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UK subsidence claims surge after hottest summer on record
UK insurers have reported a sharp rise in subsidence claims following the hottest summer on record in England and Wales, with Hastings Direct recording a near-140% jump in August claims compared with the same month last year. The surge, driven by five successive heatwaves after the warmest ever spring, matters because it signals a growing…
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The two-year trail of financial controversy dogging Reform and Farage
Reform UK’s annual conference in Birmingham has been overshadowed by fresh scrutiny of the party’s finances, after two senior officials were suspended following an undercover investigation that filmed them appearing to discuss ways to circumvent electoral law on foreign donations. The episode is the latest in a two-year string of controversies over money flowing to…
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Food delivery riders call on platforms to open up AI ‘black box’ they say has cut pay
Food delivery riders in Edinburgh are calling on platforms including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat to reveal how their pay-setting algorithms work, arguing that growing use of automation has driven down earnings even as workloads have stayed the same. Riders working with the Workers’ Observatory, a charity founded by gig economy workers and academics…
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A £500 gift or a free toothbrush: is it worth switching bank accounts?
British banks are escalating a “switching war” for current account customers, offering cash bonuses of up to £500 or freebies to entice people to move their accounts. This matters for consumers because, amid ongoing cost of living pressures, these incentives can provide a genuine financial boost, but many come with significant conditions attached, meaning shoppers…
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MAD Solutions & IRTH Strike Pan-Arab Development & Production Strategic Partnership – Venice
Cairo-based film and talent group MAD Solutions has struck a strategic partnership with IRTH, the pan-Arab drama development and production company founded by Egyptian author and screenwriter Haitham Dabbour. The tie-up combines MAD Solutions’ regional and international expertise in distribution, sales, talent management and marketing with IRTH’s creative development infrastructure and network of Arab writers,…
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Bayeux Tapestry makes historic UK debut at British Museum as King Charles and Macron view medieval artefact
The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived at the British Museum for its first public display in the United Kingdom since its creation nearly 1,000 years ago. King Charles and French President Emmanuel Macron visited the exhibition
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‘The noise was unbelievable’: the referee’s view of Mexico v England at the World Cup
Alireza Faghani, the Australian-Iranian referee who took charge of England’s fiery last-16 World Cup tie against Mexico, has described the intense conditions he faced at the Estadio Azteca, including a deafening crowd of nearly 90,000 fans and disruption caused by delayed kick-off times. His account offers a rare insider perspective on a match that England…
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Kennedy Center ceiling COLLAPSES in wild storm as photos from inside show destruction… as White House demands urgent change
Part of the ceiling in the Kennedy Center’s grand foyer collapsed on Friday evening after a severe storm swept through Washington DC, leaving a hole and scattering debris across the floor. No one was injured, but the incident has reignited debate over the Trump administration’s push to renovate the ageing cultural centre, with officials blaming…
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Bayeux Tapestry goes on display as Reform UK councillor quits
Charles and Macron viewed the historic tapestry, a Reform councillor quit amid financial mismanagement claims, a British couple died in Spain, Diddy’s defamation case advances, a US murder trial ended in mistrial, and Jack Lowden is tipped for Bond.
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Venice: ‘My Undesirable Friends’ Director on Epic Documentary About Death of Press Freedom in Russia, How Putin’s Crackdown Is Warning for U.S.
Julia Loktev’s documentary “My Undesirable Friends: Part 2 — Exile” premieres out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, continuing her real-time chronicle of independent Russian journalists as they flee Vladimir Putin’s regime following the invasion of Ukraine. The film serves as a sequel to the Oscar-shortlisted “Last Air in Moscow” and captures the human…