Renters now pay 41% of income to live in London while affordability worsens across England

Average renters in England are spending more than a third of their income on a home — with cities like London, Bristol and Brighton becoming less affordable, new figures show. People earning a median salary could expect to spend 36.3 per cent of their income on an average-priced rented home in England in 2024, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.more

Barcelona player Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 today, trained full-time with the team for the first time since August 8th, when he suffered a hamstring injury. The Catalan club will face Levante in Valencia on Saturday in the second round of the Spanish top flight.more

Misinformation about benefits, money and government policy has likely been seen by hundreds of thousands of people as fake news has been allowed to feature amongst Google’s top-ranking search results.more

A record 111,000 asylum applications were made to the UK during the year to June, but the government is processing cases faster, new Home Office figures show. This is an increase of 14% from the previous year, and it is higher than the peak of 103,000 in 2002.more

The UK Space Agency will cease to exist as an independent entity to cut the cost of bureaucracy, the government said on Wednesday. It will be absorbed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026.more

Russia announced yesterday that it has imposed an entry ban on 21 people whom it accuses of collaborating with "destructive British media" to spread – as Moscow claims – an anti-Russian narrative.more

The world's oldest living person is celebrating turning 116. Ethel Caterham, who lives in a care home in Lightwater, Surrey, became the oldest living person in April following the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canbarro Lucas aged 116.more

Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud lost to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori 3-6, 7-5, 6-10 in the mixed doubles final of the US Open. The Italian pair were defending the title they won last year in New York.more

Violent political extremism is on the rise in Ireland, Irish police have warned after anti-migrant riots and arson attacks on asylum centres. The Gardai, which is responsible for both policing and state security, said it was maintaining vigilance against the threat, which has been fuelled by the far-Right on social media.more

Britain is in the middle of a wasp boom. Not only have they arrived earlier than expected, but there are more of them than in recent summers. Experts say 2025 is an excellent year for them.more

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced yesterday that the drone that crashed and exploded near Osiny in the Lublin region was a Russian provocation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will protest against the perpetrator, announced Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. The Lublin prosecutor's office is also investigating the explosion.more

London transport is undeniably iconic, but it's not all show, according to a new ranking of global cities' respective public transport infrastructures - it's go, as well. London ranked fifth place overall, in the ranking done by Conde Nast Traveller.more

From Sunday until the end of August, two Polish police officers will be serving alongside the Carabinieri on patrol in Venice and the surrounding area. Both officers are fluent in Italian, and their duties include supporting the Carabinieri in their dealings with Polish tourists, thousands of whom visit the city every year.more

Frenchman Adrien Rabiot and Englishman Jonathan Rowe have been put up for sale by Olympique Marseille following an altercation in the team's dressing room after the first round of the French football league. Their behaviour was described as ‘unacceptable’ in a statement.more

Locals in one of Britain's prettiest market towns say they are “lucky” and “grateful” to have such a thriving high street. Marlborough is a picturesque country town in north-east Wiltshire on the Old Bath Road, the historic road from London to Bath, and the River Kennet.more

The bank holiday weather looks full of uncertainty, with Hurricane Erin potentially bringing unsettled conditions from the Caribbean. But it's not all bad news, writes Sky News.more

American Jessica Pegula and Briton Jack Draper will face Iga Swiatek and Norwegian Casper Ruud in the mixed doubles semi-finals of the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on Wednesday night (Polish time).more

Prices in the UK rose by 3.8% in the year to July, driven mainly by a jump in the price of air fares coinciding with the school summer holidays. That means inflation is at its highest level since January 2024 and still far above the Bank of England's target of 2%.more

New figures suggest that London's council taxpayers are contributing more than ever to fund local policing. more

The last batch of £1 coins bearing the face of the late Queen Elizabeth II is entering circulation, with more than 23 million of them destined for tills and people's pockets. The Royal Mint said the release of the final Elizabeth II coins, dated 2021 and 2022, marks "a pivotal moment in British coinage history".more

Ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel, the only person in the world to have skied down all four eight-thousanders in Karakorum, including K2, is setting off for Mt. Everest for the third time and wants to make a historic ski descent from the world's highest mountain without the aid of bottled oxygen.more

From September 1st, Lidl employees in the UK will earn more. Thanks to the fifth pay rise in two years, Lidl will invest over £70 million in wages, according to industry magazine Grocery Trader. The new rates will apply across the UK and exceed both the real minimum wage and the London minimum wage.more

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that when assessing applications from people wishing to live in the US, it will check them for ‘anti-American views’ expressed, for example, on social media, according to today's “Wall Street Journal”.more

The town council in Epping, eastern England, received an order from the High Court yesterday stating that asylum seekers arriving at The Bell hotel must leave by 12 September, according to the BBC. Anti-immigration protests and counter-demonstrations have been taking place outside the building for weeks.more

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been named the Premier League Player of the Season for 2024/25 by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). The Egyptian won the award for the third time, a feat no one has ever achieved before. He also triumphed in 2018 and 2022.more

Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed on Monday in a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump to begin the next stage of the peace process, i.e. to meet with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed yesterday.more

British Armed Forces Commander Admiral Tony Radakin will inform the American side during a meeting at the Pentagon today that the United Kingdom is ready to defend Ukraine's airspace and seaports, the “Guardian” daily reported yesterday, citing officials close to the matter.more

Military planners of countries belonging to the so -called Coalitions willing in the coming days will meet with American planners to discuss the plan to ensure solid security guarantees for Ukraine - said the office of the British government of Keir Starmer.more

Real Madrid defeated Osasuna Pamplona 1–0 in front of their home crowd in the first round of the Spanish football league. Coach Xabi Alonso made his debut on the home team's bench in this competition.more

EasyJet is embarking on a significant recruitment drive, aiming to hire nearly 1,000 new cabin crew members for 2026, with a particular focus on young people not currently in employment, education, or training. The airline is actively encouraging young adults and school leavers to consider a career in aviation, seeking to address prevailing misconceptions about the role. more

AI will not replace many professions and jobs soon, although he often thinks so - writes "Puls Biznesu". The transformation impact of this technology will take place differently - by changing the way of human work, not its elimination. The key will be to adapt to new tasks as part of your profession - says the newspaper.more

Jan Bednarek, in his first away match for FC Porto, received very positive reviews from Portuguese commentators. They believed the Pole played a significant role in Monday's 2-0 win at Barcelona against Gil Vicente.more

London Zoo conducts an annual weigh-in where they weigh and measure every animal in their care. This includes mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates. The data collected is crucial for monitoring animal health, tracking growth, and identifying pregnancies, and it's shared with zoos worldwide via the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). more

Holidaymakers in Britain have been warned they could face delays when travelling this weekend as the weight of almost 18m car journeys and widespread rail engineering works are expected to cause disruption over the August bank holiday, celebrated in England and Wales.more

The typical person languishing on welfare is not who you think. There are now 3.7 million people claiming Britain’s main unemployment benefit who do not have to look for work. That’s almost half of all universal credit (UC) claimants.more

Inter Milan announced on its X platform the transfer of Polish international Nicola Zalewski to another club in the Italian top flight, Atalanta. "Welcome to Bergamo," the Lombardy club confirmed on social media.more

A Polish mountaineer has died in an accident, Swiss Info reported today. The man fell into a crevasse on the Monte Rosa glacier in the Swiss resort of Zermatt.more

Train fares in England could jump by 5.5% next year following an uptick in UK inflation, financial analysts have warned. July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation - which is often used to determine increases in the cost of train tickets - will be announced on Wednesday.more

Experts deny the rumor that hybrid and gel manicures will be banned in European Union countries starting in September. They explain that only one ingredient will be prohibited in nail styling products, we read in today's "Rzeczpospolita."more

Farmers in the driest parts of the UK are facing some of their worst ever harvests as the heatwave continues to hit crop and vegetable yields. Broccoli growers are particularly struggling with a lack of water and bone-dry soils, with yields cut by more than 50%, quality affected and shoppers warned to expect smaller vegetables on the shelves.more

Iga Świątek triumphed for the first time in her career at a WTA 1000 tournament on hard courts in Cincinnati. The third-seeded Polish tennis player defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini (No. 7) 7-5, 6-4 in the final. Meanwhile, world number one Jannik Sinner retired in the final against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz at 0-5. The Italian tennis player had been battling illness.more

With thousands of Polish tourists expected to visit Rome, the Polish Embassy in Italy has published guidelines and advice for them. This is another initiative by Polish diplomacy as part of the Safe Holidays campaign.more

The number of people in the UK visiting the most popular pornography sites has decreased sharply since enhanced age verification rules came into place, new figures indicate.more

US President Donald Trump announced yesterday, following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, that he was arranging a meeting between Zelensky and Putin to end the war. He expressed his readiness to help Europeans secure peace.more

Well-wishers are being urged to send 100th birthday cards to a Second World War veteran who served in the Arctic Convoys to make his surprise celebration extra special.more

Two-thirds of Poles believe that having someone at work with whom they can communicate without words is important, according to a report by the Pracuj.pl portal. This percentage increases in proportion to job satisfaction. This shows how important informal bonds are at work, according to the authors of the study.more

Polish national football team defender Jakub Kiwior is on the shortlist of players that FC Porto would like to bring to Estadio do Dragao, according to Monday's reports in the Portuguese sports press.more

Angela Rayner previously called for Britons to have the right to stop working during heatwaves, it has emerged. During the 2022 heatwave, which saw temperatures of 40C recorded in the UK for the first time, the now deputy prime minister urged the previous Conservative government to urgently introduce guidance on safe working temperatures.more

Is being happy at work the key to the UK government’s goal of boosting productivity and economic growth? The former Waitrose boss turned big company adviser Mark Price certainly thinks so.more

The London Ambulance Service has cut response times by up to eight minutes despite facing some of its busiest weeks ever this summer.more

Iga Świątek and Italy's Jasmine Paolini will face each other today in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament on hard courts in Cincinnati. For both players, this is their first title match in this American city. However, this will be their second time playing each other in the final match of a WTA event.more

Lloyds customers will soon be able to use a new app feature to deposit coins and banknotes into their account at the same time as dropping off a parcel or picking up a pint of milk in stores.more

Sales of Ozempic in the UK have increased by over 500 per cent following the announcement that the price of Mounjaro, the country's most popular weight loss drug, is set to rise by 100 per cent from 1 September, according to “The Times”.more

Italian clubs Inter Milan and Atalanta Bergamo have agreed on the transfer of Polish national team winger Nicola Zalewski to the latter, according to a report published yesterday on the “Corriere dello Sport” website.more

Iranian MP Amir Hajat-Mokadam stated in an interview that Iranian missiles are capable of striking any European country. He also did not rule out the possibility that Iran could attack US cities from the sea in the future.more

British horse racing organisers will hold an unprecedented one-day strike on 10 September in protest against a proposed increase in betting taxes. Four scheduled events will not take place on that day.more

According to 32% of Polish companies, it is ‘impossible’ to do business in the country, according to the ‘Entrepreneurship Barometer 2025’. This is less than the average for the 16 countries surveyed, where 50% of the entrepreneurs surveyed shared this opinion. In Poland, geopolitical instability was considered the biggest challenge (68%).more

It's going to be another dry and sunny week for Londoners - so when can we expect to see some drops of rain?more