Video game developers may be breaching consumer protection law by taking games offline, making them unplayable, an MP has said.

Labour's Mark Sewards said regulations prohibit traders from hiding information that consumers need to make an informed purchase, but developers "almost never" explain how long games will remain available.

His comments came as part of a Westminster Hall debate sparked by an online petition signed by nearly 190,000 people that urged the government to stop publishers from disabling video games. 

A similar European petition has more than 1.4 million backers.

"What's happening in this space could be perceived as a breach of consumer protection from unfair trading regulations," said Sewards.

Another Labour MP, Warinder Juss, added: "We do not accept our mobile phones being switched off whenever a company produces a new model and wants us to buy a new model.

"So why should we allow thousands of pounds worth of games being made unplayable because new games have been introduced?"

Culture minister Stephanie Peacock said the government will consider asking the Chartered Trading Standards Institute to develop guidance to ensure manufacturers clearly tell players that games could be deactivated when they are purchased.

You can now save money on your holiday booking by eating at McDonald's. 

Holiday company Expedia has teamed up with the fast food giant to offer customers up to 9% off the cost of their trip. 

Here's how it works. 

From now until 20 January 2026, My McDonald's Rewards members get one point for every penny spent. 

Once you've earned 2,500 points, you can get 5% off your next Expedia hotel booking. 

Once you've earned 4,000 points, you can get 9% off your booking. 

Bookings must be made by 31 July 2026 and cost a minimum of £110 to use the deal. 

Customers are limited to earning touch vouchers each. 

You can read the full terms and conditions here. 

Here's how you redeem the reward: 

1. Go to My Rewards section of the McDonald's app;
2. Check you have enough points to redeem;
3. Exchange your points for the discount of your choice;
4. Click on the link below your unique coupon code. This will redirect you to Expedia. The booking must be made through this link;
5. Search for your desired destination and select an eligible property;  
6. On the checkout page, select the pay now option and input your code; 
7. You will also receive an email with your unique discount code and the instructions on how to book your trip.

Of course, it's important to check other sites to see if you can get a cheaper deal before committing to booking with Expedia. 

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter

US trader Michael Burry, who was played by Christian Bale in the Hollywood film The Big Short, has effectively bet that the current AI bubble will burst. 

Bale portrayed Burry in the 2015 movie because the investor bet on a US housing market slump before the 2007-2008 financial crash - effectively predicting the biggest economic shock of the 21st century so far.

This time, Burry appears to think that the share price of two major beneficiaries of AI investment will drop, and he's hoping to cash in. 

Those two companies are the software company Palantir and the world's most valuable company, computer chip maker Nvidia. 

Both have been massive beneficiaries of the wave of AI investment, as investors bought tech stocks in the hopes of eventually cashing in on the anticipated transformative effects of the technology. 

Tech valuations have soared to the point where Nvidia became the first company to be worth $5trn, while Palantir's share price has grown 400% in the last year. 

Burry, however, has, through his fund, now purchased a financial contract for millions of dollars of shares, giving him the right to sell the stock at a set price within a certain time period.

It means he can benefit from share price falls by selling his stake at the higher set price. 

The full details of the contracts have not been published, so we don't know when the set time period for selling begins and ends, nor what price Burry's investment firm, Scion Asset Management, has agreed to sell the shares at. 

But the move has focused minds on when the current AI boom will end.

The government has called on Britain's communications regulator to crack down on mobile phone bills after O2 announced a surprise mid-contract price hike.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told Ofcom it needed to go "further, faster" than its January decision to force network providers to clearly explain their pricing policies.

In a letter to Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes, she said O2's move to change its mid-contract increase from £1.80 to £2.50 was "against the spirit of your previous changes on pricing, and all the more disappointing given the current pressures on consumers".

She pointed out that, given the increase is above the levels specified in the contract, O2 customers can leave free of charge within 30 days.

Kendall urged Ofcom to conduct a "rapid review" on how easy it is for customers to switch providers.

"If companies are determined to increase pricing, it is beholden on us to make sure that customers are able to go elsewhere as easily as possible," she wrote.

'I moved after 25 years because of price changes'

Customers were quick to share Kendall's sentiment on X.

One wrote:

"After 25+ years with O2 (I was a customer when they were 'Cellnet'!), I moved from them to Giffgaff yesterday because of this!"

Others posted:

"I've just cancelled sim-only deal. Only renewed it in September. My contract said it would rise £1.80. O2 quickly changed the rules. I wasn't told they could be changing the goal posts."

"I was with O2 but have switched to Mozillion (which uses EE network).

"Was going to be paying £19 a month after the increase, now paying £4.50 for almost identical package.

"If O2 want to lose customers they're going the right way about it."

O2 defends price changes

"The changes we have announced in no way breach any regulatory rules," an O2 spokesperson told Money.

"We appreciate that price changes are never welcome, but demand for mobile connectivity is greater than ever, and any price change customers see on their bills is greatly outweighed by the £700m we invest each year into our mobile network to meet this growing demand. 

"We have written directly to customers about this change, and they are able to exit without penalty if they wish." 

Aldi will open 16 new stores in time for Christmas.

The new shops will start trading between 6 November and 12 December.

Aldi, which is the country's cheapest supermarket according to Which? data, has also announced it's looking to recruit 4,500 new workers.

Scotland, Staffordshire, Essex and London are among the areas where Aldi will launch new stores.

The UK's fourth-largest supermarket chain has confirmed that it plans to open 40 stores annually as part of a wider £1.6bn investment plan over the next two years.

Aldi already operates more than 1,050 stores across the country.

Here's the list of 16 stores opening by 12 December:

• Philadelphia, Tyne and Wear

• Pendle Drive, Litherland/Sefton, Liverpool

• Gallamore Lane, Market Rasen

• McGavigans Road, Kirkintilloch, Scotland

• Queens Park Avenue, Billericay

• Kentish Town, London

• Dundee Road, Arbroath

• The Green, Cheadle

• Boghall Road, Baillieston

• Old Shoreham Road, Hove

• Pershore Market, King George’s Way, Pershore

• Riverside Retail Park, Yate, Gloucestershire

• Northallerton, North Yorkshire

• Harefield Road, Uxbridge

• Daventry, Northamptonshire

• Old Kent Road, London

Last week, Paste BN obtained an internal definition of "working people" used by the Treasury.

This is important because Labour pledged not to increase the tax burden on working people in its manifesto.

According to the report from deputy political editor Sam Coates, those earning £45,000 or less qualify as "working people".

We want your view. In the poll below we've included options for the median UK salary (£37,430), the apparent Treasury definition, the higher income tax rate (£50,270), and three further options taking you up to the additional rate (£125,140).

Speculation is growing over how much the TV licence may rise in April.

Several newspapers have suggested the annual cost could hit £182 next year.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told us: "No final decision has yet been made on the exact level of next year's licence fee. We will set this out in due course."

Despite this, the government has given us useful hints about how the cost of TV licences will be calculated going forward.

Back in April, prices rose to £174.50 for a colour television - up £5 on the year before. (A black and white licence, which costs £58.50, is also available but very few people have one these days - in 2019, only 6,586 households did.) 

The increase was based on the average Consumer Price Index reading from October 2023 to September 2024, which was 2.96%.

Last November, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed the government planned to use this calculation for the next two years at least - taking us up to when the BBC's Royal Charter expires at the end of 2027.

So... what does that mean for April 2026?

Well, because CPI data is in from October 2024 to September 2025, we now know the figure that would be used if the government sticks to its word.

The average across this 12-month period is 3.15%, which would result in the licence fee hitting £179.99.

While the extra cash would boost the BBC's coffers, it could prompt some Britons to cut the cord.

Figures show the number of active TV licences fell by 300,000 in the year to March - with the levels of evasion rising to 12.5%.

One of Spain's biggest trade unions is calling for a substantial increase in the taxes paid by visitors to the Balearic Islands.

At the moment, Britons heading on holiday to Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca pay a charge that fluctuates based on how luxurious their accommodation is and the time of year they're travelling.

During the high season from May to October, the tax stands at €4 (£3.50) per person, per night in five-star hotels, €3 in mid-range accommodation, €2 for budget stays and €1 in hostels. This is slashed by 75% in off-peak periods covering the rest of the year.

The Workers' Commission has proposed hiking this tax to €15 (£13) per person, per night in July and August, which would substantially increase costs for tourists.

It would mean four adults staying at a luxury resort for two weeks pay €840 (£736) in taxes during the height of the summer, up from €224 (£196) at today's rates.

According to the Workers' Commission, the taxes haven't done enough to tackle overcrowding and encourage tourists to book visits during quieter months of the year.

The proposal follows a summer of protests across Spain, Italy and Portugal, with campaigners claiming excess tourism is forcing locals out of affordable housing, raising the cost of living and making city centres unusable.

Paste BN has reached out to the government of the Balearic Islands for its response.

Rachel Reeves has been laying the foundations for significant tax rises in a rare pre-budget speech from a chancellor.

Following the news conference, at which Reeves warned she would make the right decisions, not the popular ones, our political editor Beth Rigby asked if she stood by her promises not to raise taxes for working people.

The chancellor appear to prevaricate, saying she'd set out her measures on 26 November.

You can follow our coverage of this story in the Politics Hub...

Experts have told people to be more "savvy" after Experian announced a major overhaul of how it calculates credit scores.

Its credit score was previously on a scale of 0 to 999, but the scale will range between 0 and 1,250 from this month.

The terms "poor" and "very poor", as well as the colour red, are being scrapped, and the bands will now be excellent, very good, good, fair and low.

The changes are good news for tenants as their rental payments will be taken into account for the first time.

"The new score better reflects how people actually manage money day-to-day," Ronald Mitchell, director at Charwin Mortgages, told Newspage.

'A mistake could cost you'

Justin Moy, managing director at Chelmsford-based EHF Mortgages, urged people to be more "savvy".

"Rent paid may now be a factor in your score, along with your use of overdrafts and other essential utility bills or mobile phone costs," he said.

"Ensuring all these facilities are set up on direct debit is crucial to keeping up to date with payments, and none fall through plain, silly sloppiness.

"A mistake could cost you more on your borrowing costs, not only for mortgages but other credit facilities."

Even a small amount of poor money management could result in declined mortgages, he warned.