High childcare costs affects one in six mortgage applications

One in six families say they have been denied mortgages or offered smaller loans because of their childcare costs.

Of those, 68% have attempted to conceal their true monthly expenditure on childcare in an attempt to secure a better deal from lenders.

Some relied on friends and family to look after their children temporarily, artificially reducing their outgoings to deceive banks during affordability checks.

uSwitch.com compiled the research, with a spokeswoman saying: "It's worrying that many feel under pressure to conceal these costs during the mortgage application process, as this may have a severe impact on their ability to make repayments in future."

The price comparison website also uncovered inconsistencies in the application forms sent out by lenders to determine a family's eligibility.

Only 39% of borrowers were asked whether their childcare costs would decrease in the coming years, while 41% said their lender did not take the ages of their kids into account.

Mortgage rules have become stricter in recent years, meaning many lenders now take childcare costs into consideration when deciding whether to offer applicants a loan.

The changes were designed to ensure borrowers can truly afford to make repayments even if interest rates rise.

A recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found the typical British family spends about a third of its monthly income on childcare.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders said: "The mortgage market review means that lenders must take into account all the key financial commitments of borrowers.

"That could mean that those who have to pay for childcare may not be able to borrow as much as others with a similar income who do not have these commitments."

Vivienne Westwood savages 'evil' Hillary Clinton

Dame Vivienne Westwood has branded Hillary Clinton "evil" and a "war mongerer" ahead of the US presidential election.

The British designer gave a pessimistic view of world politics in an interview with CNBC in which Theresa May, David Cameron and Tony Blair all came under fire.

But it was Mrs Clinton who provoked particular ire.

Image Caption:Dame Vivienne arrives for a celebration of British fashion hosted by Theresa May

Dame Vivienne said: "To me, Hillary's evil, and I think she's a war mongerer. I don't expect the world to change with Hillary Clinton. I'm not pro-Trump.

"I would not vote for either of them ... If there's a Green person I would vote for the Green person. I wouldn't even pick Barack Obama over them, either."

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On the state of British politics under new Prime Minister Mrs May, the 75-year-old said: "She apparently wants to try to help people - she won't be able to, unless she starts to attack the money system, and first of all you need to bring in a green economy.

"If you want to be the same as everybody who came before you - David Cameron, Tony Blair - you're all the same ... what you've all got in common is you are all applying this terrible system which is not only making everybody poor, but even dying from the fumes in the air.

"All kinds of terrible - war, everything is caused by this system."

Asked what she would say if she could have 10 minutes alone with Mrs May, Dame Vivienne said: "What I want to tell Theresa May is, 'You could be the most wonderful woman in the world, you could be the most important person that ever trod on this planet. Because if you wanted you could turn it around.'"

Boris calls for protests at Russian embassy over Syria bombing

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has called for "demonstrations outside the Russian embassy" over its bombing of targets in Syria.

Britain's most senior diplomat was talking during an emergency debate in Parliament over the crisis engulfing the country, in particular Aleppo.

Russia has been accused of attacking civilians in the city, the ancient part of which is said to have just weeks left if the bombing continues.

Mr Johnson told MPs the Government was doing all it could to highlight what was happening but he believed people could do more to show how angry they were.

He said: "It is the UK, week after week, that is taking the lead, together with our allies... in highlighting what is happening in Syria to a world where, I'm afraid, the wells of outrage are growing exhausted...

"There is no commensurate horror, it seems to me, among those anti-war groups. I would certainly like to see demonstrations outside the Russian embassy.

"It's up to us in the Government to show a lead."

He described what was happening in Syria by saying: "In Aleppo... rebel held districts have come under furious attack from the Assad regime, from Russia, with the help of Iranian-backed militias.

"At this moment the 235,000 inhabitants of eastern Aleppo are under siege, they are isolated... subjected to constant bombardment and prevented from receiving humanitarian aid.

"Every hospital in eastern Aleppo is believed to have been bombed, some more than once. Hospitals have been targeted with such precision that it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that this must be deliberate policy. 

"The house will know that intentionally attacking a hospital amounts to a war crime. It is time for all these incidents to be properly and fully investigated.... to ensure that justice is done."

He added that if Russia continued bombing, it was at risk of becoming a "pariah nation", with Putin seeing his ambition of restoring his country's greatness "turning to ashes".

Further airstrikes were carried out on rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, according to activists.

A member of the Aleppo local council, Zakaria Amino, said bombs fell in a number of other rebel-held neighbourhoods and the death toll was expected to rise.

Members of eastern Aleppo's White Helmets rescue force said they rescued one boy and two women from rubble but pulled out the bodies of two toddlers from a residential block shattered by an air attack. 

Earlier, former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell described attacks on Aleppo by the Assad regime and Russia as being like those on civilians in Guernica in 1937 by German Nazi and Italian fascist airforces, during the Spanish Civil War.

It came as Vladimir Putin decided not to travel to Paris for an official visit after France said it wanted to use the occasion to discuss the situation in Syria.

Aleppo has been in the midst of fierce fighting in recent months as Assad's forces and their allies have tried to capture opposition-held parts of the city.

Merkel 'to address human rights' on Ethiopia trip

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will bring up human rights on her trip to Ethiopia today, the AP news agency is reporting.

She is on the third leg of her African tour which has seen her visit Mali and Niger.

AP quotes a German government spokesperson saying that she will "of course clearly address human rights" issues.

Mrs Merkel's visit comes two days after a six-month state of emergency was declared in the country.

This was in reaction to months of anti-government protests in which rights groups estimate that more than 500 people have died.

Protesters are complaining about political and economic marginalisation. Ethiopia is frequently criticised for its poor human rights record.

The German leader is also set to address migration issues.

Campaigners fear Down's syndrome test on NHS will increase abortions

Down's syndrome campaigners fear plans to make a relatively new test for the condition available on the NHS will see more parents opt for termination.

Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) allows obstetricians to detect the presence of Down's syndrome in unborn babies without the need for amniocentesis, which puts expectant women at risk of a miscarriage.

Although NIPT is already available from private practitioners, the NHS is yet to decide whether it should be rolled out across the UK.

A petition urging caution is to be presented to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt later today.

Lucienne Cooper, whose six-year-old son Billy has Down's, welcomes the test in principle, but is worried more parents will opt for termination if their unborn baby is diagnosed with the condition. 

She says: "I fear that perhaps in 20 years people with Down's syndrome won't be born anymore and my son will be considered a freak - imagine knowing people like you are not wanted."

Dr Donald Gibb, who runs private clinic The Birth Company in London's Harley Street, has been providing NIPT to his patients for three years.

He believes making the test available on the NHS is a "no brainer" - particularly for older mothers - as amniocentesis carries a 0.5% to 1% risk of losing a baby.

The National Screening Committee has recommended that NIPT should be available on the NHS.

However, the Department of Health says: "We want women to make informed decisions and access safe and appropriate tests.

"We are considering this carefully and will make an announcement in due course."

Nigeria’s secret police releases detained judges

The State Security Service has released all the judges arrested during a nationwide sweep between Friday and Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES can report.

Sources in the agency said all the seven judges were released on self-recognizance.

“They were all released on bail yesterday(Sunday) on self recognition,” one of our sources said.

“They reported this morning (Monday) and they have all gone back home. They will be coming back tomorrow. And everything went very procedurally well and civil.

“They were released on bail on self recognition based on the fact that given their standing in the society, they cannot run away. They were instructed that they should come back today by 10am. 

“They did report for investigation this morning and they have gone back home. And the investigation continues and preparation to charge them to court continued.”

The source added, “Also, action was sequel to lack of cooperation by National Judicial Council. Such as refusal by the NJC to allow the affected persons to be questioned by the DSS. Investigation started some seven months ago, precisely in April 2016.”

The crackdown has continued to generate mixed reactions across the country.

GE confirms interest in $2 billion Nigeria railway concession

General Electric (GE) (GE.N) confirmed its a "keen interest" in acquiring a Nigeria railway concession project worth around $2 billion, the U.S. company said on Monday.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said this month that GE would be investing $2.2 billion in a concession to revamp, provide rolling stock, and manage some of the country's railways.

"Given the size and scope of the proposed project, it is likely that the debt and equity commitments required from lenders, consortium partners and other co-developers will be in the range of $2 billion or more," GE said in a statement mailed to Reuters.

It said the concession was in the formal procurement process.

Nigeria has been looking for partners to overhaul its aging railway system, which was mainly built by British colonial rulers before the country's independence in 1960.

The West African nation has also signed two deals worth around $5 billion with China Civil Engineering Construction Corp (CCECC), part of China's state-owned railway construction firm, to modernize and build railways in the north and south of the country, the Nigerian transport ministry said last month.


Growth in Nigeria - an OPEC member whose economy has slipped into recession for the first time in more than 20 years after being hammered by low oil prices - has been stunted for decades by a lack of investment in roads and railways.

GE said the railway concession project came on top of around $150 million the firm was currently spending on capital expenditures in Nigeria as cited by a senior company executive last week.