Politics
What Delays a Flat Sale? Common Issues Buyers and Sellers Overlook
At first, the idea of selling a flat can seem straightforward. You catalogue it, locate a buyer and anticipate a quick turnaround. Flat sales can lag behind housing sales, and the reasons aren’t always clear. Many delays stem from things buyers and sellers hadn’t considered, or don’t think about until the process is already underway. Knowing these things early can help you avoid frustration and make the best choices when time is of the essence.
Legal and Paperwork Issues That Slow Things Down
One of the biggest foot-draggers is related to paperwork associated with leasehold ownership. Unlike houses, most flats demand extra paperwork before a sale can proceed.
The management packs are a perfect example. The freeholder or managing agent supplies them and they contain information such as service charges, building insurance and planned works. They are indispensable for the buyer’s solicitor, but are sometimes requested late and can take weeks to arrive. Some managing agents also levy hefty fees, which can add to delays while costs are negotiated.
Ground rent clauses may also prove problematic. Some terms could raise concerns for mortgage lenders, particularly if the ground rent balloons over time. If picked up by legal checks, buyers might pause or even walk away entirely.
Then there are building safety forms. Dozens of flat sales now hinge on new safety regulations to confirm fire safety and the presence of cladding. If the correct form is not provided on time or is incomplete, solicitors may decline to continue until it is corrected.
Practical and Timing Challenges Sellers Often Miss
But beyond paperwork, timing is a significant factor in how quickly a flat sale closes. Property chains also play a part. If your buyer’s buyer has a property to sell and there’s yet another buyer involved, it can drag on significantly longer. Flats are often in long chains, meaning that if one link fails, the entire row collapses.
Delaying for this interval can be pretty frustrating, especially when there is a personal or financial deadline. Job changes, relationship breakups, or repeated costs, such as service charges, can make waiting unbearable. In such a scenario, some sellers seek to minimise uncertainty and think “I’d better look to sell my flat fast“, prioritising speed over receiving the best price for the property. Finding a cash buyer can help them proceed without relying on prolonged chains or legal processes.
Preparation is another area sellers often overlook. Missing documents, murky histories of service charges, or unresolved disputes with managing agents can all slow the process once a buyer has been identified. Buyers are wary, and anything that appears questionable can prompt additional questions or renegotiation.
Flat sales are often delayed for a mix of legal and practical reasons. The management packs, the terms of the ground rent, and the forms for building safety and property chains all play a part but are easy to overlook initially. Sellers who know about these issues in advance can prepare, prevent unnecessary delays, and take the best course of action for their circumstances. A less bumpy experience begins with understanding where problems typically arise and addressing them before your sale is impacted.
Some MPs have divided the internet after they were filmed dancing in parliament even as the crisis in the Middle East rages.
Parliamentarians, including the Speaker of the Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, gathered in Portcullis House on Wednesday morning while Strictly Come Dancing stars Angela Rippon and Alex Kingston showed them some moves.
The event was meant to promote how dancing can boost health and wellbeing, but others have slammed the gathering for being insensitive.
Since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, Tehran’s retaliatory strikes have pulled the whole of the Middle East into disarray.
The UK is currently weighing up how to defend its own military base in Cyprus following an Iranian drone attack.
Keir Starmer has already given the US permission to use its British bases to target Iran, too.
International affairs aside, MPs have also come under scrutiny this week after the independent expenses watchdog announced their basic salary will rise by 5% to £98,599 in April.
So people have, naturally, been questioning the timing of this dance lesson while clips of jubiliant MPs have been repeatedly on social media.
But not everyone was against it.
Some social media users said it was time to “lighten up” and suggested voters actually like seeing their politicians prove they know how to have fun on occasion.
Meanwhile others took the chance to joke about U-turns…something Keir Starmer has become very famous for, having chalked up more than a dozen since being elected in July 2024…
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed in a press conference that a US military submarine has torpedoed a warship from Iran in international waters. This attack sunk the vessel, resulting in the murder of at least 80 with “dozens more injured” off the coast of Sri Lanka.
More than 100 were earlier said to be missing following the attack.
Showing footage of the attack, Hegseth stated:
The Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf.
Notably, Hegseth also highlighted that this strike on Tuesday night was the first sinking by torpedo since WWII. It is important to note, this has been disputed and appears to be more indicative of the first struck by the US since the mass casualties of the Second World War.
A U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship in international waters, says U.S. defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
He says it’s the “first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since the Second World War”.
Iran latest 🔗 https://t.co/MSOfDN6aRq
📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/67JYtqLngA
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 4, 2026
Iran distress call on Tuesday night
Sri Lankan politician Vijitha Herath spoke on behalf of the Sri Lankan navy confirming that “multiple bodies had been recovered,” with 32 injured in the incident now being treated in hospital. This follows the Sri Lankan navy answering their distress call just outside of their island’s territorial waters. Subsequently, they sent air force planes and ships on a rescue mission to the Iranian frigate ‘Iris Dena’.
Herath further informed that the ship had 180 souls on board.
The periscope video when American torpedo (launched by a submarine) hits the Iranian naval ship IRIS Dena. The Iranian ship was outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters but still within its economic zone, 44 nautical miles (81km) off the southern coastal city of Galle.
Sri Lankan… pic.twitter.com/pmhcuhCvHl
— Dr. Syed Mohd Murtaza مرتضیٰ (@syedmohdmurtaza) March 4, 2026
According to the Independent:
The Iris Dena, one of Iran’s newest warships, was the centrepiece of a two-ship international tour in 2023 that included port calls in countries including South Africa and Brazil, and was accompanied by the support ship IRIS Makran, a converted oil tanker.
Iris Dena, along with IRIS Makran, faced designated sanctions in February 2023 due to them supplying weapons to Russia which have been used against civilian targets in Ukraine.
US submarine sunk Iranian warship in Indian Ocean with torpedo, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says – follow live https://t.co/QtWkbJmW6m
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) March 4, 2026
War of aggression is escalating
This act of aggression from the US comes on the fifth day of what has widely been recognised to be an illegal war of aggression by the US and Israel. Israel has long been operating an apartheid system against Palestine, and is now nearly three years into its genocide on Gaza, despite huge condemnation.
After all, Israel’s genocide and crimes against humanity have been condemned by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. Longstanding arrest warrants have also been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli leaders’ integral in the mass murder that has been live streamed since October 7th, 2023.
This news today marks an escalation in the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran. This makes it all the more important that powerful men face sufficient oversight before the world descends into chaos and never-before-seen levels of suffering across the Middle East.
We wrote today on a bill tabled by Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to address this serious issue, supported by eleven co-sponsors:
Corbyn has tabled the bill following Keir Starmer’s clear, public commitment to allow the US to use UK military bases in US and Israel’s illegal war on Iran for ‘defence’ purposes.
Because these two rogue states break international law daily, we must apply rigorous oversight and scrutinise government decisions that make us complicit in a war of aggression on Iran.
The full title of the bill is:
Bill to require parliamentary approval for the deployment of UK armed forces and military equipment for armed conflict; to require parliamentary approval for the granting of permission by Ministers for use of UK military bases and equipment by other nations for armed conflict; to require the withdrawal of that permission in circumstances where parliamentary approval is not granted; to provide for certain exemptions from these requirements; to make provision for retrospective parliamentary approval in certain circumstances; and for connected purposes.
Another Iraq: an aggression built on lies
US and Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.
However, lies were used by the US administration to justify its illegal war. Given it is working in tandem with Pinocchio-Israel who can’t seem to distinguish the difference between fact or fiction, the direction of travel is clear.
Those who believe in the necessity of the rule of law, applied without fear or favour, must now defend it harder than ever before. Otherwise, mass casualties will be seen on all sides of the conflict, whilst the powerful walk away unscathed.
Featured image via the Canary
On Tuesday, 3 March, the last “blood moon” we’re expected to see until 2028 rose.
Sadly, though, it wasn’t visible in the UK. But “blood rain”, which may be coming on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 March, is expected to fall in our skies, the BBC reports.
What on Earth is “blood rain”?
It’s an unofficial term for red rain.
The colour comes from red dust and sand. It can look red as it falls, and/or leave reddish dust splotches on surfaces it lands on when they dry.
These particles get caught up in the atmosphere when they’re kicked up by powerful winds and storms.
And once they’re up there, they can sometimes become part of clouds and, therefore, integrate into the rain.
They can be carried for “thousands of miles,” the Met Office explained, which is why particles from far-off deserts can fall as “blood rain” in the UK.
Where does this week’s “blood rain” come from?
The rust-coloured rain coming our way includes sand from the Sahara.
It’s coming on warm air currents rising from the south. It comes after Iberian Storm Regina has moved into the Western Mediterranean, bringing rain and (crucially) howling winds with it.
As those conditions raged on, they “drew up warm southerly winds from North Africa, lifting fine Saharan dust high into the atmosphere,” the BBC said.
Where will “blood rain” fall in the UK?
Because the rain comes from the south, England and Wales are expected to have a higher chance of seeing “blood rain”.
The “blood rain” is likeliest to fall on Thursday and Friday (5 and 6 March).
How common is “blood rain” in the UK?
It’s not that unusual for dust from the Sahara to reach us.
But it’s relatively rare for enough red dust to enter the atmosphere to create “blood rain” in the UK.
Usually, when we do get sandy or dusty rain, it comes in more drab yellow or rain colours.
We might get fiery sunsets, too
Remember the “blood moon” we mentioned earlier? That turns red because, during a total lunar eclipse, Earth sits between the moon and the sun, meaning rays have to pass through our atmosphere.
And because shorter wavelengths, e.g., blue, scatter more quickly than longer ones, like red and orange, the moon looks tangerine or crimson.
Something similar happens when the sun’s light is filtered through a lot of suspended dust.
The particles high in the air scatter sunlight, creating incredibly vibrant and “fiery” sunsets and sunrises, rich with golds, oranges, and scarlet colours.
I’ll be keeping my camera phone with me at morning and evening this week.
UK animal charity Open Cages has rebranded to Anima, reflecting its global identity as Anima International.
The change comes as Anima prepares to invest “more resources than ever” into its campaign to end the use of fast-growing “frankenchickens” in the UK.
The announcement follows major recent wins for the animal rights group. These include Poland’s fur farming ban and a world-first decision in Norway to phase out fast-growing chickens completely.
The UK is one of Europe’s largest chicken producers. And over 90% of UK chickens are bred to grow at unnaturally fast rates. This commonly leads to severe welfare problems, including chronic pain, lameness, and sometimes even heart attack. Anima International has identified the UK as a key strategic priority in its efforts to reduce animal suffering.
Commenting on the rebrand, Connor Jackson, CEO of Anima, said:
The breeding of fast-growing chickens represents one of the biggest sources of animal suffering in the world, and it’s a practice that is out of step with public sentiment. As a result, a transition is already happening in countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.
Our mission to achieve this in the UK hasn’t changed; we’re preparing to devote more resources than ever to this fight. Our new identity reflects our increasing focus on Britain as a priority for our entire organisation, given the snail’s pace at which we are solving this animal welfare crisis.
Waitrose is the only major UK company to have totally phased out fast growing chickens, branding the practice an “animal welfare crisis”. M&S has done it for 30% of its products. KFC, Nando’s and several other restaurants recently abandoned their commitments to make the change. Whilst companies such as Pret and Greggs are yet to follow through on their commitments.
Anima International is a global animal advocacy organisation with six national groups. It has two decades of experience working to end animal suffering. Now operating as Anima in the UK, the organisation plans to launch its largest UK campaign yet, later this year.
Featured image via Anima International
The racist Labour government will stop issuing study visas to people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. Additionally, it is stopping skilled work visas for people from Afghanistan.
The Home Office claims the changes are due to “widespread abuse” and will take effect this month.
Figures suggest that individuals from those four countries are most likely to come to the UK to study and then make an asylum claim.
War, oppression, genocide
But all four of those countries are experiencing various levels of oppression, war, and genocide.
Since US troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has reigned over the nation. This has included public executions, amputations, and flogging. Of course, the UK played a huge role in destabilising the country. It was a key ally in the US-led invasion, the initial overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, and ultimately, it sparked a violent, long-term conflict against the resurgent Taliban.
In Cameroon, the government forces and armed separatists from the English-speaking minority have been fighting since 2016. It has killed over 6,500 people and displaced 584,000. It is reported that 1.8m people need humanitarian aid.
According to Oxford Law:
Since 2018, the UK government has supported the London-based firm, New Age, to win a contract to develop an offshore gas project in Cameroon estimated to be worth more than $250 million. This lucrative contract sees money going directly to the state-owned company SNH, which reportedly funds the elite armed forces of the Cameroon state.
Since 2017, the military in Myanmar has been committing genocide against the Muslim Rohingya population. The military frequently attacks schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure, whilst throwing journalists in prison. Once again, the regime is backed by over 200 British companies.
In Sudan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are committing genocide in the pursuit of gold. The UK is a major supplier to the UAE, and British Military equipment often turns up in the hands of the RSF.
Fuck around and find out
Now, Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary, has said she was:
taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity.
And, according to the BBC:
The Home Office said a higher proportion of people than average from the four specified country cited destitution as part of their asylum claim, and there were 16,000 people from the four countries currently being supported.
About 95% of Afghans who arrived in the UK on a study visa then applied for asylum since 2021, while applications by students from Myanmar increased 16-fold and claims by students from Cameroon and Sudan more than quadrupled.
It’s such a coincidence that asylum claims are higher from the countries where there is ongoing genocide, armed conflict, and US and UK involvement.
Maybe if the UK stopped funding illegal wars, supplying arms to terrorist nations, and destabilising the Middle East, fewer people might need to escape war-torn countries.
There’s a thought for you, Shabana.
Featured image via GBNews/ YouTube
The majority of Western leaders have shown that when shit hits the fan, and civilian lives are at stake, they will side with genocidal maniacs (Trump) instead of doing the right thing.
Except Spain, of course, which condemned:
unilateral military action by the US and Israel.
It also banned the US from using Spanish military bases to attack Iran.
BREAKING: 🇪🇸 Spain’s PM says his country rejects the ‘unilateral military action by the US and Israel’
Spain is consistently based 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/EmFfzpZdzg
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) February 28, 2026
BREAKING: 🇪🇸🇺🇸 Spain BAN the United States from using Spanish military bases for attacks on Iran.
Viva Espagne 👏🏼 https://t.co/r1yNi14a5X pic.twitter.com/piHQPmMWag
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) March 2, 2026
Trump’s lap dogs
Other Western leaders have shown their true colours: Trump’s lapdogs, which is even worse when you consider that Trump is only bombing Iran to distract us from the fact that he is a massive nonce.
100%. These pedophiles thought if they start wars, they will not be prosecuted as they have more urgent matters on hand. https://t.co/r0D6kLIW25
— WeirdUniverse (@QqReviews) March 4, 2026
He is mentioned in the Epstein files thousands of times – and he thinks carpet bombing Iran is going to make us forget.
Before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran five days ago, fallout from the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files was spreading globally https://t.co/Qr4hvpbfNt pic.twitter.com/rv4aegIC2U
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 4, 2026
In the UK, Keir Starmer initially told Trump he couldn’t use military bases to attack Iran.
But of course, once the US and Israel bombed a little girl’s school, he changed his mind.
It seems that even a former Director of Prosecutions can be bought by Israel and Trump.
Starmer initially denied Trump use of UK bases for his attack on Iran
Trump says Starmer was “worried about the legality”
Trump then bombed a girls school, massacring dozens of kids
Next day, Starmer changed his mind and made Britain a belligerent
We are ruled by psychopaths pic.twitter.com/PLwcx9ipl4
— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) March 2, 2026
The West bangs on about freeing Iranian women, but the reality is that they’re ok with rich white men (ahem, Trump), both murdering and raping little girls.
The back-and-forth is theatre.
It creates the illusion of legal caution before landing exactly where the establishment always lands.
Outcomes don’t shift, they’re managed. The Epstein class sits above the choreography.
We are indeed ruled by satanic psychopaths. https://t.co/yb1gARheoO
— Nayab Chaudhry (@Nayab_AC) March 2, 2026
Talk about hypocrisy.
Stiff competition
Now, Starmer, along with Germany and France, has said they are willing to assist “in some capacity” with the US and Israeli action against the regime.
Specifically, they said:
potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source.
Similarly, the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, claims he is ok with the US embargoing Spain.
Merz is giving Starmer stiff competition for Best in Show as Donald Trump’s poodle. https://t.co/vle5nDADwL
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) March 3, 2026
For the third time in history, Germany is on the wrong side of a world war.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten of the Netherlands said that “Iran’s attacks must stop”. Again, no mention of the US and Israel’s indiscriminate and unprovoked attacks on Iran.
In Poland, President Karol Nawrocki said he had advance knowledge of the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran. Which is worrying, given one of the first targets was a school full of little girls.
Other Western leaders who have condemned Iran’s attacks include Austria, Belgium, Malta and Portugal,
The Portuguese Government has been following with great concern, from the very first moment, the evolution of the situation in the Middle East, in close coordination with our European partners, partners in the region, and NATO allies.
Under the coordination of the Ministry of…
— Luís Montenegro (@LMontenegro_PT) February 28, 2026
Time after time, Western leaders have come out to condemn Iran’s retaliatory strikes. Of course, they fail to mention why they are retaliating, the thousands of people Israel has murdered, or the fact that Israel is the only Middle Eastern country that actually has nuclear weapons.
Trump is nothing but a bully. He even claimed he might have forced Israel’s hand in attacking Iran. But Western leaders are enabling his bullshit – along with Netanyahu’s. One day we will see them all in the Hague – and then they will have been against this all along.
Featured image via Associated Press/YouTube
Christian Bale has spoken out about the news that a new movie adaptation of American Psycho is in the works.
The Oscar winner had a major breakthrough moment in the early 2000s when he was cast as serial killer Patrick Bateman in the film version of American Psycho, based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel of the same name.
Back in 2024, it was first reported that Call Me By Your Name and Challengers director Luca Guadagnino was working on putting his own spin on the novel, which Christian has now shared his thoughts on during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“Whoever wants to give it a shot, give it a pop,” he said, when asked about who should be the next actor to play Patrick Bateman.
“I loved making [American Psycho] with [director] Mary Harron so many years back, [I have] fantastic memories of it all.”
He continued: “Bold choice of anyone to try to do a – I don’t know if they’re doing a remake or what, I don’t know anything else about it. But all the best to ’em, I like brave people.”
Last week, Bret Easton Ellis told Variety that “a couple of high-profile actors” had already turned down an offer to play Patrick Bateman.
“I think maybe because they don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale,” he added.
Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock
Back in December 2024, Variety alleged that Austin Butler was “poised to star” in the film, following previous rumours that Jacob Elordi “was being eyed”.
Meanwhile, The White Lotus star Patrick Schwarzenegger has made no secret of his hopes to land the part, telling one fan that he’d “love nothing more” than to be cast as Patrick Bateman in the film.
The first adaptation of American Psycho gained a cult following after its release in 2000, and was last year named by The New York Times as the best movie of the 21st century.
An oft-forgotten sequel, starring Mila Kunis and William Shatner, came out direct-to-video in 2002.
The US and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran will have sent ripples across Russia as Donald Trump targets one of Vladimir Putin’s international allies.
Iran previously supplied Russia with crucial weapons for its war in Ukraine and offered support at a time when Putin remains isolated on the world stage.
But, as attention shifts away from Russia’s grinding offensive in Ukraine and refusal to compromise in peace talks, the emerging conflict in the Middle East could end up working to Putin’s advantage.
Here’s what you need to know.
Loss of An Ally
The US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, and his immediate successor was taken out in a subsequent attack.
Putin denounced it as “murder … committed in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law” in a statement on the Kremlin’s website.
Though the Iranian regime has not completely collapse just yet, the strikes have weakened Tehran.
The strikes also came months after another ally, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, was kidnapped by US authorities, and more than a year after Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by opposition forces.
All three leaders had ties to Putin’s regime.
According to geopolitical expert and partner of the international law firm Pillsbury, Matthew Oresman, Russia is now “in a worse position today than it was a week ago”.
He told HuffPost UK: “Iran was a major supporter of Russia, including providing significant military equipment and other support for its war in Ukraine – it has now lost this.”
Similarly, Chatham House’s associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme, Keir Giles, said Russia will be “dismayed” after the “severe embarrassment” of an ally.
A Boost For Resources
Iran has been providing Russia with weapons to use against Ukraine, meaning the strikes could cause significant disruption to Putin’s offensive.
But Dr Simon Bennett – director of the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester – said Moscow was already weaning itself off Iranian supplied weapons and manufacturing its own Shahed drones.
Bennett told HuffPost UK: “Whatever economic and diplomatic support Russia was providing the Khamenei regime can now be redeployed in support of his war on Ukraine.”
Iran was also a rival source of oil for Putin, who lost many European customers over his attack on Ukraine as governments slapped sanctions on the authoritarian.
If Iran’s own supplies become inaccessible, “Putin’s depleted coffers will be replenished by rising oil and gas prices,” Bennett pointed out.
“As the coffers fill, Putin will be able to further develop Russia’s war economy and intensify his assault on Ukraine.”
Giles said Putin would also benefit from the “US reducing its own munitions’ supply” with its attack on Iran – thus reducing the likelihood it could go after Russia.
A Trump Distraction
Trump’s focus appears to be on the Middle East right now, allowing Russia to continue with its war of attrition away from the spotlight.
Oresman said: “The US is now distracted by the Iranian conflict, which limits its ability to focus on Ukraine or provide it military support.
“The US certainly won’t commit to any aggressive attack on Russia now, given its stretched resources and the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
“Putin may even be thinking that the US will be more inclined to rush a peace deal on Ukraine just to free up the resources and attention.”
But as Giles noted, the strikes may have put Putin’s long-term plans under strain.
The strikes “torpedoed the ‘spheres of interest’ idea”, which was thought to interest both Trump and Putin.
The concept suggests the US, Russia and China would agree to divide the world up into their own areas of influences.
But, the Middle East did not appear to be part of the US’s planned areas, suggesting Trump has already exceeded his boundaries.
Exposes Europe’s Vulnerabilities
Putin is known to detest everything Europe stands for – and this war has highlighted the continent’s limitations.
Bennett said: “Britain’s inability to defend its overseas assets – witness the RAF’s inability to shoot down a slow-flying drone before it impacted the runway at Akrotiri [in Cyprus] – will confirm Putin’s view that western Europe is militarily weak and there for the taking. And he’s not wrong.”
He said the UK only has six destroyers and seven frigates right now, but it needs dozens of both if it were ever to fight Russia.
Europe’s split response to the strikes on Iran will have delighted the Kremlin, too, with Spain and the UK calling the war “unlawful”, while Germany appears to stand by the White House.
Giles also told HuffPost UK it makes sense why “Russia is now being so vocal about international law” right now after Khamenei’s death.
There is an international arrest warrant out for Putin, which stops him from travelling to certain countries – so he will relish any opportunity to call out supposed double standards.
What Will This Mean For Ukraine?
Ukraine is likely be in two minds over the conflict in Iran.
On one hand, it must be “soul-destroying to see European allies willing to do for Israel what they won’t do for Ukraine”, according to Giles, who said it shows once again that Kyiv “is low in the pecking order”.
To make matters worse, Europe’s ability to supply Ukraine with weapons and America’s ability to sell military devices to the Europe for Kyiv may also be impacted by the war.
But Giles added that a US distraction is “not necessarily a bad thing” for Ukraine.
Trump has falsely blamed Kyiv for holding up talks and pushed the country to give up more land in the name of peace.
A delay, while prolonging the conflict on the frontlines, might therefore take the pressure off.
What Happens Next?
Russia is not looking to aggravate the US, according to the experts, pointing to the way Putin did not even mention Trump with his condemnation of Khamenei’s killing.
Oresman said Putin is in a “wait and see” mode, adding: “I don’t expect Putin to make any big moves in the near term, preferring to wait to see if the Iranian situation creates an opportunity for Russia to gain leverage in [Ukraine] negotiations.”
Giles said Russia could assist Iran in retaliation – but then it would be in the conflict with the US, and Putin is keen to keep Trump on side.
He said that, just as China is “sitting back and watching” what unfolds in Ukraine, Russia is doing the same when it comes to Iran.
Zendaya’s mum has added her voice to the ongoing speculation about whether the Euphoria actor quietly married her partner Tom Holland without the world knowing.
Over the weekend, Zendaya’s long-time stylist Law Roach made headlines when he told reporters that the Emmy winner and Marvel hero had already privately tied the knot.
“The wedding has already happened!” he told Access Hollywood, when pressed on what he could share about the couple’s upcoming nuptials. “You missed it!”
Law then made the same remarks to Entertainment Tonight, adding: “The wedding’s over, sorry!”
After video footage of the exchange went viral, Zendaya’s mum Claire Stoermer reposted the Entertainment Tonight interview on her Instagram story earlier this week.
“The laugh…” she added, per BuzzFeed, alongside a laughing emoji, referring to the RuPaul’s Drag Race regular’s reaction in the clip.
Michael Kovac via Getty Images for ELLE
HuffPost UK contacted Zendaya and Tom Holland’s representatives earlier this week but did not receive a response.
Over the years, the pair have become renowned for keeping their relationship out of the spotlight, only acknowledging their romance in 2021 when pictures of them kissing were made public.
Zendaya and Tom met on the set of the 2017 superhero movie Spider-Man: Homecoming, in which he played the titular hero and she appeared as his classmate and love interest, MJ.
Later this year, they will share the screen again in Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to his hit movie Oppenheimer, a new adaptation of the epic The Odyssey.
Zendaya is rumoured to be playing the Greek goddess Athena in the film, while Tom is set to appear as Telemachus, the on-screen son of Matt Damon’s Odysseus.
Joining Zendaya and Tom in the star-studded cast of The Odyssey will be Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and Anne Hathaway, as well as Nolan regulars Benny Safdie, Elliot Page and Robert Pattinson.
Mitchell Palmer is an economist at the Adam Smith Institute.
The British housing market is broken, especially in the South East of England. In London, the average private renter spends more than 40 per cent of their income on rent, while more than 15 per cent of private rentals are not deemed ‘decent’ for human habitation. At the same time, first-home buyers struggle to accumulate a deposit. This creates misery, as well as unmeetable demand for social housing.
But the consequences are even more dire than they first appear. Since the Global Financial Crisis, Britain’s economic output per capita has remained basically static. As new research from the Adam Smith Institute shows, housing is to blame for much of this stagnation. Of the 10–20 per cent of additional growth we identified as available, fixing our planning system alone accounts for around 7 percentage points. It is the largest single pro-growth move we could make.
The reason is simple. When homes are scarce and expensive, everything else suffers. Workers can’t relocate to better opportunities. Businesses struggle to recruit. Families spend more of their income on subpar housing and less on everything else. Productivity falls, wages stagnate, and growth slows.
Despite this obvious catastrophe, Britain has made it harder and harder to build. Our planning system gives councils wide discretion to delay or block development, even in places crying out for homes. Layers of regulation add years of uncertainty and cost, especially for small and medium-sized builders who once delivered much of the country’s housing.
The result is a supply crunch that never seems to ease. Even when demand softens, the underlying shortage remains. That’s why prices rebound so quickly, and why rents barely ever fall.
Everyone knows the conventional solutions offered to this problem. The left proposes more social housing. Both sides demand tougher rules on private landlords. On a good day, politicians even propose loosening rules that restrict the supply of high-density housing in town centres or near railway stations. These three proposals are not equal, but all are insufficient. They do not solve the monopoly problem at the heart of the housing crisis.
What we need are competitive urban land markets.
Landowners must feel a rush to build for fear of a missed opportunity and someone else satisfying demand. To make this threat real, governments must enable development on a wide variety of different plots, both inside and outside the city limits, and at a scale much larger than anticipated housing demand. Much of this housing will never be built; it simply needs to be threatened.
This is the concept at the heart of New Zealand’s successful housing reforms. As the Kiwi housing minister Chris Bishop recently put it, ‘abundant development opportunities [will] drive down land prices and create housing choice’. The reforms are still in progress, but they are already paying dividends. Auckland – a city of 1.5 million – is now building three times as many dwellings as London – a city of 9 million. Unsurprisingly, rents are now 19 per cent more affordable, relative to incomes, than they were in 2015.
To create competitive urban land markets in this country, we will need to throw out the discretionary planning system entirely. It should be replaced with a transparent framework of pre-determined, liberal development rights, so landowners know that building is not a special favour granted by the state but a normal economic activity. Crucially, these rights should respond to market signals: If land prices surge in a city, more land should automatically be released for development.
At the same time, councils should abandon the idea of merely meeting minimum housing targets, which entrenches scarcity and monopoly power, and instead enable housing wherever it can reasonably be accommodated, letting the market choose between abundant sites.
Finally, Britain must relax green belt constraints and invest in transport to cut commuting times. Done properly, this growth can pay for itself through land value uplift, just as the Metropolitan Railway once did and Japan’s railways still do today.
Politicians talk a lot about ‘boosting growth’. Unfortunately, a few new towns or tower blocks won’t solve Britain’s housing crisis. De facto rent controls and higher social housing obligations certainly won’t. If the government is serious about making it easier to build homes they need to commit to reshaping our broken urban land market. Until we fix that, Britain’s housing crisis will keep doing what it’s done for years: quietly making us all poorer.
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