Author: MD. MOSLIM UDDIN

My elderly parents spent much of last year dealing with what should have been a straightforward insurance claim after a dishwasher installation by John Lewis caused a leak. Instead, it became a year-long ordeal, marked by repeated failures and an almost total absence of accountability. The dishwasher had been leaking imperceptibly for more than a year and saturated walls and floors in the kitchen, hall and dining room by the time the damp was discovered. John Lewis accepted liability, passed the claim to a claims management company appointed by its insurer, and effectively stepped away. My parents were repeatedly told…

It helps to understand what people mean when they talk about “metabolism”, says James Betts, professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Bath. Usually, they’re referring to metabolic rate; the amount of energy your body burns in a given time. This is largely determined by factors such as your size, age, sex and body composition.Your daily energy expenditure comes from three main sources: your resting metabolism (the energy needed to keep your organs and tissues functioning), the calories burned processing food, and physical activity. Of those, exercise and movement are by far the most variable.“When people say they want to boost…

My husband recently died. It was a protracted illness, but in the three weeks between him being very ill and him passing I did not get to speak to him about death. We had spoken about it earlier in our relationship and he wasn’t frightened. He was the sort of man who didn’t want a fuss and I never lingered by his bedside; I just did what was needed, had a chat and moved on to running the home. I have cried every day since he died.I have so many recriminations on my part: feelings of not looking after him, not taking the…

Cooling, blue expanses of water have been a lifesaver for many lucky enough to live near a lido during the recent UK heatwave.Now, a group of 20 MPs, along with the Fabian Society, are calling for this relief to be made accessible for all by getting water companies to fund the reopening of the country’s lost lidos.A new report from the thinktank has called on Andy Burnham, who is expected to become the next prime minister, to use the forthcoming water bill to make water companies responsible for funding places for local people to swim, such as lidos.Lidos, or public…

Puberty hormones first get produced during adolescenceFalse The main puberty hormones are oestrogen and progesterone for girls and testosterone for boys. “They are active in the womb during foetal development and in infancy in a phase called mini-puberty,” says Sasha Howard, clinical reader and honorary consultant in paediatric endocrinology at Queen Mary, University of London and Barts Health NHS trust.“This is a vital period from two to six months of age, when the reproductive hormones are switched on and there’s a lot of hormonal activity stimulating the testicles in boys and ovaries in girls. We think this is in order…

Have you heard? Smoking is back. Or rather, have you seen?Kylie Jenner lit up on the cover of Vanity Fair. Madonna and Hailey Bieber posed with cigarettes in Interview. Cool girl fashion brands Khaite and Dôen have been handing out branded packs at parties.Zendaya’s character Rue is shown puffing away in the most recent series of Euphoria, where she literally works in a smoke shop. One fan even asked on Reddit what brand she favoured.Cigarettes’ return to pop culture has hardly been subtle. Dedicated Instagram accounts post current and archival shots of celebrities looking stylish while increasing their risk of…

Sitting for longer than half an hour at a time each day raises the risk of dying from cancer, a study suggests.Researchers who tracked more than 90,000 people over a decade found that sitting or lying down while awake for more than 30 minutes in one period each day was associated with an increased risk of cancer death. The risk increases for every additional hour of continuous inactivity, the findings suggest.However, the researchers also found breaking up periods of sedentary behaviour longer than 30 minutes with bursts of physical activity could help reduce the risk. Getting up every half-hour, even…

After six months of unemployment following redundancy, I am re-entering the workforce. Initially I set out to change my career completely but that hasn’t transpired. I have spent the last half a year being present with my kids, attending school activities, baking, exercising, reading and staying on top of household chores. At times I’ve felt bored, but ultimately having one parent home has made for a smoother, simpler life.I’m heading back to work so we can keep finances flowing. But now that I’ve had my time out, it all feels so lacklustre. Reading LinkedIn makes me feel ill – the…

I’ve always thought of myself as a good person: a good citizen and a good member of my community – at least in the ethical sense of the word. I presumed being good required refraining from harming the world and the people within it. An example of this being that I never litter.However, when I moved home to Staffordshire after graduating in the summer of 2025, my understanding of what it means to be a good citizen – what it means to be “good” altogether – changed significantly.It began earlier this year. I was on a walk with my dog…

I moved into my new house 14 months ago, and soon afterwards applied to ScottishPower, with whom the solar panels are registered for a feed-in tariff (Fit), for transfer of ownership of the panels and the tariff.After many emails back and forth, I got a response saying they had all the information required.That was 10 months ago and I’ve yet to receive any payment. I should be owed more than £1,000 by now.DC, North YorkshireScottishPower’s glacial approach to Fit transfers is already familiar. In March, I reported on a widow who was deprived of the payments she was due because…