Car tax increase will see VED costs rise for many drivers from April 2020

Vehicle Excise Duty costs will rise for most drivers from 1 April 2020 – but especially so for those in the market for a new car. As expected, the Chancellor confirmed that VED car tax rates for motorists would rise in line with the Retail Price Index, with the biggest increase being £10 for owners … Read more

Health chiefs warn the public to stay at home after ‘concerning’ INCREASE in road traffic

Get off the road! Health chiefs warn the public to stay at home after ‘concerning’ INCREASE in road traffic despite lock-down and police efforts to stop unnecessary journeys Official figures show that there has been a sharp up-swell in recent days  There have been signs of heavy traffic remaining in some cities like London Prof Yvonne Doyle: … Read more

Microsoft forced to tweak cloud services after seeing 775 PERCENT demand increase due to isolation

Microsoft is forced to tweak its cloud services after seeing a 775 PERCENT demand increase due to coronavirus isolation measures Microsoft has seen a surge in its cloud services due to coronavirus isolation  The company says its cloud services have surged 775 percent in affected areas As a result it will alter services to maintain … Read more

Breathing in wildfire smoke could increase the risk of chronic conditions and even cancer

The California wildfire season has had an awful start this year, scorching hundreds of thousands of acres, fueled by the Santa Ana winds. These fires, which typically begin in September, spring up in hot and dry conditions that make it easy for the flames to spread and, in turn, make the blazes difficult to extinguish.   … Read more

Coronavirus: HSBC, First Direct and M&S Bank increase overdraft charges

Lenders cash in on coronavirus: HSBC, First Direct and M&S Bank increase overdraft charges up to 39.9% amid crisis while Halifax and Lloyds are set to do same next month Rates on 3-year loans have gone up since December, with some of cheapest offers withdrawn in recent days Overdraft rates will quadruple in some cases … Read more

ISIS calls on God to ‘increase coronavirus torment’ of non-believers

ISIS calls on God to ‘increase coronavirus torment’ of non-believers and boasts that ‘crusader nations’ have been forced to retreat due to the pandemic The Islamic State has released the new information in their al-Naba newspaper It calls on God to increase torment for non-believers but to protect believers  It comes after the same newspaper … Read more

Half of Britain’s best-loved butterfly species see numbers increase

It’s a butterfly high! Half of Britain’s best-loved species see numbers increase as warmer summers boost caterpillar growth rates The warm spring and summer is believed to have helped caterpillars grow faster It was also wet enough to provide plenty of wildflower leaves to munch  Latest figures collected by more than 2,500 volunteers across the … Read more

Smoking trendy hookah waterpipes ‘may increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes’

Smoking trendy hookah pipes may increase your risk of a heart attack or strokes by causing deadly blood clots, scientists fear. The tabletop pipes are considered to be ‘healthier’ because the smoke goes through water before inhalation.  But for the first time, research on mice has shown hookah smoke causes blood cells to become ‘hyperactive’. Experiments … Read more

HSBC battles an increase in telephone fraud attempts

Fraudsters made over 1,000 attempts a month at phone banking scams, HSBC reveals.. and it keeps a scammer voice library in case they try again The bank identified 17,000 fraudulent phone calls in 2019 This was more than double the number in 2018, with one month seeing 1,800 It said it had prevented access to … Read more

Victim surcharge will increase by 5% in April, raising extra £2million for victim support services

Criminals are to pay more toward victim support services with a five per cent rise in contributions due to start next month Victim surcharge will rise by 5 per cent from April this year  Hike will raise extra £2million a year for services including rape support centres Payments for the most serious crimes will go … Read more