Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Government lays out housing plans but Burnham backtracks on social renting pledgeGood morning and welcome to the UK politics live blog.The government has set out its plans to spend an initial £10bn on a mix of subsidised housing in England, with a target of 60% being social renting.The funding, which comes from the 10-year Affordable Homes Programme, is in line with the Starmer government’s policy and sees Andy Burnham backtrack on his proposal to rip up housing plans and boost social home building.Burnham previously called for the programme to be spent entirely on social homes, which are more heavily subsidised…

Russia has threatened to target British factories in a ‘semi-military’ response to the UK’s support for Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin warned that a ‘Pandora’s box has been opened’.On Monday, Moscow accused the UK of ‘participating in this war’ after Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv for his first foreign visit.Mr Burnham had announced that European defence firm MBDA had been given permission to share information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile, meaning Ukraine could start manufacturing the projectiles locally.The move sparked a furious reaction from the Kremlin, with a senior Putin adviser now warning of a more…

Balaclava-clad youths have sparked anger after setting off flares and fireworks in a noisy tribute to the ‘joyriders’ who killed two police officers on the A66. The chaos came in stark contrast to a silent prayer vigil hosted in a nearby church to honour PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades, who were also tragically killed in the crash.Friends and family of Jakub Matusiak, 23, decided to gather at a field in South Bank, Middlesbrough, just yards from the scene of Saturday’s catastrophic collision, caused by the gang hurtling the wrong way down the dual carriageway. What began as a balloon release…

The Hawk fire is about 27% contained, authorities said on Monday afternoon, two days after the fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire sparked near Reno, Nevada.Authorities added that 23,000 people are under a “go-now” order and 40,000 people are under a “get-set” warning, an improvement from the 90,000 Nevadans under evacuation orders or warnings on Monday morning.More than 900 personnel are currently assigned to the fire, said Richard Edwards, the chief of Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, who added that first responders had identified 32 destroyed and six damaged homes.“We expect those numbers to increase as damage assessment teams are still out in…

Days after his sudden firing by the Pentagon, the former editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes told CBS News that “time will tell” whether the military newspaper will remain editorially independent from the government agency it covers.  The Defense Department delivered termination notices last week to Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, accusing them of insubordination. The dismissals raised questions about the future of the paper, which is partly funded by U.S. taxpayers but has historically operated independently.In an interview Monday on CBS News’ “The Takeout with Major Garrett,” Slavin called the…

A federal judge on Monday postponed a trial in the United States for a former Libyan intelligence official charged in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, citing the discovery of new evidence that defense attorneys want to examine in the nearly 40-year-old case.  Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi is charged in the U.S. with making the bomb that downed the airplane, killing 270 people, most of them Americans. Jury selection was scheduled to begin Wednesday for his federal trial in Washington, D.C. — the first trial in the U.S. for the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing.U.S.…

Retirement is biting Generation X. Its oldest members will turn 62 next year, the earliest age at which people can claim Social Security benefits, with many Americans having too little saved to stop working even as the program faces its own funding crisis.Chris Branaman, 53, jokes that his retirement will be spent as a Walmart greeter. “That’s my funny way of saying I will likely be working in retirement,” said Branaman of Bay City, Michigan, who works in IT and says he has about $100,000 saved in his 401(k) plan. He doesn’t expect that will be enough to fund his retirement,…

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. Homeowners should carefully consider their potential loan costs before borrowing any equity. seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images The end of any month is often a smart time to reconsider your financial health and circumstances. Heading into September 2026, however, it’s arguably more important than usual. With inflation elevated, the prospects of a rate hike from the Federal Reserve significant and household debt levels already elevated, what you do with your money and how you borrow any extra funds is critical right now.…

Britain has been hit hardest by a major salmonella outbreak that has left more than 340 people across Europe ill – as investigators revealed chicken products as well as eggs could be responsible.At least 207 cases have been recorded in the UK, more than any of the six other countries affected, with one person dying.According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), there have also been 106 reported cases in the Netherlands, 15 in Belgium, six in Germany, four in France, two in Austria and one in Denmark.At least 34 people across the seven-country outbreak have had…

The life of one of the A66 joyriders was celebrated this evening with flares, fireworks and a cavalcade of masked bikers.What began as a balloon release to commemorate Jakub Matusiak, 23, became a rowdy mob of around 200 people who lit up the sky with rockets and orange smoke.A gang of around 20 masked youths on scooters, off-road bikes and quad bikes roared around a field in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, in honour of Matusiak, who himself had convictions for motoring offences.At just after 5pm hundreds of orange balloons – chosen because it was his favourite colour – were released…