US officials say they’ve taken control of two oil tankers linked to Venezuela in the Atlantic and the Caribbean on Wednesday, due to ‘violations of US sanctions’.
US seizes two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in Caribbean, North Atlantic
Martin Roberts urges homeowners to do this one thing now to save homes from damage during cold snap
As temperatures continue to plummet, the TV presenter and property expert says UK households should to check their properties. And, he says, there are lots of clever ways to protect them from damp and mould…
New research commissioned by Health Equals has suggested that an estimated 6 million families in the UK are living with issues like damp, cold, and mould in their homes – alarmingly, 3 million of them are children. TV presenter and property expert Martin Roberts urges that this should be seen as public health crisis.
He says: “We often don’t realise the significance of our home environment in relation to how it affects our health. But the environment in which you live, not only affects your mental wellbeing, but also has now been proven beyond doubt to affect and potentially very seriously affect your health and the health of your family, and kids especially.”
Damp and mould in homes pose significant health risks, primarily affecting the respiratory system, causing coughs, wheezing, shortness of breath, and worsening asthma, but also leading to skin rashes, eye irritation, and allergic reactions. Mould produces allergens, irritants, and sometimes toxins, impacting vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and those with existing conditions, potentially causing serious illness, infection, and even affecting mental wellbeing.
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“It’s got to be recognised as a public health crisis, the amount of damage it’s doing to people, but also the knock on effects it is having on the National Health Service,” says Martin. “But there are ways to protect your property – be it rented or owned.” Here’s how…
Landlords need to act
“People who are providing housing need to act quickly to make sure that they know problems are resolved,” says Martin. “I think often if you’re a renter you are slightly nervous about kicking up a fuss. The demand for rental properties is huge, people don’t want to rock any boats. But speaking as a landlord myself, I’d want to know if if there were issues in my property that I maybe wasn’t aware of because if I deal with them, not only am I doing something to help my tenant and help their health, but also, I’m probably preserving the lifetime of my property.”
Monitor your home
“Monitor the status of your home to try and avoid the various types of of damp which cause various types of mould. That’s either caused by water coming in from cracks in the fabric of the building, or rainwater gutters that aren’t working, or soil beds that are built pushed up outside the outside of the house,” says Martin.
“Condensation caused by people breathing is an issue too. As human beings we breathe out water in our breath, and also create moisture when cooking and using the tumble dryer, or when having a bath or shower. We’ve got to recognise we need to get circulated air flowing. Often, modern houses can seem like they’re a bit hermetically sealed so there’s no natural airflow. People need to strike a balance between keeping the house warm and getting fresh air into that house.”
What to look out for
“Thankfully the issues are usually very visible. Damp and mould shows itself in, literally, mould on the walls,” says Martin. “Around the windows, in the back of cupboards, generally lower down on walls. And that’s usually black. It can look more like a fungus, often it’s just a sort of black staining. Then when it comes to damp, you can tell using all your senses. Feel the walls, does it feel damp? Does it feel cold? Does it feel wet? Damp tends to smell musty, like an old pair of socks.”
Locate the problem
“Look for telltale signs of water coming in,” says Martin. “It’s normally around on the exterior walls of a property or on a chimney breast. Go outside when it’s raining with your umbrella and look at the gutters. Is something overflowing? Is water flowing freely down the drain pipes? Is the drain itself full of leaves? Is water able to get away quickly? ‘Cause that’s what you want.
“Is there a flower bed that’s gradually crept up the side of the wall outside over time that could be causing a damp patch inside. Properties aren’t rocket science, you know. Normally there’s a cause and effect. Normally you can say, ‘well actually I’ve got a bit of damp there, what’s on the other side of that?’ ‘Oh look, there’s a drain pipe that’s got a crack in it’.”
Add some air flow
“A more modern issue is condensation,” says Martin. “We strive to make our homes more energy efficient. We cut down on drafts, we’ve got double glazing and the doors fit well. I mean old houses used to have badly fitting doors, badly fitting windows, you know, and air would flow through them and damp you know generally wasn’t from condensation, generally wasn’t an issue. So this this in this day and age when we seal our homes, it it doesn’t stop us as human beings creating moisture, you know. So just try and do what you can. And if you’re cooking in the kitchen, open the window while you’re cooking.”
Check your tumble dryer
“If you’ve got a tumble dryer, they have those kind of flexible tubes at the back and sometimes – because the tumble dryer often sits on the top of a washing machine which is vibrating – these move, so all the the damp air from your dryer is is is is spilling out into the house.”
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Clean out gutters
“It’s a classic time for all the gutters to get to get clogged with leaves and other stuff. So either do it yourself or if the gutters are high up, get somebody in just to clean out your gutters for you. Make sure the water is flowing away.”
*Lives are being cut short by up to 16 years in parts of the UK. Damp, cold and mould in our homes is part of the problem. To be part of the solution, see HERE. Let’s #MakeHealthEqual.
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Fifa will scan World Cup players to make offside avatars
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Fifa plans to create AI-enabled 3D avatars of every player at the 2026 World Cup to enhance the tournament’s semi-automated offside technology.
This will mean creating a digital scan of all 1,248 players in the 26-man squads of the 48 teams.
Each player will enter a chamber to be scanned, a process that should take just one second and only needs to be done once during their pre-tournament photo shoot.
Fifa says the scan “captures highly accurate body-part dimensions” to make more accurate offside decisions.
It expects this to mean tournament officials will be able to “track players reliably during fast or obstructed movements” and says final decisions will be “displayed more realistically and in a more engaging way”.
There was controversy in the Premier League earlier this season when a Newcastle goal against Manchester City was allowed to stand.
Ruben Dias appeared to be jumping in the semi-automated offside graphic. This did not match the television pictures of the game.
Fifa hopes that by taking accurate scans of each player it can improve how these decisions are shown to supporters.
The technology was tested in Fifa’s Intercontinental Cup, with Flamengo and Pyramids FC players scanned ahead of their match in December.
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- FIFA World Cup
- 17 December 2025
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Extreme flooding submerges Kosovo cities, villages
Emergency crews in Kosovo carried out a second day of evacuations after the region was devastated by floods. Footage shows people being evacuated from submerged homes as floodwaters slammed several municipalities.
BBC radio star dies as tributes paid to ‘wonderful warm-spirited’ broadcaster
The presenter started working working at the BBC radio station in 1967 was described by former colleagues as ‘one of the best people in broadcasting’ following her death
A BBC radio pioneer has died and tributes have flooded in from her former colleagues and friends. Liverpool-born Jenny Collins, who has died aged 83, was one of the founding members of the Merseyside radio service, which was set up in 1967 and was only the third local BBC radio station.
She began her lengthy career as a reporter and on-air presenter, taking calls from listeners and hosting Junior Spin, before moving into senior editorial roles such as programme controller, according to the BBC. Following her death, which was announced on January 2, her former colleague Roy Corlett said she had helped “build something that is still here, still going strong nearly 60 years on”.
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Another former colleague and former Radio Merseyside presenter, Roger Lyon, published a moving tribute on Facebook, describing her as “a genuinely lovely person” with “a great broadcasting voice”.
“Very sad to hear today of the passing of one of the founding members of Radio Merseyside, the lovely Jenny Collins,” he wrote. “She was there at the start in 1967 and performed many duties both in front of and behind the mike.
“I still have letters that we swapped in the mid 90s when I was living and working in Oz, and she was acting Programme Controller, planning what shows I could do on RM when I returned.
“The last time I saw her was about 4 years ago when she was my guest on RM chatting about her career working there. She was married to Steve Voce who for many years presented a jazz programme called Jazz Panorama. She had a great broadcasting voice and was a genuinely lovely person. R I P.”
His heartfelt post was quickly flooded with similar sentiments, including one who described her as “one of the best people I ever met in broadcasting”. The former head of BBC Radio Merseyside, Mick Ord, also commented: “RIP Jenny. A wonderful, warm-spirited woman who played an integral role at Radio Merseyside for many years.”
Jenny’s late husband Steve Voce, who died in November 2023, was also a member of the BBC Radio Merseyside alumni, and worked at BBC Radio 2 and as a music reviewer. His obituary in the Jazz Journal referenced his “lively, witty and often acerbic style” of reviews, which were “much appreciated by many JJ readers”.
Editor Mark Gilbert wrote: “When I asked him for a biography for our contributors page, I got simply ‘In the first half of his life Steve Voce was preoccupied with listening to jazz, boozing and adultery. In the second half of his life he gave up adultery.’ There was a lot more to the life and work for jazz than that. It probably isn’t excessive to suggest he lived for the music.”
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Emmerdale and Corrie star Paula Lane gives birth and shares first pics and cute name
Emmerdale actress, Paula Lane, who also played Kylie Platt in Coronation Street from 2010 to 2016 has given birth to her third child
Coronation Street star Paula Lane has given birth to her third child, who she says was “so longed for.” The Emmerdale actress, 39, shared adorable snaps of her son, who she has called Patrick, snuggled up in a blue knitted babygrow and bobble hat with his proud parents and pet dog.
Captioning the carousel in which Paula cuddles her bundle of joy, who is wrapped up in a blanket, she wrote: “Welcome to the ranch, Patrick. We are all completely and utterly in love. So longed for…thank you for completing us.” Also seen on her Instagram Stories is a shot of the tot in his dad, Tom Shaw’s arms. Paula’s husband is also holding a bottle of whiskey with ‘Paddy’ written on the label as he celebrates becoming a father for a third time.
The actress, who plays Ella Forster in Emmerdale, was inundated with well wishes from her famous pals, who were quick to reply to the joyous news.
Emmerdale actress Amy Walsh gushed: “Awwww. Huge congratulations.” Meanwhile, I’m A Celebrity star, Lisa Riley, said: “Sending the hugest amount of love to you Tom and the children from Me and Al…..Patrick will be loved and loved some more.”
Paula and Tom announced they were expecting last summer. In an Instagram post, she tagged her husband and wrote: “Some special news to share from us.” She added: “Christmas just got a bit more magical. Our baby boy due December 2025.”
The post, which included a photo of a baby scan surrounded by cards addressed to the “best big sister” and the “best big brother”, received thousands of likes.
Paula, who already shares son, Arthur, and daughter, Penny, with Tom, chose Alison Goldfrapp’s song Hey Hi Hello as the soundtrack to her announcement. Among the well-wishers was Lisa, Paula’s Emmerdale co-star ,who plays Mandy Dingle.
She commented: “CONGRATULATIONS. HOORAY! ! ! Now I can tell everyone. So much love to you, Tom and the children. Can’t wait for Christmas cuddles.” Amy, who ;plays Tracy Metcalfe in the soap, responded: “Congratulations lovely.”
Paula’s on-screen sibling Michelle Hardwick, who portrays Vanessa Woodfield, commented: “Best news! Massive congratulations to you all! So exciting.”
Meanwhile, Danny Miller, who portrays Aaron Dingle, penned in his response to Paula’s post: “Congratulations guys.”
Paula is most recognised for portraying Kylie on Corrie, with the character brought in as the sibling of Becky McDonald (portrayed by Katherine Kelly). She subsequently formed a romance with David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), whom she eventually wed.
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However, following her introduction six years earlier, Kylie met a sad end in scenes which broadcast in 2016. Audiences witnessed Paula’s character perish in the arms of her sobbing spouse, David, while lying in the middle of the road after suffering fatal stab wounds.