Category: 3. Business

The Federal Trade Commission issued its biennial report to Congress on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry that shows consumers placed more than 258 million telephone numbers on the Registry as of the end of fiscal year 2025, an increase of more than 4.8 million from the previous fiscal year.

The report also notes the FTC received more than 2.6 million Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year (FY) 2025 — an increase from the previous fiscal year — with consumers mostly reporting these violations came via robocalls, as opposed to live telemarketing.

Debt reduction schemes, imposters (calls pretending to be government, business, or family and friends), and medical and prescription inquiries led the list of commonly reported unwanted telemarketing calls in FY 2025, followed by calls related to energy, solar, and utilities, as well as home improvement and cleaning services.

The FTC continues to track how technology affects the Registry and the consumers and telemarketers who access it. For many years, telemarketers have used automated dialing technology to make pre-recorded calls, commonly known as robocalls. Such calls can be made in large numbers with little expense, leading to a significant increase in telemarketing robocalls, including illegal robocalls. While the number of consumer complaints about illegal telemarketing robocalls steadily decreased from FY 2017 through FY 2024.

While the number of complaints about robocalls ticked up in FY 2025, reports remain substantially lower than their peak in FY 2017. This is due to a range of FTC law enforcement strategies, including the pursuit of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers that facilitate illegal calls, according to the report. The FTC also sued dialing platforms and soundboard technology providers that helped provide the software used to blast consumers with illegal robocalls.

Since the Registry was established in 2003, the FTC has filed 173 lawsuits against 570 companies and 449 individuals alleged to be responsible for making billions of unwanted telemarketing calls to consumers, collecting nearly $400 million from these violators.

The report also discusses the FTC and FCC’s work to help end caller ID spoofing, the implementation of strategies to combat the technologies that telemarketers use to make illegal calls, and several initiatives designed to spur the development and availability of technology to protect consumers from illegal calls.

Finally, the report discusses the FTC’s support of new technologies, particularly call-blocking and call-filtering products. All major voice service providers now offer call-blocking and call-filtering products to all or some of their consumers. The FTC has taken measures to support analytics companies and voice service providers with their call-blocking and call-filtering technologies by releasing a daily list of Do Not Call and robocall complaints, including caller ID numbers, the dates and times of the unwanted calls, and other relevant information. Several firms have reported that this daily data has improved their ability to identify abusive and fraudulent calls.

The Commission also publishes an annual Do Not Call Registry Data Book that provides substantial detail on registration numbers and other statistical information about the Registry.

The Commission vote approving the report and its submission to Congress was 2-0.

The lead staffer on this matter is Ami Dziekan of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

For the past three years Nationwide has given some existing customers a £100 ‘Fairer Share’ bonus. It’s likely, though not guaranteed, to do the same again this year. In previous years, the scheme has been announced in May and paid in June, though whether you got it depended on if you met the qualifying criteria in the first three months of the year – so now’s the perfect time to maximise your chances.

Last year, a total of £400 million was paid to four million Nationwide members; the year before that it was £385 million to 3.85 million people.

We don’t yet know if Fairer Share payments will definitely happen again in 2026 – Nationwide told us that, as in previous years, the final decision “will be announced as part of [its] full year results in May”.

See below for what you’ll need to do to get the payment if you’re an existing customer. If you’re not an existing customer, we’ve got full details on how to get it by switching.

Nationwide customer? What to do depends on your account

Assuming the building society keeps the same criteria as last year (there are no guarantees, but it’s a decent bet):

1. Firstly, don’t close your Nationwide current account. Well, at least not until 31 March 2026.

   AND…

2. Secondly, use your current account in the first three months of this year. For this step, what you’ll need to do to qualify depends on which current account you have…

   Account	What to do
   FlexAccount, FlexBasic or FlexDirect	EITHER… In two of the first three months of this year, pay IN at least £500 (this could be your salary, for example) AND make two payments OUT of your account; OR… In two of the first three months of the year, make 10+ payments OUT of your account; OR (if you can’t do the above)… Between 1 January and 31 March 2026, complete a full current account switch from another provider to Nationwide.
   FlexOne, FlexGraduate or FlexStudent	EITHER… Make a payment IN or OUT of your account in March 2026; OR… Complete a full current account switch to Nationwide FlexOne or FlexStudent (not FlexGraduate) between 1 January and 31 March 2026.
   FlexPlus packaged account	Just pay the monthly fee.

   AND…

3. Finally, ensure you have at least £100 in savings OR owe at least £100 on a mortgage with Nationwide in March 2026. If you don’t have either of those, stick £100 (or maybe £200 to be safe in case it changes its terms) into one of its savings accounts.

   A good option could be Nationwide’s Flex Regular Saver – this is one of our top picks for regular savings and pays 6.5%, more than standard easy-access accounts. It’s designed for you to pay in up to £200 a month for a year, but you don’t have to – you could just make one deposit and withdraw it later (the account allows up to three penalty-free withdrawals a year).

Not with Nationwide? Get £175 to switch to it

If you’re not already a Nationwide customer, here’s what you can try:

1. Firstly, switch your current account to Nationwide by 31 March 2026. Nationwide currently pays new switchers to its FlexDirect account a FREE £175, plus 5% interest on up to £1,500 held in the account and up to £5 a month cashback on debit card spending for a year. Other banks also pay from £175 up to £250 to switch, but Nationwide’s strong combo of perks makes it a good all-rounder.

   Plus, if Nationwide keeps the same eligibility criteria as previously, it’s easier to get the Fairer Share payment by switching than it is being an existing customer, as fewer rules apply.

   You must use the official Current Account Switch Service (CASS) by requesting the switch through Nationwide. You’ll see the option to do this when applying. For more info, see our bank switching need-to-knows.

   (Alternatively, if you have a young person’s or student bank account elsewhere, you could switch using the CASS to a Nationwide FlexOne account (for those aged 11 to 17), or to a Nationwide FlexStudent account – but neither of these currently pay any switch bonuses, and you should check the accounts are suitable for you before making the move.)

   AND…

2. Secondly, stick £100 (or £200 to be even safer) into a Nationwide savings account OR owe at least £100 on a Nationwide mortgage in March 2026. As set out above, a good option could be its Flex Regular Saver – this is one of our top picks for regular savings and pays 6.5%, more than standard easy-access accounts. It’s designed for you to pay in up to £200 a month for a year, but you don’t have to – you could just make one deposit and withdraw it later (the account allows up to three penalty-free withdrawals a year).

For alternative bank switches, including a free £250 plus fee-free spending overseas from Lloyds, see our Best bank accounts guide.

Any payment will likely be treated as savings income for tax purposes

In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the £100 Fairer Share payment was taxable savings income, so it was treated in the same way as any interest you earned on your savings account or current account.

If this happens again, most people won’t have to pay tax on the reward, thanks to the personal savings allowance that allows basic-rate taxpayers to earn up to £1,000 a year from savings tax-free. But if you’re a higher-rate taxpayer and/or you have a substantial amount in non-ISA savings, you may have to pay tax on the £100 bonus.

For those who don’t file self-assessment returns to pay their taxes each year (which is most people), then you won’t need to do anything as Nationwide will report the bonus to HMRC automatically for you. However, if you’re in the self-assessment system, you will need to include any payment in your tax return.

Watch Martin’s savings interest video for full details on who pays savings tax, how you pay it if you owe it and, crucially, how to (legally) reduce the amount of tax you pay.

There’s a relatively new word doing the rounds in sustainability research and policy: defossilization. Beyond expert circles, it isn’t necessarily obvious that phasing out fossil fuels does not mean phasing out carbon. Under net-zero scenarios, carbon-based fuels are still needed, to provide power, for example, and for aviation. Carbon, currently often derived from fossil hydrocarbons, is also integral to everyday consumer products such as soaps and detergents, as well as medicines, fertilizers and plastics.

Worldwide, demand for ‘embedded’ carbon — that found in chemicals — is expected to double by 2050, according to the nova-Institute, a green-energy research institute in Hürth, Germany (see go.nature.com/4jpx6qi). But this carbon cannot come from the usual sources, such as coal, natural gas and oil. These must remain in the ground, and this is where defossilization comes in.

Chemistry can make plastics sustainable – but isn’t the whole solution

Defossilization means finding sustainable ways to make carbon-based chemicals. Alternative sources of carbon include the atmosphere and plants, as well as carbon in existing biological or industrial waste, such as used plastics or agricultural residue. In some cases, these chemicals will eventually return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through burning or biodegradation. In principle, this will occur as part of a circular process, rather than one that has added greenhouse gases.

The subject of defossilization is of increasing research interest — as it needs to be — despite signs that some governments, including a number in Europe and that of the United States, are backsliding on their climate commitments. In this two-part Editorial, we describe some of the challenges faced by researchers, in both academia and industry, that scientists and policymakers need to solve to enable defossilization to happen on the scale required. In this first instalment, we focus on Europe. In the next, we explore advances under way in China.

Biomass from crops is a key source of non-fossil carbon, and one that can be obtained at scale. One driver of large-scale production is the European Union’s biofuels strategy. This mandates that transport fuels include biomass-derived products. Examples include biodiesel, which can be made from oils such as sunflower and palm, and bioethanol, which is synthesized from crops such as maize (corn) and wheat. But clearing existing cropland or converting uncultivated land to grow biofuels can’t be the alternative of choice, not least because of the attendant risk to biodiversity and soil health, and the demand it puts on water resources. There’s also some evidence that, by encouraging farmers to convert land previously used to grow food crops, the directive has pushed up food prices.

Reinvent oil refineries for a net-zero future

The extraction of carbon from lignocellulose — tough plant matter — in crop waste is an alternative with potential that remains mostly untapped. One major advantage is the fact that it can be produced without the use of extra land. But it is expensive to extract, and production timelines are long, both of which hinder scalability¹.

Other potential sources of waste carbon include municipal and industrial waste, with used plastic among this. More than 40% of plastic produced in the EU is already recycled. This recycling rate could be increased if technical challenges can be surmounted². Current recycling methods break waste plastics into flakes through shredding or melting, then form pellets that can be used to make new products. For higher recycling rates to be achieved, chemical recycling methods will need to be further developed and scaled up. These methods break down plastics into smaller molecules that can be used to rebuild new, larger ones.

Carbon dioxide captured from fossil-fuel burning or the air offers one of the largest potential avenues for defossilization. The global chemicals industry could obtain one-third of its carbon needs from this source by 2050, according to the nova-Institute. That compares with 22% from biomass. By one estimate, there are almost 900 gigatonnes of carbon in the atmosphere, nearly double the 450 gigatonnes of carbon contained in vegetation³. But the scenarios for 2050 vary widely. Some say CO₂ will become the main feedstock for chemicals, whereas others say its contribution will be negligible.

How fast fashion can cut its staggering environmental impact

To make useful carbon-based molecules, CO₂ must first be transformed into other molecules. Usually, it is reacted with hydrogen, either to form hydrocarbons or to remove an oxygen atom. Because CO₂ is highly stable, a considerable amount of energy is needed to overcome the thermodynamic barrier to these reactions. This must be powered renewably for the process to be truly sustainable. Capturing atmospheric CO₂ is difficult and expensive, in part because of the compound’s stability. As a result, the technology has not been a priority for European governments. This must change.

In May, Elisa Morgera, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the context of climate change, published a report urging governments to defossilize economies as part of the fossil-fuel phase-out. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Society and the Institution of Chemical Engineers have urged the government to support research on defossilization. They have a strong case, because such research, which is intended to boost the chemical industry, aligns with government policies to invest in science that supports economic growth. The EU and China also have a joint research programme called the EU–China Bridge, which is focused on decarbonization, but this is set to expire next year. This not only needs to be renewed, it needs a renewed focus — on defossilization.

Formation of CPSF6 puncta upon HIV-1 infection hinges on two key events: the entry of the HIV-1 core into the nucleus and the binding of CPSF6 to the HIV-1 core (Blanco-Rodriguez and Di Nunzio, 2021; Blanco-Rodriguez et al., 2020; Buffone et al., 2018; Zila et al., 2021). To determine the contribution of CPSF6’s disordered domains to the formation of CPSF6 puncta upon HIV-1 infection, we correlated the binding of CPSF6 to the HIV-1 core with the formation of CPSF6 puncta. To this end, we first generated CPSF6 knockout (KO) THP-1 cells (Figure 1C, D) to eliminate the interference from the endogenous protein, which could affect the interpretation of results regarding the role of the analysed CPSF6 domains. CPSF6 depletion in THP-1 cells was performed by CRISPR–Cas9 technology. To completely eliminate the expression of the CPSF6 gene, we selected single clones by limiting dilution. We identified a clone that was completely KO for CPSF6, confirmed through western blot and immunofluorescence (Figure 1C, D), and we infected this clone and the control clone with HIV. CPSF6 puncta were detected only in the control-infected cells and not in the KO clone (Figure 1D; Figure 1—figure supplement 1). The viral integrase (IN) was observed within CPSF6 puncta, consistent with previous studies (Francis et al., 2020; Rensen et al., 2021; Scoca et al., 2023), but absent in CPSF6 KO cells where viral IN was observed in the cytoplasm (Figure 1D; Figure 1—figure supplement 1). Thus, we used KO cells for CPSF6 to assess the role of selected CPSF6 domains in HIV-induced condensates (Figure 1—figure supplement 2). We designed various CPSF6 deletion mutants (Figure 2A) to specifically assess the significance of the main disordered regions of CPSF6 protein (Figure 2—figure supplement 1) such as the FG (phenylalanine and glycine) motif, the low complexity regions (LCRs), and the mixed charge domain (MCD), in the ability of CPSF6 to bind to the core and facilitate the formation of CPSF6 puncta. We investigated the role of the FG peptide by generating a mutant that exclusively lacks the FG peptide (∆FG). Previous in vitro studies have shown that the FG peptide binds to the hydrophobic pocket formed between capsid hexamers (Buffone et al., 2018; Price et al., 2014). Here, we want to investigate the role of FG peptide in the context of the protein during the viral infection.

To further explore this, we developed an alternative plasmid by expanding the FG peptide deletion to include surrounding prion-like LCRs (∆FG ∆LCR). These regions, outside the CPSF6 context, have been identified as crucial for facilitating strong CPSF6 binding to capsid lattices (Wei et al., 2022). In our study, we aim to evaluate their role within a more physiological setting. Additionally, we assessed a CPSF6 variant that carries the 15-mer FG peptide flanked by non-LCR sequences, such as those derived from Beta-adducin (ADD2), kindly provided by Mamuka Kvaratskhelia (∆LCR + ADD2). These protein segments are known for their high flexibility, akin to the LCR of CPSF6. Furthermore, to elucidate the contribution of the LCRs of CPSF6 in the formation of CPSF6 puncta, we generated a mutant lacking both LCRs (∆LCR). Analysis of the MCD contribution to both the ability of CPSF6 to bind to the core and formation of CPSF6 puncta was achieved by deleting the MCD and adding 3 nuclear localization signals (3xNLS ∆MCD) since the deletion of the MCD results in a protein that localizes mainly into the cytoplasm (Figure 2A, B; Figure 2—figure supplement 2).

To correlate the ability of CPSF6 to bind to the HIV-1 core with formation of CPSF6 puncta, we expressed wild-type and mutant CPSF6 constructs in THP-1 cells knockout for CPSF6. Subsequently, we infected these cells with HIV-1 and analysed the presence or absence of CPSF6 puncta at 24 hr post-infection. Importantly, for the imaging experiment, we expressed CPSF6 WT and mutants without tags to avoid the formation of aggregates that could interfere with our conclusions. Our data show that HIV-induced CPSF6 puncta can form extremely rarely with the deletion mutant CPSF6 ADD2∆LCR and with the mutant lacking the FG or both the FG peptide and the LCRs (Figure 2B–D; Figure 1—figure supplement 2). However, when we analysed the role of the MCD domain in CPSF6 puncta formation, which was indicated to be important for condensing CPSF6 in NS (Greig et al., 2020), comparing the number of CPSF6 WT puncta induced by HIV infection with CPSF6 mutants revealed that the MCD domain does not play a critical role in HIV-induced CPSF6 puncta formation (Figure 2B–D). In addition, we observed that the majority of analysed CPSF6 3xNLS∆MCD puncta contain vRNA inside, similar to CPSF6 WT puncta (Figure 2E), thus corroborating the lack of a role for this intrinsically disordered domain in HIV-induced CPSF6 puncta. Since the NLS domain from SV40, which replaces the MCD, is highly basic and could potentially induce condensates, we fused CPSF6 with a non-basic NLS (PY-NLS) or removed the NLS entirely. Even though these two proteins do not efficiently enter the nucleus, the few that do manage to reach the nucleus can host viral particles, as evidenced by the presence of IN. Many viruses are typically blocked in the cytoplasm due to the presence of these mutants that are mainly cytoplasmic. However, because we used a high viral dose, the blockage in the cytoplasm was not complete. As a result, the viruses that successfully entered the nucleus induced the formation of puncta associated with CPSF6-deleted mutants, indicating that the MCD is not critical for the formation of HIV-induced CPSF6 puncta (Figure 2F). Similar to the MCD, when we compared CPSF6 truncated for the LCRs with CPSF6 WT, we observed that the LCRs do not contribute to CPSF6 puncta formation. Therefore, the FG peptide alone, without the LCRs, is the only CPSF6 domain required for their formation (Figure 2B–F; Figure 1—figure supplement 2).

Next, we tested the ability of the different CPSF6 deletion mutants for their ability to bind the viral core using a previously described capsid binding assay (Selyutina et al., 2018). Wild-type and mutant CPSF6 proteins were expressed in human 293T cells at similar levels (INPUT) (Figure 3A). Extracts containing wild-type and mutant CPSF6 proteins were incubated with stabilized HIV-1 capsid tubes for 1 hr at 25°C in the presence of 10 µM of PF74, which is a small molecule that competes with CPSF6 for binding to the hydrophobic pocket formed between hexamers that constitute the viral core (Buffone et al., 2018; Price et al., 2014). HIV-1 capsid stabilized tubes were washed, and the bound proteins were eluted using Laemli buffer (BOUND). For every construct, the percentage of bound protein relative to input in the presence or absence of PF74 is shown (Figure 3B). Our results revealed that the absence of the FG peptide (∆FG) entirely abolished CPSF6’s ability to bind to the viral core. In agreement, simultaneous deletion of the FG motif and LCRs (∆FG ∆LCR) resulted in a construct unable to bind to the viral core. Similar outcomes were observed when the LCRs were replaced with sequences derived from ADD2, even if the FG was present.

LCR-FG is notably more disordered than ADD2-FG, containing a high proportion of prolines (48 out of 98 residues), which makes it mostly non-foldable (Figure 4A–H). Since proline is a structure-disrupting residue, LRC-FG is not expected to adopt any secondary structure. In contrast, ADD2-FG contains fewer prolines (15 out of 98 residues) but has many charged residues. It is predicted to form two short α helices and a β strand, arranged as: α helix–FG–β strand–α helix (Figure 4E). ADD2-FG may form a flexible collapsed state, as its oppositely charged residues are evenly distributed, potentially allowing polyelectrostatic compaction. This suggests that FG within ADD2-FG may be less accessible for the interaction with the viral core’s hydrophobic pocket due to its involvement in this collapsed conformational ensemble (Figure 4A–E, Figure 4—figure supplement 1). This aligns with the inability of CPSF6 carrying ADD2 in place of the LCRs to induce CPSF6 puncta (Figure 2B). On the other hand, the deletion of only the two LCRs, while keeping the FG peptide intact, resulted in unexpected findings. The ∆LCR mutant exhibited a stronger binding affinity for the viral core when compared to the wild-type protein (Figure 3B). These results suggest that the LCRs surrounding the FG motif are modulating the affinity of CPSF6 to the viral core, which might be important for function. By contrast, deletion of the MCD (∆MCD) but retention of other regions, such as the FG peptide and the LCRs, demonstrated a binding affinity to the viral core similar to that of the wild-type protein. These results suggest that the MCD domain is not involved in the binding of CPSF6 to the viral core, which is not surprising since the CPSF6 (1–358), which does not have an MCD, binds to the viral core (Lee et al., 2010).

Thus, the viral capsid, through the FG peptide of CPSF6, constitutes the scaffold of HIV-induced CPSF6 puncta.

In summary, our results suggest that the FG peptide is the main determinant involved in the binding of CPSF6 to the viral capsid. Interestingly, our work implies that the LCRs may be modulating the affinity of the FG motif for the viral core (Figure 3B). Recognition motifs that mediate protein-protein interactions, such as the FG motif of CPSF6, are usually embedded within longer IDRs that can modulate affinity of the interaction (Karlsson et al., 2022). Taken together, our data show that the FG peptide coordinates both the binding to the viral core and the induction of CPSF6 puncta. This coordination suggests that the FG peptide plays a critical dual role in recognizing the viral capsid and facilitating the cellular clustering of CPSF6, which may be part of the cellular response to viral entry.

With offshore wind power projects again on hold at the federal level, officials confirmed last week that contracts for the installations that Massachusetts hoped to bring online in the coming years will not be finalized until this summer, at the earliest.

Massachusetts selected 2,678 megawatts of offshore wind power spread across three projects in September 2024, kicking off contract talks that were expected to result in higher prices for power than past projects. The contract completion milestone has been delayed at least five times, and during the delay, one of the selected projects has removed itself from consideration and another raised the potential for a multi-year delay.

The utilities negotiating contracts with the remaining projects informed the Department of Public Utilities in a Dec. 30 letter that they would not meet the Dec. 31 target for finishing contract talks, nor the Feb. 25 target date for contract filings.

The evaluation team involved in the process, which includes the Department of Energy Resources, National Grid, Eversource and Unitil, said delays are “[d]ue to ongoing uncertainty caused by federal level activities.”

The group said it now expects completed negotiations and executed contracts by June 30. Those contracts would now be filed with the DPU (the step at which ratepayers can learn the cost of the projects) by Aug. 31, putting the procurement process about two years behind its original schedule.

In a statement, the Healey administration blamed “uncertainty created by the changing federal landscape” for the repeated contract delays and said Massachusetts “remains committed to an all-of-the-above approach to energy, which includes offshore wind.”

“This abundant energy source produced right off our coast will lower costs, especially in cold weather, create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits for Massachusetts, and help move us toward energy independence,” said Lauren Diggin, spokesperson for the Department of Energy Resources.

Massachusetts state government has committed to reducing carbon emissions by at least 50 percent compared to 1990 baselines by 2030, by at least 75 percent by 2040 and by at least 85 percent by 2050, with tag-along policies to get the state to net-zero emissions by the middle of the century. The state also has numerous other mandates on the books, including around things like electric vehicles.

As a candidate for governor four years ago, Gov. Maura Healey made significant climate promises, including achieving a 100 percent clean electricity supply statewide by 2030 and electrifying public transportation with clean power by 2040 (starting with school and MBTA buses by 2030).

As 2026 gets underway and Healey eyes her reelection effort, the House and Senate this session have become torn between reevaluating the costs of decarbonization plans and finding ways to reduce consumer utility bills.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s order freezing offshore wind work affects the Vineyard Wind 1 project for Massachusetts, the only project currently under contract to provide power into the state. It also impacts Revolution Wind for Rhode Island and Connecticut, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind for New York, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia.

The developers of Revolution Wind, Empire Wind and Coastal Virginia Offshore have filed legal challenges to the Trump administration’s freeze, and the New York Times reported that officials behind Sunrise Wind have said they are contemplating the same.

A spokesman for Avangrid, one of the developers of Vineyard Wind 1, declined Monday to comment on the company’s plans.

Six people have died as snow, ice and freezing temperatures continue to wreak havoc across parts of Europe.

Authorities in the Landes region of south-west France said three people died and 15 were injured in road accidents on Tuesday, while two more were killed in accidents in the Paris area. One driver died in hospital on Monday night after veering into the Marne River and another was killed after a collision with a heavy goods vehicle in the east of the French capital.

In the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, a woman died on Monday after a snow-covered tree branch fell on her head.

Many flights will be cancelled from Paris’s two main airports, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly, early on Wednesday to allow ground crews to clear snow from runways and de-ice planes. About 40% of flights at Charles de Gaulle were expected to be scrapped and 25% at Orly.

Paris awoke on Tuesday to a blanket of snow on rooftops and monuments.

In the Netherlands, hundreds of flights were cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport as staff worked to clear runways and de-ice planes. Rail travellers in the country faced chaos after domestic services were suspended early on Tuesday due to an IT outage, compounding the disruption caused by the weather.

Eurostar services to Paris from Amsterdam were either cancelled or running late.

Freezing temperatures have gripped much of Europe, with the thermometer plunging well below -10C (14F) in south and east Germany early on Tuesday. German meteorologists have forecast a storm in the country on Friday, with heavy snowfall expected in the north and east.

In Britain, temperatures fell to -12.5C overnight, with snow disrupting rail, road and air travel and forcing the closure of hundreds of schools across northern regions.

Temperatures in lowland areas of northern Italy have fallen below freezing, with snow expected in the medium- to low-altitude areas of Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Tuscany on Tuesday.

Central and southern regions in Italy are experiencing mild winds that are bringing heavy rain. Incessant rain in Rome has swollen the banks of the Tiber River, putting a dampener on Pope Leo’s Epiphany blessing in St Peter’s Square, which was only partly full as a few thousand people crowded under umbrellas.

Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, issued an ordinance for Tuesday limiting public access to parks and other areas at risk of falling trees and flooding. Two huge pine trees have fallen in recent days due to the severe weather in the Italian capital – one on Via dei Fori Imperiali, close to the Colosseum, the other on Via Appia Nuova.

Heavy snow and heavy rain have swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and causing traffic problems and disrupting power and water supplies.

In Serbia, some local authorities in the country’s west introduced emergency measures due to the severe weather while warning drivers to take care as many set off toward skiing resorts or elsewhere for Orthodox Christmas on Wednesday and the upcoming weekend.

Heavy wind and stormy seas have battered the Adriatic coastline in Croatia and Montenegro.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | January 6, 2026

Media Contact
Cynthia Martinez, Chief Strategy Officer
Travis Central Appraisal District
[email protected] 

AUSTIN, Texas – The Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) is reminding property owners who own and live on a property to save money on their property tax bill by filing for their homestead exemptions.

“In 2025, having a homestead exemption saved the average Travis County property owner $3,663 on their property tax bill,” said Chief Appraiser Leana Mann. “If you’re not claiming your exemptions, you’re paying too much in property taxes.”

A homestead exemption can provide significant property tax savings for homeowners by reducing the taxable value of their primary residence. Homeowners who purchased a home in 2025 or who have not previously applied for a homestead exemption are encouraged to apply as soon as they qualify. The application form must be accompanied by a copy of a Texas driver’s license or identification card reflecting the property’s address. Filing for an exemption is free.

Several types of homestead exemptions are available, including a general residence homestead exemption and exemptions for people over the age of 65, people and veterans with disabilities, and the surviving spouses of service members or first responders killed in the line of duty. To be eligible for a homestead exemption, a property owner must own and occupy a property.

Additionally, property owners who began claiming a homestead exemption on their property from 2010 to 2019 will be included in the District’s exemption verification program for 2026. The verification process ensures exemptions are applied only to eligible properties, as required by state law. If a homeowner needs to provide any information to the District as part of the verification process, they will be notified directly. No action is required unless a taxpayer receives a notice from TCAD.

Added Mann, “Property owners who need help with their forms should never pay someone to assist them. Our staff is always available to help.”

TCAD’s homestead exemption hotline is available to provide property owners with assistance in completing their applications and verifications. By calling 512-873-1560, Travis County residents can speak with a customer service representative who can answer their questions and help with submitting completed forms. The helpline is staffed Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Travis County property owners can view the current exemptions on their property, review a list of available homestead exemptions, and download or complete exemption application forms online at traviscad.org/homesteadexemptions. More information on the exemption verification process is available at traviscad.org/verify.

About the Travis Central Appraisal District

The mission of Travis Central Appraisal District, in accordance with the Texas Constitution and the laws of the state, is to provide accurate appraisal of all property in Travis County at one hundred percent market value, equally and uniformly, in a professional, ethical, economical and courteous manner, working to ensure that each taxpayer pays only their fair share of the property tax burden. For more information, please visit traviscad.org.

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