My renewal quote for Co-op home insurance has almost tripled to £1,353

In February, we received our home insurance renewal quote from Co-op Insurance for the coming year, and were shocked to read it would near-triple from £518 to £1,353.We have had buildings and contents cover with the Co-op since 2012. Our circumstances have not changed and we have not made a claim for many years.I immediately phoned up to query this and was told the usual: “This is now the price the underwriters have calculated using their prescribed format, blah blah, blah.”The unfortunate person to take my call politely listened to my rant that this increase was totally unacceptable, as was the lack of explanation

Gold climbs above $3,500 for first time as Wall Street rallies after slide

Gold has climbed above $3,500 an ounce for the first time while stocks on Wall Street and the dollar rose following Monday’s sell-off prompted by Donald Trump’s blistering attack on the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell.Spot gold reached the record price of $3,500.01 (£2,620) on Tuesday, extending a rally that has pushed bullion up from $2,623 an ounce at the start of this year.Analysts now predict the metal could even reach $4,000 only a matter of weeks after the price moved through $3,000 for the first time.The US currency and its government debt are usually seen as a safe haven during times of market turmoil, but as the US itself has caused much of the recent volatility investors have been turning to another “port in the storm”, gold, in large numbers

AI images of child sexual abuse getting ‘significantly more realistic’, says watchdog

Images of child sexual abuse created by artificial intelligence are becoming “significantly more realistic”, according to an online safety watchdog.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said advances in AI are being reflected in illegal content created and consumed by paedophiles, saying: “In 2024, the quality of AI-generated videos improved exponentially, and all types of AI imagery assessed appeared significantly more realistic as the technology developed.”The IWF revealed in its annual report that it received 245 reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery that broke UK law in 2024 – an increase of 380% on the 51 seen in 2023. The reports equated to 7,644 images and a small number of videos, reflecting the fact that one URL can contain multiple examples of illegal material.The largest proportion of those images was “category A” material, the term for the most extreme type of child sexual abuse content that includes penetrative sexual activity or sadism

Ofcom closes technical loophole used by criminals to intercept mobile calls and texts

The UK communications regulator Ofcom is banning mobile operators from leasing numbers that can be used by criminals to intercept and divert calls and messages, including security codes sent by banks to customers.Ofcom said it would stop the leasing of “global titles”, special types of phone numbers used by mobile networks to support services to make sure messages and calls reach the intended recipient.The regulator said until now global titles, which are used in the background of billions of calls and messages sent worldwide, could be leased out to third parties, providing a technical loophole whereby criminals could get hold of and intercept messages.Natalie Black, the director for networks and communications at Ofcom, said: “We are taking world-leading action to tackle the threat posed by criminals gaining access to mobile networks. Leased global titles are one of the most significant and persistent sources of malicious signalling

From the Pocket: Anzac Day clash was born amid division but is now a reminder of how sport can bind us

Footy is full of soldiers who never found a war and on the 80th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, one of them was asleep in the birthing ward. Dermott Brereton was barrel-chested, chicken-legged, born for the big occasion and, on this day, a new father. He fused Frankston street smarts with Glenferrie conservatism; morning television affability with an Irish thirst for vengeance. At 30, his body was at war with itself. But as police escorted the team bus to the MCG for the inaugural Anzac Day game between Collingwood and Essendon, he heard the bugle call

Case for the defence proves Bulldogs have foundations in place for long-term NRL success | Nick Tedeschi

Phil Gould has as many critics as he does roles in rugby league but even his most strident detractors must admit that there has been no greater knockdown rebuild administrator in the history of the game. While the man known as “Gus” was long gone from Penrith by the time the Panthers put together four premierships on end, he was instrumental in turning a club that had one winning season in nine from 2005-13 into an outfit that has missed the finals just twice since.Gould didn’t push culture change at Penrith. He sledgehammered it in. He moved on senior players, coaches and administrators who were reluctant to transform