As children head back to the classrooms, an increase in back-to-school asthma attacks is likely.
As schools across Northern Ireland reopen, one mum has opened up about fearing her children might have a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.
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As children head back to the classrooms, Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland warns that an increase in back-to-school asthma attacks is likely.
The number of asthma emergency admissions for children under 16 more than doubled between August and September in the last two years. In Northern Ireland, asthma affects around 40,000 youngsters.
Hayley, who has three children, Ruben, Mila, and Leighton, with asthma and lives in Derry, says it’s always a worrying time when the children go back to school in September, because of circulating viruses and dust.
She said: “Luckily, because my son Ruben goes to a special needs school as he is autistic and nonverbal, the classes are very small, so it’s not so much of a worry with him and his asthma.
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“Mila, on the other hand, has many allergies and triggers including dust and always picks up bugs especially at the beginning of the autumn term. We try to avoid the dust and the school is great, she doesn’t sit on the carpet, but on a chair and if there are lots of bugs going around, she can do her work in a breakout room.
“We have a robust asthma care plan in place and a great relationship with the local asthma nurse. We maintain a good preventer inhaler routine, including over the holidays and we use antihistamines too.
“Mila is of an age now where she is very conscientious about taking her preventer inhaler, really listens to her body, and is confident to ask for help if she needs it.
“My youngest Leighton is just being tested now for asthma, but we will of course be watchful when he returns to school.”
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Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland says that preventer inhaler routines can often get disrupted over the holidays, leading to children’s airways becoming more sensitive to asthma triggers when they go back to school. These triggers often include an abundance of viruses and colds as well as dust.
Across 2023/24 and 2024/25, asthma emergency admissions among children under 16 more than doubled when children returned to school after the summer holidays. Meanwhile the autumn term was responsible for 37% (154 out of 421 annual total) of childhood (under 16) asthma emergency admissions in 2024/25.
In 2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025), there were 421 asthma emergency hospital admissions for children under 16.
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland, said: “When children return to school after the summer holidays, a rise in the number of asthma attacks is often seen, unfortunately leading to more hospital visits. An increase in viruses, coughs and colds or dust mites in schools could be to blame.
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“With this in mind, Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland is asking parents and teachers to look out for signs that their child or pupil’s asthma may be worsening. This could be breathlessness, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and if it is, to take urgent action.
“Over the hectic summer holidays, preventer inhaler routines can sometimes slip, which can leave children much more vulnerable to an asthma attack when they return to school and are around more triggers.
“As a reminder too for schools, we would encourage them to download our fantastic free Asthma at School poster which can be found on our website, so they are prepared for the new term and know what to do if a pupil does have an asthma attack.”
Professor Sir Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland has welcomed the campaign for raising important awareness about asthma.
He said: “Any respiratory infections and viruses in the classroom can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening asthma attacks so it’s important to practice good respiratory and hand hygiene as these simple measures are important tools in preventing the spread of many illnesses.
“I would also encourage parents to make sure their child receives the free seasonal flu vaccine in school this autumn. This will help protect not only them your child but also those around them with an underlying health condition.
“It is therefore crucial that we know what to do if a child is affected. This not only requires appropriate medical interventions but also enhanced communication and education to ensure patients, carers and families have the necessary knowledge and skills to manage their condition.”
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More information on how to prepare your child for their return to school so their asthma is well managed is available here or call the Asthma + Lung UK helpline on 0300 222 5800 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The official in charge of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza criticized Israel on Wednesday for its attacks on the war-battered Palestinian territory and warned that the alternative to the U.S. proposal is the next war.
Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace high representative, insisted to the U.N. Security Council that Trump’s 20-point plan has not stalled and “has moved from the negotiating table to the engineering table.”
The militant group Hamas has agreed to the proposal’s key provision to disarm and turn Gaza over to civilian rule, he said. But Israel’s ongoing strikes since last October’s ceasefire are still killing Palestinians — though much fewer — and Gazans can’t feel that the conflict is ending, he said.
“After three years of war and 20 years of military operations, I ask, will another strike on a munitions depot stop Hamas from rearming or tightening its grip on Gaza?” Mladenov said. “It will not. It only delays the demilitarization that would happen” and obstructs the transfer to a civilian government.
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A recent U.S. deal with Hamas to disarm was seen as a potential breakthrough to end the war, which was sparked by the militant group’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces won’t withdraw from their current lines in Gaza until Hamas has handed over all its weapons.
Mladenov said that at a meeting he took part in last week with Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, “we went through his government’s concerns one by one and narrowed the areas that still require technical work.”
Israel’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Noa Furman, reiterated to the Security Council his country’s commitment to Trump’s plan, but stressed that it can’t succeed while Hamas remains armed. He said Israel is working closely with the U.S. to achieve Hamas’ disarmament.
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, said concerns about Trump’s plan are being addressed and Hamas’ disarmament will be judged on its actions.
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Mladenov warned of the distance between the roadmap and what’s happening on the ground, and said if war resumes, there won’t be a roadmap to return to or anything left on the ground to rebuild.
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“That would not be a setback,” he said. “it would be a point of no return for everyone.”
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Mladenov stressed the need for political will to overcome the differences and said there is a choice to be made: “A Gaza disarmed, rebuilt and reconnected to the world. Or a Gaza rearmed, divided and in rubble, with a radicalized generation raised inside it and the next war already on the horizon.”
As for the Palestinians, Mladenov said, the Trump plan includes a “credible pathway to a political horizon” and a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict. Netanyahu vehemently opposes a Palestinian state.
Birmingham’s flooding comes as the Environment Agency issued 23 alerts for flooding across the country tonight.
Of the 23, one is a flood warning, which means flooding ‘is expected’. That covers Perry Brook, where emergency services have been sent.
It said: “Locations most affected will be Flooding may affect properties and roads around Trehurst Avenue, Chevril Close, Haddon Road and the Bowling Green.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. Take care and avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water.”
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The 22 alerts mean flooding is ‘possible’.
It added the warning, and the other 22 alerts which are mostly focused on the Midlands, would be updated at 11am on Thursday (August 27), ‘or as the situation changes’.
Flood alerts in place in the UK tonight(Image: Environment Agency)
Practical Magic the next generation: Joey King turns heads in a sheer gown as she joins Maisie Williams at sequel premiere ahead of roles as Sandra Bullock’s character’s daughters
Joey King and Maisie Williams both turned heads with stylish outfits at the Practical Magic 2 premiere held at the Leicester Square Odeon in London on Tuesday night.
The two actresses are the next generation of the Practical Magic films, and play Sandra Bullock‘s character’s daughters Kylie and Antonia in the film – which also stars Nicole Kidman.
Nicole, 59, reprises her role as Sally Owens and Sandra, 62, as her sister Gillian in the next instalment on from the 1998 cult film.
Joey, 27, looked stunning at the premiere in a sheer white and yellow dress with a billowing skirt and sported newly dyed red hair.
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While Maisie, 29, was the epitome of chic in a red corset-style dress which showed off her many tattoos.
Nicole meanwhile wowed in a custom silver Chanel gown, while Sandra opted for a strapless leopard print dress from Givenchy and black strappy heels as they posed amid rows of candles.
Joey King and Maisie Williams both turned heads with stylish outfits at the Practical Magic 2 premiere held at the Leicester Square Odeon in London on Tuesday night
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The two actresses are the next generation of the Practical Magic films, and play Sandra Bullock’s character’s daughters in the film – which also stars Nicole Kidman
Nicole has been throwing herself into work this year since her divorce from Keith Urban was finalised in January and has reunited with Sandra – who recently opened up about the death of her partner Bryan Randall – for the project.
The plot of the sequel, set 25 years after the original film, is adapted from Alice Hoffman’s 2021 sequel story, The Book of Magic.
The new film is released on September 11.
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Nicole and Sandra who’ve been busy surprising cinema audiences amid their press tour, executive produced the Warner Bros. Pictures flick also featuring Lee Pace and Solly McLeod.
‘The Owens women must once again unite, traveling from their home in Massachusetts to the United Kingdom to confront the source of their magic and save the next generation of their family,’ a synopsis for the film reads.
The two leading ladies surprised fans as they showed up to a Cinespia screening of their 1998 flick at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles earlier this month.
A behind-the-scenes video clip shared on Instagram showed the audience erupting in excitement after the women took the stage.
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At the event Sandra said: ‘Practical Magic is the perfect movie to show at a cemetery,’ according to an account from The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, Nicole thanked the crowd for their support in ‘getting this second film made that’s coming to you very soon’.
Joey, 27, looked stunning at the premiere in a sheer white and yellow dress with a billowing skirt and sported newly-dyed red hair
While Maisie, 29, was the epitome of chic in a red corset-style dress which showed off her many tattoos
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Nicole, 59, reprises her role as Sally Owens and Sandra, 62, as her sister Gillian in the next instalment on from the 1998 cult film
Nicole confirmed in 2024 that she and Sandra would reprise their roles as orphaned sisters Gillian and Sally Owens
Join the discussion
Should cult classics like Practical Magic get sequels, or should they be left untouched?
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The ladies were joined in their surprise appearance by Maisie and Joey.
Nicole confirmed in 2024 that she and Sandra would reprise their roles as orphaned sisters Gillian and Sally – who come from a long line of witches.
The girls were raised by their eccentric aunts, played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, who embraced their magical history.
Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the 1998 script, returned to pen the sequel alongside Kelly Marcel and Georgia Pritchett.
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Both Nicole and Sandra served as producers, with Susanne Bier directing.
The original Practical Magic earned $68.3million globally, according to The Numbers, falling below its $75million budget.
Despite lacklustre box office figures, the film became a cult classic.
Hoffman has written three other books about the Owens family due to popular demand.
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‘I got mail from readers saying that they wanted to have a sequel, that they wanted to know what happened to the characters,’ the author said in 2021.
She added, ‘But, I felt like I wanted to know how these characters happened; I wanted to know their history.
‘So I went back in time and I went to the ’60s in New York City in Greenwich Village – which is my favorite time and I wish we were there right now – and it was a total pleasure’.
This region of the Himalayas had not yet recovered from the Bhote Koshi flooding in 2025 that killed nine people as it washed away a “friendship bridge” linking Nepal and China, disrupting trade and transport for months.
In Sri Lanka, recent floods and landslides struck affected communities that were still recovering from Cyclone Ditwah, which had caused widespread damage only nine months earlier. With little time to recover from the cyclone, communities had no protection from further flooding. More than 15,000 people have been directly affected and 6,800 people were displaced this August.
Disaster risk usually considers how severe the next flood, wildfire, cyclone or drought will be. But the Nepal and Sri Lanka examples show another dimension that is often overlooked: how quickly can a community recover and will it do so before the next disaster arrives?
A disaster rarely leaves a place exactly as it found it. Roads and bridges may remain damaged. Families may have spent their savings. Businesses may still be struggling. Governments can still be financing reconstruction, while hospitals and other public services remain under pressure.
If another hazard arrives before these systems have recovered, it does not encounter the same community that existed before the first disaster. It encounters a place with less resilience and a weakened infrastructure.
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Hundreds of travellers are missing after flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border.
A useful way to understand this is through the recovery gap: the relationship between how long recovery takes and how much time is available before another damaging disaster occurs.
Imagine two communities experiencing similar floods. In one, the previous major disaster occurred ten years earlier. Homes have been rebuilt, infrastructure repaired and emergency resources replenished. In the other, another disaster happened only six months ago. Roads remain under repair, families are still displaced or in debt, and public authorities are still paying for reconstruction. The new flood may be physically similar in both places. Its consequences may not be.
Incomplete recovery can substantially increase long-term losses. A 2025 study of recurrent flooding in the Philippines that losses increased by 40% between 2000 and 2018 because of incomplete recover. This suggests that repeated disaster losses are not always simply additive. The first disaster can change the conditions under which the next one occurs and the effects of subsequent disasters can be much more severe.
Recovery has many clocks
Recovery is often described as if a community is either recovered or not, a simplistic binary. It’s more of a sliding scale. Electricity and freshwater supplies may return within days. A damaged road may take months to repair. Rebuilding homes can take years. Businesses may reopen while still carrying substantial debt. Household finances, ecosystems and mental wellbeing can recover on entirely different timescales.
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A place can therefore look recovered according to one indicator while remaining highly vulnerable according to another.
It took more than a decade for New Orleans in the US to achieve substantial physical and structural recovery following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While basic emergency operations and power restoration took weeks to months, full neighbourhood rebuilding, population stabilisation and major flood protection system upgrades spanned 15 years or more. And this was in one of the richest countries in the world.
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in the US in 2020. It took more than a decade for communities to recover and for infrastructure to be fully reinstated. Chesney deBlanc/Shutterstock
Recovery is also unequal. Wealthier households may have insurance, savings and access to credit. Poorer households often have fewer resources to repair homes, replace belongings or absorb lost income. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, many poorer households who had hurricane insurance were refused payouts as the damage was deemed to be flood-related because of the burst levees and not by the hurricane. So, it is not only the time between disasters that matters. It is also how much recovery can happen during that time.
This issue becomes increasingly important where climate change alters the frequency or severity of weather extremes. If reconstruction requires five years but another damaging event occurs after two, the interval between disasters starts competing with the time needed to recover. That should change how we manage disaster risk.
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Measure recovery, not only damage
Governments are generally good at recording immediate losses: damaged buildings, displaced people, destroyed infrastructure and financial costs. But they also need to know what remains unrepaired months or years later. Recovery monitoring needs to include housing, infrastructure functionality, business activity, household finances, public services and displacement. The question should not stop at “how much did we lose?” It should continue with “how much vulnerability remains?”
Disasters are not isolated occurrences. Floods, wildfires, droughts and storms are often assessed separately. These assessments are essential, but communities experience these hazards through the same infrastructure, economy and population.
The road damaged by one event may be needed for evacuation during the next. An electricity system weakened today may be supporting hospitals or water services tomorrow. Risk assessments should therefore consider plausible hazard sequences and the condition critical systems may be in when another disaster hits. This does not mean predicting the exact order of future disasters. It means abandoning the assumption that every new disaster meets a fully recovered system.
Recovery should not be seen only as the final stage of the disaster that just happened. It is also preparation for whatever comes next. Restoring infrastructure, supporting households and reopening essential services quickly can reduce the vulnerability carried into the next event.
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But simply rebuilding the same vulnerable systems recreates the same risks. Recovery should therefore combine speed with adaptation: stronger infrastructure, better redundancy, improved emergency planning and greater support for communities that would otherwise take the longest to recover. Recent research shows that the government plays a critical role in ensuring rapid, efficient and effective recovery.
While asking “how severe could the next disaster be?”, we should also ask “how recovered will we be when it arrives?” Because the next disaster does not start from zero. It inherits what the last one left behind.
The Israeli Prime Minister said an agreement was not possible with the ‘savages’ who rule Iran, referring to the authorities in Tehran.
Speaking at an event in Jerusalem for Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said he told Trump in a meeting at the White House last month: ‘I doubt that an agreement can be reached with that group there, with those savages.
‘I tell you – an agreement cannot be reached.’
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Netanyahu added the two also discussed renewing military action against Iran: ‘We will not allow Iran to attack us, and if, God forbid, they attack us, they will suffer a blow beyond anything they have imagined– far stronger than anything they have suffered until now’
Netanyahu also hailed the US president’s new campaign after Trump on Monday declared ‘economic D-Day’ aimed at destroying Iran’s economy.
It has already endured years of sanctions, but Trump has shown reluctance to resume a full-scale war even as he grows frustrated that Tehran will not accept his demands.
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Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out any diplomatic deal with Iran as he backed Donald Trump’s new economic campaign (pictured together at the White House)
The Israeli Prime Minister said: ‘[Trump] reaffirmed that decision with something very, very, very powerful.
‘What President Trump did yesterday was to tighten the siege on Iran – not by tightening the siege on Iran itself, but by tightening the siege on those who help that regime, that terrible dictatorship. That is very important.’
Netanyahu has long been sceptical of diplomacy with Iran, openly campaigning against a 2015 nuclear deal brokered by then US president Barack Obama, but he has been publicly careful not to criticise Trump who has also sought a negotiated settlement.
The war has become even more personal for Netanyahu as he revealed Monday that Iran tried to kill one of his sons.
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He did not give further details. The US news channel Newsmax, quoting an anonymous US law enforcement source, said the target was Yair Netanyahu, his 35-year-old son who has long lived in the Miami area and is known for his outspoken support for hawkish Israeli policies.
The younger Netanyahu abruptly returned to Israel, leaving his belongings behind, Newsmax said.
Israel in the opening salvo of the war on February 28 killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with much of his family.
In a message read out on his behalf on state TV, Mojtaba Khamenei said that in addition to his father, he had lost his wife, his sister, her child and his brother-in-law.
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Netanyahu tells Trump no diplomatic deal with Iranian ‘savages’ is possible
The volunteers who work at the fire station said it was ‘sad and disappointing’ to discover the vandalism
15:08, 26 Aug 2026Updated 15:08, 26 Aug 2026
Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade has been targeted by vandalism. The fire brigade, located on Bourges Boulevard, reported two incidents of vandalism to their station within a week.
Cars in the car park had their wing mirrors smashed off or bent backwards, and a window was reportedly smashed by a thrown object. Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that the smashed window was reported to the force on Tuesday, August 25.
The fire station is crewed by unpaid volunteers. In a statement on social media, the fire service said it is “incredibly sad and disappointing to see a place that exists to serve and support the community as being treated in this way”.
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The police force confirmed a crime has been raised and an investigation is ongoing.
A statement by Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade said: “As a brigade and charity, we are fortunate that we don’t often encounter negativity from our community. Unfortunately, recently we have been the target of vandalism.
“We are incredibly proud of our home. We work hard to maintain it, keep it clean and presentable, and ensure it remains a safe and welcoming space for future generations. Our station is also a place where we welcome local Cubs, Beavers and Scouts for visits and activities.
“Sadly, within the space of a week, we have experienced two incidents of vandalism. Cars parked in our car park have had their wing mirrors smashed off or bent backwards, and one of our windows was also smashed by an object being thrown at it.
“It is incredibly sad and disappointing to see a place that exists to serve and support the community being treated in this way.” The fire brigade has urged anyone with information regarding the incidents to get in touch with them.
The trial is scheduled to begin June 5, 2028, 18 months later than the January 2027 start that prosecutors had requested. The additional time is needed to resolve pretrial disputes, including disagreements about what evidence can be presented at trial, Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama wrote in his ruling.
The U.S. military and successive administrations have struggled for more than two decades to bring to justice the man charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever on the United States.
The 2028 trial depends on the case meeting deadlines and milestones along the way and it could again be delayed. A trial was previously scheduled in 2021 but later canceled.
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Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another of the hijacked planes flew into a field in Pennsylvania. He faces trial alongside three alleged accomplices: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
They are among the last of the detainees held at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A federal appeals court last year threw out an agreement that would have allowed Mohammed to plead guilty in a deal sparing him the risk of execution for al-Qaida’s 2001 attacks.
That deal stipulated life sentences without parole for Mohammed and two of his co-defendants. It also would have obligated the men to answer any lingering questions that families of the victims have about the attacks. But after negotiating the deal for two years, former President Joe Biden’s administration repudiated it.
Who needs police horses? Scotland Yard has bolstered its fleet of high-powered e-bikes to rev up its battle against phone snatchers plaguing the West End.
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The Sur-Ron bikes, which can weave through London’s chock-a-block traffic at 50mph, have been credited for reducing phone thefts by 13,000 last year.
Moped muggers and thugs on e-bikes could usually evade capture by embarking on dangerous pursuits through winding alleyways or smart shortcuts through estates. But the Met are hoping by increasing the unit to 25 riders they will have nowhere to hide.
The lightweight machines are ridden by a highly trained unit of riders who will circle central London looking for criminals preying on tourists and commuters.
A police statement said: ‘The lightweight bikes enable officers to cut through traffic, navigate narrow streets, and even tackle staircases, allowing them to reach and catch criminals in places inaccessible to conventional police motorcycles and cars.
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The fight against gangs who use e-bikes and mopeds to commit crime across London has stepped up a gear with the Met increasing the size of its own e-bike fleet from five to 25.
‘They are a game changer in the fight against phone theft, enabling officers to pursue offenders quickly and intervene moments after a snatch offence.’
So far this year, officers have seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, often modified with high-powered batteries or uninsured.
Profits seized from criminals has been reinvested into policing with the Home Office helping to pay for the new bikes.
Phonesnatchers beware: the bikes have stopped an estimated 13,000 offences across London in the last year. (Picture: Met Police)
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Louise Puddefoot said: ‘Expanding our Sur-Ron fleet gives officers another powerful tool to stay one step ahead of criminals. These bikes allow officers to move quickly through busy streets, access areas traditional vehicles cannot reach, respond faster to crime and arrest more suspects.’
Just in the last month two suspects have been chased down by Sur-Ron bikes.
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In one incident a suspect sped off and shot into a council estate where they were intercepted by an officer on an e bike and found to be in possession of class A drugs.
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To get the latest news from the capital, visit Metro’sLondon news hub.
The assistant commissioner added: ‘Criminals are using high-powered, often illegally modified e-bikes to commit offences such as phone theft and robbery. By expanding this capability, we are ensuring our officers have the tools they need to disrupt criminality and keep Londoners safe.
‘Londoners are already seeing the results of our relentless focus on tackling street crime, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent over the past year and 13,000 fewer phone thefts.’
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Many illegal e-bikes confiscated by police have been modified to travel much faster, with some exceeding 70mph.
Non-compliant machines are effectively electric mopeds or motorbikes, which must be registered, taxed and insured.
While major retailers sell thousands of legal e-bikes every year, many illegal machines are bought on the internet.
Kits which add an electronic motor to a conventional bike are available online for under £300.
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As well as being used for crime, illegal e-bikes are also often used for legitimate journeys such as food deliveries and commuting.
At least there’s something good on tonight (Rockstar Games)
The Thursday letters page tries to predict the contents of tonight’s GTA 6 Netflix special, as one is disappointed by the new Mega Man game.
Today’s the day So, I’m going to guess I know what the majority of people reading this are going to be watching tonight, eh? As I write this there’s still no clue as to how long the GTA 6 Netflix show is going to be or really anything at all about it, and I really couldn’t guess. Well, I guess that’s a lie because I’m about to.
My guess is it’ll probably only be about 10 minutes of gameplay in total, not too different from what you’d usually get as an ordinary trailer. And then they’re going to put a lot of padding around that, with dev interviews and celeb interviews and people talking about how great GTA and Rockstar are.
And you know, I can’t blame them. If I’d made a game this popular I’d want to show off about it too. I can’t really see it being a disappointment either. The games have got by on mediocre gameplay since they started and if the story’s bad it wouldn’t be the first. I’m very happy with my pre-order. Cranston
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Bad footage These GTA 6 leaks are so freaky. Why are they so bad? Why is the guy (and let’s face it, we all know it’s a guy) choosing these particular clips to show, when there’s usually nothing going on? He cuts in a few seconds of cut scenes for no reason and the person playing it – maybe him but who knows – plays like they’ve never touched a video game controller in their life.
The one I watched today was just aimlessly driving around at night, really badly, five seconds of an apparently random cut scene, and then the police flagging him down, and then it cuts out. Just what is the point?
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I would say that maybe he’s just got random clips from somewhere and this is all there is but then he seemed to actually be playing the game, because he spelt out ‘Cyberleek’ in it. It’s just so weird and pointless for some dude to ruin their life over. Maser
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Final reveals Not a bad Opening Night Live for Gamescom but I have to agree with Wednesday’s Inbox, that I wish I’d just skipped to the end. The Witcher 3 Remastered look great and I appreciate the generosity of it all. I don’t think people are down enough on CD Projekt to skip The Witcher 4 but they definitely won’t now.
It was kind of a nothing reveal for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation though. After all the hype that the director was going to be there, he didn’t really say anything and I don’t think the trailer had any real surprises. I’m not saying it’ll be bad, but what they showed didn’t move the needle for me. Kimps
Dark material Metro 2039 looks very impressive and I have total respect for the people making it in Ukraine, but I worry it’s going to be just too bleak for me. When the real world is so awful, and getting worse by the day, I want some escapism and positivity from my entertainment.
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I’m not surprised the developers didn’t turn around and make a 3D platformer, given the position they’re in, but I don’t need to have it hammered home to me how awful humanity is and that there’s nothing you can really do about it.
I’m surprised movies haven’t realised that as well, and try to focus on uplifting stories, but that’s not really something games do. Maybe I should just play more Astro Bot to cheer myself. You know, the kind of game Sony only makes once every four years or so. Kosh
Bethesda gonna Bethesda I see that Crimson Desert is receiving a huge new update that revamps the story. Merits of the game notwithstanding (it’s always looked like a cool sandbox world with a rubbish story to me), the developers have done an amazing job in frequently updating that game to address player feedback.
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Obviously, I’d prefer if games launched in great shape initially, but when you have things like Oblivion Remastered, that is pretty inherently broken (huge traversal stutters, memory leak causing frame rates to drop with longer gaming sessions) and has been for a long time, it’s good to see a developer be responsive and at least try to fix things quickly. Magnumstache
Xbox Wars Great review of Star Wars Zero Company, I was already pretty set on getting it but seeing the positive reception it’s a definite. As others have said, I hope it’s a hit and can help inspire more turn-based strategies. I assume Rainbow Six Tactics is just a coincidence but hopefully it’s a positive sign.
Galactic Racer is looking like it’ll be a good time, which will mean we’ll have two top notch Star Wars games in one year, who would’ve guessed? I’d ask what’s next, but who can really answer that, knowing the state of Star Wars at the moment and EA probably not wanting to do any more licensed games (I bet that Iron Man game never happens).
It’s ironic but Star Wars is in a similar situation to Xbox at the moment. Xbox has its 25th anniversary coming up this year and it’s in the worst state it’s been in, in all that time. Star Wars turns 50 next year and it’s at an all-time low too. So… happy birthday corporate products!
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I’ll be honest, I couldn’t care less about Xbox, they did that to themselves, but Star Wars has so many things that are still good coming out, but it’s mixed in with so much rubbish. I’d say that the video games were easily the most consistent thing about the franchise now.
What I’d like to see is them concentrate on keeping the quality up, with the new Old Republic game looking like a really good bet and Star Wars Jedi 3 hopefully inevitable. Quality and variety is the important thing, so I’d love to see a grand strategy game maybe, like Hearts Of Iron. If Paradox can make a Lego game I don’t see why they wouldn’t go for Star Wars too.
Then something more arcadey, maybe Battlefront 3 but I’d prefer to see something more like Gears Of War but set in the Star Wars universe. There’s so much that could be done, but at the moment it feels like the popularity of the movies and show is what’s holding things back. Jono
Arrested development I don’t know why I thought the new Mega Man might not be super hard but I’m disappointed to find out it is. What is it with Capcom and some of its older franchises? They’re the same with Ghosts ‘N Goblins; just because they were stupidly hard back in the day doesn’t mean they have to be now. Assuming you actually want new people to play them.
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Games like Super Mario Bros. and Castlevania are just as old but they haven’t kept the same old school difficultly, why would they? I feel by making them this way Capcom are preventing them from ever evolving into something new. Goku
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Inevitable leek I’m not sure I really understand why GTA 6 developers would be ‘heartbroken’ about the leaks. Apart from the fact that they’re going to be forgotten about, by ordinary people, the second the game comes out it’s not like it makes the game look bad or anything. In fact, I’d say it’s a good way to get people used to what to expect from the graphics, before they go in assuming total photorealism.
I also feel that Rockstar Games kind of brought this on themselves. If you’re going to go 13 years without a new game, and less than three months before it’s out you still haven’t shown any raw gameplay, of course people are going to go stir crazy.
I’m not saying the leaker is right in any way but I think something like this was inevitable when you’re this secretive for no reason. Sure, you don’t want to give away plot points or anything but so far everything that’s been shown of GTA 6 is exactly what you’d expect, no more, no less. So what was the point of the secrecy?
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The reader the other day was right to compare Rockstar to Nintendo, as I feel they both act very similarly. Like they said, why choose Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, of all things, to be extra secretive about it? If it turns out to be a 1:1 remake it’s going to seem even more pointless, and to be honest vaguely insulting to fans. Banoffee King
Inbox also-rans So I guess Half-Life 3 isn’t happening after all? I know it’s a long-running joke, but when Valve was talking about the Steam Machine it really seemed like it would happen. To be honest I’m not even sure if Steam Machine even came out in the end. Gilk
GC: It did, but it’s very expensive.
This ‘It happens on PS5’ tagline is terrible. Now I think about it, all PlayStation taglines are pretty bad. Here’s my suggestion for the next one: ‘We hate our customers but at least our games are good.’ Honest, no? Pr0metheus
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Londoners have seen their buying power plummet more than anywhere else in the country thanks to rising mortgage rates, new research from Zoopla shows.
The average five-year fixed mortgage rate is around 4.8 per cent today for a new 75 per cent Loan-to-Value (LTV) mortgage, up from below 4 per cent in January.
A UK homebuyer who could afford a £200,000 mortgage at the beginning of the year, for example, can now borrow around £182,000 for the same monthly repayment, representing a nine per cent reduction in buying power.
Alternatively, to keep monthly repayments the same, a buyer would need to add £18,200 to their deposit on a property.
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In London, where the average property costs almost twice as much as the UK average, this loss of buying power has a bigger effect. Buyers in the capital would need to add £35,500 to their deposit to buy the same home with the same monthly mortgage repayment.
This example assumes a 75 per cent LTV mortgage using a 27-year term for a five-year fixed-rate loan at 4.8 per cent now, versus 4 per cent in January.
The hit to buying power in the capital has a greater impact on first-time buyers, who often take out longer mortgages and larger loans compared to existing homeowners.
‘House price growth is slowing to zero’
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With affordability stretched by higher mortgage rates, some buyers have chosen to delay their purchases, causing the market to slow down. According to Zoopla, sales across the UK are down by six per cent year-on-year.
“House price growth is slowing to zero as borrowing costs remain high and uncertainty surrounds which taxes will be increased in the autumn budget,” said Tom Bill, Knight Frank’s head of UK residential research.
“Weakness in the labour market means the Bank of England is unlikely to hike rates any time soon, but almost six months into the Middle East conflict, mortgage rates are still around a percentage point higher than they were before it started.
“A seasonal bounce in activity may be more detectable in autumn than it was in spring as rates stabilise, but that will also depend on the extent of any pre-budget speculation, and overall we expect prices to be largely flat this year.”
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In London, house prices were down by 1 per cent year-on-year in July, compared to -0.6 per cent in June. The average London property now costs £525,400.
Many of UK’s most expensive areas in the south have seen the biggest drops in value, while more affordable regions like the North West, Scotland and the North East have seen prices rise. Northern Ireland has seen the biggest growth in house prices, at 5.4 per cent.
Across the UK, the average house price has increased by just 0.9 per cent in the 12 months to July.
But according to Zoopla, there are signs that the market is beginning to change, as buyers return after the summer.
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Despite a lower number of sales, searches for homes are now seven per cent higher than the same time last year – their strongest level for 12 months. In London, searches are up by 7.3 per cent.
“Many buyers have taken a ‘wait and see’ approach over the summer months in response to higher borrowing costs and political uncertainty,” says Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla.
“The low point for activity was mid-July around the time of the World Cup final. Since then, we have seen a steady increase in the number of people searching for a home, assessing their options ahead of the post-holiday rebound in sales market activity. This is a nationwide trend and the first time searches for homes are up across Britain this year.”
With mortgage rates still hovering around five per cent, affordability is still a concern, says Donnell, but a five per cent boost in listings across the UK is giving buyers more choice.
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“Buyers have plenty of choice this autumn and will be able to make competitive bids for homes. Motivated sellers need to price carefully to attract interest and bids and seek the advice of local agents for the likely levels of demand and interest in their home as market conditions vary widely across the country.”
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