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☆ UK house prices rise in October for first time since March: Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - British house prices ended six months of consecutive falls in October, reflecting a lack of homes being put up for sale, but prices are still lower than a year ago, mortgage lender Halifax said on Tuesday. Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), said house prices in October were 1.1% higher than the month before, the first increase since March on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 0.3% monthly drop in September. This is likely to have strengthened prices in the short-term, rather than prices being driven by buyer demand, which remains weak overall," Kim Kinnaird, director of Halifax Mortgages, said. Compared with a year earlier, house prices in October were 3.2% lower versus a 4.5% annual decline in September, leaving the average house price at 281,974 pounds ($347,279), nearly 10,000 pounds lower than a year earlier. Halifax said it expected further falls in house prices, and a return to growth in 2025.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kim Kinnaird, Kinnaird, David Milliken, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, Halifax

☆ UK house prices end six-month losing streak - Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Compared with a year earlier, house prices in October were 3.2% lower versus a 4.5% annual decline in September, leaving the average house price at 281,974 pounds ($347,279), nearly 10,000 pounds lower than a year earlier. British house prices surged during the COVID-19 pandemic due to low interest rates, greater demand and temporary tax breaks. Halifax's house price index is still 18% higher than it was in February 2020, despite a 4% fall since its peak in June 2022. Halifax said it expected house prices to fall further this year, with a return to growth in 2025. "The high cost of borrowing alone is not sufficient to trigger the leg down in house prices we predicted," Capital economist Andrew Wishart said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kim Kinnaird, Huw Pill, BoE, Kinnaird, Andrew Wishart, David Milliken, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, The Bank of England, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, Halifax, British

☆ Exclusive: Chinese jet fired flares close to submarine-hunting helicopter in South China Sea, Canadian Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The first incident was over international waters outside of 34 miles from the Paracel Island chain in the northern part of the South China Sea. The warship was operating in international waters 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the Paracels at the time. The Canadian helicopter was searching for a previously detected submarine when the incidents occurred, officers aboard the Ottawa said. The Paracels, called the Xisha Islands by China, are in the northern part of the South China Sea, east of Da Nang, Vietnam, and south of China’s Hainan Island. On Tuesday, a PLA fighter jet came within 10 feet of a US Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, the US military said.

Persons: ”, Rob Millen, Millen, Andrew Vaughan, “, It’s, Noble, Rafael Peralta, Hoon, Li Shangfu, ” Li, Li, Iain Huddleston, Huddleston, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner Organizations: HMCS, HMCS Ottawa CNN, Canadian, Royal Canadian Navy, Sikorsky Cyclone, People’s Liberation Army Navy, CNN, Sikorsky CH, Cyclone, The Canadian Press, New, US Navy, PLA, Navy, U.S . Air Force, ., US Air Force, 1st Air Division, Radio Canada, Canada’s Defense Ministry, Ministry, US, East, South China Locations: HMCS Ottawa, South, Ottawa, Canada, South China, HMCS Montreal, Halifax, China, Da Nang, Vietnam, China’s Hainan, The Hague, United States, New Zealand, Taiwan Strait, Taiwan, Canadian, Montreal, Singapore, “, U.S, Chinese, East

☆ ‘Annika’ Star Nicola Walker on the Book She’d Save From a Burning Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Kathryn Shattuck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

No one broods quite like Nicola Walker, whose eyes have transfixed viewers in television shows like “Unforgotten,” “Last Tango in Halifax” and “The Split.”In “Annika,” the British crime drama now in its second season on PBS, she holds that gaze as a marine homicide detective, her speedboat slicing through the waters near Glasgow. But in a video interview while just outside London, where she lives with her husband, the actor Barnaby Kay, and their teenage son, Harry, Walker was radiant and witty. When she agreed to talk about her cultural essentials — true-crime podcasts, the theater director Ivo van Hove, the harrowing reality series “Alone” — she recalled her agent asking if she was going to be truthful. “I said, ‘Is it bad if I tell them that really one of my cultural highlights this week has been sitting in my underwear, eating a bag of Spanish Lays crisps with a can of Coke, watching the ‘Beckham’ documentary?’”

Persons: Nicola Walker, ”, Annika, Barnaby Kay, Harry, Walker, Ivo van Hove, —, “, Coke, Beckham Organizations: PBS Locations: Halifax ”, British, Glasgow, London

☆ Canada's Sinclair soaking it all in as international career nears end
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - Canada's Christine Sinclair never backed down from pressure-packed situations throughout her illustrious career but admitted on Thursday that she was looking forward to a stress-free end to her international career over the coming weeks. "Just trying to soak it all in," Sinclair said in her first official press conference since she announced her retirement last week. The 40-year-old Sinclair's international career includes a record 190 goals for Canada in 327 games, an Olympic gold medal and six World Cup appearances. When Canada's World Cup hopes ended in the group stage after a thrashing by hosts Australia in July Sinclair knew she did not want her international career to end on that note. "I thought that was going to be it, I was going to walk off and not say a word and just be done," said Sinclair.

Persons: Christine Sinclair, Sinclair, I'm, Frank Pingue, Ken Ferris Organizations: Brazil, Australia, Canada, Portland Thorns, National Women's Soccer League, Thomson Locations: Canada, Montreal, Halifax, British Columbia, Jamaica, Portland, Toronto

☆ UK house prices fall by most since 2009 in 12 months to Sept-Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - British house prices fell at the fastest pace since 2009 over the 12 months to September, data from mortgage lending Halifax showed on Friday, echoing other measures of the housing market which have slowed after a jump in interest rates. Halifax said house prices were 4.7% lower last month than in September 2022, compared with a 4.5% annual fall in August. Prices fell by 0.4% in September from August, a less severe monthly drop than August's 1.8% slide. Rival lender Nationwide said on Monday its measure of house prices in September were 5.3% lower than a year earlier, matching their fall in August which was the biggest annual drop since 2009, although prices were unchanged in monthly terms. The fall in house prices so far remains much less marked than the climb during the coronavirus pandemic which lasted into last year.

Persons: Carl Recine, Kim Kinnaird, William Schomberg, Sarah Young Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Bank of England, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: Liverpool , Merseyside, Britain, Halifax

☆ UK home-buyer demand inches up as mortgage rates fall: Zoopla
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - More Britons made enquiries with estate agents about potential house purchases over the past four weeks as mortgage rates started to fall, breaking a downward trend which has been in place since April, property website Zoopla said on Thursday. "Better news on inflation and the end of base rate increases has provided scope for lenders to start reducing mortgage rates which has supported a modest uptick in demand for homes," Zoopla's executive director, Richard Donnell, said. Weekly mortgage data collated by property website Rightmove showed the average interest rate for a mortgage with a two-year fixed rate fell from an average of 6.41% in August to 6.07% this week. This still represents a sharp increase from 4.60% a year ago, when mortgage rates had already begun to climb after bond markets baulked at the then-Prime Minister Liz Truss' budget plans as well as BoE tightening. Mortgage lender Halifax said house prices in August were 4.6% lower than a year earlier, the sharpest drop in 14 years.

Persons: Phil Noble, Zoopla, Richard Donnell, Rightmove, Liz Truss, BoE, David Milliken, William James Our Organizations: REUTERS, Royal Institution, Chartered Surveyors, Thomson Locations: Knutsford, Britain, Halifax

The U.S. National Hurricane Center discontinued a tropical storm warning for the coast of Maine, while Environment Canada ended its tropical storm warning in New Brunswick. Political Cartoons View All 1163 ImagesA tropical storm warning remained in effect for parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands. Lee flooded coastal roads in Nova Scotia and took ferries out of service while fanning anxiety in a region still reeling from wildfires and severe flooding this summer. In eastern Maine, winds died down enough by late afternoon Saturday for utility workers to begin using bucket trucks to make repairs. Central Maine Power and Versant Power had hundreds of workers, including out-of-state crews, assisting the effort.

Persons: Lee, Prince Edward Island, Pam Lovelace, “, Brian Lunt, Lunt, Power, ”, Sarah Thunberg, Billy Bob Faulkingham, Danny Mitchell, ” Mitchell, Betsy Follansbee, Fred, jogged, “ We’re, ” Follansbee, Maine’s, Ren Renton, Sandy, Hurricane Fiona, Jill Maepea, ___ Sharp, Robert Bumsted, Patrick Whittle, Michael Casey, Mark Thiessen, Rob Gillies, Kathy McCormack Organizations: BAR, Maritime, U.S, National Hurricane Center, Environment Canada, Canadian, Magdalen, Authorities, Halifax Stanfield International, New Brunswick, Police, Central Maine Power, National Weather Service, Republican, Maine Legislature, Winter Harbor Police, Associated Press Locations: Maine, New England, Maritime Canada, New Brunswick, Halifax , Nova Scotia, Eastport , Maine, Maine , New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, U.S, Bar Harbor , Maine, Acadia, Halifax, New, Searsport , Maine, Massachusetts, Portland , Maine, Bar Harbor, Higgins, Scarborough , Maine, Maine’s Bailey, of Maine, New York, New Jersey, Hurricane, Canada, Canadian, England, Cape Elizabeth , Maine, Boston, Rio, Las Vegas, Anchorage , Alaska, Toronto, Concord , New Hampshire

☆ Asking prices for UK homes pick up slightly despite summer slowdown: Rightmove
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A rainbow is seen over apartments in Wandsworth on the River Thames as UK house prices continue to fall, in London, Britain, August 26, 2023. Rightmove said average asking prices for homes increased by 0.4% from the sharp 1.9% drop in the month before, but below the ten-year average of a 0.6% rise in September. A closely-watched Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors report last week showed a sharp contraction in the market was underway. Rightmove said the number of home sales was down 7% compared with 2019, before the pandemic distorted the market. It said the rate of reduction in asking prices and the number of homes reduced in price hit the highest since January 2011.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Rightmove, Tim Bannister, Bannister, Suban Abdulla Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of England, Royal Institution, Chartered Surveyors, Bank of England's, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain, Halifax

☆ Storm Lee makes landfall in Canada, downing trees and knocking out power
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( John Morris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/15] A tree on the ground is pictured after taking down the power lines and shutting off access to this road in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada, September 16, 2023. The still-powerful weather system packed maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts, forecasters said. In the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, around 120,000 people were without power on Saturday as winds knocked down trees and felled power lines. "The intensity of the storm is strong," said Paul Mason, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office. It marks the second year in a row that such a powerful storm has reached Canada after Hurricane Fiona ripped into eastern Canada a year ago.

Persons: John Morris, Lee, Crews, Matt Drover, PowerOutages.us, Paul Mason, Joe Biden's, Fiona, David Ljunggren, Idrees Ali, Maria Caspani, Daniel Trotta, Brendan O'Brien, Kim Coghill, Mike Harrison, Diane Craft, Daniel Wallis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, National Hurricane Center, Nova, Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office, NHC, Canadian Hurricane Centre, Thomson Locations: Liverpool , Nova Scotia, Canada, Nova Scotia, Canada's Nova Scotia, Atlantic, U.S ., Maine, Halifax, Eastport , Maine, Atlantic Canada, Canadian, of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Massachusetts, Bermuda, Ottawa, Washington, New York, Carlsbad , California, Chicago

☆ Hurricane Lee path: Now a post-tropical cyclone, storm brings rain to New England and Atlantic Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Now a post-tropical cyclone, Lee continues to churn hurricane-strength winds early Saturday morning while delivering rainfall to parts of southeastern New England and Atlantic Canada, according to the National Hurricane Center. Weakening is forecast tonight and Sunday while Lee moves across Atlantic Canada,” the National Hurricane Center said Saturday in its 5 a.m. advisory, adding the storm has lost sufficient tropical characteristics to be considered a hurricane. ET Saturday, the hurricane center said. “These conditions are likely to lead to downed trees and potential power outages,” the hurricane center warned. A sustained wind of 43 mph and 59 mph gust were recently measured at Dennis, Massachusetts, the hurricane center said.

Persons: Lee, “ Lee, Maura Healey, Michael Brennan, Jamie Rhome, ” Rhome, Steve Heaslip, ”, Kyle Leavitt Organizations: CNN, National Hurricane Center ., Atlantic, National Hurricane Center, US, Massachusetts Gov, New, Organization Locations: New England, Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia, Maine, Canadian, New Brunswick, Eastport , Maine, Halifax , Nova Scotia, US East Coast, Massachusetts, Lee’s, Dennis , Massachusetts, New Hampshire , Massachusetts, Rhode, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Canada, Florida, Toms River , New Jersey, Ortley, Nauset, East Orleans , Massachusetts

☆ Weakening storm Lee bears down on New England and Canada with still-dangerous winds, heavy rains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Storm Lee toppled trees and cut power to tens of thousands Saturday as it began lashing New England and eastern Canada, threatening hurricane-force winds, dangerous surf and torrential rains as its center spun closer. Severe conditions were predicted across parts of Massachusetts and Maine, and hurricane conditions could hit the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In Maine, the nation's most heavily forested state, the ground was saturated and trees were already weakened by heavy summer rains. A tropical storm warning stretched from the New Hampshire-Maine border through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to northern New Brunswick. Utilities reported nearly 200,000 customers without power from Maine to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Persons: Storm Lee, Todd Foisy, Foisy, Joe Biden, Prince Edward Island Organizations: U.S ., Atlantic Canada, National Weather Service, U.S, National Hurricane Center, Utilities, Halifax Stanfield International Locations: England, Canada, Massachusetts, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, U.S, Eastport , Maine, Halifax, Nova, Scotia, New Hampshire, Prince, Nova Scotia's

☆ Lee weakens to post-tropical cyclone, knocks out power as it nears Atlantic coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( John Morris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A man walks near a large lawn chair that was tipped over, after Hurricane Lee was downgraded to a post-tropical storm and started to impact Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada, September 16, 2023. REUTERS/John Morris Acquire Licensing RightsSHELBURNE, NOVA SCOTIA Sept 16 (Reuters) - The Lee storm system weakened into a post-tropical cyclone as it closed in on New England and Atlantic Canada on Saturday, producing hurricane-force winds that knocked out power to more than 100,000 people. Strong winds, coastal flooding and heavy rains were already occurring in parts of New England and Atlantic Canada, it added. In the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, more than 100,000 people were without power early on Saturday after high winds brought down trees. Lee has been churning as a large hurricane over the Atlantic for more than a week, briefly threatening Bermuda but mostly harmless for anyone on land.

Persons: Hurricane Lee, John Morris, Lee, Crews, Matt Drover, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Fiona, David Ljunggren, Idrees Ali, Daniel Trotta, Brendan O'Brien, Kim Coghill, Mike Harrison, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, NOVA, Atlantic Canada, The U.S, National Hurricane Center, Nova, Canadian Hurricane Center, U.S, Thomson Locations: Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada, New England, Atlantic, The, Halifax Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada, Canadian, of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Halifax, Fundy, Maine, Massachusetts, Bermuda, Ottawa, Washington, Carlsbad , California, Chicago

As Hurricane Lee churned closer to coastal New England on Friday, with winds expected to intensify by nightfall, cruise ships sought refuge in Portland, Maine, and homeowners in Provincetown, Mass., piled sandbags. An arborist in Halifax, Nova Scotia, fielded dozens of calls from residents expecting tree damage. Yet, like others in a region accustomed to powerful nor’easters, if not hurricanes, Mr. Crobar was not particularly fazed by what was coming. “We like to sensationalize the weather, but it’s just a natural part of the earth,” he said. The storm was expected to make landfall in the Canadian province of New Brunswick late on Saturday, but forecasters said its sprawling size meant that severe effects would be felt in New England, too.

Persons: Lee, John Crobar, Crobar, ” Locations: New England, Portland , Maine, Provincetown, Mass, Halifax , Nova Scotia, Sandwich, Cape Cod, Canadian, New Brunswick

☆ Hurricane Lee churns toward New England, eastern Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 14 (Reuters) - Hurricane Lee barreled across the North Atlantic toward New England and Eastern Canada on Friday, threatening to bring drenching rains, powerful winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the region over the weekend. Lee is expected to weaken into a strong tropical storm before making landfall in southwestern Nova Scotia as a strong tropical storm late on Saturday, the Canadian Hurricane Center said. In Canada, more than 1 million people in Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick were also under a tropical storm warning as the massive storm crawls northward over the open waters of the Atlantic. Some spots, such as Cape Cod in Massachusetts and eastern Halifax County in Nova Scotia may see storm surge of up to 3 feet (91 cm), forecasters said. Lee is the latest storm in what is proving to be a busy hurricane season that has featured a higher-than-average number of named storms.

Persons: Lee, Michelle Wu, Hurricane Idalia, Idalia, Brendan O'Brien, Mark Porter Organizations: Canadian Hurricane Center, U.S, Boston, U.S . National Weather Service, NWS, Facebook, Hurricane, Thomson Locations: New England, Eastern Canada, Nova Scotia, Connecticut , Rhode Island , Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Canada, New Brunswick, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Halifax County, Nantucket, Florida, Georgia, Chicago

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The U.S. and the Canadian navies sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, in a challenge to China's sweeping territorial claims. The USS Ralph Johnson and the Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa sailed through the narrow band of ocean that separates China and self-ruled Taiwan, according to the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet. The cruisers “transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” the Navy statement said. China has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan, including sending warships and warplanes on a near daily basis. Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesIn June, the U.S. released a video in which a Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of an American destroyer, forcing the U.S. vessel to slow to avoid a collision.

Persons: Ralph Johnson, ”, Shi Yi Organizations: Canadian, Royal Canadian Navy Halifax, Navy’s, U.S . Navy, Navy, U.S, People Liberation, Command Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, U.S, Taiwan Strait, Ottawa, China, Beijing, American, Canadian

Fresh data on Thursday reinforced the extent of the U.K.'s house price slide this summer, with August prices down by 1.9% on the previous month, the steepest decline since November. The figures are from mortgage lender Halifax and follow prior surveys showing a sharp slowdown from Zoopla and Rightmove. House prices were 4.6% lower year-on-year, the biggest drop since 2009, largely due to the record high property prices seen in summer 2022 — though the average price is still £40,000 ($49,992) above its pre-pandemic level. "It's fair to say that house prices have proven more resilient than expected so far this year, despite higher interest rates weighing on buyer demand," said Kim Kinnaird, director at Halifax Mortgages. "However, there is always a lag-effect where rate increases are concerned, and we may now be seeing a greater impact from higher mortgage costs flowing through to house prices."

Persons: Kim Kinnaird, — Jenni Reid Organizations: Halifax Locations: Halifax

☆ UK house prices fall by most since 2009 as rate rises bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Halifax said house prices were 4.6% lower last month than in August 2022, when they were close to their peak. "House prices have proven more resilient than expected so far this year.... The Bank of England has raised interest rates 14 times since December 2021, taking rates to 5.25% in August. Rival mortgage lender Nationwide reported last week that house prices in August were 5.3% lower than a year earlier. Imogen Pattison, assistant economist at Capital Economics, said the bigger-than-expected fall in Halifax house prices supported the consultancy's forecast that house prices would drop a total of 10.5% by mid 2024.

Persons: Phil Noble, Halifax, Kim Kinnaird, Andrew Bailey, Imogen Pattison, David Milliken, Paul Sandle, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of England, Nationwide, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, Halifax

☆ Take Five: A September to remember?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 29, 2023. 1/ SCARY SEPTEMBERNow the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole confab is over, investors are strapping in for a potentially volatile month. Reuters Graphics2/ THE SICK MAN OF EUROPEGermany looks likely to be the only major economy to contract this year. No wonder the region's economic powerhouse is once again being called the sick man of Europe. But economists are sceptical, noting that at just 0.2% of GDP, the package is no game-changer and that the sick man will need more medicine.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Ira Iosebashvili, Kevin Buckland, Dhara Ranasinghe, Libby George, Naomi Rovnick, Jackson, Jerome Powell, Olaf Scholz, Xi Jinping, Philip Lowe, Michele Bullock, BoE, Amanda Cooper, John Stonestreet Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Federal, Reuters, ECB, Germany's, Reserve Bank of Australia, Traders, Bank of, British Retail Consortium, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Ira, New York, Tokyo, London, Germany, Europe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Zambia, Delhi, China, Bullock, Bank of England, Halifax

☆ In a Storied River, Fish Are Dying in Droves as Climate Change Scorches Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Norimitsu Onishi | More About Norimitsu Onishi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The salmon were once so plentiful in the river that old-timers talk about having been able to cross on the backs of fish so thick they were like steppingstones. Such was the renown of the Cowichan River, flowing east on Canada’s Vancouver Island, that its fly-fishing conditions were posted in fishing clubs in London. Local scientists suspect the bigger culprit is climate change, which has contributed to the decline of salmon populations in British Columbia by increasing droughts and heat waves. In a summer of global catastrophes for Canada, climate change has been felt across this vast country — from Cowichan Valley on the Pacific Coast to Halifax on the Atlantic, from the long border with the United States to the remotest towns above the Arctic Circle. But if the world has been consumed with the fires raging across Canada’s forests, turned into tinderboxes from the effects of climate change, the plight of the river has hit close to home in Cowichan Valley.

Persons: John Wayne, Bing Crosby Locations: Cowichan, London, Cowichan Bay ., Canada, British Columbia, Cowichan Valley, Halifax, United States, tinderboxes

But signs of a slowdown are mounting, highlighting the BoE's dilemma as it continues to grapple with inflation. But the BoE looks set to keep on raising rates with inflation still more than three times its 2% target. Below are key readings of Britain's economy that the BoE will assess before its next scheduled announcement on interest rates on Sept. 21. But many analysts expect the lagged impact of the BoE's rate rises to hit spending soon, adding to the drag on the economy. Many economists think the delayed impact of higher interest rates and still elevated inflation will hit growth in the coming months.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, BoE, Andrew Bailey, GfK, Sumanta Sen, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Bank, Bank of England, Brexit, P, CIPS, Nationwide, Halifax, Reuters Graphics LABOUR, Employers, European Union, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ A fast-food restaurant splashed out $12,000 on a bizarre sandwich costume that was auctioned off by a provincial government
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Canadian restaurant spent nearly $12,000 on a donair-sandwich costume in an Alberta government auction. CBC reported that the costume was made for a traffic-safety video but was never worn. It was eventually won by 25-store Alberta chain PrimeTime Donair and Poutine, which made the winning bid of CA$16,025. Other donair stores, including the King of Donair, Blowers & Grafton, and Swiss Donair, also placed bids, auction records showed. The listing said the costume was made from various latexes, vulcanized rubbers, and synthetic materials, and had adjustable shoulder straps.

Persons: Adil Asim, Donair, Peter Gamalakos, Gamoulakos Organizations: CBC, Service, CTV News, Canadian, Food Network, Halifax Locations: Alberta, Wall, Silicon, Grafton, Swiss, Canadian, Edmonton

☆ Asking prices for UK homes drop sharply - Rightmove
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Asking prices for homes in Britain fell sharply this month as rising mortgage costs caused sellers to lower their expectations of what they can get for their properties, an industry survey showed on Monday. Website Rightmove said average asking prices for homes dropped by 1.9%, the biggest monthly fall for August since 2018 and twice as steep as the usual summertime fall. Mortgage lenders Nationwide and Halifax both previously reported falls in selling prices in July. Rightmove's survey also showed the number of home sales was down 15% compared with 2019, before the pandemic. Average asking prices for homes were 2% below their peak in May but, reflecting the surge in demand during the pandemic, remained 19% higher than in August 2019, Rightmove said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Rightmove, William Schomberg, Suban Abdulla Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of England, Nationwide, Halifax, Homes, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain

☆ How Do You Deal With a Windfall in Your 20s?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Caitlin Kelly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Roach, who uses they/them pronouns, still shares an apartment with their brother despite having more than enough money to buy a house. Roach, 24, the youngest ever “Jeopardy” super-champion, the $560,983 in winnings has done little to change how they live their daily life. Despite the popular fantasy that a sudden financial windfall — whether a game-show win, an inheritance or a lawsuit settlement — will radically change a young person’s life, it’s not a guarantee. It does, of course, for some, allowing them to buy a house or adventure around the world at a young age. But for those who receive money after losing a loved one or who are learning to manage large sums of money for the first time, a windfall can feel overwhelming.

Persons: Mattea Roach, haven’t, it’s, “ School’s, ”, “ Organizations: Roach Locations: Toronto, Halifax , Nova Scotia

I couldn't afford the Iceland trip and I knew it. See Insider's picks for the best credit cards with primary rental car insurance »I wasn't ready for the billBut wait, didn't we buy car insurance? I had already spent close to $2,000 on the Iceland trip between airfare, Airbnb, the car rental and general food and fun costs. I called my car insurance company, Ariel's car insurance company, and Budget's head office. I even bought a calling card so I could ring up Budget Iceland and try to negotiate with them!

Persons: Ariel, I, I've Organizations: Service, Budget Locations: Iceland, Wall, Silicon, Reykjavík, Halifax, airfare

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