Shutterstock/Zivica Kerkez COVID drastically changed shopping habits. Lockdowns, isolation and illness led variously to panic buying, a surge in online deliveries, and some impulse purchases. Many households were also hit by a serious fall in income as businesses closed and jobs were lost. But our research shows that, on theContinue Reading
baranq / Shutterstock A person’s COVID-19 vaccination status is increasingly determining which events they can attend, where they can travel and where they can work. Vaccines influence the jobs that people can do (some companies require a vaccine to work), as well as when workers are required to take sickContinue Reading
Businesses are reminded to take steps to prepare for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Value Added Tax (VAT) before it becomes mandatory for all VAT-registered businesses from 1 April this year. MTD is designed to help businesses eliminate common errors and save time managing their tax affairs. MTD for VATContinue Reading
According to the boss of the UK’s biggest energy supplier, Centrica, high gas and electricity prices could last for two years. With many already unnerved by the fact that the average UK energy bill is set to rise in April by about 50% to nearly £2,000, this has further fuelledContinue Reading
It remains to be seen whether the omicron variant will shift Sars-CoV-2 towards becoming manageably endemic. But as and when this happens, there will still be “long COVID” to contend with. The latest headlines about inflation – a 7% annual rise in the US and more tough talk from FederalContinue Reading
Tennis star Novak Djokovic looks to be out of the Australian Open after the country’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke, cancelled his visa “on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so”. This follows an earlier quashing of the original decision by Border Force officials to cancelContinue Reading
Vitolda Klein/Unsplash, CC BY-SA Energy bills will rise by as much as 50% from April 2022 unless the government intervenes, as Britain’s energy regulator Ofgem is expected to raise its price cap. Many households face a cost of living crisis and dramatically increased fuel poverty. Most political parties agree thatContinue Reading
I’m shocked that George Eustice, MP-Camborne & Redruth, & UK Secretary of State for the ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS, is ignoring science. He, his Government, & Chemical, & Oil industry friends, are promoting the very destruction of these things, while disregarding real solutions. Already ignoring the public comments ofContinue Reading
Avigator Fortuner/Shutterstock In the run-up to Christmas, there was considerable anxiety about shortages of festive food and gifts. Trade friction was already at the core of the Brexit debate, and supply chain issues have been made much worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, a computer chip shortage had aContinue Reading
Banking on bitcoin: El Salvador announced plans to build a Bitcoin City in November 2021. Rodrigo Sura/EPA We dive into the world of crypto and digital currencies and take a close look at two countries approaching them in very different ways in this episode of The Conversation Weekly. And ifContinue Reading