'I'm praying interest rates have peaked now'
Interest rates have been held at 5.25% by the Bank of England, after 14 consecutive rises. But they are still at their highest for 15 years. How are homeowners coping?
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Latest Articles
How Essex found itself at the heart of the school concrete crisis
Why is Essex so badly affected by the concrete crisis?
Leeds West Indian Carnival: Police uniform twist on costume designs
This is an article I co-wrote for the BBC regarding an unusual project in which a group of young, urban teenagers collaborated with the police to raise awareness of racial equality at the Leeds West Indian Carnival.
River Stour swimmers criticise bathing water rule changes
Wild swimmers hoping for bathing water status for their local river said they were "horrified" after the government changed the rules. The swimmers are applying for water quality to be monitored in the River Stour in Manningtree, Essex.
Charlie Mackesy: 'I was hiding in the toilet before I won my Oscar'
"I was overwhelmed. I would get letters from school children, from prisons and from doctors and nurses who are just so brave and they said the book was helping them through the pandemic. I keep them all in a file. I still look at them at night. Book sales are …
Mum paints stretch marks on Barbie for daughter
A mother who developed stretch marks while pregnant has painted some on her daughter's Barbie "so she can grow up knowing they are normal". Her daughter, now three, is a fan of Barbies but Mrs Claxton could not find any she felt represented her own body. "I would love the …
Cancer patients welcome NHS drug policy change
Before the rule change, if a patient took a treatment break for longer than six weeks they would have to reapply for NHS funding, with no guarantee it would be approved. Mr Marsland, who has incurable cancer, needed to pause his treatment for a hernia operation last year. He had …
Mortgage crisis: 'We can't pay an extra £1,400 a month'
"My husband and I both work and luckily we've got savings but we're going to have to really cut back and be really cautious. We just don't know when things are going to get better and we might have to consider selling our house in the future," she says. "I …
'Sharing my egg-freezing journey nearly broke me'
Vicky Pattison says she does not regret sharing her egg-freezing journey, despite negative messages.
AI-Assisted Tinkering with John Lennon’s Vocals Pushes More Than the Bounds of Creativity
AI has "extricated" John Lennon's voice from an old demo, thus allowing Paul McCartney to yield the Beatles' final album. Despite the delight of this feat, does such an extrication encroach on transhumanistic ideas?
Instagram hackers defeated by kindness, businesswoman says
A woman who lost her Instagram account after being hacked said she was "so grateful" to thousands of strangers who have saved her small business. "It has changed my life. It has kept my business going. It just goes to show that kindness can conquer all." She launched her business …
Flesh-eating bug nearly kills new mum
After a scan revealed pockets of gas underneath her tissue, they realised it could be necrotising fasciitis. Doctors said she needed immediate surgery to remove a large amount of dead tissue to stop the flesh-eating bacteria from spreading. Miss Chatterton was kept sedated for three days and woke up to …
'I hit rock bottom while trying to have a baby'
Infertility can devastate people's mental health, relationships, finances and career, a charity says.
Hundreds take to the water for clean river campaign
The S.W.I.M (Safe Water in Manningtree) team has to count the number of people who use the water on 20 different days over the summer to prove it is a popular bathing spot. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs considers how many people bath there, whether the site …
ChatGPT: US lawyer admits using AI for case research
A judge said the court was faced with an "unprecedented circumstance" after a filing was found to reference example legal cases that did not exist. The original case involved a man suing an airline over an alleged personal injury. His legal team submitted a brief that cited several previous court …
Sheffield Wednesday: Joy, tears and disbelief after play-off comeback
"The atmosphere was brilliant," she said. "From start to finish, walking back, cars beeping, everybody singing. I'm still up there, I can't come down. I'm just on a high, walking round with big beady eyes thinking 'oh my God what did we do last night?'. It's just incredible, absolutely incredible." …
'I've been stuck in my bedroom for two years'
A young woman with a rare disease says she is not being supported to have any quality of life.
'I couldn't close my lips after botched filler'
"With the standards of our generation and social media these days, I just thought I wanted it done. There is this massive pressure and so much talk about it. It just seems like the normal thing to do," she says.
Mum who missed baby's birth determined to recover
A mum who missed the first six months of her baby's life due to a brain tumour is determined to get better for her daughter, her partner said.
Firms told to cut down on alcohol at work parties
Businesses are being urged to limit the amount of alcohol served at work social events in order to prevent people from acting inappropriately towards others. The warning from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) comes as it releases a new poll, suggesting a third of managers have seen harassment or inappropriate …
'Breastfeeding at the marathon was so emotional'
Louise Appleton, 31, from St Albans, breastfed her six-month-old daughter Emma several times during the marathon, which she finished in just over six hours, having spent around half an hour of that feeding. She could not find the dedicated breastfeeding tents and ended up feeding her daughter on a bench …
Why people are suing L'Oréal over hair relaxers
"More research in larger, higher-quality studies is needed to confirm if there's a link. It's important to remember that even if there was an increased cancer risk from hair straightening, it would likely be smaller than known causes of cancer, like age, smoking and obesity." In 2021, the group launched …
Why people are suing L'Oréal over hair relaxers
"More research in larger, higher-quality studies is needed to confirm if there's a link. It's important to remember that even if there was an increased cancer risk from hair straightening, it would likely be smaller than known causes of cancer, like age, smoking and obesity." In 2021, the group launched …
UK inflation: Supermarkets say price rises will ease soon
A drop in the cost of wholesale food prices globally has not led to falls in the prices charged by UK supermarkets. Inflation was expected to fall below 10% last month but soaring food prices meant it fell by less than expected. "You would expect to see [global food price …
Climate change: How to be green on a budget
More than two thirds of people feel "very or somewhat worried" about climate change, according to the latest UK census.
Frozen food beating fresh as shoppers seek savings
Consumers are swapping from fresh to frozen food in a bid to combat rising grocery prices, retailers have told the BBC. Frozen food is outperforming fresh in supermarkets at the moment, data from research firm Kantar suggests. Frozen chicken, ready meals, pizzas and chips are the most popular items.
ChatGPT: Cardiff students admit using AI on essays
However, John is concerned about being caught in the future. He said if transcripts of his communication with the AI network were ever found, he fears his degree could be taken away from him. "I'm glad I used it when I did, in the final year of my degree, because …
'Long Covid has left me housebound and invisible'
Women are more likely to suffer from long Covid but being vaccinated almost halves the risk of developing the condition, a University of East Anglia study has found.