Campaigners decry slow progress in repaying victims of carer’s allowance crisis 14. October 2026 (17:35) Only 1.04% of estimated 230,900 cases reviewed in first five months of £75m three-year schemeCampaigners have urged Andy Burnham to step in after it emerged just a handful of the tens of thousands of unpaid carers who unknowingly racked up huge debts when welfare officials unlawfully changed benefits guidance have been repaid.The first official update on the carers allowance reassessment exercise launched by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in April confirms that progress in cancelling wrongful overpayments has started slowly. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Container ship sinks near strait of Hormuz amid surge in Iranian attacks 14. October 2026 (17:35) Second vessel also reportedly sinking as uptick in strikes suggests Iran trying to close waterway before US electionsA container ship has sunk near the strait of Hormuz and a second cargo vessel was reportedly sinking amid the sharpest uptick in Iranian attacks on shipping since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.The surge of attacks suggests Iran is trying to fully close the strategic waterway in a deliberate attempt to frustrate Donald Trump’s efforts to bring down fuel prices before the US midterm elections on 3 November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mont Blanc, the ‘roof of Europe’, loses more than a metre of height in a year 14. October 2026 (17:33) Peak of French mountain now 4,807 metres high and fluctuates year by year due to changes in Alpine climateEurope’s highest peak shrank by more than a metre last year, data has shown.Mont Blanc in France now stands 4,807.47 metres above sea level, a team of surveyors from the Haute-Savoie regional department said on Wednesday, putting “the roof of Europe” 1.29 metres lower than in 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
