Some higher-earning couples with smaller deposits could borrow extra £130,000 as a result of overnight changes. Some couples applying for a Santander mortgage will see the maximum they can borrow increase by £130,000 overnight after the bank loosened its lending rules. Santander is the latest in a line of lenders...
Keir Starmer to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street
London meeting comes as PM says Britain ready to ‘increase pressure’ on Moscow with further sanctions. Keir Starmer will be joined by the Ukrainian president at Downing Street on Thursday morning, as Europe braces for the outcome of Donald Trump’s face-to-face discussions with his Russian counterpart later this week. The...
Serbia’s police intervene as ruling party supporters face off against anti-government protesters
Months of protests in Serbia reached a new intensity Wednesday night as riot police intervened to separate rival demonstrations of anti-government protesters and supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic. The president once again accused unnamed foreign powers of orchestrating the protests, which first began after the deadly collapse of a subway...
Spain suffers third wildfire death
Spain on Thursday mourned its third wildfire death this week and Greece began beating back a blaze threatening its third-largest city Patras as an unrelenting heatwave stoked tinderbox conditions in southern Europe. The extreme summer heat, which scientists say human-driven climate change is lengthening and intensifying, has fuelled blazes and...
No country is safe: deadly Nordic heatwave supercharged by climate crisis
Historically cool nations saw hospitals overheating and surge in drownings, wildfires and toxic algal blooms. The prolonged Nordic heatwave in July was supercharged by the climate crisis and shows “no country is safe from climate change”, scientists say. Norway, Sweden and Finland have historically cool climates but were hit by...
Conservatives not close to recognising ‘how badly placed they are
Former minister says Tories are ignoring heartland voters and risk losing ground to Reform in next election. The Conservatives are “not close to recognising” how badly they are positioned for the next election, the former cabinet minister David Gauke has said. Gauke, a former justice secretary who also worked in...
Russian hackers seized control of Norwegian dam
Russian hackers took control of a Norwegian dam this year, opening a floodgate and allowing water to flow unnoticed for four hours, Norway’s intelligence service has said. The admission, by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), marks the first time that Oslo has formally attributed the cyber-attack in April on...
Migrants swim from Morocco to Ceuta
Seven children reach shore as dozens of people intercepted on risky route, which authorities say is now used more often About 100 people, including several children, risked their lives by trying to swim from Morocco into Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta early on Saturday morning, as the territory’s authorities...
Prince Harry considers founding new charity after Sentebale dispute
Duke of Sussex ‘absolutely committed’ to supporting children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana Prince Harry is considering establishing a new charity after a dispute that led to him leaving Sentebale, a spokesperson has said. It comes after the Duke of Sussex was criticised by the Charity Commission for...
Strong winds drive dozens of wildfires in Greece
“These are certainly the most difficult 24 hours of the firefighting season,” declared the president of the Union of Fire Officers. Greece has called on the EU civil protection mechanism to secure four additional water-bombing aircraft. Greece was battling around twenty wildfires on Wednesday, August 13, facing what fire service...