International News

People hoping to find a property to rent are going to ever greater lengths to secure a home. As well as having to put up more cash in advance, they're offering landlords CVs for their children and photos of their well-behaved dogs. That's because a shortage of available homes is pushing up monthly rents, deposits and leading to bidding wars. Industry body Propertymark says the number of rentals on the books of lettings agencies has fallen sharply. Propertymark surveyed over 4...

PROPERTY prices in Reading, Slough and Wokingham have doubled thanks to the newly built Elizabeth Line. Rightmove’s new Elizabeth Line study reveals asking prices have more than doubled over the past decade in the local areas around Twyford, Reading and Slough. A new study of millions of datapoints from the UK’s biggest property website Rightmove shows how local market activity in areas surrounding stations on the newly launched Elizabeth line has changed over the last ten yea...

Phenomenon last seen in March could turn sky orange with thunderstorms, high winds and downpours A cloud of Saharan dust could create a “blood rain” effect across the UK later this week, as it turns the rain from thunderstorms a shade of red, forecasters have predicted. “Blood rain” occurs when high concentrations of red-coloured dust or particles combine with rain, giving it a red appearance as it falls, according to the Met Office. The red or orange rain is expect...

The total - more than 23,000 - is a record high and comes as the UK has struggled to increase the number of home-grown nurses joining the register. Nurse leaders questioned whether international recruitment on this scale was sustainable. The Nursing and Midwifery Council data for 2021-22 also showed the numbers leaving the profession had risen. More than 27,000 left the register last year, up 13% on the year before and reversing a downward trend in leavers over recent years. In many ...

Large tech companies such as Google and Facebook will have to abide by new competition rules in the UK or risk facing huge fines, the government said. The new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be given powers to clamp down on "predatory practices" of some firms. The regulator will also have the power to fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover if they fail to comply. Besides boosting competition among tech firms, the rules also aim to give users more control over their data. T...

The United Kingdom is on track to introducing yet another visa to attract high potential individuals to the country. Expected to launch on May 30, the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa is aimed at attracting high-skilled foreign university graduates - who will be allowed to work and stay in the U.K. for two or three years, depending on their degree level. Applicants won't need a job offer or sponsorship and holders of this visa will be free to come to the UK to work, set up as self-...

Ukrainian group Antytila have teamed up with Ed Sheeran, releasing a new song partly filmed and recorded while serving in the war against Russia. Antytila are one of the biggest musical acts in Ukraine but stopped working to join the military. Proceeds from the song, released on Monday, will go to help the people of Ukraine. "Ed feels that pain, compassion and sympathy for Ukrainian people," lead singer Taras Topolya told the BBC. He said the lyrics were created while he was serving ...

Australia is among 56 nations signing a political commitment to push for the future of the internet to be underpinned by democratic values, in the face of hostile internet policies from countries such as China and Russia. The commitment — the first such effort of its kind, and known as the Declaration for the Future of the Internet — aims to protect human rights, promote the free flow of information, protect the privacy of users and set rules for a growing global digital economy. ...