Warning over fragile public finances as borrowing rises

The owners of an award-winning artisan chocolate business say increased prices and staffing costs have forced them to close their cafe. Holly and Sam Garner said Hollychocs, in Devizes, Wiltshire, will shut the Beanery Cafe in August after two years of business. “Every time we buy ingredients or packaging, the costs go up and on…

Stuart Maisner, Hsin-Yi Loand Daniel Sexton,South East Getty Images People have been advised to boil tap water before drinking Water misery has returned for about 24,000 households in Kent and East Sussex with a water firm saying they do not expect supplies to be restored to all affected customers until midday on Thursday. South East…

AI-generated music has long been a concern for fans and artists. Musician Alex Winn tells BBC Newsbeat he thinks the incoming feature is a “really good thing”. “It almost separates the people who have created music properly from the people just using AI,” says guitarist Winn, who plays in the North East band Swindled. The…

China said its economy expanded by 5% last year, meeting Beijing’s official target as a record trade surplus boosted growth. The world’s second-largest economy reached its goal despite growth slowing to 4.5% in the final three months of 2025. China’s past year has been marked by struggles to boost domestic spending, a prolonged property crisis…