For six years, I’ve been reporting on Britain’s welfare system. Central to my coverage has been the haphazard arrival of Universal Credit, announced in 2010 by the Conservative government’s then work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith. It was intended to roll the six main benefits into one monthly payment to simplify the process and “make work pay”. With its origins in a 2008 white paper by New Labour’s work and pensions secretary James Purnell, the reform was originally greeted with cautious support by the opposition and some charities. The standard monthly allowance for a single person aged 25 or over on Universal Credit is £317.82, and the maximum benefit allowance for a household per year is £20,000 (£23,000 in London). Social security benefits and tax credits (top-up payments to redistribute income to people on lower wages) made up 28 per cent of public spending in 2016/17, with the government spending £217bn on these … [Read more...] about ConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightThe A to Z of Universal Credit
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Crooks ‘using Fortnite to launder stacks of dirty cash’ through cheap V-Bucks
FORTNITE players looking for cheap deals on V-bucks for buy new outfits are reportedly unknowingly helping criminals launder their ill-gotten gains. An investigation by The Independent tied discount sales of the in-game currency on the dark web and public sites such as eBay to the use of stolen credit card information. Employees of security firm Sixgill posed as customers found sellers flogging cut-price coins in Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and English. By selling V-Bucks, which can be used to purchase items that change players' appearance in the massively popular game, the fraudsters are able to break the link between the stolen cards and their ill-gotten gains, as there is no way of tracking individual V-Bucks themselves. Epic Games reportedly made a profit of $3 billion last year, with company boss Tim Sweeney making an appearance on Bloomberg's Billionaires List with a personal net worth of $7.16 billion. While it has not released total … [Read more...] about Crooks ‘using Fortnite to launder stacks of dirty cash’ through cheap V-Bucks
Anthony Joshua v Alexander Povetkin: Costello and Bunce assess the ‘new Joshua’
By Luke Reddy BBC Sport 22 Sep From the section Boxing Share this with Digg Facebook Google LinkedIn Reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Copy this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/45598352 Read more about sharing. Anthony Joshua v Alexander PovetkinVenue: Wembley Stadium Date: Saturday 22 September Ring walk: 21:50 BSTCoverage: Live text commentary from 20:00 BST on the BBC Sport website."Is Anthony Joshua going to become the biggest draw in boxing history in terms of the average crowd he attracts?"BBC Sport's boxing correspondent Mike Costello posed the question and believes the stadium crowds Joshua now attracts makes it likely.He duly raised the prospect with the IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight champion as he prepares to take on Russia's Alexander Povetkin in front of around 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night."Really? Wow," said Joshua, 28. "Sometimes you want … [Read more...] about Anthony Joshua v Alexander Povetkin: Costello and Bunce assess the ‘new Joshua’
How to get a free £20 Domino’s Pizza takeaway for the England v Sweden match
If you are planning to watch the England v Sweden this Saturday chances are you'll want to get some grub in too, and nothing beats a tasty Domino's Pizza to complete a cosy night in. But a feast from the most popular UK takeaway chain can end up being pricey, especially if you're feeding the family or hosting friends. However, if you're looking for a way to have a frugal feast Quidco are offering £20 bonus to cover the cost of takeaway orders to new members. All you have to do is sign up (don't worry, it's free), then find the takeaway offer and click to head over to Domino's website. Then place your order as normal, making sure you spend a minimum of £10 and Quidco will take care of the rest by crediting your account with £20 towards the cost. How to claim a free £20 Domino's pizza Join Quidco for free. Look for the Domino's Pizza £20 cashback deal and click the link to be directed to the Domino's website where you can order as normal, spending a minimum of … [Read more...] about How to get a free £20 Domino’s Pizza takeaway for the England v Sweden match
Pound to euro exchange rate – what’s today’s rate, where’s the best place to buy currency and what affects the price?
KNOWING the right time to buy your holiday euros can be tricky as the exchange rate goes up and down. Here's our guide to the current state of the market, and how to get the best price when you swap your cash. What is today's pound to euro exchange rate? This afternoon a pound was being traded for 1.134 euros, down around a tenth of a cent from yesterday. It means one euro is worth approximately 88p. The rate has remained relatively stable for the past two months following a more volatile period earlier in 2018. Sterling had dipped below 1.12 euros on March 7 and it reached almost 1.16 on April 17. Analysts said the market was static thanks to a range of factors including uncertainty over Brexit. News of Britain's stalling housing market was thought likely to hit the pound. But that was balanced by rumours of political divisions in Europe which are said to make it more likely the UK will get a bespoke trade deal. Last August the rate briefly plunged under 1.08 euros, the lowest for … [Read more...] about Pound to euro exchange rate – what’s today’s rate, where’s the best place to buy currency and what affects the price?