UK economy entering 2026 amid sharp private sector downturn, says CBI

Business leaders have warned that Britain is entering 2026 amid a sharp economic downturn in the private sector, after companies “put the brakes on” investment and hiring before the autumn budget.In a gloomy snapshot after months of tax speculation, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said private sector output was on track to fall in the fourth quarter of 2025.Suggesting the budget did little to brighten bosses’ moods, the lobby group’s latest growth indicator showed falling activity was reported across all sectors of the economy in the three months to December.Separate figures from the jobs website Adzuna showed the number of UK job vacancies shrank in November for a fifth month running. Reporting a 6

Sir Alec Reed obituary

Sir Alec Reed, who has died aged 91, built a hugely successful employment agency, one of the UK’s largest private businesses. But he will also be remembered as the man who changed the face of British philanthropy. His Big Give organisation – an imaginative way of involving rich donors in supporting charities – now raises more money at Christmas time than the BBC’s Children in Need or Comic Relief. His own foundation draws its funds from its holding of 18% of the Reed group. He used to joke that Reed employees worked one day a week for charity

‘It can be quite a thankless job’: why driving examiners are quitting

It has long been a stressful rite of passage for many young people but, in recent years, passing the actual driving test is the easy part. Now, many people seeking a test need to wake up early to snag a date before the bots do and, even then, they are looking at a long and arduous wait.Despite moves from the government to address the issue, an audit report released this week found plans to cut the wait for a driving test to seven weeks by the end of the year would not be achieved until November 2027.One of the main barriers is an exodus of driving examiners. Only a net 83 more driving test examiners have been hired despite 19 recruitment campaigns since 2021, with the average wait for a practical test now at 22 weeks across Great Britain, according to the National Audit Office

Tinsel and Home Alone back in style as TikTok seeks comfort in #90sChristmas

Tinsel, DIY tree decorations, deep burgundy drapes – and Home Alone on VHS. Christmas has gone retro on TikTok, and in people’s living rooms.The app has reported a surge in Christmas decor videos, with an emphasis on nostalgia as users embrace festive looks from bygone eras. For younger TikTokers, that means the 90s.More than 8,000 videos have been posted under the hashtag #90sChristmas, celebrating a look that includes multicoloured tree lights, homemade felt ornaments and – in a post with nearly 4m views – VHS tapes of Christmas classics such as the Macaulay Culkin caper

‘RIP’: Australian media revels in ‘deeply lamented’ death of Bazball after Ashes woe

The sports sections of Australia’s major mastheads were on Monday largely dedicated to ridiculing pre-series predictions of an England Ashes victory, and announcing the end of the tourists’ now-compromised attacking philosophy.“Bazball is dead”, asserted the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, quoting former Australian opener Simon Katich. The West Australian newspaper fully committed to the theme, mocking up a pronouncement of Bazball’s passing on ye olde parchment, “deeply lamented by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, but basically no one else”.However, the triumphal moment in the country’s greatest sporting rivalry was diluted in Monday’s newspapers, as a belated and ultimately hard-earned Ashes victory was pushed from the front pages by the fallout from the Bondi terror attack.In The Sydney Morning Herald, the match didn’t warrant a mention on either the front page or the news section, even though the series arrives at the SCG in less than two weeks

Wesley Plaisier claims ‘biggest victory’ in stunning upset of Gerwyn Price

By the end, all Gerwyn Price could do was applaud. There was no snarling and no sullenness from the former champion, just a nod of recognition, an admission that sometimes the other guy just plays darts from the gods. And here the other guy was Wesley Plaisier, the world No 92 from the Netherlands, a player of rich potential, but nothing that would ever have suggested he was capable of a shock of this magnitude.The talent has always been there: last year he joined a select group of players to have won a Pro Tour event despite not holding a tour card.After making his way through Q-School, this year has been harder