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The Most Dynamic Real Estate Markets in the World

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The Most Dynamic Real Estate Markets in the World

In 2026, high returns on real estate investments are linked to emerging growth hotspots. While prices in the US and Western Europe show moderate increases, dynamic markets such as Greece, the UAE, Vietnam, and Turkey are delivering double-digit yields.

In this article, we explore why investing in developing economies often produces 8–15% annual growth compared to 3–4% in mature markets and highlight key destinations where you can acquire not just property, but a high-yield asset.

Why Consider Fast-Growing Markets?

Investing in fast-growing markets is attractive because property prices are still relatively low but increase rapidly. Unlike mature economies, where market parameters are already established, these countries are often in active development: populations are growing, infrastructure is expanding, and housing demand outpaces supply. This creates a foundation for higher overall investment returns.

Key advantages:

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  • High growth rates: Active construction, city development, and an initially low price base enable rapid property value appreciation alongside economic growth.
  • Accessibility: Lower prices allow investors to enter the market with smaller capital and acquire assets in promising locations that can increase significantly in value.
  • Attractive rental yields: Growing demand for housing, fueled by tourism, migration, and labor market growth, supports high rental rates.
  • Comprehensive infrastructure development: Roads, transport hubs, and commercial and social projects boost area attractiveness and stimulate long-term demand.

Comparing Developed and Developing Markets

Metric Developing Markets Mature Markets (US, UK)
Annual price growth 5–15% nominal; 5–10% real 3–4%; market near peak
Average rental yield 5–10% (Turkey 6–8%, UAE 5–7%, Greece 4–6%) 5–7%
Average property price $150,000–$300,000 (Turkey, Montenegro, Greece) ~ $350,000
Risk level Medium: currency fluctuations, regulatory changes Low: high predictability, stable institutions

Top Emerging Real Estate Markets

Greece

Greek real estate shows consistent growth: in 2025, prices increased 8–9%, with urban areas rising ~6% in Q1 2025. Foreign capital remains a key driver: over 9,000 Golden Visa Greece applications were submitted in 2024 (10% more than in 2023). In popular tourist zones, foreign buyers account for up to 70% of transactions.

The Greek residency-by-investment program, with a minimum threshold of €250,000 for renovated properties, adds incentive. Applications take about 4 months; residency is granted for 5 years with renewal rights for the family, without a requirement to reside permanently.

  • Rental yield: 4.5–8% annually; small apartments in central Athens yield 6–8%, while short-term rentals on Mykonos and Santorini can exceed 10%.
  • Price growth: 6–10% annually in key areas.
  • Promising locations: Athens, Thessaloniki, and major islands – Crete, Rhodes, Corfu.

Cyprus

Cyprus is one of the region’s most dynamic markets. In 2025, transaction volume reached a record €5.71 billion, and prices rose 6.51%. Growth is concentrated in Limassol, Larnaca, and Nicosia, supported by stable tourism (over 4 million visitors) and residency-by-investment programs.

  • Rental yield: 5.4–7%; Limassol reaches 7%.
  • Demand: high for properties up to €250,000 and luxury villas over €1.5 million.
  • Promising locations: Limassol (highest yield), Larnaca (fast sales growth), Nicosia (stable demand), Paphos (tourist market).

Malta

The Maltese market benefits from tourism and economic growth (+6%). In 2025, sales increased 14% and prices 6.8%. Apartments and penthouses in Special Designated Areas (SDAs) are particularly sought after by foreigners, with no restrictions on foreign ownership.

  • Rental yield: average 4%; in premium areas (St Julian’s, Sliema) 5–10%, with some projects up to 15%.
  • Price growth: Valletta 6–8% annually.
  • Promising locations: SDAs, coastal districts, areas near universities.

Japan

After a stagnation period, the Japanese market is recovering. Yen depreciation stimulated tourism (+18%) and foreign investment inflows. Prices in major cities increase 5–7% annually, with premium properties appreciating 12–20%.

  • Rental yield: 3–6% per year.
  • Price range: $400,000–$650,000 for quality properties.
  • Promising locations: central Tokyo (Shibuya, Minato), Kyoto (Higashiyama), Osaka (Kita).

South Korea

The market is expanding due to a tech boom and foreign investment. Tourism grows 20–22%; Seoul prices rise 4–6% annually, and luxury apartments can gain up to 30% in five years.

  • Rental yield: 2–7%; short-term rentals in tourist areas yield 4–7%.
  • Price range: from $350,000 for apartments in premium areas.
  • Promising locations: Gangnam and Mapo in Seoul, areas near university campuses.

Vietnam

The market grows 7–9% annually due to urbanisation, infrastructure projects, and increased tourism (up to 18 million visitors). Foreign investors actively buy projects starting at $150,000.

  • Rental yield: 3–12% annually; coastal villas and tourist apartments 8–12%.
  • Resale profits: may exceed 20%.
  • Promising locations: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Danang, Nha Trang.

UAE (Dubai)

Dubai remains a growth hotspot: in 2025, prices rose 15–18%. Investors are attracted by zero rental taxes and access to the “Golden Visa” for investments from $204,000.

  • Rental yield: 7–11% annually for apartments.
  • Price growth: areas like Palm Jumeirah exceed 13% per quarter.
  • Promising locations: Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Village Circle.

Portugal

Portugal remains one of Europe’s most active markets: in 2025, prices grew 15–17% amid chronic supply shortages. Demand is strong in Lisbon, Porto, Algarve, and Madeira.

  • Rental yield: 4–7% annually; Lisbon 5–7%, Porto up to 6.7%.
  • Most sought-after properties: 1–3 bedroom apartments for long-term rental in major cities and tourist areas.

Turkey

The market is in a correction phase: nominal price growth is 30–40% annually, but real value is affected by inflation. A key driver for foreigners remains the citizenship-by-investment program via real estate purchase.

  • Rental yield: average 7.5–8% nationwide; Istanbul 6–6.5%, Antalya 5–7.5%.
  • Strategy: apartments in central Istanbul and resort properties in Antalya.

Montenegro

Property prices are rising rapidly: in 2025, growth reached 21%. Coastal locations (Budva, Kotor) see prices of €3,000–3,800/m²; premium complexes reach €12,000/m². Up to two-thirds of buyers are foreigners.

  • Rental yield: 6–10% in coastal areas; 4.5–7% on average nationwide.
  • Promising locations: Porto Montenegro, Budva Riviera, Bar.

What to Watch When Investing

  • Legal regulations: foreign ownership rules vary widely, from freehold (UAE, Cyprus) to restricted zones (Turkey). Understand minimum holding periods, taxes, and reporting requirements.
  • Currency risk: investing in developing economies carries local currency fluctuations, affecting real dollar returns.
  • Liquidity: time to sell an asset ranges from weeks (Dubai) to months (seasonal markets like Montenegro).
  • Fundamental drivers: sustainable growth depends on tourism, migration, and major infrastructure projects.
  • Net yield: gross yields of 8–10% should be adjusted for taxes, maintenance, and vacancies. Actual net returns often range 2–5%.

How to Maximise Results in 2026

  • Set clear goals: capital growth, rental income, or residency status.
  • Analyse metrics: price growth, yield, entry cost, infrastructure development.
  • Study legal environment: thoroughly check rules for non-residents, program requirements, and developer reliability.
  • Plan your budget: include all costs—purchase, renovation, taxes, and management.
  • Engage local experts: they minimise risks and ensure proper transaction handling.
  • Manage the asset: monitor the market, update rental terms, and maintain the property to enhance value and liquidity.

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Your Party identity crisis

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Your Party identity crisis

As several Your Party (YP) members have reported, a leaked motion shows that YP have plans to pass a motion which will lead to the expulsion of socialist members. Or it does if it’s real, anyway. We asked YP to confirm at 9:00am on Saturday 11 April, and they still haven’t got back to us.

Among those who have spoken out are CEC members Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi and Zarah Sultana:

Your Party — The dual membership issue

Weekly Worker reported the following on the alleged motion:

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The issue of dual membership has proven to be a controversial for YP. This is despite members voting overwhelmingly in favour of it at the conference, as we reported on 30 November:

Following on from the expulsion of some Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP) members from Your Party in recent days, the Your Party conference has just confirmed that its members have voted resoundingly in favour of allowing dual membership.

Regardless of the party’s reasons for expelling some SWP voices from the conference, the visible division provided an unnecessary distraction from a conference full of energy and excitement about building a socialist movement rooted in the working class and focused on community organising and engagement. And this was a way for members to show how they felt about it.

Of the full Your Party members who had verified their identities before the vote (under half of the membership of 50,000+), only 42.5% participated. But with an overwhelming majority, it was a clear statement about the need for as much unity as possible on the left. And when former MP Claudia Webbe announced the result, the room was full of applause.

Factionalism

The dual membership issue is a dividing line between Grassroots Left (Zarah Sultana’s faction) and the Many (Jeremy Corbyn’s faction).

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Speaking on the divide between the factions in the runup to the February CEC elections, the Canary’s Maddison Wheeldon wrote:

Your Party is currently gearing up for its upcoming Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections on 26 February.

This marks a crucial step in establishing the new political party’s structures. These elections are integral to enabling branches across the country to formally constitute, allowing them to organise effectively and campaign on local and national issues within their communities. However, recent revelations appear to confirm members’ concerns that socialism and genuine democracy are inconvenient obstacles for those who currently hold the reins – and the party’s resources.

Verified evidence seen by the Canary raises serious concerns that Jeremy Corbyn is allowing ally Karie Murphy to exert undue control over internal democratic processes. Far from uniting socialists as promised, these developments appear to confirm long-held fears that grassroots members are being frozen out unless they belong to ‘Jeremy’s team’.

Should YP ban dual membership, it would be a sign that these socialists were right to worry.

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In another sign that Wheeldon’s concerns were spot on, YP have failed to run their own candidates in the upcoming local elections. Instead, the party is throwing their weight behind various independents. This has proven controversial, as some of these candidates were quickly shown to have politics which did not align with YP members (and that’s true regardless of which faction said members belonged to).

For more on that, read this:

‘In solidarity’

Wimborne-Idrissi noted that she and eight other CEC members are standing in opposition to the leaked motion. Their message reads in full:

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In solidarity with our dual members

Like thousands of members, and as voted on at Your Party conferences in Liverpool and Dundee, we support dual membership and oppose purges of hard-working socialists who have helped build Your Party.

Over the last nine months, these are the people who have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with us to build this party from the ground up. Many of them are playing an important role in fighting elections on 7 May.

While we agreed not to share the proposal ahead of the full report and an open discussion next week, it is only right that we respond to the understandable alarm from members on this.

In building a mass party, we believe our focus should be on growing and uniting our movement — not kicking out hard-working socialists before we’ve even agreed our policies, and while the far-right are on the rise.

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We are working hard on amendments to prevent this concerning paper passing, including asking for exemptions for Scotland as per members’ views.

Solidarity always,
Niall, Mel, Candi, Solma, Sophie, Zarah, Naomi, Grace and Megan

Counterfire

The revolutionary socialist group Counterfire have also spoken out against the leaked motion:

Reject the Your Party witch-hunt of socialists – Counterfire statement

Leaked documents suggest that YP CEC will, this weekend, discuss and (given the inbuilt majority for The Many faction) pass a motion that effectively witch-hunts socialists inside YP and bans far-left parties and networks from membership.
Counterfire condemns, unreservedly, any such witch-hunt.

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Counterfire has thrown itself into building and developing YP. But we cannot, and will not, remain silent whilst socialists are being expelled from the party.

Counterfire is committed to a version of YP that is broad, inclusive, radical and insurgent. A party embedded in our collective movements (in our communities, trade unions and social movements). A space where socialists (from a wide range of backgrounds and networks) can come together to debate and organise to challenge the establishment parties at elections, offer hope in the face of the racist and divisive politics of the far-right, and create organising and mobilising centres for the extra-Parliamentary politics that are central to the socialist movement’s strategic goals of a better world for all.

That vision was there when 800,000 initially signed up, but it has undoubtedly been narrowed by some at the top of YP.

Counterfire will not remain in a party that expels socialists and, if the motion should pass on Sunday, we will immediately leave.

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We call on the YP CEC to reject the motion to expel socialists from YP. If YP has any chance of establishing itself, it must become a home for all socialists on the left of politics in Britain.

Of course, if the motion is passed we will continue to work with YP members, where appropriate, in a range of trade unions and social movements.

Notably, Counterfire was not on the list of banned member groups (i.e. members could always be part of Your Party and Counterfire). Given that, this is a notable act of solidarity on their part.

Your Party — Identity crisis

At the end of the day, if the people around Corbyn wanted to create a Labour 2019 successor party, they should have just done that. Instead, they invited left-wing activists to engage in endless meetings, and then they freaked out when said invitees began steering YP in an increasingly socialist direction — a direction which had ambitions to maximise democracy at every level.

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Clearly, the efforts to ban dual membership are an attempt to ‘right the ship’, and to ensure the majority of members are in favour of a top down model of politics. The problem is that Corbyn doesn’t seem to be interested in asserting the control and focus that would be necessary to make that model work, and there’s no obvious successor to him.

In other words, Your Party’s identity crisis seems set to continue even if the Many faction get their own way.

Featured image via the USSR (RIP)

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Tantrum Trump mulls pulling troops out of Europe. Oh well, never mind

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There is no 'liberal' Zionism: Polanski criticised over fluffed LBC interview

US president Donald Trump is mulling pulling troops out of Europe. Which is really sad, we’re sure everyone will miss being a military colony of a fading, erratic imperial power which can’t even open a tiny little Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported on 10 April that Trump was really very upset that few states has really backed wild designs on Iran.

The outlet said:

The internal deliberations come after Trump expressed his discontent with what he sees as NATO allies’ lack of action to help ​secure the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the failure of his plans to acquire Greenland from NATO member ‌Denmark.

How sad.

Reuters said there were nearly 70 thousand US troops permanently stationed in Europe across 31 bases. This does not include troops on shorter rotational deployments. Reuters also estimated that Germany, Italy and the UK had the highest number of troops.

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The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation estimated in 2021 that there are:

100 U.S.-owned nuclear weapons stored in five NATO member states across six bases: Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel Air Base in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi Air Bases in Italy, Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands, and Incirlik in Turkey.

The report came hours after socialist academic Jason Hickel captured something of the current anti-American zeitgeist with this post:

Yanks out

The illegal US-Israeli war against Iran has provoked deep discontent with US basing arrangements (i.e., military colonialism) in the UK.

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YouGov found on 5 March that Keir Starmer’s decision to allow the US to bomb Iran via British bases:

flies in the face of UK public opinion – our survey in late February had found 58% opposed to allowing the US to launch strikes from RAF bases, and subsequent poll on 2 March, and again on 11-12 March, and found that figure still stood at 49-50% when the ‘missile sites only’ caveat was included.

But even before the war began on 28 February new political parties were arguing for the removal of US forces.  Green Party leader Zack Polanski said the UK’s security should not be subject to Trump’s erratic moods on 20 January 2026:

I think it’s pretty worrying that we’ve allowed ourselves to become so reliant on American interests, and that a lot of this depends on if Donald Trump is in a good mood or not.

He called for a full review into US military presence on UK soil:

We should be reviewing US bases on UK soil, and actually looking at a genuine strategic defence review.

And on 4 March, after the war began, Your Party leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a bill in parliament for oversight of US bases.

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Your Party MP Zarah Sultana preferred the Spanish approach – a complete block on US use of any airbases:

Trump’s NATO meltdown

NATO general-secretary Mark Rutte visited the White House on 9 April in a bid to:

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defuse a crisis after Trump said he was considering withdrawing from the 32-member transatlantic alliance, arguing that European allies have relied on U.S. security guarantees while providing inadequate support for the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran.

Unnamed diplomats told reporters Rutte has conveyed Trump’s wishes to other NATO countries. One said:

We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war.

NATO as such would not play a role in the war against Iran, but allies want to be helpful in seeking longer-term solutions for Hormuz. With negotiations ongoing with Iran, this ​could be helpful.

Trump said on 28 March:

I think that NATO made a terrible mistake when they wouldn’t send a small amount of military armament, when they wouldn’t… just even acknowledge what we were doing for the world… taking on Iran.

NATO was not obliged to do so:

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It’s true NATO countries didn’t provide their full support for the US and Israel’s unprovoked war on Iran. The illegality of the action meant NATO countries had no obligation to support the US, and yet many supported Trump anyway by allowing him to use their bases (the UK included).

Trump pulling the US out of Europe — and even NATO — maybe be a fearful thing if you belong to the European elites. For others it would mean sovereignty and independence wrested back from the hands of a declining empire, led by a jaded emperor who looks more detached from realities of global politics by the day. And public opinion may be shifting against US domination in Europe.

Featured image via the Canary

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Israel bound Illegal weapons shipments from UK intercepted

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Israel bound Illegal weapons shipments from UK intercepted

After the farce of the Starmer government’s fake and short-lived ‘ban’ on arms sales to Israel, illegal weapons destined for Israel have fallen foul of an NGO’s efforts. A disguised cargo of weapons and military spare parts en route from the UK has been seized at Liège airport in Belgium. An operation by an NGO identified the shipment after concerns were raised about the accuracy of its cargo manifest, which did not disclose the real contents.

The consignment was scheduled to fly on Challenge Airlines, a firm that regularly flies to the genocidal colony.

In total, 33 crates of undeclared military equipment were opened and seized. The contents included laser sights, fire control systems and spare parts for fighter jets involved in the bombing of civilians in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. The items would have needed specific declaration, followed by authorisation from the Belgian government, to transit legally — an unlikely outcome given decisions in 2025 in Belgium’s top courts and the policies of federal and regional government.

Belgian authorities have opened an investigation to identify those responsible for the attempted smuggling.

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Featured image via the Canary

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Trump is promising to pardon his loyal stooges

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Trump is promising to pardon his loyal stooges

From time to time, people question why a person would put their neck on the line for Donald Trump. The answer to that is obvious (at least when he’s the president); it’s because he can literally pardon people of their crimes:

Trump’s criminal enterprise

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Trump is promising to pardon anyone who’s had anything to do with his second administration:

“I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval,” Trump said in a recent meeting to laughs, according to people with knowledge of the comments. That radius appears to be expanding as the president repeats the line. Another person who met with Trump earlier this year said the president quipped about pardoning anyone who had come within 10 feet.

In one conversation with advisers in the dining room next to the Oval Office last year, Trump said he would host a news conference and announce mass pardons before he left office, some of the people said. The people said they weren’t aware of specific pardons being offered to specific people for specific acts.

As we all know, Trump is prone to just saying things – many of which never come to pass. At the same, Trump is also prone to pardoning people.

In December 2024, the BBC reported that the US President had granted “237 acts of clemency” in his first term (143 pardons and 94 commutations). In that same article, they noted that Trump was kicking off his second term by pardoning/commuting 1,600 individuals who were linked to the botched insurrection of 2021. Trump has continued to grant clemency since then, and there’s little reason to suspect he’ll stop.

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Oh, and talking of the botched insurrectionists who got pardoned; it’s notable that several have been re-arrested since. As CREW reported in December 2025:

At least 33 January 6th insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump have been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes since January 6, 2021, according to new analysis by CREW. Four pardoned insurrectionists have allegedly reoffended since receiving their pardons. Several have argued that the pardon should cover unrelated criminal convictions, and in one case last month, Trump explicitly re-pardoned one insurrectionist for his unrelated weapons charges.

Six of the pardoned January 6th insurrectionists are charged with committing child sex crimes, ranging from sexual assault to possession of child pornography. At least five were charged with illegal possession of weapons, including at least two who had a previous domestic violence conviction. Five were arrested or charged with driving while impaired or under the influence. In two of these cases, the defendant’s reckless driving resulted in a fatality. Two were charged with rape.

Absolute power

This is how Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the WSJ story:

The Wall Street Journal should learn to take a joke, however, the President’s pardon power is absolute

It’s almost like the Yanks didn’t think this pardon power thing through, isn’t it?

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That or successive politicians simply pushed things more and more in their own favour to the point where we now have an American king (what you’d call a ‘burger king’ if not for potential trademark infringement).

Featured image the Canary

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Scientists Identify Protein That Fuels Brain Ageing

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Scientists Identify Protein That Fuels Brain Ageing

Brain ageing is a complicated process, unlikely to have a single cause. But scientists think they may have found a key piece in the puzzle: protein FTL1.

A study published in Nature Ageing looked at how the brains of mice changed as they aged. They wanted to see what might drive the processes that can slow down our mental activity and impair our memory over the years.

They found that the protein seemed to be the only consistent difference between younger and older mice minds – and they think they know how to counter it.

What does FLT1 do?

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In older mice, FLT1 levels were higher. They had fewer connections in a part of the brain called the hippocampus (which is responsible for learning and memory), and their cognitive abilities weren’t as high as those of the younger mice.

To investigate whether the protein itself was causing that change, the scientists gave younger mice more of the protein than their bodies naturally made. When they did that, the younger mice had “synaptic changes and cognitive impairments indicative of hippocampal ageing”.

In other words, their brain and behaviours began to mimic those of older mice.

But when they did the inverse – reduced the amount of FLT1 in the brains of older mice – the opposite happened.

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They had more connections between nerve cells and performed better on cognitive tests: they seemed, in short, “younger”.

FLT1 slowed metabolism in the hippocampus of older mice. But by giving them a treatment to speed their metabolism up, the scientists were able to prevent that from happening.

They’re hopeful that this might lead to ways to block the effects of the protein in the brain.

What might this mean?

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In mice, changing FTL1 levels made a bigger difference than just managing the effects of ageing.

Speaking to the University of California, San Francisco, the paper’s senior author, Dr Saul Villeda, said: “It is truly a reversal of impairments. It’s much more than merely delaying or preventing symptoms.”

Though more research is needed to get even close to something like this for humans, Dr Villeda added, “We’re seeing more opportunities to alleviate the worst consequences of old age. It’s a hopeful time to be working on the biology of ageing.”

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Labour claim only they could win by-election

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Labour claim only they could win by-election

Labour keeps telling voters some variation of the following:

Only we can beat Reform!

The problem is they keep proving themselves wrong — most recently in a Kent County Council by-election:

Greens keep winning

The Greens secured an impressive victory over Reform in Kent — an area which had come to be seen as a Reform stronghold:

As it’s only been in Reform hands since May 2025, we guess it’s less of a ‘stronghold’ and more of a ‘limp-grip’ given that they’re already vacating their seats for the Greens.

In March this year, Labour List published the following:

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Dame Emily Thornberry said the lesson from last time was that only Labour was in with a chance of beating Reform in Cliftonville.

She said:

“I’ve campaigned against Reform UK councils across the country, but this one in Kent is among the worst I’ve seen. They are hiking council tax when they said they wouldn’t, slashing vital services in Thanet, and the council leader was even caught screaming and swearing at her own colleagues.

“Labour came second here last time, so Cliftonville voters have a real chance to send Reform a message that Thanet won’t tolerate their public service cuts and shameless lies.”

In the end, Labour won fewer than half the votes that the Greens did. And if you look at how much vote share the Greens gained compared to how much everyone else lost, it looks like Zack Polanski’s party may be picking up votes from all of the other parties at this point.

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In other words, if anyone should be arguing ‘only we can beat Reform‘, it’s the Greens. Except they shouldn’t say that; they should say ‘only the Greens are beating Reform‘, because that’s the reality we’re living in.

As Stats for Lefties added:

People reacted to the victory as follows:

Reform’s disgrace

The Kent by-election occurred because an ex-Reform councillor was jailed for abusing his wife:

Kent is one of Reform’s key councils; it’s also the party’s most chaotic.

Infamously, Kent had to suspend four Reform councillors after a “chaotic meeting was leaked”. As Joe Glenton wrote for the Canary:

A spokesperson for the far-right party said they’d brought Reform UK into disrepute.

Which is quite a gallant argument given Reform UK didn’t have much repute to start with. Anyway, here’s a group of dysregulated middle-aged toddlers having an incredibly puerile row:

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Kent Council also drew criticism for telling a local parish they couldn’t put Christmas lights up because they had Union Jacks on them (flags which went up as part of the flag mania which sweeped the UK in 2025).

Labour — Changes

Gone are the days when only Labour and the Tories were viewed as serious political entities. Now, voters don’t want to hear ‘only we can win‘; they want to know why a political party winning will benefit them.

Labour have no good answers on that front, which is why they can now only come third (at best!).

Featured image via Barold

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Low Vitamin D May Raise Dementia Risk, New Study Finds

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New research suggests that healthy vitamin D levels in midlife may be protective for your brain.

Many people’s vitamin D levels do not fall within a healthy range, which can cause muscle weakness, fatigue, depression, bone pain and lower immune function. In fact, an estimated 60% of the world is vitamin D deficient and needs a supplement, Dr. Michael Holick, a professor of medicine, pharmacology, physiology & biophysics and molecular medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, previously told HuffPost.

But if that alone isn’t enough to convince you to prioritise getting vitamin D, which you can do through foods like salmon, tuna, and milk, new research published in the journal Neurology this month may do the trick. The study suggests that people with high vitamin D levels in their 30s and 40s have lower dementia risk factors later in life.

The study investigates the potential impact of vitamin D levels in early midlife by examining the prevalence of tau protein and amyloid protein in the brain, “which are key hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Thomas M. Holland, physician-scientist and assistant professor at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, told HuffPost via email. Holland is not affiliated with the study.

Researchers followed 793 people in their 30s and 40s with an average age of 39 over 16 years. Vitamin D levels were tested at the beginning of the study; those with levels below 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) were categorised as having low vitamin D; anything above was considered high.

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After a follow-up at the end of the study, it was determined that participants in the high-vitamin D group were more likely to have lower tau levels in their brains.

“Researchers looked at two different types of scans of the brain called PET scans,” said Dr. David Gill, chief of the division of cognitive and behavioural neurology at the University of Rochester in New York. Gill is not affiliated with the study. “One looks at the amyloid protein [prevalence], and one looked at the tau protein [prevalence].”

Even though tau protein levels were lower in participants with high vitamin D, researchers found that those elevated levels did not impact levels of amyloid in the brain. This indicates someone with high vitamin D could still have elevated levels of amyloid protein, which, as mentioned above, is a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.

This study does have a “major limitation,” Dr. Jagan Pillai, a Cleveland Clinic neurologist and director of the Cleveland Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, told HuffPost via email. Vitamin D levels were measured once at the beginning of the study “and after that PET scans were completed 15 or more years later,” said Pillai, who was not associated with the study..

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“So, we don’t have any information in between,” Pillai added. It’s unknown if participants took supplements or followed a healthy lifestyle that helped them maintain healthy vitamin D levels, he noted. Because vitamin D levels were only measured once, it’s also unclear if someone shifted from having healthy levels to unhealthy levels (or the opposite) during the study’s time period.

While this study has solid data, it does not prove that vitamin D levels directly affect dementia risk, according to Gill. There are many studies on this topic, and they’re conflicting.

“Specifically, there’s been some studies to show that giving vitamin D might help improve memory a little bit, but those are also conflicting. There’s been all of this information out there without a firm understanding of whether there’s a real connection between low vitamin D and Alzheimer’s disease,” Gill said. “I don’t know this [study] answers that question, but it helps move us forward.”

So, does this mean having healthy vitamin D levels in your 30s and 40s will protect you from dementia? Not necessarily. But having healthy vitamin D levels can bolster many systems in your body, including the brain. And as research emerges about vitamin D and dementia risk, there are other changes you can make to take care of your cognition.

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New research suggests that healthy vitamin D levels in midlife may be protective for your brain.

Anastasiia Voloshko via Getty Images

New research suggests that healthy vitamin D levels in midlife may be protective for your brain.

To lower your risk of dementia, there are certain rules you should follow in midlife and throughout your life.

Holland said the amyloid and tau brain proteins associated with dementia begin accumulating “15 to 20 years before the clinical symptoms of dementia or cognitive decline are detected.”

Anything we can do in midlife to support cognitive function and reduce the risk of dementia will “benefit us later in life,” Holland added. “We know that low vitamin D levels and other nutrient deficiencies are associated with neuroinflammation and potentially oxidative stress.” All of that can take a toll on your brain.

Throughout your life, you should work with your doctor to correct any vitamin deficiencies, whether that’s vitamin D, vitamin B12 or something else, according to Pillai.

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Eating a nutrient-dense diet is also protective for the brain.

For vitamin D specifically, adding in healthy protein sources, particularly fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, sardines and mackerel, can be beneficial,” Holland said.

“For overall brain health, incorporating foods such as dark leafy greens (i.e., kale, romaine lettuce, and spinach), berries (such as blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries), whole grains (like oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa) and extra virgin olive oil is helpful, as these foods provide beneficial fatty acids and a wide range of supportive nutrients,” Holland continued.

Additionally, “we should be as physically active as possible,” Gill said.

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This doesn’t mean signing up for a marathon, but can instead mean going for frequent walks in your neighbourhood.

“We should be doing things that challenge us mentally to keep ourselves mentally active,” Gill added.

For older folks, staying challenged can be tough — working is one of the easiest ways to stay mentally active, Gill said. For those who no longer work, taking a class, playing cards with friends, volunteering or joining a book club are all good options.

“Really, anything that you enjoy that engages your brain can be a good thing,” Gill said.

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Socialising is also important.

“Being social is important for a number of reasons. We know the opposite, being lonely, is bad for our memory over time. And so being social is good for us because it keeps our brain active, but also avoids loneliness,” Gill said.

Finally, you should address any issues you have that could lead to dementia down the line.

“We should treat the medical problems that can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Gill, noting that “the things that increase the risk of heart disease tend to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.” Diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking and high cholesterol are all issues that you should work with your doctor to treat, Gill said.

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Hegseth says Hormuz is safe for transit except for Iranian missiles

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Hegseth says Hormuz is safe for transit except for Iranian missiles

What happens when you put a half-soaked (allegedly) TV presenter in charge of the military? Well, Trump’s ‘secretary of war’ Pete Hegseth is doing his best to show us.

His latest nugget? Encouraging shipping companies to keep sailing through Iran’s Strait of Hormuz despite its re-closure because the US and Israel won’t stop slaughtering innocents. Because, y’know, Hormuz is safe. The only risk is getting hit by an Iranian missile.

You couldn’t make it up. Tragically for the world, you don’t need to:

Featured image via the Canary

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Reform ‘s scandal-struck raffle probed by police

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Reform 's scandal-struck raffle probed by police

On 9 April, Reform UK announced the winner of their ‘Free Energy Bill’ prize draw. As we noted at the time, it seemed to be an excuse for Reform to make life a little easier for a family who appeared to have it quite easy already:

Since then, eagle-eyed investigators have noticed that this particular family have a history with Farage. Oh, and the police are looking into the raffle too. So all in all, things haven’t gone quite as well as they might have done.

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Farage loyalists

Firstly, the prize-winning couple do seem to have a documented history of being around Farage. As political commentator Don McGowan noted (with help from the Yorkshire Lass account and Reform Party UK Exposed):

🗼WELL I NEVER🗼

Would you believe that Ray and June, who won the Reform UK energy bills prize, go back all the way to the Brexit Party with Farage?

Here they are with Farage, Widdecombe and Bull [a truly awful supernatural detective thriller].

What a coincidence [increasingly unlikely]

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The point McGowan and others are making is that this longstanding history with Farage and his various political vehicles suggests these winners were likely hand picked by the party. In the same post, McGowan showed the following images which picture Ray, June, and Farage at the same event:

McGowan also provided the following timeline:

<-> Ray and June Dibble are photographed at a Brexit Party rally in 2019 with Nigel Farage, Anne Widdecombe and David Bull.

<-> Ray and June nominate local councillor, Lee Moffitt as branch chair for Reform UK, Wigan.

<-> Ray and June win Nigel Farage’s energy bills competition.

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<-> Additional info — Farage and Jenrick turn up at Ray and June’s house with a cheque for a VERY SPECIFIC amount of £1,758.

It’s almost as though the entire thing was orchestrated from the beginning.

Look, we’re going to be completely fair here. It seems reasonable to think that the sort of person who enters a Reform giveaway is almost certainly going to be the sort of person who likes and follows Farage. As such, the fact that the couple have been hanging around Nigel for years isn’t a smoking gun, as Reform themselves have argued:

Back to being less nice, Reform have certainly given no reason to believe that they didn’t fix it.

And really, it didn’t take a genius to foresee that the draw would end up looking like a fix, even if they didn’t purposefully orchestrate one.

Of course your members would enter the competition, Nigel.

Of course people would call foul when one of them won.

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Of course the inevitable outcry would overshadow any benefits from this little gimmick.

And as Mr Ethical noted, the way things have shaken out could in fact be criminal:

This is why political parties don’t usually do giveaways.

That and because they’re not daytime TV game shows.

It’s not surprising that Reform would ape light television, anyway, given that they’ve already stolen Jimmy Saville’s catchphrase.

GMP’s Reform investigation

As reported by the Telegraph, the police are now looking into the raffle. Greater Manchester Police have said:

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We have received a report and are currently reviewing the matter.

It’s currently unclear what potential offences the police are looking into. Reform, meanwhile, have said they’re not worried, having previously solicited legal advice.

In all likelihood, nothing will come of the above, because UK electoral law is a joke. Clearly, however, political parties giving out cash prizes is not a sign of functioning democracy.

Featured image via Chatham House (Flickr)

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Labour-right conveyor belt produces yet another paedophile

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Labour-right conveyor belt produces yet another paedophile

Yet another right-wing, friends-of-Israel paedophile has been convicted — the latest in the seemingly endless production line of Zionist Labour child rapists and abusers. Former Dudley councillor — and “attack dog” for arch-Zionist Luke Akehurst’s ‘Labour First’ pressure group — Adrian Hughes has pleaded guilty to three charges of grooming children for sex.

Hughes, who now lives in Preston, admitted communicating with a 13-year-old girl about meeting her to touch her and “teach her about sex” in May 2025. Also in the same month, he admitted trying to persuade a 13-year-old girl to have sex. Finally, he confessed to sending a picture of himself nude to an even younger girl and asking her to meet and have sex.

During his time as a Dudley councillor, Hughes sat on the council’s Children’s Services Select Committee, the Children and Young Person’s Scrutiny Committee and the Children’s Corporate Parenting Board.

Hughes has locked his X account, but traces of his own support for Israel are still identifiable. In 2023, he described comments from Keir Starmer supporting Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’ by killing Palestinians as “reassuring”.

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Broxtowe Alliance councillors and former Labour national executive member Mish Rahman pointed out financial support Hughes received from right-wing, pro-Israel MPs:

Two MPs with definite links to Labour First among Hughes’s donors include Gurinder Singh Josan, Akehurst’s right-hand man in Labour First and Russia hawk and “Labour First candidate” Phil Brickell. Also featuring is Josh Newbury, whose Cannock Chase seat is in Labour First’s West Midlands heartland.

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The prevalence of paedophiles among the Labour right was not lost on respondents:

Hughes will be sentenced on 24 April.

Zionist Labour paedos — a long and growing list

Some commenters wondered whether paedophilia is an entry requirement for the pro-Israel Labour right. Not without reason.

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Former Hackney councillor and Labour First organiser Thomas Dewey received 150 hours of ‘community service’ for possession of sadistic child rape images. Sam Gould, a former aide to Starmer’s health secretary Wes Streeting, received a suspended sentence for flashing a child and also an adult woman.

Israel fanatic and former Labour councillor Liron Velleman was convicted of sex offences with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl but turned out to be a police officer conducting a paedophile sting. Like many of his child-predator faction, he escaped jail. Some alleged Zionist paedophiles seem to escape consequences altogether. Former government minister Ivor Caplin is no longer even on bail after being caught — on camera — turning up to meet what he thought was a child for sex.

Some are accused but still awaiting trial. Starmeroid MP Dan Norris has been arrestedtwice — for sex offences including rape and child-sex offences, including abduction. Former councillor Conor McGrath has been charged with possessing child-rape images after a ten-month police operation.

And the perversion is rife in the genocidal colony they all support, too. Israel is sheltering thousands of paedophiles and refusing extradition requests from their home countries’ police.

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Extradition requests

Israeli cyber-spy boss Tom Alexandrovich was allowed to escape to Israel after meetings with US federal agencies. He had been caught in a paedophile sting. Israeli minister Orit Strook, her husband and son were accused by Strook’s daughter Shoshana of repeatedly raping her as a child and filming it. Shoshana Strook was found dead — ‘suicide’ — weeks after warning her followers that if she was found dead it would not be suicide — and days after hiring lawyers. Reports say that Israeli police are not pursuing the case against the family.

The apples don’t fall far from the tree. Their boss, PM Keir Starmer, has a horrific record of protecting sex predators and exploiters. Who will be the next Labour right-winger to be exposed? Based on their track record so far, it won’t be long.

Featured image via the Canary

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