What we built for readers in September: seven free services

We decided that a paper for someone living in a foreign country is not only news. Half the questions here are settled not by reading but by doing: check something, work something out, make a deadline. So through September services grew up alongside the feed. None of them asks for registration, none of them charges.

A calendar of holidays, deadlines and official events

Bank holidays from the official GOV.UK list, tax deadlines, Bank of England rate decisions, the dates new rules take effect. It moves month by month and year by year, and each date opens a day with an explanation and a source link. There is a search: type “return” or “christmas”. Open the calendar.

Right to rent and right to work checks

If you let a room or hire someone, the check is yours to make, and only that check protects you from a penalty. We have put the three government services in one place: check a tenant, check a worker, view your own status. We check nobody’s status and collect no data — share codes and dates of birth are entered on GOV.UK alone. Go to the checks.

The sanctions list

Before sending money or signing a deal you can run a person, company or bank against the OFSI consolidated list — the same one British banks work from. We refresh it daily and search works in both Russian and English. Search the list.

Fuel prices

The chains are required to publish their prices as open feeds; we collect them and show them as they are. Enter a postcode and see where it is cheaper nearby, with the date each station last updated. Within one city the spread reaches thirty pence a litre. See the prices.

Register checks and calculators

A VAT number in the HMRC register, a company at Companies House, a postcode with its district and constituency. Alongside them: a VAT calculator, take-home pay and a Schengen day counter for the 90-in-180 rule. Registers · Calculators.

Classifieds in two languages

A listing is free, needs no registration and runs for 60 days. It is now translated into the site’s other language automatically: a Russian listing reads in English and the other way round. We say plainly that it is a machine translation, the original opens in one tap, and the advertiser says which language to use with them. Open the board.

Posting from a phone in a minute

Our bot @onlyway_news_bot walks you through on buttons: section, title, description, price, city, photos from your gallery, how to reach you. No email confirmation — Telegram has already confirmed who you are. Every listing also goes straight to our channel @AdsOnlyWayNews.

What comes next

Soon: a week’s weather forecast, explainers and expert comment inside the calendar events, and video on the same subjects we write about. If something is missing or not working, write to us at info@onlyway.news. We read everything.