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Buyer interest in English cottages has fallen 32 per cent since the first half of 2023. Cottage values are falling even as average UK house prices have risen 1.3 per cent. North Devon has seen the sharpest fall, with cottage values down 6.1 per cent. The UK cottage market is losing some of the appeal that made countryside homes so sought-after during the pandemic, with buyer interest down 32 per cent since the first half of 2023 , according to new analysis from Zoopla. The change is beginning to

More than 2,000 people gathered at Harrow Leisure Centre on Sunday (9) for the Global Youth Festival London Edition 2026, turning the venue into a vibrant celebration of wellbeing, spirituality, creativity and community. Held under the theme Hack Your Happiness, the day-long festival brought together young people, families and members of the wider community for an innovative programme combining ancient wisdom with contemporary approaches to wellbeing. The festival formed a major highlight of Pu

The Skoda Enyaq recorded the biggest rise, with average listing prices up 10 per cent. Hyundais Ioniq 5 and BMWs iX3 also outpaced Teslas Model Y and Model 3. Seven EVs increased in average listing value between January and June 2026. For years, Tesla has been one of the first names to come to mind when talking about electric cars in Britain. But in the used EV market, some rival brands are now moving faster on prices. Data from classified listings site CarGurus shows that Skoda, Hyundai, BMW an

Highlights Manchester City have signed Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for 1.7 million. Rulli was previously on City's books in 2016, but made zero first-team appearances before being sold on. Since leaving, he has won the Europa League with Villarreal, and the World Cup and Copa America with Argentina. Manchester City have signed Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for a fee of 1.7 million, the club has confirmed. The 34-year-old has signed a two-year contract

NIGEL FARAGE will fight to retain his parliamentary seat on Thursday, going head-to-head with parody candidate Count Binface in a snap poll. The by-election was called after Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, resigned last month as MP for Clacton-on-Sea. But his surprise move amid a probe into his finances has threatened to backfire, with none of the major political parties fielding a candidate and denouncing Farage's gamble as a stunt. Count Binface, a self-described interg

PRIME MINISTER Andy Burnham will chair a meeting of the government's emergency response committee on Wednesday to discuss measures to tackle extreme heat, wildfires and drought, his office said, as Britain faces its fifth heatwave of the year. Temperatures are expected to reach around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from Thursday across southern and eastern England and parts of the Midlands, the country's Met Office warned on Tuesday. Fire chiefs said they have responded to 966 wild

Highlights Tom Hollands 2026 box-office run includes The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day . Spider-Man: Brand New Day has crossed around 1.2 billion worldwide. Hollands career box-office total is reportedly above 10 billion, putting him closer to Hollywoods highest-grossing stars. Tom Holland is enjoying one of the biggest box-office years of his career, with two major releases helping push his cumulative worldwide gross towards the upper ranks of Hollywood's biggest earners. Christopher No

The limited-edition Charger Super Bee produces 600bhp from a 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six. It can switch from all-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive and reaches 60mph in 3.6 seconds. The new model is due in the US next year but is unlikely to be sold officially in the UK. The new Dodge Charger Super Bee is aimed at buyers who still want the drama of an American muscle car, even though the latest petrol Charger has moved away from the V8 that once defined the name. The limited-edition model get

IT TOOK three nights of violence in Thetford, Norfolk for the police to restore order. A crowd chanted get them out and deport, deport, deport as they pelted a house with eggs and smashed the windows. Several dozen people tried to break down the door, hoping to confront the people inside, violently attacking the police who blocked them. This violent criminality was not political protest, but an attempt at a xenophobic pogrom to drive out asylum seekers housed in the property. The police relocate

Forget subjective popularity contests. In 2026, influence is quantifiable, and South Asian representation in global media has violently shifted. For decades, it was limited to sidekick roles, niche indie films, or heavily stereotyped tropes. Today, the next generation of South Asian talent isn't just participating in the global entertainment economythey are driving it. Spanning India, Pakistan, the UK, the US, and the wider diaspora, here are the top trailblazers who will define the next decade

PRIME MINISTER Andy Burnham has vowed to crack down on hard-to-cancel subscriptions and fake discounts as part of measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, Downing Street said Sunday. The announcement came as the new Labour leader was due to return to work after a vacation and begin a tour of the country to speak to people about their financial pressures, his office said. Burnham said people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps, where subscriptions are difficult to

Highlights Harry Potter fans helped prompt the diversion of the 430m Greenlink interconnector away from Dobby's grave. The 125-mile cable connects the UK National Grid with Ireland via County Wexford and Freshwater West. Project manager Simon Ludlam said his company received hundreds of calls from concerned fans. Planners subsequently rerouted the underground cable away from Dobby's memorial. The National Trust previously agreed in 2022 that the mock grave could remain at Freshwater West. Dobby'

A 450,000 new-build in southern England could contain about 55,000 in policy-related costs, according to analysis. Housebuilders say the cost of delivering a new home has risen by 76,000 since 2020. The debate is growing over whether buyers should be shown more clearly what they are paying for. Buying a new-build home comes with one bill most buyers can see and several others they cannot. Stamp duty appears clearly on the paperwork, but the cost of planning obligations, environmental requirement

The AI Security Institute tests frontier AI models from companies including OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta before wider deployment. Recent tests uncovered AI systems attempting cyber attacks, creating fake identities and hiding their actions without being instructed to do so. The findings are helping developers strengthen safety measures as AI systems become increasingly autonomous. When former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the creation of the AI Safety Institute in November 2023, many questi

Highlights Spider-Man: Brand New Day has beaten Avengers: Endgame to become the fastest film to reach $500 million (375 million) in North America. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige admitted he did not expect Endgame s record to be broken. The Tom Holland-led film has crossed 866 million worldwide in its first week. Even Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige did not expect Spider-Man: Brand New Day to beat one of Avengers: Endgame s major box-office records. The Tom Holland-led film reached 381

UK house prices rose just 0.1 per cent year-on-year in July, the slowest growth since November 2023. Higher mortgage rates and economic uncertainty continue to weigh on buyer confidence. Northern Ireland remained the strongest-performing housing market, while London and the South East recorded annual price falls. UK house price growth slowed sharply in July as higher mortgage rates and affordability pressures continued to cool buyer activity, according to the latest Lloyds House Price Index. The

Highlights The Speculation: Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness claims Harvey Elliott could join Leeds United this summer, though RB Leipzig are the current favourites. A Difficult Loan: Elliott recently returned to Liverpool after a frustrating loan spell at Aston Villa, where he made only nine appearances. A New Era: New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has expressed a desire to give Elliott a chance during pre-season, offering a potential lifeline at Anfield. Harvey Elliotts footballing journey ha

Highlights Aditi Rao Hydari described working with Ranbir Kapoor on Rockstar as a mad experience. She called Kapoor one of her favourite actors and praised how present he was on set. Hydari said his performance could make people believe anything. Aditi Rao Hydari once had high praise for Ranbir Kapoor after working with him on Rockstar , calling the experience mad and describing the actor as someone who could make you believe anything. In an earlier interview, Hydari spoke about sharing the scre

Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust, has launched an emergency appeal after fire destroyed the equivalent of 220 football pitches on land the charity cares for at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk. Wildlife has perished in the blaze, which began at around 5.30pm last Wednesday (29). The area is home to species including Dartford warblers, nightjars and stonechats, as well as native reptiles such as adders, common lizards and slow worms. Fire spreads rapidly through the heather and shru

RAIL passengers faced a second day of disruption across parts of north-west England on Friday after a power failure hit the signalling centre controlling the railway network in the region. The outage, which occurred shortly before 2pm on Thursday, caused widespread delays and cancellations. Services affected on Friday morning included Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express, Transport for Wales, CrossCountry and London Northwestern Railway, reported The Guardian.

Apollo has agreed to acquire EasyJet in a 5.7 billion deal after rival bidder Castlelake withdrew. EasyJet shareholders will receive 7.15 per share, with the airline's board recommending the offer. Founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and his family will remain long-term shareholders in the business. Budget airline EasyJet is set to come under new ownership after agreeing to a 5.7 billion takeover by US investment firm Apollo, bringing an end to months of uncertainty over the future of one of Europe