Separated husband stopped paying bills

If people are struggling to pay their bills now - during a hot summer - how much worse will it be in the winter when homes need to be heated? From the stories Sky News viewers have been telling, it is clear that as soon as temperatures begin to drop, the cost of living crisis will worsen significantly. Julie Martinez, 43, emailed to say she works as a health care assistant on a psychiatric ward doing 13-hour shifts and is getting into debt on her credit card because she uses it to pay for petrol to get to work. "I have no money left over at the end of the month and I am struggling to feed myself," she said. "I feed my dog before I feed me. I have no money to take my daughter out during the school holidays. "I feel at breaking point. Something has to give or people are going to end up homeless." Viewer Richard said he and his partner are left with "£3 for three weeks to live on". Glenn said he and his family are reducing the amount of food they buy, not travelling to … [Read more...] about Cost of living: People fear ‘awful winter’ as bills continue to rise

By Enda McClafferty & Jayne McCormack Published 29 June Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics The Troubles A bid to prevent immunity from prosecution being offered to those who cooperate with Troubles investigations has been rejected in the Commons. MPs voted to retain the measure within the government's controversial legacy bill, which is progressing through Parliament. They voted 273 to 205. Ahead of the debate earlier, the widow of a farmer murdered by the IRA warned the government not to "trample" on victims. The bill offers an amnesty to those accused of killings and other Troubles-related crimes. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Alliance, SDLP and other opposition parties argued it represented a "corruption of justice". But Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns said the legislation was a "compromise" to address the … [Read more...] about Troubles legacy: MPs vote to keep immunity measure in Troubles bill

Bill Russell, who has died aged 88, was one of the most significant sporting figures of the American Century – first as a basketball player who led the country’s greatest sports dynasty, the Boston Celtics, to 11 championships in 13 years, and then as an advocate for civil rights, marching with Dr Martin Luther King. He was also the first black man to coach a major professional sports team in the US. William Felton Russell was born on February 12 1934 in Monroe, Lousiana. It was the Jim Crow segregation era and his parents left the South behind when Russell was nine and settled in Oakland, California, on the east side of San Francisco Bay. He attended McClymonds High School there, and grew from a gangling, over-sized kid into a gifted athlete, reaching 6ft 10in in his canvas trainers. He attended the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution, on a basketball scholarship. At USF the three qualities that made him a unique figure quickly emerged and then dovetailed: his … [Read more...] about Bill Russell, basketball player widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time – obituary

The United States Senate has approved a sweeping package that supporters say will slash climate heating carbon emissions, lower drug prices for the elderly and demand higher taxes from corporations and the wealthy. The legislation is less ambitious than President Joe Biden's original domestic goals, but still a major victory that Democrats hope will boost their chances of keeping control of Congress in November's mid-term elections. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) encapsulates party ideals of tackling global heating, tempering pharmaceutical costs and taxing big corporations. After a marathon, two-day weekend session of debate, and dozens of Republican efforts to torpedo the package, the Senate approved the bill by a 51-50 party line vote. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking ballot. "The time is now to move forward with a big, bold package for the American people," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at the start of debate on Saturday night. … [Read more...] about U.S. Senate passes landmark $430bn climate change, tax and drug pricing bill to lower global warming emissions

The next prime minister is facing calls to immediately increase Universal Credit payments to stop vulnerable people spiralling further into poverty when fuel bills increase again this winter. The poorest in society are suffering three major blows to their income in the year to October 2022, according to a report commissioned by former prime minister Gordon Brown. As well as losing the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit, benefits are failing to keep up with inflation - and a jump in the energy price cap is expected this autumn. It means some families are up to £1,600-a-year worse off because of the cost of living crisis - even after government help is taken into account. Poverty expert Professor Donald Hirsch, who wrote the report, says the package of measures offered by the government falls far short of what low income households need - and urgent action is required. Advertisement He told Sky News that "exceptional measures" are needed, like an … [Read more...] about Calls for emergency increase to Universal Credit as report finds some families £1,600 worse off

Climate change was born as a modern political issue in the United States Senate. On a hot June day in 1988, a senior NASA scientist warned a Senate committee that global warming, which was previously mooted only as a hypothesis, was not only real but was already underway. “It is time to stop waffling so much and say that the evidence is pretty strong that the greenhouse effect is here,” James Hansen said. An auspicious start, and an ironic one. Since then, the fight against climate change in the United States and abroad has been defined by one constant: You can’t get the Senate to do anything. For 34 years, the upper chamber’s peculiar failure to act on the issue has shaped nearly every facet of policy and politics. Because the Senate could not pass a comprehensive climate bill, Congress could not; because Congress could not pass a climate bill, climate-concerned presidents had to rely on executive action and the permissiveness of the Supreme Court, and climate activists had to … [Read more...] about History’s Greatest Obstacle to Climate Progress Has Finally Fallen

By James McCarthy Published 18 December 2021 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic Worried gym owners fear new Covid restrictions could mean they lose their homes. One said they thought they would already be homeless, had they not taken on full-time work as a hospital physiotherapist. Another said they feared losing everything next year if the situation did not improve. The Welsh government said the measures were designed to stop the spread of the virus and protect people's health. Gyms and other businesses will have to reintroduce social distancing, along with other measures including one-way systems from 27 December. Mark Drakeford 'storm' warning prompts nightclub closures Q&A: What are the new Covid rules for Wales? Welsh festive sport verdict on Monday The rules are part of measures … [Read more...] about Covid in Wales: Gym owners fear homelessness amid new restrictions

It's easy to see why Archie loved MMA. Fighting ran in his blood. His mother, Hollie Dance had vowed to "fight until the bitter end," and even the morning after losing her final legal bid to continue his life support treatment, she held her coffee cup tight and told me about the plans she has to keep going. "I'm not the type to sit and cry," she said. "I've always been on the move. Do you know I drive 40,000 miles a year for my kids?" I don't doubt her. Except for one day when I saw her in slippers, Hollie has always been in running shoes. Ready. The single mother and former dancer worked seven days a week to make sure her children were fed and raised well. "I had to pay their own father to babysit them," she said. "I did everything I could to support them with their passions; Archie's MMA, Lauren's (Archie's sister) passion for horses, Tom (brother) with his boxing." 'It's too soon - people get longer for broken bones' Our first encounter was in Court 44 at the start … [Read more...] about Archie Battersbee: A mother’s fight for her son

Liz Truss was not ruling out future cost of living support when she said she would reject "handouts", her supporters have said, with prominent backer Penny Mordaunt claiming the comments were "misinterpreted". Leadership rival Rishi Sunak attacked the comments saying the foreign secretary needs to "get real", while claiming her plan to cut taxes immediately will do little to help the most vulnerable. But Penny Mordaunt , who is backing Ms Truss to become the next prime minister after her own leadership bid failed, claimed on Sky News that her remarks had been "misinterpreted". Ms Truss told the Financial Times that as prime minister she would "look at what more can be done" to help families facing spiralling fuel bills. But she added: "The way I would do things is in a Conservative way of lowering the tax burden, not giving out handouts." Advertisement Ms Mordaunt insisted Ms Truss was making a "general point about the merits of enabling … [Read more...] about Liz Truss ‘misinterpreted’ over ‘no handouts’ remark, her supporters say

A "day of fun" turned into an "awful, unimaginable tragedy" when an 11-year-old girl died after "getting into difficulty" at a birthday party at a popular waterpark. Tributes have flooded in for the not yet formally identified youngster, whose next of kin have been informed of the horror incident. She died at Liquid Leisure Windsor in Horton Road, Datchet, Berkshire, whilst at a birthday party, according to witnesses. READ MORE: Rugby star 'caught ex giving oral sex to teammate before punching window' Thames Valley Police said that the girl was found in the water an hour and 15 minutes after emergency services were called, before she was taken to Wexham Park Hospital where she sadly died. "The girl’s death is being treated as unexplained and an investigation has been launched," the force added yesterday, August 6. Reacting to the news, one Twitter user wrote: "The little girl set off this morning full of excitement looking forward to a day of fun. Very sad day." … [Read more...] about ‘Day of fun’ turns into ‘awful’ tragedy as girl, 11, dies at waterpark birthday party