3 HRS AGO - From hanging pictures to resealing the bath, now is the time to tackle the jobs you have been ignoring – many of them much simpler than you thinkWhile you have been stuck at home staring at the four walls and everything inside them, you may have noticed that some of what you see is broken. Small problems that may not have bothered you when you spent all day at work – a wonky curtain, a creaky door – suddenly demand your attention. But how do you fix things without professional help, armed only with limited tools and even more limited competence? We asked the experts for advice on the 10 simplest DIY tasks you can tackle right now.For a really big hole, scrunch up bits of newspaper and fill it, so the filler has something to grab on to Continue reading... Collapse

3 HRS AGO - With a global pandemic and economic depression looming, we can’t settle for half-measures. Cancel all student debtCoronavirus – latest US updatesCoronavirus – latest global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIn 2011, when the pain of the 2008 economic crisis was still being acutely felt, grassroots activists began fighting for debt abolition. Since then, we have consistently been told by public officials from both parties that our demands were unrealistic and impractical, but we’ve kept organizing.Coronavirus has changed the calculus. With a global pandemic and economic depression looming, the case for cancelling debt, especially student debt, has taken on a new urgency. The economy is entering freefall and millions are unable to pay their bills. With a fourth stimulus package on the horizon, now is the time for debtors to get organized and fight for what’s right – full student loan abolition. Related: 'I have no money': debt collection continues despite pandemic The vast Collapse

5 HRS AGO - People from different walks of life, from an X-ray technician to a sex worker, tell us how the crisis is (or isn’t) affecting them financiallyCoronavirus – live US updatesLive global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCoronavirus isn’t just a public health crisis, it’s an economic one. However, the financial impact of the pandemic hasn’t been evenly distributed. While a record 6.65 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, others are working from their homes. Others, from their vacation homes. Here, eight people from different walks of life tell us how the current crisis is (or isn’t) affecting them financially. Related: 'I'm praying we'll be back to work:' what it's like to lose your job in a pandemic In-person sex work has been decimatedThe main scare for me is that there’s no prospect of my husband getting a job that’s safe Continue reading... Collapse

9 HRS AGO - The presenter is filming a home crafts series to help take everyone’s minds off things. She discusses privilege, pressure and her worries about Britain’s housing divideCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThere is a “terrible fight” going on in Kirstie Allsopp’s kitchen. Her two sons, who are 11 and 13, are making a chocolate cake. Allsopp, speaking on the phone, takes a pause to listen out. At least they’re not on screens – she has been trying, and not always succeeding, to implement a no-screens-before-6pm policy. How is that even possible? “Screaming. Threats. I haven’t resorted to physical violence yet,” she says with a laugh. (In 2018, Allsopp became notorious, briefly, for saying she had smashed her children’s iPads because they were spending too long on them.)Allsopp, 48, has presented the property show Location, Location, Location since 2000. And there are other TV shows, including a property renovation programme, Love It Or List It. She has also become Collapse

17 HRS AGO - Beyond the short term economic crisis, it looks likely that women, younger workers and the low-paid will be most damaged by the shutting down of large parts of the economy. Collapse

19 HRS AGO - The company’s spending cuts bolster the government message that bailouts are a last resortSee all our coronavirus coverageRishi Sunak will be delighted. The chancellor told the aviation industry that government-backed bailouts would only be considered “as a last resort”, and here comes engine-maker Rolls-Royce to demonstrate what it can achieve under its own steam.Rolls’ shareholders should also be pleased. Monday’s dividend suspension is bad news for them, but not half as bad as a rights issue would have been. The latter was avoided (at least for now). Instead, investors got a reassuring display of the company’s ability to absorb financial pain by borrowing more and spending less.Income subsidies Continue reading... Collapse

23 HRS AGO - Ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband has returned to the party's front bench after Sir Keir Starmer announced his new shadow cabinet. Collapse