[ad_1] Michael RaceBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesThe chancellor will set out her plans for the UK economy during the Spring Statement on Wednesday 26 March.Rachel Reeves has ruled out further tax rises, but faces difficult choices because of the weak performance of the UK economy and world events. Reeves is due make her statement in Parliament at about 12:30.Afterwards, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) - which monitors the government's
[ad_1] Joshua Nevett & Michael RacePolitical reporter & Business reporterGetty ImagesChancellor Rachel Reeves is to confirm a £2.2bn increase in defence spending in her Spring Statement, with details of previously announced welfare cuts also to be revealed. She will argue the UK has to "move quickly in a changing world" amid uncertainty surrounding the Ukraine war and US tariffs threatening to upend global trade.The chancellor faces pressure over the performance
[ad_1] Mark SavageMusic CorrespondentGetty ImagesOasis's reunion tour is set to kick off in Cardiff, Wales, this JulyTicketmaster "may have misled Oasis fans" with unclear pricing when it put their reunion tour on sale last year, the UK's competition watchdog has said.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the company may have breached consumer protection law by selling "platinum" tickets for almost 2.5 times the standard price, without explaining they came
[ad_1] Getty Images"Definitely not a Budget" is the basic message emerging from the Treasury about the chancellor's upcoming economic statement.There will not just be no red box outside Number 11, there will only be a "thin book" of new policies with a "light scorecard" of measures with no further tax rises.So what is the point of this Spring Statement?It is principally a spring forecast from the government's official forecasters, the
[ad_1] Joshua NevettPolitical reporterReutersMinisters have delayed a tax to fund the removal of unsafe cladding from homes after developers warned it could hamper the government's housebuilding plans.The Ministry for Housing said on Monday the Building Safety Levy would be introduced from autumn 2026, rather than this year.The tax on new homes is expected to raise £3.4bn to be spent on building safety, including efforts to take down dangerous cladding.The delay
[ad_1] Lewis AdamsBBC News, EssexNational HighwaysThe tunnels will be located to the east of Gravesend in Kent, and to the west of East Tilbury in EssexThe largest road tunnel in the UK will be built after a £9bn plan was approved by the government.The Lower Thames Crossing would link Tilbury, Essex, and Gravesend in Kent by two tunnels running underneath the River Thames.National Highways hoped the road would reduce traffic
[ad_1] Huw ThomasBusiness Correspondent, BBC Wales NewsBBCAI chatbots can be useful to candidates but should never replace "human judgement", a careers adviser saysA growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in job applications risks employers hiring candidates who cannot do the work, a business owner has said.Advertising boss James Robinson said he and other business leaders were seeing a "real trend" in applicants using generative AI chatbots, and warned that candidates
[ad_1] Joe TidyCyber correspondent, BBC World ServiceBBCEngineers from Gridless create makeshift computer labs to maintain their bitcoin minesThe roar of the Zambezi is deafening as millions of gallons of water crash over rocks and tumble down rapids.But there's another sound cutting through the trees of the Zambian bush - the unmistakable high-pitched whine of a bitcoin mine."It's the sound of money!" says a smiling Philip Walton as he surveys the
[ad_1] South Korean carmaking giant Hyundai has unveiled $21bn (£16.3bn) of investment in the US just days before President Donald Trump is set to impose new tariffs on trading partners.The plan includes a new $5.8bn steel plant in the southern state of Louisiana.Hyundai also said it will expand its American vehicle production and invest billions of dollars in new technology including autonomous driving and artificial intelligence (AI). "This investment is
[ad_1] Helen CattPolitical correspondentIan DuffieldIan Duffield and his wife Linda put £234,000 of their pension savings into Neil Woodford's fundPeople who lost tens of thousands of pounds when a star stockpicker's investment fund collapsed say they have been let down by the UK's financial regulator and are calling on MPs to investigate.Around 300,000 people lost money when Woodford Equity Income Fund collapsed in 2019.In 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
