International News

Prices are rising faster than they have done for 40 years. The Bank of England says the recent increases in energy bills, which are set to be three times more than they were a year ago, will drive inflation - the rate at which prices rise - even higher, to 13%. The increase in the cost of living is putting a squeeze on people's finances, as wages fail to keep up. What is inflation? Inflation is the increase in the price of something over time. For example, if a bottle of milk co...

Analysis: While chancellor says unemployment has rarely been lower, Bank of England predicts recession will push up jobless rate There are two ways of looking at the state of Britain’s labour market. In one it is a case of the glass being half full, in the other half empty. If you are a government minister you take the former view. Nadhim Zahawi said the unemployment rate of 3.8% has rarely been lower in decades and the chancellor is right about that. What’s more, the econom...

TUC calls on Department for Work and Pensions to make move to help workers access key benefits Ministers should urgently classify Covid-19 as an occupational disease to prompt employers to reduce the risk of exposure and help workers access key benefits, the TUC has said. The UK is out of step with other major countries that have recognised Covid as a disease that people can get in the course of their work, especially in certain sectors, it says. The umbrella body for British trade unio...

An amber extreme heat warning has come into force, with temperatures forecast to hit 37C (99F) in some parts of the UK over the next four days. The Met Office alert for southern and central England and parts of Wales runs from midnight on Thursday until Sunday. It has also issued its highest alert for fire severity over the weekend, warning there is an "exceptional" risk of blazes spreading in many places. The highest temperature on Thursday was 34.2C, at Wiggonholt in West Sussex. F...

The UK housing market came under further pressure from the cost-of-living crisis in July as sales and buyer demand fell, and agents turned increasingly gloomy on the outlook, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said. The closely-watched survey showed sales expectations for the next 12 months are at the lowest level since March 2020, and new buyer inquiries fell for a third month -- the longest run since the early days of the pandemic. Measures of current sales also fell. The repor...

According to British property website Zoopla, rents in central London rose by nearly 20% in the first quarter of this year and 10% in outer London. Some British resident groups have reported that the shortage of housing supply in London has led to fierce competition for rental housing. Some tenants experienced rents being increased by 40% when they renewed their leases, and some were even asked to pay one year's rent in one go. In May 2020, an average of about 5 tenants competed for one r...

Thames Water has said it is planning to announce a hosepipe ban in the coming weeks. While the water company has not revealed when exactly a ban would come into force, the public should expect it to start some time soon and to affect the company's entire service area. A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Given the long-term forecast of dry weather and another forecast of very hot temperatures coming this week, we are planning to announce a temporary use ban in the coming weeks. ...

Birmingham is expecting a surge of tourists over the summer as the city’s reputation receives a boost from the Commonwealth Games, business leaders said as the 11-day sports event comes to a close. The event has been heralded as a roaring success for the Midlands city, with more than 1.5m tickets sold – making it on track to be one of the most successful Commonwealth Games in history. “I can categorically say this will be the busiest August that Birmingham has ever enjoye...