The state pension triple lock is great but works better for some than others (Image: Getty) The triple lock is expected to deliver a 3.9% increase in April 2027, based on earnings growth in the three months to July. The September inflation figure came in lower at 3.5%, so the earnings element holds sway. That should lift the full new state pension by £489.36 a year to £13,036.96. Sadly, it’s not quite that simple. It never is, with the state pension. There are two state pensions, and the other one pays considerably less. People who reached state pension age before April 6, 2016, receive the old basic state pension. Its full rate is currently £9,614.80 a year. A 3.9% increase will add just £374.98, taking it to £9,989.78. That’s £114.38 less than the increase enjoyed by someone receiving the full new state pension. The gap between the two full rates will widen from £2,932.80 to £3,047.18 a year. It’s a longstanding source of frustration and I highlight it every year, because readers ask me to. …

Yemeni government forces and allied Popular Resistance fighters clashed with Houthi fighters on the western outskirts of Taiz on Wednesday, 21 October, near the city’s old airport and Jabal Han mountain. The internationally recognised government said its forces repelled the attack, while reporting air strikes on Houthi positions, vehicles and a missile launchpad west, south and east of the city. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Footage showed a government tank firing towards Houthi positions as gunfire echoed across the area. The fighting comes as Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, faces mounting pressure from Houthi forces, which have largely encircled it and cut key supply routes, including the main road to Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognised government. The restrictions have also disrupted access to the city’s main landfill, leaving rubbish to pile up along major streets. Sanitation workers say they can no longer reach the dumping site because of the clashes and have resorted to burning waste in the streets. Footage showed waste burning beside busy roads, thick smoke rising over neighbourhoods and goats feeding among the …

Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who has more than 21 million subscribers, offered a mixed first take on Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo ahead of its Friday release, describing the device as “very polished around the edges, but kind of rough in the middle.” Brownlee’s review of Apple’s first foldable iPhone may present a hurdle to adoption. At more than $2,000, the Duo’s first-generation shortcomings could make buyers reluctant to pay the hefty premium, prompting some to wait for a second generation. “It’s $2,000 to get an iPad mini that can fit in your pocket. 120 Hz iPad Mini OLED fits in your pocket. Have you ever wanted that? They made it. They did it. Great. This is the first generation. It’s made for you. But also, yeah, it is it is polished but rough,” Brownlee noted. The Duo is slightly thicker and heavier than the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, a difference Brownlee said “makes a big difference in daily use.” After testing the Duo for a week, he said, “you would be happy if it …

A memorial service has been held for former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan, who died in July after a distinguished career at the top of UK journalism. Colleagues and friends gathered at St Bride’s Church in the City of London to remember the man who was a familiar face to millions of viewers. Dermot was a senior presenter on Sky News for 15 years, hosting thousands of hours of rolling news, interviewing some of the biggest names in national and international politics, and fronting the 2019 UK and 2020 US election shows. In 2022, he broke the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Dermot previously presented the news for Channel 4, ITV and the BBC – and was also known and loved for hosting quiz show Eggheads. He died aged 68 following a period of illness with prostate cancer. Dermot campaigned to raise awareness of the disease, becoming an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research, and urged men not to put off getting a PSA test. He also supported calls for a national screening …

The founder of investigative journalism outlet Democracy for Sale has said the fragmentation of established media is the “biggest worry” and “biggest opportunity” for new outlets. Geoghegan added the increasing limits of the media also creates an appetite for new perspectives and ways of telling stories. Geoghegan co-founded independent, investigative journalism co-operative The Ferret in Scotland, before graduating from Channel 4’s investigative journalism Dispatches scheme in 2016. In 2018, he began working with international news website Open Democracy before founding Democracy for Sale in 2023. Democracy for Sale won Newsletter of the Year (Specialist/Regional) at Press Gazette’s Future of Media Awards in 2026, and the Specialist Journalism prize at British Journalism Awards 2025. What’s been a big turning point/breakthrough moment for you? Growing up in a small town called Longford in the midlands of Ireland I always dreamed of being a journalist, but I had no idea how to get into the industry, so I ended up doing a PhD in Human Geography at The University of Edinburgh. While I was finishing my doctorate I …

Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James yells during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in New York. Frank Franklin II/AP hide caption toggle caption i Frank Franklin II/AP NEW YORK — LeBron James got the business from Knicks fans still gloating and riding an emotional high from an NBA championship banner celebration. As he stepped to the free-throw line for the Philadelphia 76ers early in Tuesday night’s season opener, Knicks fans erupted toward James with chants of “We don’t want you! We don’t want you!” Such a rude reception from New Yorkers to one of the city’s newest residents. The shouts of rejection came in part because there was a plausible scenario under which James would have opened the season at Madison Square Garden in a Knicks uniform. James and his agent, Rich Paul, had said the Knicks would have been James’ first choice in free agency had New York not won its first NBA championship since 1973 last season. Knicks fans said, we’re good. …