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‘We can see into the other room’: insurers face surge in subsidence claims
UK homeowners are reporting a sharp rise in subsidence damage after two record-hot summers, prompting insurers to warn of a “surge year” in claims. Cases such as that of Henry Biggs in Stroud, Gloucestershire, illustrate the problem: cracks that appeared shortly after he bought his 1970s house have widened into gaps large enough to see…
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‘It’s like a dog set loose on us’ – fear over Kenya’s crackdown on foreign traders
Kenyan President William Ruto’s order for foreign nationals to stop working as petty traders or running small businesses by 7 September has triggered fear and confusion among East African migrants living in Kenya, particularly Burundians. Many say the announcement, made in reference to draft legislation restricting foreign nationals from low-level trade, has been taken by…
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Saudi Arabia shuts down key oil pipeline after Iraq drone attack, sparking fears of energy price rises but Trump says ‘everything will work out fine’
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down a major cross-country oil pipeline as a precaution, a day after it was struck by drones that both Riyadh and Baghdad said originated in Iraq. The closure matters because the pipeline had been a vital alternative route for exports while tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted…
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Is this London’s ugliest home? House surrounded by rusting steel and razor wire is frozen in time – exactly how late owner left it
A derelict former corner shop on Charlemont Road in East Ham has become a talking point among locals and passers-by, who have branded it “London’s ugliest house” and compared it to Alcatraz due to its rusting steel barricades and razor wire. Long bricked up at the front with no windows, the property has remained untouched…
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I moved to Sydney thinking I’d found paradise. Two years later, I’m fleeing Australia’s most beautiful city… here’s what finally broke me
Sarah Brookes, a writer who relocated from Perth to Sydney’s Northern Beaches two years ago, has written about why she is now leaving what she calls Australia’s most beautiful city. She moved after her daughter chose a local public school and following the loss of her mother and grandmother, but says the city’s high cost…
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Sadiq Khan prepares to ban log burners in London in his latest ‘clean air’ clampdown on the capital
Sadiq Khan is preparing new laws to ban log burners across London, using zero-emission zones to enforce area-specific restrictions as part of a wider “clean air” clampdown. The move would force homeowners who have installed wood stoves, often costing between £2,000 and £4,000, to remove them, and forms part of a broader package of proposals…
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All FC 27 Ones to Watch players and release countdown
Ones to Watch (OTW), a popular Ultimate Team card promo, is rumoured to be returning for EA Sports FC 27, giving players an early look at the format they can expect once the mode launches. The promo traditionally spotlights players who have moved clubs over the summer transfer window with special dynamic cards that upgrade…
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Putin boosts his stock of nuclear warheads to nine-year high as he threatens West that putting troops into Ukraine ‘means war with Russia’
Vladimir Putin has expanded Russia’s nuclear arsenal for the fourth consecutive year while warning Nato that deploying troops to Ukraine would mean war with Russia. The increase, revealed by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, comes as tensions escalate over Western support for Kyiv, with Putin denying Russia poses any threat to Nato states even…
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‘The day he nearly killed me is the day that he saved my life’
The BBC reports on Sheffield Women’s Aid, a refuge that has supported domestic abuse victims for more than 50 years, as Attorney General Ellie Reeves visited to announce £5m in extra funding and measures aimed at improving how the justice system treats survivors. Two women, Michaela and Charmian Owston, shared their experiences of years of…
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Workshy young need tough love, says Alan Milburn: Those with mild ADHD and anxiety should lose benefits if they refuse to work
Alan Milburn, the former Labour minister currently leading a government review into youth unemployment, has called for a “tough love” approach to young people on benefits, arguing the current system amounts to “a total state failure”. He told The Times that those on health and disability benefits who are capable of working should face an…