Best fixed savings deals: Rates begin to nudge higher

Fixed rate savings deals are on average paying the highest returns seen since December 2020, suggesting they are heading in the right direction. Average fixed rates rose monthly for the first time since October 2020, according to Moneyfacts, while choice grew to the highest number seen this year. The average fixed-rate one year bond rose … Read more

Number of workers returning to offices 15% higher in May than April

Number of workers returning to offices 15% higher in May than in April, new data shows By Emma Dunkley, Financial Mail On Sunday Published: 21:50 BST, 5 June 2021 | Updated: 23:08 BST, 5 June 2021 The number of workers returning to offices was 15 per cent higher in May than in April, new data … Read more

Higher petrol and clothes  prices fuel inflation

Higher petrol and clothes prices fuel inflation amid improving forecasts for the UK economy By Daily Mail City & Finance Reporter Published: 21:51 BST, 21 April 2021 | Updated: 21:51 BST, 21 April 2021 Higher fuel and clothes prices have lifted inflation to 0.7 per cent in March from 0.4 per cent the previous month. … Read more

Brazil builds new 140ft statue of Jesus higher than Christ the Redeemer as Covid crisis continues

Brazil builds new 140ft statue of Jesus even higher than Christ the Redeemer as country’s Covid-19 crisis continues with more than 345,000 dead Named Christ the Protector, the statue stands at 43 meters in Encantado, Brazil The project is designed to encourage tourism to the area and to inspire faith   Elsewhere, Brazil has second highest … Read more

Covid UK: Higher levels of loneliness in urban areas during pandemic, says ONS

People in cities and towns are more likely to have felt lonely during the Covid-19 crisis than their countryside counterparts, official statistics reveal Office for National Statistics data show rising levels of loneliness during Covid Levels of loneliness tended to be greater in urban areas than the countryside Areas with higher rates of unemployment tended … Read more

Nature: Dominant male baboons age faster from constantly having to defend their higher status

Competing for dominance speeds up AGING in baboons: Males at the top age faster as a result of constantly having to defend their higher status, study finds Researchers measured the effects of aging on the DNA of 245 baboons in Kenya They found that baboons prematurely aged as they moved up the social ladder The team … Read more

Doctors fear ethnic groups may start to see higher Covid infection and death rates

Doctors fear ethnic groups that shun vaccinations may start to see higher Covid infection and death rates than the country at large Lower up take rates among Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black Britons have left experts concerned about large numbers in communities vulnerable to the virus  Office of National Statistics is examining the situation with Oxford … Read more

Mortgages with 5% deposits are back – but watch out for stricter rules and higher rates

Aspiring homeowners are being offered a potential leg-up as mortgage deals for those hoping to buy with a five per cent deposit re-emerge. Several mortgage lenders including Bank of Ireland, Coventry Building Society and Accord, part of Yorkshire Building Society, are now offering 95 per cent loan-to-value deals. In addition, several other major lenders are … Read more

Third of the planet’s farmland has pesticides levels 1,000 times higher than what’s considered safe

Nearly a third of the farmland around the world is at high risk of pesticide pollution, according to a new report. Scientists in Australia examined how nearly 100 agricultural chemicals were used across 168 countries, to determine which pesticides surpassed recommended levels. Pointing to ‘widespread global pesticide pollution risk,’ the research found 64 percent of … Read more

Third of owners will pay HIGHER mortgage rates to avoid lender scrutiny

Mortgage borrowers hit hardest by the pandemic may find themselves paying out thousands more each year, because they believe the financial fallout has affected their ability to remortgage.   Almost one third of borrowers who have seen their incomes fall due to Covid-19 expect to move onto their lender’s standard variable rate once their initial deal … Read more