Key points
- Petrol and diesel prices rise - marking the end of a three-month fall
- Are you using all your holiday allowance? People in these industries increasingly aren't
- First banknotes with the King's portrait to be issued this summer
- Stop putting your wet iPhone in rice, Apple says
- Cheap Eats: Michelin Guide chef picks favourite low-cost meals out in South Yorkshire
- Basically... What is VAT?
- Savings Guide: 'What are my options for investing in my child's future?'
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Virgin Media offering new broadband customers £75 on certain plan - with O2 and Sky also implementing deals
Virgin Media is giving people £75 in bill credit if they sign up to a specific broadband deal.
Anyone who picks the Virgin Media M250 planwill get the cash towards their monthly bill - covering the first two months.
The plan has download speeds of 264Mbps and costs £36 a month across an 18-month contract. It's one of the cheapest deals offered by Virgin Media (their lowest is £29)
It's not clear how long the offer will last.
Meanwhile, sister company O2 is offeringnew and existing customers £150, £200 or £250 on a prepaid Mastercard when purchasing a mobile contract from O2.
And Sky, the owner of Sky News, has dropped prices on two of its broadband packages by up to £8.50 a month.
It's clearly a time for offers - ahead of annual prices hikes across the industry in April.
Generally, broadband and mobile providers use either December's inflation rate (4%) or the January RPI rate (4.9%) to calculate annual April price rises.
They then add 3.9%.
So, most Virgin Media and some O2 customers are looking at an 8.8% rise from April as the companies use RPI.
Providers includingBT,EEandPlusNethave all calculated their rises by using the lower CPI inflation figure (so, 7.9% in total).Skyannounced this month its broadband and TV customers would see an average 6.7% hike.
Tesco apologises to customer who was told face masks were banned
This tweet from commentator and historian Tanja Bueltmann has gone rival overnight.
The professor described the "terrible experience" of overreach from a security guard...
Her tweet went on: "In case you missed it: there is still an airborne virus out there that is having a detrimental impact on millions, esp those more vulnerable. On what grounds do you think it is ok to not allow a customer to wear a face covering?"
The Money blog got in touch with Tesco, who quickly replied saying: "Customers are welcome to wear face coverings in our stores and it is absolutely not our policy to ask for them to be removed.
"We'rereally sorry that in this case the customer was given incorrect information,and we will ensure that store colleagues and guards are reminded of our policy."
It is unclear which store the incident happened - though, according to her X account, Professor Bueltmann is based in Scotland.
First banknotes with the King's portrait to be issued this summer
Banknotes with the King's face on them will be issued for the first time on 5 June, the Bank of England has revealed.
The portrait of the King will appear on all banknotes with no other changes to the existing designs.
However, polymer banknotes featuring the Queen's portrait will remain legal tender.
The new notes will only be printed to replace ones that are worn or to meet any overall increase in demand.
"Our approach is in line with guidance from the Royal Household, to minimise the environmental and financial impact of this change," the Bank said.
"This means the public will begin to see the new King Charles III notes very gradually."
Images of the new notes were first unveiled in December 2022.
BT Tower in London to become hotel
The iconic BT Tower in London is set to become a hotel, if its new owner gets its way.
BT Group revealed on Wednesday that it had agreed to sell the 177 metre-tall (581-ft) tower in the West End to MCR Hotels for £275m.
Read the full breaking story here...
Stop putting your wet iPhone in rice, Apple says
Apple has told iPhone users to stop putting their wet phones in rice.
The theory goes thatdry, absorbent rice sucks out the moisture, rescuing your device.
But in new guidance, Apple says: "Don't put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone."
Other things not to do include using an external heat source (a hairdryer or radiator) - and definitely don't "insert a foreign object, such as a cotton swab or a paper towel".
Instead, Apple recommends...
Tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for up to a day.
HSBC stock dives - as BAE Systems benefits from rise in global conflicts
ByJames Sillars, business reporter
Lots for stock market investors to digest today.
The FTSE 100 fell 0.4% at the open, reflecting conflicting fortunes for some big firms reporting financial results.
The largest faller was HSBC. Its stock was 7% down, leaving it on course for its biggest one-day share price decline since 2020.
Europe's largest lender had, hours earlier, revealed record annual profits on the back of rising interest rates.
So why the share price fall?
A surge in shareholder rewards failed to offset worries about HSBC's exposure to China's tough economy,
The bank took a $3bn charge against the value of its stake in a Chinese lender and remained cautious in the outlook for its biggest growth market.
Things were more rosy for investors at BAE Systems. Its shares were up by almost 1%.
The defence contractor reported a record order intake, signalling further growth ahead, as it revealed a 14% lift in 2023 profits attributable to shareholders.
BAE has essentially benefited from rising global conflicts.
The tensions arising from the Israel-Hamas war have also been a main driver of oil price movements recently.
The cost of a barrel of Brent was down on yesterday's $83 figure and steady today at $82.
Largest monthly surplus since 1993 - could it help chancellor in his budget?
By James Sillars, business reporter
The chancellor wants to splash the cash heading into this year's election when he delivers his budget on 6 March.
He's under fierce party pressure to woo voters as Labour remains well ahead in the polls.
We've just had the last government borrowing figures before Jeremy Hunt's big statement to the Commons.
They show the largest budget surplus for any month since records began in 1993.
The Treasury raked in a net sum of £16.7bn in January, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The month is typically in surplus because it is the big earner from income tax receipts.
But the total was smaller than the £18.7bn forecast by economists.
My colleague, Sky's economics and data editor Ed Conway, will give his verdict soon on what the latest public sector finance figures could mean for the chancellor.
Expect to hear much about the "fiscal headroom" he has.
It's the extent to which Mr Hunt can fund giveaways without breaking his spending rules.
More later!
Benefits 'essentials' plea | Iconic logo changing | Martin Lewis gets apology
More than half of people on universal credit have recently been unable to afford more food after running out, according to a survey.
The research, commissioned by anti-poverty charity the Trussell Trust, shows in the previous month one in eight (12%) had used a food bank while 55% had run out of food and could not afford more.
The group is urging the government to introduce an "essentials guarantee", so the basic rate of universal credit is always enough to cover life's essentials.
Read the full story here...
Lyle's Golden Syrup is replacing the image of a dead lion swarmed by bees on its logo with a new design on many of its products after more than 140 years.
The famous green and gold tin holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest unchanged brand packaging and hasn't been altered since 1883.
Read the full story here...
A railway company has apologised after broadcaster Martin Lewis complained about the "disgraceful" service on a packed train from London St Pancras to Sheffield with one working toilet.
The consumer affairs journalist, known as the Money Saving Expert, voiced his outrage on social media about the overcrowded train, which he estimated was carrying around 500 passengers.
Every seat and standing space was occupied with passengers forced to sit in train corridors, Mr Lewis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a post viewed more than four million times.
Read the full story here...
Michelin Guide chef picks favourite low-cost meals out in South Yorkshire
In this series, chefs at Michelin or award-winning restaurants around the UK, plus critics and top bloggers, tell us their favourite places for a cheap meal out wherever they are, and their top low-effort weeknight dinner.
Today, we're speaking to Dan Conlon, head chef at Michelin Guide recommended Rafters in Sheffield...
What is your favourite restaurant for a meal for two for up to £40 in South Yorkshire, and why would you choose it?
Paesani. This is a family run, traditional Italian restaurant serving classic wood fired pizzas using authentic ingredients. My go-to's are nocellara olives, then the new contadina vegetarian or the San Daniele.
Nottingham House. The Notty House is a down-to-earth pub serving pies, chips and mushy peas - a great selection of homemade pies at very reasonable prices, a good student vibe. The steak and stilton, and the chicken and sausage stuffing are my go-to's.
Urban choola. This is a long-established curry house in Sheffield, going from strength to strength. It's not your run-of-the-mill curry house - they have a distinct and inventive style. I get the onion, kale and spinach bhajis, then either the Goan fish curry or butter chicken. Some saffron pulao and tandoori roti.
For the nights spent at home – your favourite, low-effort meal to whip up quickly?
Chicken and miso ramen. Packed full of flavour and made under £10 for two people. Glazed chicken thigh, rice noodles, grated carrot, bok choy, broccoli and spring onion, Itsu chilli and miso broth.
