The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level since November, driving up borrowing costs for would-be homebuyers at a time when the housing market is being held back by a near record-low inventory of homes on the market

As an iconic Mexican resort lay devastated by a surprise hurricane, the country’s president was, quite literally, stuck

If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for

Threads users, get happy – you will finally be able to use the social media platform without an app

The wife of a British-Russian national held in a Krelimn prison says she fears time is running out, and has called for the UK to take more urgent action to free him. Vladimir Kara-Murza survived two near-fatal poisonings, in 2015 and 2017, which resulted in organ failure and polyneuropathy, a condition that causes nerve damage. The Putin-critic was jailed for 25 years in April this year on charges of treason and spreading “false information” about Russia’s war in Ukraine. In September, despite Russian law preventing the detention of prisoners with polyneuropathy, Mr Kara-Murza was moved to IK-6, a maximum security penal colony in the Siberian city of Omsk. Although the British government has spoken out on his case, applying sanctions on at least five of the judges and prosecutors involved in his trial, his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza has claimed such measures have only been taken because she has “pushed and pushed and pushed” to make them happen. Speaking to The Independent, Mrs Kara-Murza claimed the government is showing “no initiative” in helping free her husband, noting that when she met her case officer this Tuesday at the headquarters of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), she found out that the consular advisor had been replaced with some who “had no idea who Vladimir is”. “It was the third case manager I have seen so far,” she said. “They have all been lovely ladies and they try to keep in contact with me. But this is the third I have seen. There is no continuity here, no continual dialogue. She will have to read up on Vladimir. She will ask me questions and I guess I will have to tell her the whole story yet again for a third time.” While Mrs Kara-Murza has said she is grateful for the British government’s efforts, she also expressed frustration that comments made by Rishi Sunak in August calling the detention “unjustifiable” were belated. “It took the prime minister over a year to make a statement about the illegal detainment of a British national,” she said. “I am grateful for the statement that appeared eventually but it could have been done earlier. The same goes for the sanctions.” Mrs Kara-Murza says she is “greatly concerned for Vladimir’s life” and that as a year in Siberian solitary confinement could be life-threatening, “there is no time”. Based on the recommendations of the main neurologist of the Moscow prison system, who saw Mr Kara-Murza before he was sentenced, any hope of calming symptoms of his polyneuropathy rest on his ability to exercise regularly and enjoy access to fresh air. But since her husband’s relocation to Siberia, he has been kept in a punishment cell that is just 10ft by 5ft. Due to his condition, he says he is unable to feel his feet. “His condition is only going to deteriorate because there is no way that he can get fresh air or take walks,” his wife said, adding that she “didn’t know whether to laugh or cry” when she first read the Moscow neurologist’s recommendations. “There is no way he is going to receive the proper medical care in a punishment cell in a maximum security prison in Siberia,” she said. “The authorities are also trying to isolate him to the maximum and this is why I have great concerns for his life.” Mrs Kara-Murza’s calls have, in the past, received cross-party support from MPs including Labour’s Sir Chris Bryant and Tories Bob Seely and Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In June, Ms Kearns said whether the Foreign Office could keep British citizens safe and get them home when it needed to was a test of its “fundamental effectiveness”. “The UK’s response to the illegal detention of Vladimir has been appalling, for complex cases like this where the charges are politically motivated, we need someone who can cut through Whitehall bureaucracy and get our people home,” she said. She has called for the creation of a Director for Arbitrary and Complex Detentions within the Foreign Office to lead on hostage negotiations and streamline efforts to free illegally detained British nationals. Last month, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy promised that he would create a special envoy for hostages should Labour get into power next year. An FCDO spokesperson said: “The politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza is deplorable. We reiterate the Prime Minister’s call on Russia to release Mr Kara-Murza immediately and unconditionally. We regularly raise his case with the Russian authorities and will continue to do so at every available opportunity. “We have sanctioned 11 individuals in response to his sentencing and appeal as well as 2 individuals involved in his poisoning. Our staff are providing tailored support to Mr Kara-Murza’s family as they continue to highlight this gross injustice.” Read More NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week The harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol' is coming to TV. Here's how to watch Japan, China agree on a constructive relationship, but reach only vague promises in seafood dispute Russia-Ukraine war: Putin losses mount as Kyiv strikes along Dnipro River - live Hungary issues an anti-EU survey to citizens on migration, support for Ukraine and LGBTQ+ rights Thousands of Ukrainian children forcefully taken to Belarus via Russia, study finds

Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall's long-standing feud added a layer of drama to the beloved 'Sex and the City' franchise

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the Bundesliga season – including one from his own half – as 10-man Bayern Munich bounced back from a goalless first 45 minutes to beat nine-man Darmstadt 8-0 on a wild afternoon at the Allianz Arena. Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man advantage at the break, the first time three men have ever been sent off in the first half of a German top-flight encounter. Kane broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart but it was his second goal, a magnificent effort from inside his own half, that was the highlight of a contest that also saw him pick up an assist on the first of two goals for Jamal Musiala before striking in his 12th goal from nine matches of this still-new Bundesliga season. Leroy Sane, who set up Kane’s third, scored two of his own while Thomas Muller also contributed to the heaviest defeat in the visitors’ history.Things got off to a dramatic start when Kimmich brought down Marvin Mehlem at the edge of the area and was shown a straight red, deemed to have prevented the visitors from a clear goal-scoring opportunity after just four minutes. Bayern were initially awarded a penalty after Gjasula was judged to have tripped Konrad Laimer, but on review referee Martin Petersen overturned his decision, determining Gjasula was the last man and the incident occurred outside the penalty area – resulting in the Albanian’s 21st-minute dismissal and a free-kick for the hosts. Darmstadt were holding their own against the Bundesliga title-holders in the 10-v-10, even holding the shot advantage through the first 37 minutes, but became the architects of their own undoing when Maglica caught up with Kane in nearly the exact same spot as the previous red-card incident. The outcome was also the same though the visitors, down to nine men, were able to sustain the deadlock to half-time despite threats from Kane and Sane, who had a goal chalked off for offside. It was a different story after the restart when Kane broke the deadlock with a diving header to open the scoring six minutes into the second half, five minutes before Sane tapped home Laimer’s cross from six yards. Then it was Musiala’s turn, extending to the advantage to 3-0 with an assist from Kane and throwing open the floodgates in the process as Sane bagged his brace with an 18-yard strike past Schuhen four minutes later. Then came Kane’s piece de resistance, a world-class strike from just beyond the halfway line, sending Marcel Schuhen on a futile scramble as he watched the ball touch down in the back of his net. https://x.com/FCBayernEN/status/1718281482190438463?s=20 Muller made it six with his first goal of the season before Musiala slotted past Schuhen for Bayern’s seventh, and while the Darmstadt keeper made a few good saves, desperate not to see his side lose by double-digits, he could not keep out Kane. The England captain, hungry for more, latched into a perfect pass from Sane to complete his hat-trick and relentless Bayern’s second-half rout. Read More Matty Ashton at the double as England seal series win over Tonga Chelsea need to find nasty streak and goals will come – Mauricio Pochettino Everton financial reports just another thing to deal with – Sean Dyche Steve Borthwick’s plans for England’s Six Nations campaign well under way England ‘feeling the heat’ of World Cup implosion – Marcus Trescothick Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd ‘have a way to go’ as they prepare for derby day

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride says she’s running for the U.S. House of Representatives

Andrew Tate was recently charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime gang to exploit women in Romania

By Karen Brettell NEW YORK Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields rose to 16-year highs on Thursday, a day

Jeremy Renner, known for his acting, is set to release his music project 'Love and Titanium' inspired by his remarkable recovery

FRANKFURT Shares of Commerzbank were down 3.4% late on Friday after a German newspaper reported details of the