UK house price predictions for 2025: with pay rising and rates falling, they’ll just keep going up
Posted on Saturday December 21, 2024

Nothing seems to stop the relentless march of property values, even with a stamp duty increase loomingIt’s been a bumpy ride for the housing market in recent years, after Liz Truss’s disastrous mini budget of September 2022 created a surge in borrowing costs that have cost many households dearly.But despite elevated mortgage and rent costs, the market this year has turned out to be “surprisingly resilient”, according to Nationwide building society. Experts had expected house prices to stay flat or fall, but average prices are expected to have risen by more than 3% in 2024, after falling by 1.4% in 2023. Continue reading...

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Rachel Reeves’ push to improve EU ties remains boxed in by red lines
Posted on Sunday December 22, 2024

Chancellor’s visit to EU meeting looks for smoother trade to improve growth but youth mobility scheme remains sticking pointRachel Reeves is seeking a “deeper, more mature relationship” between Britain and the EU: this was her central message to the bloc’s finance ministers in Brussels a fortnight ago.In her brief speech to the meeting of her European counterparts – the first a UK chancellor had attended since Brexit – Reeves mentioned the UK’s “relationship” with the EU, nine times. Continue reading...

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‘Heartless’ multinationals exploiting pensions loophole for UK workers
Posted on Sunday December 22, 2024

Hewlett Packard, American Express and Pfizer among firms to have frozen increases in payouts despite inflationSome of the world’s richest companies are accused of exploiting a loophole in pension law to freeze increases in payouts for many former UK employees, despite the cost of living crisis.The companies, which include Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), American Express and Pfizer, are being urged to “do the right thing” and increase these frozen pension payouts in line with inflation. MPs have condemned the failure of companies to increase the payments in the face of high inflation in recent years as “heartless” and “unethical”. Continue reading...

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It’s probably just a plane: drone experts advise calm over New Jersey sightings
Posted on Saturday December 21, 2024

Although politicians have called to shoot them down, experts say the lights are likely legal drones, planes – or starsAt first, in mid-November, the mysterious lights were seen blinking across the night skies of New Jersey. Then, they spread. Reports of incandescent flying objects were logged in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Bystanders in Virginia Beach said they saw an aircraft “unlike any other they’ve seen”. Sightings have now come from as far afield as Louisiana, Florida and Arizona. People across the US are looking up.No one seems to know for certain where these enigmatic flying objects are from or who is controlling them. But several lawmakers and much of the general public seem dead-set on one answer: a swarm of drones. Continue reading...

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OpenAI whistleblower who died was being considered as witness against company
Posted on Saturday December 21, 2024

Suchir Balaji, listed in court filing as having ‘relevant documents’ about copyright violation, died on 26 NovemberSuchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He had been well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI’s strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products. Continue reading...

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‘I won that fight’: Tyson Fury rejects defeat as judges’ ‘Christmas gift’ to Oleksandr Usyk
Posted on Sunday December 22, 2024

Fury refuses to accept three judges’ unanimous decision‘I will believe til the day I die that I won that fight’Tyson Fury described Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over him as a “Christmas gift” from the three judges who all scored the fight 116-112 in favour of the champion. The verdict was justifiably much more clearcut than the split-decision ruling that gave Usyk victory in May.But Fury offered his contrasting belief at the post-fight press conference: “I thought I won that fight. I thought I won both fights but I’m going home with two losses on my record. There’s not much I can do about it. I can just fight my heart out. Continue reading...

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Joe Root returns to England’s ODI squad but Ben Stokes not selected
Posted on Sunday December 22, 2024

In-form Root to play ODIs for first time since late 2023Stokes not considered after hamstring injuryJoe Root has been recalled to the England ODI side for the first time since the Jos Buttler-captained team put up an underwhelming ODI World Cup defence in November 2023.England’s white-ball squads will depart for the sub-continent on 17 January under the new coach and captain combination of Brendon McCullum and Buttler. The tour includes three ODIs and five IT20s against the white-ball juggernaut of India followed by the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 hosted by Pakistan in February and March. Continue reading...

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