Author: News Desk

Some 55 per cent of respondents said they would support cutting or abolishing inheritance tax Majority of Brits support cutting or abolishing inheritance tax, new poll shows, as farming backlash grows The British public are in favour of cutting or abolishing inheritance tax, a new poll has shown, as backlash over the government’s tax raid on family farms continues to grow. Campaigners have said the survey should be a “reality check” for the government amid growing frustration over the decision to extend inheritance tax to agricultural properties. The latest polling, conduced by Public First for the Taxpayers’ Alliance – a…

Housing affordability remains ‘stretched’ across the UK Where are the most and least affordable areas to buy a house? House prices are continuing to grow and mortgage activity has been “surprisingly resilient” despite ongoing affordability challenges, according to a report from Britain’s biggest building society. Nationwide also found that people working as cleaners, couriers, labourers and in customer service or caring professions could potentially see more than half their take-home pay swallowed up by their mortgage, based on a typical first-time buyer property. UK housing affordability had seen a modest improvement over the past year, due to earnings growth marginally…

Booming use of temporary accommodation to house homeless families has led to ‘crisis situation’ for England’s councils Councils ‘haemorrhaging funds’ as costs of housing homeless surge Record levels of homelessness are placing unsustainable pressure on councils’ crumbling finances, an influential committee of MPs has warned as the annual cost of emergency accommodation rose by almost a third. The booming use of temporary accommodation for homeless families by local authorities has led to a “crisis situation” that must be urgently dealt with across government, a report from the Public Accounts Committee has found. Some 123,000 households in England are being housed…

Tens of thousands of people were allowed to return to their homes as authorities lifted an evacuation order on Thursday, with firefighters, aided by water-dropping helicopters, finding some success in restraining a fire in the mountains north of Los Angeles. Multiple uncontrolled fires around the city and its surrounding counties continue to place residents under evacuation warnings. Residents allowed to return as firefighters make progress on north Los Angeles fire

  A Paris court sentenced a Pakistani man to 30 years in prison on Thursday for a 2020 knife attack outside Charlie Hebdo’s former offices. The court found Zaheer Mahmood, 29, guilty of attempted murder and terrorism in an Islamist-motivated attack in September 2020, which left two people injured. Mahmood believed he was attacking employees of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, not realizing that the satirical magazine had relocated after Islamists gunned down 12 of the magazine’s staff in January 2015. Attack after Charlie republished cartoons of Prophet Mohammed The knife attack came five years after the Al-Qaeda-linked attack on Charlie Hebdo’s…

‘Gripping’ crime drama finally available to watch in the UK after months’ long wait After a four month wait, UK audiences can finally tune into a crime drama series declared ‘captivating’ by fans. First airing in the United States in September last year, High Potential is based on the French/ Belgian TV series HPI, which itself aired in 2021. The series stars Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Hacks) as single mother of three Morgan, who works as a cleaning lady for the Los Angeles Police Department. However, after she manages to solve a case – having a high…

Ninja Gaiden 4 by makers of Bayonetta out in 2025 – Ninja Gaiden 2 Black out now The mystery game in the Xbox Developer Direct was not quite such a mystery after all, as it’s revealed to be Ninja Gaiden 4 for Xbox and PS5. Despite Microsoft making a promise of a surprise new game reveal, during its Developer Direct on Thursday evening, the rumours quickly narrowed down what it was to either an Ecco The Dolphin reboot or a new Ninja Gaiden. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the latter which turned out to be right, although the annoucement that Ninja Gaiden…

Louis Theroux exposes Sharon Osbourne for ‘not reading her own books’ Louis Theroux has revealed he caught out Sharon Osbourne for ‘not reading her own book’. The broadcaster, 54, has interviewed a string of stars throughout his career, however he once accidentally left Sharon, 72, perplexed by his questioning. During a recent interview where the tables were turned and he was in the hot seat, Louis explained what unfolded. Although he didn’t go into detail when or what he was interviewing her for, Louis said she was confused when he started speaking to Sharon about details of her life. Recalling…

The Traitors ‘blindsided’ star Minah reveals fate-sealing mistake – and it’s not Charlotte Few could have predicted Charlotte’s machiavellian streak on The Traitors; least of all her recruiter, Minah, who was committed to the sisterhood. Despite Charlotte orchestrating Minah’s banishment, including voting for her at the roundtable in the ultimate act of treachery, Minah, 29, tells Metro that implicitly trusting the Welsh imposter was not the only nail in her coffin. The call centre manager admits she made the wrong moves in her last challenge – a traitorous spin on chess. ‘I should not have put myself down as the…

Gym bunny Dick Van Dyke reveals his secrets to staying healthy at 99 years old Dick Van Dyke has revealed his tips for staying healthy at the grand old age of 99 years old. The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor doesn’t stop at strolls – nope, he’s into core exercises and is a bit of a gym bunny, too. Speaking on Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast with hosts Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, Dick revealed his secrets to staying healthy approaching 100 – and it’s the gym, three times a week. He explained: ‘When you think… I go back to 1925,…