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No 10 considers 50-year mortgages that could pass down generationsCautious welcome for idea to tackle housing crisis but experts warn of risks to those inheritingDowning Street is exploring the idea of trying to tackle the housing crisis with ultra-long mortgages of up to 50 years that could pass between generations, allowing more people to build up equity rather than pay rent.Mortgage experts said the idea could bring some benefits but flagged problems, including the potential to saddle children with debt, and the fact it would not tackle the fundamental issue of housing supply.
The shipwreck hunter who dives into the pastKostas Zoktaridis is a Greek shipwreck hunter who has dedicated his life to scouring the sea floor for the remains of those ill-fated vessels that never made it back to port.The waters off Greece are full of sunken treasure.There are an estimated 1,500 shipwrecks in its seas and 53-year-old Athenian Zoktaridis has visited at least 500, from Ancient merchant ships to modern vessels such as the MS Sea Diamond, which sank off Santorini in 2007.He said his favorite type of shipwrecks are submarines, of which he has found four.In 1997, he discovered the wreck of HMS Perseus, a British submarine that struck an Italian mine in World War II.All of the vessel’s occupants perished apart from John Capes who, in an escape worthy of its own movie, took a swig of rum, opened the hatch and made the 52-meter (170-foot) ascent to the water’s surface, before swimming to shore on the island of Kefalonia.
Jeff Bezos’ $500m superyacht stuck after firm decides against dismantling historic Dutch bridge, says reportJeff Bezos’ $500m superyacht is stuck after the Dutch firm building it decided against dismantling a historic Rotterdam bridge following a public backlash and threats of an egg-throwing protest, says a report.The billionaire Amazon founder had offered to pay for the middle section of the decommissioned Koningshavenbrug to be removed so that his monster 412ft sailing yacht, which is named Y721, could reach the ocean from its shipyard.The yacht, currently the second-largest in the world, cannot get under the “De Hef” bridge without the modification taking place. But the plan has now been cancelled by manufacturer Oceanco after the criticism it faced, according to Dutch news outlet Trouw.
Pets on paracetamol: animals at risk as owners struggle with vet billsRise in online searches for ‘can I give my dog paracetamol?’ shows how cost of living crisis is affecting welfare, warns RSPCAVets fear people may be giving “dangerous doses” of paracetamol to their pets as fears grow that the cost of living crisis is impinging on animal owners’ ability to pay for medical help.While vets do sometimes prescribe paracetamol for dogs, the medicine is “dangerous” if given in the wrong dose and pain relief can hide the cause of the problem.The vet charity for pets in need, PDSA, also warned pet owners never to give paracetamol to cats. “It is extremely toxic to them and can be fatal,” said PDSA vet Claire Roberts. “If you feel your pet is in need of pain relief, you must seek advice from your vet – never give them human pain relief unless your vet has asked you to.”
Hugo Speer: Full Monty star sacked from Disney+ reboot after ‘inappropriate conduct’ allegationsSpeer strongly denies the claims.In the new series, Speer was due to star alongside Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp and Paul Barber.The show will follow the original group of friends over eight episodes as they navigate post-industrial Sheffield and the struggles faced by crumbling healthcare, education and employment systems.
Mythical inventor inspires name of Greece’s new supercomputerGreece is to acquire its largest-ever supercomputer – named after the mythical figure of Daedalus.“Daedalus” is scheduled to go into operation in 2024, replacing the existing supercomputer ARIS, with GRNET having responsibility for its development and operation. It will be 60 times more powerful, putting it among the 500 top systems in the world with respect to performance and energy efficiency (Green500).