34 m. ago Tiny beach hut on exclusive Dorset coast hits the market for £430,000 despite having no mains electricity

The current owners bought the timber chalet in 1997 for about £60,000 but the beach huts at Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, Dorset, have since shot up in value.

Economics

1 hour ago How Dungeons & Dragons helped my siblings and me grieve our father’s death

Fantasy realms offer a place to escape when our own world is too intense, too boring, too heartbrokenThe idea of being present with your grief might evoke virtuous images of letting ashes blow in the wind like dandelion seeds, days spent flipping through family photo albums, or crossing the finish line of a charity run in honor of your person. Grief at different times in your journey might look like all those things to you.Perhaps your life might call for you to find the off switch. Or if there’s not one to be found, to turn the volume up on something else in your life to drown out the noise that all this grappling with death can stir up. Fantasy football. National politics. FBoy Island. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Reeves warned there is 'not a hope in hell' work coaches plan will slash £5bn from welfare and stave off fresh tax hikes as ministers panic over calls for cuts

Rachel Reeves is facing a battle to avoid the need for tax rises at the Spring Statement later this month, after stalling growth and rising debt interest costs laid waste to her plans.

Economics

3 h. ago Germany bond rout worst since fall of Berlin Wall as Merz promises to boost defences

Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz (pictured) outlined plans to exclude military spending from the country's stringent 'debt brake' rule to free up cash.

Politics

4 h. ago Zelenskyy joins EU leaders’ meeting over €800bn defence plan after Macron’s stark Russia warning – Europe live

Leaders gather to discuss €800bn plan to boost military capacity and help Ukraine as French president says Europe has to be ready to defend itself without US helpSee all our Ukraine war coverageFrance is offering intelligence to Ukraine, French defence minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday, with Paris stepping in to help and fill the void left after the US suspended its intelligence sharing with Kyiv.Speaking to France Inter radio, he also said that president Macron asked him to accelerate the French aid packages “to compensate” for the suspended US aid.In a famously cautious political culture, Mr Merz’s bid to bypass legal restrictions on government debt represents a seismic shift. It would permit a step-change in defence spending for years to come, putting Germany in a leadership position as Europe seeks strategic autonomy from the United States.Mr Merz, a former investment banker, has been a deficit hawk and economic liberal throughout his career. It is an irony of fate tha...

Events

12 h. ago The glamorous Botox salon beautician pictured with Elon Musk at Trump's joint session speech

Heather Valentino sparked speculation as the mystery woman seen chatting to the SpaceX founder during the joint session on Tuesday.

Politics

13 h. ago Germany's incoming Chancellor pledges to do 'whatever it takes' to boost the nation's defences and moves to lift 'debt brake'

Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz (pictured) outlined plans to exclude military spending from the country's stringent 'debt brake' rule to free up cash.

Politics

17 h. ago European markets soar as Germany moves to lift ‘debt brake’ and raise defence spending

Berlin’s ‘big bazooka’ proposal sends industrial stocks surging but fiscal sea change also hikes borrowing costsBusiness live – German debt ‘bazooka’ rallies stocks and euroEuropean financial markets have rallied sharply and German borrowing costs have soared after the country’s prospective leaders announced a historic deal to loosen its “debt brake” rule to boost spending on defence.The yield – in effect the interest rate – on 30-year German government bonds rose by about 25 basis points to 3.08% in its biggest daily increase since October 1998. Continue reading...

Economics

18 h. ago 'I was drowning in debt when I bought £20k nail salon on a whim

Sarah Abel’s impulse spending was out of control but she was convinced that she could turn her finances around and make a success out of her new beauty venture

Economics

19 h. ago British tourist drowned after falling into lake while kayaking with friends on holiday in Thailand, inquest told

Adventure-loving engineer Shanghaman Gowribalan, 24, was kayaking with his friends on a dam when his kayak overflowed with water.

Events

19 h. ago JENNI MURRAY: One friend's son is struggling with drugs. Another is in terrible debt. We're failing a generation of young men... and there's a devastating cause

It's only by raising boys with love and mutual respect that we have any hope of redressing the balance between the sexes. We can achieve equality only if men are fully on board.

Events

19 h. ago Michael Sheen writes off £1m worth of debt for people as he takes on 'bizarre' system

Michael Sheen's Secret Million Pound Giveaway will air on Channel 4 next week and the documentary sees the acclaimed actor set out to help people who have debt

Economics

19 h. ago One friend's son is struggling with drugs. Another is in terrible debt. We're failing a generation of young men... and there's a devastating cause

It's only by raising boys with love and mutual respect that we have any hope of redressing the balance between the sexes. We can achieve equality only if men are fully on board.

Events

19 h. ago ‘A risky bet’: Friedrich Merz criticised over plan to lift Germany’s debt rules

Chancellor-in-waiting accused of taking part in ‘debt orgy’ after proposing loosening rules to boost defenceGermany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, is facing a barrage of criticism from opposition politicians over his radical proposals to loosen rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending and boost the economy.The CDU/CSU leader’s proposals for a multibillion-euro package, agreed with his potential coalition partners the Social Democrats, have been described as everything from a “bazooka” to “an extremely risky bet” by economists. He himself has called them vital “in light of the threats to our freedom and peace on our continent”. Continue reading...

Events

20 h. ago Former police officer admits manslaughter of four paddleboarders who drowned 'in worst ever accident'

Nerys Bethan Lloyd admitted manslaughter over deaths of four people in ‘Britain’s worst’ paddleboarding tragedy

Events

21 h. ago Maria Bartiromo goes on rant after Fox Business segment on how Trump just added $20k to price of RAM trucks

Maria Bartiromo went on an impassioned pro-Trump rant after a Fox Business segment on how Trump's new tariffs added $20k to the price of RAM trucks.

Economics

21 h. ago Instructor admits manslaughter of four people who drowned while paddleboarding in 'hazardous' conditions

The CPS said the company director holds "complete and entire responsibility" for the deaths of the paddleboarders

Events

21 h. ago ‘The relationship is broken’: Canada responds to Trump’s tariff threats

Many Canadians say they will boycott US goods and will not cross the border while Trump is in office“Since Donald Trump began his tariff threats against Canada and his ‘jokes’ about making Canada the 51st US state, I have not bought a single product originating in the US,” said Lynne Allardice, 78, a retired business owner from New Brunswick, Canada.“Not a single lettuce leaf or piece of fruit. I have become an avid reader of labels and have adopted an ‘anywhere but the US’ policy when shopping. I will not visit the States while Trump remains in office, and most of the people I know have adopted the same policy.” Continue reading...

Politics

21 h. ago ‘The relationship is broken’: Canadians respond to Trump’s tariffs

Many plan to boycott US goods and say they will not cross the border while Trump is in office“Since Donald Trump began his tariff threats against Canada and his ‘jokes’ about making Canada the 51st US state, I have not bought a single product originating in the US,” said Lynne Allardice, 78, a retired business owner from New Brunswick, Canada.“Not a single lettuce leaf or piece of fruit. I have become an avid reader of labels and have adopted an ‘anywhere but the US’ policy when shopping. I will not visit the States while Trump remains in office, and most of the people I know have adopted the same policy.” Continue reading...

Politics

21 h. ago Man who killed mum in Valentine's Day pub shooting drowned in river after 'falling'

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Tribute's have been paid to the 'best' mum who was gunned down in the carpark of a pub by her 'intimate' partner as the prime suspect is believed to have died after a car was found near a bridge

Events