Solving the housing crisis isn't rocket science - stop dithering and start building, says the GMB. According to the union if the Tories had launched building projects for each of their 1,000 housing announcements since 2010, things would look a lot rosier. The government unveiled its delayed housing strategy today, topping off a series of ideas that have been pumped out weekly since they were in government. But instead of churning out an average of three ideas every week the best...

A dedicated pensioner has been named as Britain’s oldest supermarket worker – aged 91. Hardy Tom Brogan spends three mornings a week pushing trolleys at Asda and he has no intention of retiring. The great-granddad packed in work almost three decades ago at the age of 63 but he only managed 14 months of retirement before he was lured back to employment. He picked up a car parking attendant job at the Asda store in Wigan, Gtr Manc., over 20...

New figures released by the TUC have discovered three million employees working on the frontline of our public services are actually "insecure" workers. A heavy reliance on temporary staff, has led the GMB to call this station "shocking" and has criticised the government for not addressing the problem. This is an 25% increase since 2011 overall and a large 42% rise in insecure working within education and a 133% increase in social care. The government has already come under fire for...

Valentine's Day is on the horizon and the sticky issue going through the minds of every taken man in the country is; what should I buy the missus? Flowers are safe, chocolates are safer and jewellery lands in the same minefield occupied by makeup and toiletries - not to be touched. But with clothes you feel like you might just have a shout. Not according to the vast majority of British women. A new survey has found a huge eight in...

I love surprises. The anticipation of a million possibilities is often just as exhilarating as the performance itself. It is with a head-in-a-bucket methodology that I choose the shows I’m going to see at the London International Mime Festival each year – basing my selection not on titles or posters or research, but only on which evenings I have free. I leave the rest to chance. This year the two completely random tickets I ended up with were firstly to...

Artists, writers, journalists and campaigners are among the candidates shortlisted for the 2017 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards. Drawn from more than 400 crowdsourced nominations, the shortlist celebrates the people fighting for freedom of expression against immense obstacles, with many of the 16 shortlisted nominees regularly targeted by authorities or by criminal and extremist groups for their work: some face regular death threats, others criminal prosecution or exile. Nominees include Pastor Evan Mawarire whose frustration with Zimbabwe’s government led...

Rapper, producer, director and visual artist M.I.A. has been announced as the curator of the Southbank Centre's 24th Meltdown Festival, which will take place from 9-18 June 2017. Launched 25 years ago, the festival is famed for bringing to life the world of its curator, counting Patti Smith, David Bowie, Yoko Ono, David Byrne, Ray Davies, Morrissey and Ornette Coleman amongst those that have held the position. M.I.A., said: "For me this Meltdown will be about putting on a musical week...

Sport News 24/7 It could feasibly have happened at any point over the past three years. Following England’s harrowing Ashes whitewash in Australia in 2013/14, the captaincy of Alastair Cook has been open to debate. Quite how he survived the cull that took place after that disastrous tour is beyond me, but he stayed in situ for a further three years. In that three years England won the Ashes at home and beat South Africa in South Africa in their...

Hit the road, Jack - the latest puzzle to bamboozle the web has been dealt out. Lurking among the face cards in this deck is a single one-eyed Jack, and you’ll have to play your cards right to spot him. Greg Tatton-Brown, the Market Manager UK for Casumo.com, who dealt the brain-teaser, said: “We’ve got lots of card games on our site – but nothing quite like this." See how long it takes you to spot it: Greg Tatton-Brown adds: “The...