1 hour ago I'm 70 and want to buy a home to live in with my son, how do we avoid it becoming an inheritance tax trap?

I am about to buy a house that will enable my son and daughter-in-law to move in with me so that I can be near my grandchildren.

Society

1 hour ago Lanarkshire Law Estate Agent finalist for Best Local Estate Agent of the Year at the Herald Business Awards 2025

The achievement follows an impressive winning streak for the team, having been awarded Best North Lanarkshire Estate Agent 2023 at the Scottish Business Awards and Best Estate Agent in Lanarkshire 2024.

Events

2 h. ago Pope makes new plea during rite of passage visit to presidential palace

Pope Leo XIV also thanked the country for its efforts to combat human trafficking

Politics

2 h. ago 'm 70 and want to buy a home to live with my son, how do we avoid it becoming an inheritance tax trap?

I am about to buy a house that will enable my son and daughter-in-law to move in with me so that I can be near my grandchildren.

Society

2 h. ago California restaurants will have to disclose food allergens on their menus under new law

California will become the first state in the nation to require restaurants to disclose major food allergens on their menus starting in 2026

Society

3 h. ago ‘Under 5ft 5in? Forget about being a prince!’ How the Royal Ballet is kicking out the old rules

What will the ballet dancer of the future look like? We visit the hunting lodge where the next generation are being trained – and find huge changes are under wayIt’s an idyllic autumn day in leafy Richmond Park, London, where a grand Georgian hunting lodge houses the Royal Ballet school. Enter through the classical columns and it feels like a bubble away from the world. “I was on a video call with my son,” says the school’s artistic director, Iain Mackay. “He said, ‘Where are you? Hogwarts?!’” This is indeed a place of magic for children who come here, hoping to follow in the footsteps of generations of leading dancers. They touch the middle finger of Margot Fonteyn’s statue for luck as they pass, the bronze rubbed shiny by their superstition.Getting a place at the school, founded in 1926 by the formidable Ninette de Valois, is a huge achievement. Two years ago, 40 students were accepted from more than 1,000 applications (all on merit – 90% are supported by bursaries). Mackay, 45, a...

Politics

3 h. ago ‘Under 5ft 5in? Forget about being a prince!’ How the Royal Ballet school is kicking out the old rules

What will the ballet dancer of the future look like? We visit the hunting lodge where the next generation are being trained – and find huge changes are under wayIt’s an idyllic autumn day in leafy Richmond Park, London, where a grand Georgian hunting lodge houses the Royal Ballet school. Enter through the classical columns and it feels like a bubble away from the world. “I was on a video call with my son,” says the school’s artistic director, Iain Mackay. “He said, ‘Where are you? Hogwarts?!’” This is indeed a place of magic for children who come here, hoping to follow in the footsteps of generations of leading dancers. They touch the middle finger of Margot Fonteyn’s statue for luck as they pass, the bronze rubbed shiny by their superstition.Getting a place at the school, founded in 1926 by the formidable Ninette de Valois, is a huge achievement. Two years ago, 40 students were accepted from more than 1,000 applications (all on merit – 90% are supported by bursaries). Mackay, 45, a...

Politics

3 h. ago Albert Herring review – ENO heralds new era with witty staging of Britten’s story of a mummy’s boy

Coliseum, LondonEnglish National Opera’s first shared production between London and Salford is a fluent and finely sung take on Britten’s 1947 comic opera. Antony McDonald’s lively staging gives the slender tale a sitcom feelThis is English National Opera’s first production shared between London and Greater Manchester – where the company has been obliged to plan to move its base, following Arts Council England’s diktat. The choice of a relatively small-scale opera – necessary in the circumstances – means it was never going to be the kind of show to announce the new era with a bang. Albert Herring is Britten’s 1947 work based on a slender 19th-century French story about a mummy’s boy suddenly finding freedom calls for only a small orchestra and no chorus, so the company won’t be heading en masse to Salford next week. It’s regular fare at music colleges thanks to its large and even cast, but this staging, surprisingly, is an ENO first.Billing Antony McDonald’s production as a semi-sta...

Politics

4 h. ago Prince Sverre Magnus, 19, ditches Norway for Milan to 'move in with his girlfriend'

The royal,19, the son of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has reportedly moved to Milan to live with his girlfriend, Amalie Giæver Macleod, according to SE og HØR .

Politics

4 h. ago Lecornu backs delaying rise in French retirement age until after 2027 presidential election – Europe live

PM says that law increasing age to 64 will be put on pause in bid to stave off losing a no-confidence vote that would bring down his governmentThe Kremlin said on Tuesday it welcomed US president Donald Trump’s desire to focus on the search for a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine after achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and hoped he would be able to push Kyiv towards a settlement.Addressing the Israeli Knesset a day earlier after brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas, Trump spoke of wanting to get a deal done with Iran over its nuclear programme, but said he would turn his attention to trying to end the war in Ukraine first.We are already well acquainted with Mr Witkoff; he is effective, has proven his effectiveness now in the Middle East, and we hope that his talents will continue to contribute to the work already under way in Ukraine.The Russian side remains open and ready for peaceful dialogue, and we hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skills o...

Politics

5 h. ago French prime minister proposes suspending controversial retirement age law until 2027 election

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu plans to suspend a controversial retirement age increase from 62 to 64

Politics

5 h. ago Three key questions answered ahead of major Ryanair boarding pass change

From November 12, Ryanair is operating a '100% Digital Boarding Pass' system - but how do you get one and what happens if your phone dies or you can't get WiFi or mobile data?

Politics

5 h. ago Ayrshire motorists braced for A77 road closures as works come to an end

Closures will take place on the A77 at Kennedy's Pass next week as work to replace roadside barriers comes to an end.

Transport

6 h. ago Troubles legacy law battle ‘constitutionally profound’, Supreme Court told

The Northern Ireland Office has taken a battle over the 2023 Legacy Act to the UK’s highest court.

Events

6 h. ago How millions of car owners could be owed compensation after landmark legal battle

Compensation for drivers could be worth ‘thousands’ says one law firm

Events

6 h. ago Treatment of trans people in Britain could breach human rights law, warns ECHR watchdog

Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, has written to senior MPs to raise his concerns about trans rights in the UK.

Events

7 h. ago 'I found a £40 Tu Sainsbury's coat that rivals designer styles and it's still in stock'

Tu Clothing's fringed jacket could easily pass for a high-end designer jacket, and I can't believe it's still available to shop online in all sizes

Economics

7 h. ago Letitia James warns of ‘powerful voices trying to silence the truth’ – US politics live

New York attorney general strikes a defiant tone during Mamdani rally in first appearance since her indictmentBarack Obama took aim at institutions and businesses who made deals or worked out settlements with the Trump administration, noting on a new podcast episode: “We all have this capacity, I think, to take a stand.”In a talk with Marc Maron on the comedian’s last edition of his long-running WTF With Marc Maron, the former US president said institutions – including law firms, universities and businesses – that have changed course during the Trump administration should have stood by their convictions. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago Carmakers 'would rather cheat than follow the law' over emissions, High Court told as largest class action in English history kicks off

Over 1.6 million motorists are taking legal action against more than a dozen manufacturers over claims that several diesel vehicles produced from 2009 onwards contained 'defeat devices'.

Events

7 h. ago Pope urges Italy to remain open to migrants during rite of passage visit to presidential palace

Pope Leo XIV has thanked Italy for its efforts to combat human trafficking but urged the country to remain open to welcoming and integrating migrants

Politics