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The cost of living crisis is well documented and for many people a mortgage is a millstone around their necks – but a growing number have chosen to cut costs by swapping their houses for a narrowboat.

The BBC took to the waterside in Leeds to find out how it’s worked out for some of them.

Ken Tracey, 57, sold his house in Suffolk in 2022, citing the need for “a change in life”.

“The cost of the house, it was really tricky to keep up with everything, keep the payments going,” he says.

“I’ve not got a mortgage any more, but I own this, so it’s safe.”

However, he admits there are “swings and roundabouts” to his new lifestyle.

Alongside trying to save money, Ken says he bought the boat to “live an adventure” – but admits he had not realised how difficult boat life would sometimes be.

“You’re not really prepared for it at the start – things like winter are a different thing.

“You’ve got to deal with a whole load of things that you wouldn’t have to deal with if you’re in a house. And then travelling around, you’ve got to solve problems every day.”

He described life on a narrowboat as “not a land of health and safety” and warned: “Locks are dangerous places”.

“This is technology that’s a couple of hundred years old now and you can see that in some places,” he claimed.

It also took him more than 18 months to “get to grips” with steering the boat.

“It takes weeks and weeks of bumping into things, scraping along the side of things, before you can work out the best way to steer it.”

Ken spent £75,000 on his boat and a further £20,000 on unforeseen maintenance.

Shares of state-owned defence major Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) rallied as much as 6.3% to hit the day’s high of Rs 4,910 on the BSE on Thursday, as investors cheered the company’s robust order book and positive outlook for the coming quarters.

According to the company’s annual report released on Tuesday, HAL’s order book stood at a staggering Rs 2.55 lakh crore for FY26. The outlook for FY27 and beyond remains positive, with the company noting that its strong order book provides 7-8 years of revenue visibility.

HAL expects growth to improve through better supply chain stabilisation, capacity expansion, including significant infrastructure investments, and faster production ramp-up of key platforms, the company said in its annual report released on August 4.

Also read: Defence stocks rally on strong order books and rising exports: Are they still worth buying?

HAL key focus areas

Hindustan Aeronautics outlined its key priorities for the coming years, including increasing LCA Mk1A production to more than 24 aircraft annually and accelerating the manufacturing of the HTT-40 trainer aircraft.

The company also plans to expand its presence in the civil aviation and export markets while raising indigenisation levels to over 65-75% across its major platforms. HAL said it will continue to invest in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and research and development for future programmes such as the IMRH, LCA Mk2, CATS, HLFT, and UAVs.

HAL FY27 outlook

The company said it is well positioned to benefit from opportunities across aircraft, helicopters, aero engines, avionics, and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects. It added that the execution of ongoing programmes, along with expected orders for fighter aircraft, rotary-wing platforms, and upgrade projects, is likely to provide strong medium- to long-term revenue visibility.HAL said these initiatives are expected to support its long-term growth, strengthen its role in India’s aerospace and defence ecosystem, and improve its competitiveness in global markets.

Last month, the company announced that it had signed a long-term agreement with Safran Aircraft Engines for the production and supply of turbine ring forgings made from superalloys for the ‘CFM LEAP’ engine programme.

Read more: Why a Rs 72,000 crore fund manager refuses to chase defence rally now

Under the agreement, HAL will manufacture near-net-shape ring forgings for the Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion (LEAP) engine at its state-of-the-art Ring Rolling facility at HAL’s Foundry and Forge Division in Bengaluru.

These superalloy ring forgings are used in high-temperature applications in the rotating section of the aero-engine and are critical to engine performance and reliability, the company said in a release.

HAL share price performance

HAL stock has gained nearly 20% in the last six months and about 10% since the beginning of the year. Over a three-year period, the stock price has risen more than 150%, while it has surged around 800% over the last five years.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

World of Warcraft players began reporting connectivity problems in the early hours of Wednesday, with outage-tracking service Downdetector logging a spike in user complaints starting around 3:46 a.m. Eastern time, according to a post shared on the platform’s social media account.

Downdetector, which aggregates self-reported outage data across thousands of websites and online services, flagged the disruption on its X account shortly after reports began climbing, asking affected players how the outage was impacting them and pointing to its website for further details on the incident. As of Wednesday morning, Blizzard Entertainment, the game’s publisher, had not issued a public statement addressing the specific cause of the disruption.

What Players Were Experiencing

Reports gathered by outage-tracking services during the incident pointed to difficulties logging in and connecting to the game’s servers, with the disruption described as affecting the ability of players to reach the game environment across multiple regions. Some players experienced intermittent connectivity rather than a complete inability to log in, a pattern outage monitors say is common during periods when backend authentication or instance servers become saturated with traffic.

Other independent outage-tracking services showed a more mixed picture of the game’s status in the days surrounding Wednesday’s report. One monitoring site recorded the game as fully operational as of Tuesday, Aug. 4, noting only nine user reports over the prior 24-hour period with none in the most recent hour, a level generally considered within the normal range of background complaints for a large online game. That inconsistency between different tracking services is not unusual during smaller-scale disruptions, where the scope and severity of an outage can vary depending on a player’s specific realm, region or internet service provider.

A History of Routine Maintenance Disruptions

World of Warcraft, which has been continuously operated by Blizzard Entertainment since its 2004 launch, follows a regular maintenance schedule that frequently causes temporary outages unrelated to any larger technical failure. North American realms typically go offline for scheduled maintenance on Tuesday mornings around 7 a.m. Pacific time, while European servers generally follow a similar pattern early Wednesday Central European Time, a schedule that can occasionally overlap with reports from players in different time zones experiencing what looks like a fresh disruption.

Maintenance windows can run longer than their standard allotment when a major content patch is being deployed, and Blizzard has at times extended downtime to several hours for specific realm types when significant updates are rolling out. The company has, in prior maintenance cycles this year, flagged extended downtime windows tied to expansion-specific patches, including tuning adjustments for character abilities and class balance changes, while more routine weeks have seen maintenance windows last as little as an hour before all realms return to service.

Players attempting to determine whether an outage reflects a widespread problem or a localized issue are generally advised to check Blizzard’s official realm status page, which lists the availability of individual servers for both the game’s retail version and its Classic variants, separately from the main modern game client. The company’s customer support account also typically posts updates during confirmed outages or emergency maintenance windows, often providing more immediate information than third-party tracking sites can offer.

Troubleshooting Steps for Affected Players

For players unable to determine whether an issue is isolated to their own connection or reflects a broader service disruption, outage-tracking services generally recommend a short sequence of checks. Confirming server status directly through Blizzard’s official channels is typically the first step, since the company’s status page reflects real-time information based on internal monitoring rather than delayed user reports. If the official status page shows realms as online while a player is still unable to connect, the issue is more likely tied to a local network problem, such as a router requiring a restart, an outdated game client in need of a pending patch, or a connection routing issue between the player’s internet service provider and Blizzard’s servers.

Players experiencing intermittent disconnections during active gameplay, rather than an inability to log in at all, are generally advised that such interruptions often stem from authentication or instance servers reaching capacity rather than a full-scale outage, and that character progress and data typically remain unaffected even if a session is interrupted mid-activity.

A Widely Played Title Still Drawing Large Audiences

Despite its age, World of Warcraft remains one of the most consistently active subscription-based online games more than two decades after its original release, continuing to draw large concurrent player populations, particularly around major content updates and expansion launches. The game’s persistent popularity means that even relatively brief or localized service disruptions tend to generate rapid attention on social media and outage-tracking platforms, given the number of players attempting to log in at any given time across its global server infrastructure.

As of Wednesday morning, the scope and cause of the reported disruption remained unclear, with Downdetector’s initial post serving as the primary public indicator that a meaningful number of players were experiencing problems. Blizzard has not confirmed whether the issue was tied to scheduled maintenance, an unplanned technical failure, or a more localized regional disruption affecting a subset of players. Players seeking the most current information on server status were directed toward Blizzard’s official realm status page and customer support channels, which the company has historically used to communicate updates more quickly than third-party aggregators during confirmed outages.

Given the pattern of past disruptions tied to routine maintenance and patch deployment, it remains possible that Wednesday’s reported issues reflect a temporary and already-resolving situation rather than a prolonged outage, though no official confirmation of that explanation had been provided as of the time Downdetector’s report began circulating.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

TikTok said Wednesday that a moderator error delayed the removal of a livestream appearing to show celebrity blogger Perez Hilton engaging in self-harm.

Law enforcement responded to Hilton’s Miami home Tuesday evening after the livestream prompted multiple emergency calls.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office confirmed that he had been “safely recovered and transported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to a local hospital, where he is receiving medical attention.”

A TikTok spokesperson told FOX Business the livestream was flagged within minutes, but a moderator error delayed its removal.

EXPERT WARNS OF MASSIVE RECKONING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES: ‘GIANT CASE OF KARMA’

TikTok said it immediately alerted law enforcement and that the livestream violated the platform’s Community Guidelines.

Several subsequent livestreams were also removed within 90 seconds and Hilton’s account was banned, according to TikTok.

A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that Hilton was placed under Florida’s Baker Act for an involuntary psychiatric evaluation and “had wounds and cuts all over the place.” Under Florida law, the Baker Act allows someone experiencing a mental health crisis to be transported to a designated receiving facility for an emergency psychiatric evaluation that generally lasts up to 72 hours.

“He’s alive,” the source added. “He has superficial cuts all over the body.”

TRUMP CABINET JOINS TIKTOK AFTER DOJ CLEARS PLATFORM FOR FEDERAL USE: ‘MAJORITY-OWNED BY AMERICAN INVESTORS’

Hilton’s family and team released a statement regarding his hospitalization earlier Wednesday.

“Many of you have reached out with concern for Perez, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers,” the statement read. “We can confirm that Perez is receiving medical care, and our family’s focus right now is on his well-being. We kindly ask that you respect Perez’s privacy, as well as the privacy of his family, during this difficult time.”

“If and when we are able to share any updates, we will do so with everyone as soon as we can,” the statement concluded. “Thank you for your compassion, understanding, and continued support.”

MYSPACE SEEKING A REVIVAL AS ITS OWNERS PLAN COMEBACK EFFORT FOR ONCE-POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said its Crisis Response Unit and licensed mental health professionals responded to the scene to provide support and resources to Hilton’s family.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson said deputies received multiple calls Tuesday evening regarding an individual “livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media.”

“Deputies quickly located the individual’s residence, where they spoke with family members on scene, and confirmed he was alone inside,” the spokesperson said.

“In many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,” the statement continued. “Unless there is an immediate threat to others, slowing the situation and utilizing crisis intervention techniques can reduce the likelihood of a suicide-by-cop encounter and minimize the risk of injury to the individual, deputies, and the public.”

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Hilton, whose legal name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., rose to prominence after launching his celebrity gossip website in 2004 and later became one of the internet’s best-known entertainment commentators.

Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.

Dame Jane Fraser, the chief executive of Citigroup, has said she is “worried” about the UK’s tax rate on banks, which she put at about 48 per cent in London against 27 per cent in New York, warning that further rises could jeopardise investment.

Speaking on a visit to London, Fraser said the UK rate was higher than in New York, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris. “Money votes with its feet,” she said.

Fraser, who runs the third-largest US bank, put Dublin’s rate at around 28 to 29 per cent.

“It makes it a tougher decision,” she said. “It’s already one of the most expensive centres in the world. Your clients have a lot of choices where things get booked. We have to make choices to where things get booked. If the taxes go up even higher, then that makes it an easier decision not to book it in London.”

Asked whether she was concerned about a new bank tax under Andy Burnham’s government, Fraser said: “Where I get concerned about it is London is such an important centre, a financial centre around the world. The world needs London to work well and to continue to prosper and innovate.

“There aren’t great alternatives. We need stronger alternatives to New York around the world because you need the diversification. But money votes with its feet.”

Fraser named France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan as alternative places for Citi to invest.

“The UK is important. It’s got talent, it’s got infrastructure, it’s got pretty sensible regulatory capabilities and the like,” she said. “But that difference, and I hate to be Scottish, it gets overcome pretty quickly. I am quite worried about it.

“I’m not sitting there going: ‘Okay, this is a catastrophe.’ But we care about the UK. This is a very important centre for Citi. I don’t want to see London diminished.”

Citi employs 14,000 people in the UK and is opening new offices at Canary Wharf in London. Fraser took over as chief executive in March 2021, and shares in the bank have almost doubled since.

Her comments follow a similar warning from Jamie Dimon, the JP Morgan chief executive, who has criticised the bank levy and said the tax has cost his shareholders $5 billion. Dimon said in May that JP Morgan would “reconsider” its planned Canary Wharf skyscraper if the bank’s UK tax bill climbed “too much”. CS Venkatakrishnan, the Barclays chief executive, has also urged ministers to resist further bank tax rises.

Banks in the UK pay a surcharge on profits in addition to corporation tax, alongside a levy on balance sheets. UK Finance, the industry body, put the total tax rate for a model corporate and investment bank in London at 46.4 per cent in its 2025 study, against 27.9 per cent in New York, 28.9 per cent in Dublin and 38.9 per cent in Frankfurt.

Fraser also said the UK was seen as “baffling” in the US. “I think some of the political changes that have happened in the UK are strange to the States, as to why there’s been so much change and why that’s happened. Then I think they see the UK as a bit diminished from what it used to be. But there is a desire and want for the UK to succeed.”

Asked whether she thought the UK was diminished, Fraser said: “Not so much diminished, it’s a little different. I think that it’s not as important in the world as it used to be. Some of that’s probably been our own doing. But it’s also the world’s changed a lot. It’s a more muscular world, it’s a more scaled world. I think the UK has a chance to prosper a lot. But it’s got some work to do.”

Fraser, 59, was born in Scotland and studied economics at the University of Cambridge before taking an MBA at Harvard. She joined Citi in 2004 after a decade at the consultancy McKinsey and has lived in the US for almost 20 years.

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Shares of optical and digital solutions provider Sterlite Technologies climbed over 4% to trade at Rs 662 on Thursday after the company secured a major international order worth approximately Rs 1,760 crore.

In a regulatory filing on August 5, the Pune-headquartered technology firm announced that it entered into a multi-year supply agreement with a leading international telecom infrastructure company for high-density optical fiber cables. The client’s specific identity was not disclosed in the filing, as is common with such commercial disclosures.

Details of the order win

The long-term contract is valued at roughly Rs 1,760 crore ($210 million) and will be executed over a three-calendar-year period spanning CY27 to CY29. Sterlite Technologies confirmed in its stock exchange disclosure that neither its promoter group nor any related entities have any financial or strategic interest in the client awarding the contract.

The deal comes as a significant boost to the company’s global order book, strengthening its presence across key international markets. As telecom operators and hyperscalers worldwide accelerate network rollouts, demand for advanced high-density fibre connectivity solutions is accelerating. The company noted that supplies under this agreement will directly support large-scale digital infrastructure deployments overseas during the three-year execution window.

Market performance and valuation context

The latest surge in the stock price extends a remarkable turnaround for the company on the exchanges. Over the past year, Sterlite Tech has witnessed a multi-fold rally from its 52-week low of Rs 84.65, with Thursday’s gains pushing the scrip close to its 52-week peak of Rs 684.45.

The rally has taken place even as the share remains under the Additional Surveillance Measure (ASM) Long Term Stage 4 framework on the exchanges. Exchange data also indicates that the company’s price-to-earnings (PE) ratio has stayed above 50 across the previous four trailing quarters, reflecting strong market expectations around its future earnings trajectory.

Expanding global digital footprint

Sterlite Technologies operates as an integrated optical and digital connectivity solutions developer, managing operations from glass preforms down to fiber deployment. The company runs manufacturing facilities across India, the United States, Italy, and China, serving telecom operators, internet service providers, and cloud data center networks in more than 100 countries.Industry analysts point out that large long-term contracts from international infrastructure developers are crucial for providing multi-year revenue visibility to optical fiber manufacturers. With global investments pouring into Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) expansion, 5G network densification, and AI-driven data center builds, major optical technology vendors like Sterlite Tech are positioned to capture growing demand across overseas telecom hubs.

Also read: Explained: What is CAS and what do new stock market timings mean for BSE, NSE traders?

The company’s recent strategic focus has centred on high-capacity ribbon cables, ultra-slim optical fibres, and specialised interconnect tools tailored for rapid deployment. Management has consistently highlighted that long-term supply agreements with global leaders help de-risk capacity planning while ensuring sustained utilisation across its primary manufacturing assets.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)