could lose legitimacy because of falling turnout among groups such as renters and non-graduates UK elections are “close to a tipping point” where they lose legitimacy because of plummeting voter turnout among renters and non-graduates, an influential thinktank has said. Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that the…
The Papers: Energy bills ‘to rise further’ and world rings in 2025
“So much for cutting our energy bills!” is the headline on the front of The Daily Mail. It’s one of several papers to highlight increases in fuel costs for households. The Mail says Labour promised to slash prices, but the paper warns that families are now facing three hikes to the energy price cap in…