The bad news began yesterday morning when the Bank of England revealed it was cutting the base rate by two-thirds to just 0.25 per cent, writes VICTORIA BISCHOFF.

Australian cricketer David Warner has given a quick thinking response to a fan after being sledged in England during the Ashes test. 

Companies rising out of the ashes to avoid paying tax, wages and other debts will face a crackdown when regulators get increased powers.

The High School Musical actress, 31, took to Instagram Live on Monday to share her views on the spiraling pandemic. A clip from the video quickly went viral as fans seized on her cavalier comments.

Vanessa Hudgens has apologised for her flippant Instagram video, in which she called the potential quarantine timeline 'a bunch of bull**t'.

The 34-year-old model took to Twitter to write about famous people having 'a dumb frickin' moment' and urged fans not to ruin their lives squarely based on that.

France face a crucial clash in their bid to qualify for next summer's European Championship as they take on group rivals Iceland on a busy night of qualifiers. Follow all of Europe's action here.

KIERAN GILL AT KIYAN PRINCE FOUNDATION STADIUM: Swansea knew it was by the slimmest of chances that they would finish the night in top spot, given it relied on three others dropping points.

After a four-hour match against Roger Federer, Andy Murray has a day less to prepare for the final than Novak Djokovic. But Andy is a very fit guy, and I’m not sure it makes that much difference.

BRAD GILBERT: You can easily be distracted by the quirky routines in Jo Konta’s serve, those little skips and the odd way she bounces the ball — but don’t be fooled.

The UK's departure has left the bloc with a €75billion (£63billion) hole in its finances and the budget battle has exposed bitter divisions between EU members.

Hedgehogs have not hibernated this winter because of unprecedented mild weather caused by climate change, according to a UK animal rescue centre.

Family Court Judge Dawn Gentry allegedly used her chambers as a swingers club to facilitate threesomes with former pastor turned guitar player, Stephen Penrose.

Judge Dawn Gentry was placed on temporary paid suspension earlier this week while a decision in her case is pending.

EXCLUSIVE BY JORDAN SEWARD: Frank Warren believes Joshua will always be vulnerable regardless of whether or not he avenges the sole blemish on his record against Ruiz on Saturday.

Trevor Stacey, 98, reminisced with his Royal Marine counterparts yesterday and discussed losing friends 75 years ago amid the chaos of the Normandy landings.

Team England take on World XI for Soccer Aid tonight in the eighth edition of the tournament. Follow for live coverage of Soccer Aid 2019 including latest score and updates at Stamford Bridge.

Assistant coach Michael Carrick has revealed that the players have now been given compulsory training schedules to follow at home instead of the optional work-outs they've done in past two months.

A New Zealand police officer is being hailed as a 'top cop' contender after being pictured pruning a bush to create better visibility for motorists heading towards an intersection.

A US District Court judge in San Francisco has ruled to quash a subpoena issued for the real identity of a Reddit user who had posted critical comments about the Jehovah's Witnesses.

HMRC has appealed to NHS workers not to fall into the trap, warning they will be hit with hefty penalties and could face demands for thousands of pounds in unpaid tax if they get caught out.

The Pixel 4A will debut at $399 which is on par with the tech giant's previous budget offering, the Pixel 3A according to leaked renders of billboard ads for the Google-made device posted by Evan Blass.

Trade body TechUK, which represents hundreds of technology companies in Britain including Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon, said the Government should 'look again' at the new tax.

Apple's iPad took the number one spot, followed by Tesla Model S and Raspberry Pi ranked as the second and third of the decades top 10 most 'important and influential gadgets'.

Leaked images of the supposed iPhone SE 2 or 'iPhone 9' show a device with a 4.7-inch display just the iPhone 8, which Apple released nearly two-and-a-half years ago.

Caviar released a modified iPhone 11 Pro inspired by Tesla's Cybertruck. The case is made of titanium, which claims to provide 'absolute protection' -unlike the Cybertruck's windows, the firm implies.

The iPhone XR (pictured above) is among Apple's newest 'budget' offerings, despite retailing at a rather hefty $599. A rumored iPhone SE 2 (or iPhone 9) is anticipated to cost $399, analysts say.

Some of the taxes we currently pay and a number of the tax breaks we are given to encourage us to save for old age are either too onerous or far too complicated.

Smart meters are not as dangerous as hard shoulder-less smart motorways will ever be, but their creeping introduction has not been without buckets of controversy.

Although the powder-puff City regulator the FCA has launched an investigation into the demise of Woodford Investment Management, this probe seems to be progressing at a snail's pace.

Nero fiddled, while Rome burned. Or to put the expression in a modern day investment context, Christopher Hill (chief executive of Hargreaves Lansdown) fiddles while investors get burnt.

With the smell of a spring Budget in the air comes the rumour of yet more restrictions on the tax relief available to boost our pension saving. But how will Mr Sunak treat pension savers?

These are worrying times for readers with shares-based Isas and investments held inside self-invested personal pensions. But panicking out of investments not is not the right way forward.

These are difficult days. At times, it feels like the world is shuddering to a halt. There are fewer people as I wind my way to and from work every day and night on public transport.

I would put money on the Chancellor's Budget this Wednesday being radically different to the one Rishi Sunak envisaged just over three weeks ago when he stepped into Sajid Javid's shoes.

The UK stock market alone has fallen in value by 30 per cent since the start of the year. But if you hold these trusts for troubled times then things should look better.

Today, I was planning to drive up to see Mother in Birmingham and take her out for a slap-up Mother's Day meal at her favourite Miller & Carter steakhouse in Sutton Park.

I trust that you are well and withstanding the turmoil brought to all our lives by this wicked coronavirus. In this time of great uncertainty, we need to look after each other like never before.

Holding businesses to ransom through the imposition of onerous interest charges on emergency loans is despicable. As is leaving customers hanging on the phone for hours.

Whenever I think of Honor Blackman, I will remember someone who in her 80s campaigned passionately for financial justice to be given to investors who lost money following the near collapse of Equitable Life.

Helpful staff in the ever-shrinking branch network are being rapidly replaced by automated 'contact' - usually in the form of texts. This is fine, but not if the robots do not know their left hands from their right.

What firmly sticks in my craw with regards to students is the appalling treatment many of them are receiving from landlords, says Jeff Prestridge.

The trend towards greater online banking and less reliance on hard cash is irrevocable. Indeed, Covid-19 has helped the banks in pursuing these dual goals.

The official soft toy is on sale at John Lewis and Waitrose for £15, but is already being advertised for nearly four times that price - despite the commercial itself not even airing on TV until Saturday.

The Competition and Markets Authority has sounded the alarm over the problem as online reviews influence an estimated £23 billion of transactions a year in the UK alone.

UK mother Dawn Robertson told the Facebook group Mrs Hinch Made Me Do It that her daughter, 12, had bought budget tape from eBay in order to decorate her room with a fun DIY twist.

The white plastic-looking 'K ring' (pictured) - which also comes in black costs £99.99. It is both waterproof and scratch-resistant and can be used to make contactless purchases.

A government needs to be able to be nimble, to cut spending where necessary and to raise money should it require.

Those hoping that we might celebrate the start of a new decade with the base rate above 1 per cent for the first time in 11 years, look likely to have their hopes dashed at the moment.

Ram Kumar spent close to 20 days at the city's Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS).