Mortgage rates are falling but borrowers are still feeling the squeeze – a finance expert explains how to cut your repayments: Cast Of Thousands/Shutterstock Around 5 million households have seen their mortgage interest rate change since the Bank of England base rate started to rise in late 2021. Over the course of the 2023 alone, …
Five tips on talking politics with family without falling out – from a conflict resolution expert: Family gatherings can be difficult, especially when politics enters the conversation. If you feel anxious about discussing divisive issues and falling out with people you love, you are not alone. The war between Israel and Gaza, climate change, culture …
Trade unions in the UK and US have become more powerful despite political interference and falling memberships: In September 2023, Joe Biden became the first sitting US president to join strikers on a picket line. He told car workers that they “deserve a significant raise and other benefits”. Even more surprisingly perhaps, those same workers …
Forests are vital to protect the climate, yet the world is falling far behind its targets: Atstock Productions / shutterstock The world is falling behind on commitments to protect and restore forests, according to the recent Forest Declaration Assessment. There is no serious pathway to fixing climate change while forest losses continue at current rates, …
House prices are falling, but that doesn’t mean you should buy now – here’s what first-time buyers should consider: Andrii Iemelianenko/Shutterstock House prices in the UK fell by 3.4% in the last year, the biggest annual fall in nearly 14 years. The inflation-adjusted average house price is now what it was in 2014. While this …
Your rented house is falling apart – here are your rights to getting it repaired: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock Waking up to the sight of black mould spreading across your bedroom walls would be distressing for anyone, but if you live in rented accommodation, there is an added layer of anxiety. Complaining about the disrepair in your rented …
China’s population has peaked and is now falling – opportunities and risks for Africa: Oleg Elkov/GettyImages China will no longer be the world’s most populous nation. India’s population will overtake it this year at an estimated population of 1.42 billion. It’s an epochal transition which speaks to other underlying demographic changes across the world, including …
Rahima Moosa: South Africa’s only mother and child hospital is falling apart – a veteran doctor reflects on why: Papi Morake/ Gallo Images via Getty Images South Africa’s health ombudsman recently published the findings of an investigation into Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. The investigation followed the publication of a video showing pregnant women …
Gas prices are falling but your energy bills still won’t be affordable any time soon: Irina Gutyryak / shutterstock Wholesale gas prices – the price paid by the company that then sells it on to you – are at last starting to fall to levels below where they were before Russia invaded Ukraine in February …
How to avoid falling victim to an online scam — research says slow down: It's easy to fall for an online scam if you're in a hurry Bits And Splits/Shutterstock Keeping up with the latest digital cons is exhausting. Fraudsters always seem to be one step ahead. But our study found there is one simple …
Tax returns: scams are rising rapidly – how to spot a fake phone call and avoid falling victim: If only it was this easy to detect a scam phone call. Sam72/Shutterstock Tax deadlines, such as the annual January 31 deadline for filing UK self-assessment tax returns, typically cause an uptick in tax scams. This year, …
Britishvolt: more evidence UK is falling far behind in race to capture growing EV market: T. Schneider/Shutterstock Britishvolt, the would-be electric vehicle (EV) battery maker that recently went into administration, always faced an uphill struggle. The start-up had no track record developing technology and never confirmed how it would raise the £3.8 billion needed to …
Three charts that explain why falling living standards could deepen the UK’s north-south divide: SrideeStudio / Shutterstock Living standards are set to fall by 7% in the UK over the next two years, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) – the government’s independent economic forecaster – but some areas will be hit harder …
South Africa’s public service: real spending is falling, but demand is growing: Winnie Ngwekasi Primary School in Soweto, South Africa. Public schools have been under pressure since this picture was taken in 2009. Stephane de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images Core public services – basic education, healthcare and criminal justice – account for a large share …
Monkeypox case numbers are falling, but that doesn’t mean it’s going away anytime soon: Vaccinating at-risk groups is just one of the public health strategies many countries are using. Ground Picture/ Shutterstock The global outbreak of monkeypox has been going on for nearly five months now. In that time, over 60,000 people have been infected …
Mexico: new research shows the link between opening schools and falling murder rates: In Mexico an average of 94 people were murdered every day in 2021, an increase of 76% since 2015, demonstrating a rapid rise in killings across the country. Understandably, researchers and government officials are urgently looking for ways to bring down this …
Film review: falling in love with Cabo Verdean singer Cesária Évora all over again: Cesária Évora on stage in the new documentary by Ana Sofia Fonseca. Courtesy Cesária Évora film/Encounters Ana Sofia Fonseca’s feature documentary Cesária Évora opens with hand-held, bootleg-style footage of the legendary Cabo Verdean morna singer in rehearsal. It is visually inauspicious …
Greenwashing: how ads get you to think brands are greener than they are – and how to avoid falling for it: Brands have several tricks up their sleeves to convince ad viewers their products are sustainable. Shutterstock Ads are ubiquitous in many people’s lives, whether on billboards across our cities or on our phones as …