Latest news with #YahooUK
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Should the state pension age be raised above 66? Yahoo readers have their say
The government has announced a review of the state pension – but has ruled out making changes to the triple lock for now Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. Huge changes to the UK's pensions could be on the cards as chancellor Rachel Reeves seeks to balance the government account books. Ministers have announced the Pensions Commission - which recommended auto-enrolment in workplace schemes in 2005 - is set to be revived for the first time in almost two decades in a bid to get Britons saving more for retirement. But the age at which the state pension can be drawn is also expected to be increased, with Reeves saying it was "right" to examine the issue in light of increasing life expectancy. Currently set at 66, the age is due to rise to 67 by 2028 and then to 68 between 2044-2046 - although the prospect of bringing this timeline forward has also been raised. Last year, the UK spent £138 billion on the state pension, equivalent to 5% of GDP, a figure the Office for Budget Responsibility expects to rise to 7.7% by the 2070s. Changes to the pensions 'triple lock', which ensures state pensions rise by 2.5%, CPI inflation, or the increase in average earnings every year, are also being considered. However, the triple lock will not be considered by the Pensions Commission and Labour has promised it will not be altered before the end of the current Parliament. In our poll earlier this week, Yahoo News UK asked our readers: "Should the state pension age be raised above 66?" It received 5,403 votes and showed an overwhelming majority - 85% - in favour of keeping the current age in place. The poll also asked readers for their thoughts on the pensions triple lock. Once again, 85% said they wanted to see the guarantee maintained, with even fewer arguing it should be scrapped. The poll's Have Your Say feature elicited some strong feelings and a mixture of opinion, with most feeling the state pension age should not be raised - but even this provoked a split over why it should be held steady. JanR, from Hertfordshire, said: "I think the state pension age should remain as it is. Most people work all their lives and deserve some down time whilst they are hopefully fit enough to enjoy it." David g, from Manchester, agreed, but said the focus should be on younger people still climbing the career ladder, rather than those already at the top. He said: "Keeping people in work longer to shorten the amount of pension they claim in what remains of their lives is the wrong thing to do. What about the younger generation looking for their first jobs? What will be left for them to do? Nothing. The government has totally got its priorities wrong. Why should we be forced to work for over fifty years? This is grossly unfair" P smith, from south Wales, also concurred, but argued those who had contributed to their pensions should not be penalised at the expense of those who had not, saying: "Why should people who have contributed to a works pension scheme work later in life to help support those who haven't." Others however, like Kevin F, from Derby, took the opposite view. He said: "The pension age has to increase in line with life expectancy. It's only fair to the younger generation." Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
10,000 steps a day and 4 other fitness myths debunked
Whether you prefer the treadmill or a countryside ramble, you will have no doubt heard that walking 10,000 steps a day is the ideal fitness goal. And despite its non-health-related origins (it's actually thought to originate from a Japanese ad campaign ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, as the symbol for the number looks like someone walking), this seemingly arbitrary number has since become the global standard. But while there are many benefits of walking – not least that it improves mental health, increases stamina and endurance, burns calories and improves cardiovascular and brain health – do we really need to be walking so many steps each day to improve our health and fitness levels? According to a new study by the University of Sydney, which examined data from dozens of studies from around the world, including in the UK, the answer is: no – ish. The research instead found that walking just 7,000 steps a day is likely enough to protect ourselves against diseases and improve our longevity. It discovered that people who walked 7,000 steps each day appeared to have a protective effect against a number of diseases including: a 25% lower risk of heart disease; a 14% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes; a 38% lower risk of dementia and 22% reduced risk of depression. The experts behind the study said of their findings: "Although 10,000 steps per day can still be a viable target for those who are more active, 7,000 steps per day is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in health outcomes and might be a more realistic and achievable target for some. "7,000 steps per day was associated with sizeable risk reductions across most outcomes, compared with the reference of 2,000 steps per day." So what's the truth behind other common fitness myths? Four other fitness myths – debunked 1. The heavier the weight, the better the gain Lifting weights can increase muscle mass, bone density and endurance, but requires consistency to see results. Some studies have also shown that you can improve muscular progression without lifting weights at all. It's also not just about the heaviness of the weight, but the amount of reps you do and how sustained the movements are over time. As Sam Quinn, personal training lead at Nuffield Health, explains to Yahoo UK: "You don't need to lift heavy weights to see improvements in performance, body composition or overall health. Resistance training offers a wide range of physical and psychological benefits and can be tailored to suit various goals. "Choosing the right load, selecting an appropriate number of repetitions, and allowing sufficient rest between sessions are all more important considerations than simply lifting heavy if you want to see and feel a difference." 2. Cardio alone will achieve weight loss Cardio generally burns more calories than weight training, but the latter changes your body's composition and builds lean muscle – which in turn can improve your resting metabolic state, the number of calories you burn while at rest. Your diet also plays a big part in weight loss. Quinn stresses that just because you burn calories at the gym, it doesn't mean you can then eat whatever and still expect to see results. He says: "It's unrealistic. Weight loss is best achieved through a calorie-controlled diet paired with an exercise plan tailored to your personal goals and needs. Simply exercising and then eating without consideration won't help you reach your goals." 3. No pain, no gain We're sometimes told by fitness instructors and PTs that "pain is weakness leaving the body". But while a bit of discomfort and fatigue is natural, pain isn't really what you should be feeling during a workout, according to Quinn. "It is an outdated and misleading approach to exercise," he tells Yahoo UK. "Pain during a workout can be a warning sign of injury, and training to the point of exhaustion – particularly for beginners – can compromise technique and hinder progress." He adds: "Extreme soreness that lasts for days suggests the workout was too intense for your current ability. Prolonged muscle soreness often indicates that the exercise selection, load or volume was excessive and not suitable for your current level." According to NHS Scotland, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) – AKA, stiffness and aches in the muscles following exercise – can last between two to five days, and can be eased with an ice pack, light stretching and painkillers. However, if you've injured yourself, you may notice: pain tenderness swelling bruising stiffness ...in which case, it's best to avoid exertion and to rest the affected part of the body for 48 to 72 hours to prevent further damage. If your symptoms are especially bad or persist for longer, talk to your GP. 4. You need expensive gym equipment As we all learnt during lockdowns, you don't need expensive reformer Pilates machines, Peloton bikes and gym memberships for a successful workout – however nice and fancy they are. Rather, you can use household items, handweights or even your body weight during your HIIT sessions or exercise regime as well as getting outside for a brisk walk or jog. You can also use free fitness tutorials for everything from yoga and Pilates, to circuit training. Some free workouts include: The NHS' Better Health site Joe Wicks' no equipment full body workout Yoga With Adriene's neck, shoulder and upper back yoga routine Read more about fitness and exercise 5 simple lifestyle tweaks to make in your 50s to help you live longer (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read) How Rod Stewart stays fit at 80 (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read) Science Says Introverts Like Me Should Hate The Gym. Here's How I Learned To Love It Anyway (Huff Post, 4-min read)
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Fantastic Four cast leant on unlikely Marvel star for advice
There aren't many people in the world who can relate to being in a Marvel movie, but the Fantastic Four: First Steps cast knew who to turn to when they needed someone to talk to about the unique experience, they tell Yahoo UK. The film introduces Marvel's First Family — Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) — into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and follows their battle to protect Earth from dangerous new foes. Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson portray the film's villains, the Silver Surfer and cosmic being Galactus, and both make their debut alongside the Fantastic Four. The pressure of bringing these characters to life on the silver screen felt immense, but given the secrecy around the franchise it wasn't something they could divulge to just anyone — so instead they found the people who would understand. Ineson reveals: "I worked with Willem Dafoe recently, and when I got the part in this, we had a chat about it." Dafoe famously delivered perhaps one of the greatest villain performances of all time in a superhero film as the Green Goblin to Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. "He said some interesting stuff about finding your thing in the middle of all the madness, and I think that that's what it's about. Whether it be the size of the project, the budget, the fan base, the costumes, there's a whole craziness to doing a Marvel movie, but you have to keep that kernel of truth that makes any bit of acting good and elevating it to the top stuff. "And so you've really gotta do the work exactly as you would on any other kind of project, but you've gotta make sure you do your bit amongst all these amazing, talented artists, designers, directors, cinematographers. They're all creating this amazing film, you've just got to make sure you keep the space to do your bit really truthfully in the middle of all that." Garner had a similar approach when she took on the role of Shalla-Bal, as she adds: "I have friends who have worked in Marvel and they've done motion-capture, they've done all that stuff. I haven't, this was my first time, and there's definitely truth to what [Ralph is] saying, [it's about] just finding something that's going to ground you because in general with movies there's a lot of distractions and there's always reminders that you're in a movie. "This isn't real, whether it's a Marvel movie or it's like a little indie movie, it's still movie. So you have to find things that ground you and make you feel like it's a reality like it's really real. "But also I guess with the motion capture the experience is very different than wearing a costume, going in for hair and makeup every single day and mentally prepping, everything moves much faster because you don't have hair makeup and you don't have a costume." "The rhythm of doing voice work or motion capture work is very exhausting," Ineson adds. "Because you're constantly on, on and on." Taking an exciting new step for Marvel The Fantastic Four have been a regular fixture in cinema, with Marvel's First Family being brought to life twice already in 2005 and 2015, respectively, for very different takes. These were made by 20th Century Fox when the studio owned the rights to the characters, and now it's time for Marvel to have a crack at it and make it feel different and new. If anyone could do it, though, it would be Matt Shakman, who helped catapult the studio's Disney+ era to greatness with the exceptional WandaVision — a bar the studio has struggled to reach ever since. The director had a difficult job on his hands to make the Fantastic Four work, but he tells Yahoo UK how he was given the creative freedom to make something truly his own. "I think what's great about Marvel is they're willing to take risks," the filmmaker says. "Everything from Guardians of the Galaxy to Thor: Ragnarok, to Black Panther to WandaVision. The chance that you can slip this idea of superhero movie but you can go in so many different directions, what makes the Fantastic Four so special is because it's a family. "They're the first family of Marvel, they saved Marvel in the '60s by doing this radical idea of making a comic book about a real family, and I think people have related to it for 60 plus years for that reason." And the movie needed the right cast to make it work, which they found in Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach, he adds: "They're all such brilliant actors and they have such wonderful chemistry together. Each one of them brought humanity to their characters, which I think is the biggest part of it. "I think there needs to be grounded, real, authentic, emotional truth in everything that you do, and the bigger the canvas the more important that authenticity and that emotional grounding is needed. And all four of them are just great actors with incredible range." Facing backlash over female Silver Surfer Part of what has made this Fantastic Four different to what's come before is its take on the Silver Surfer, who has been gender-flipped, or more specifically, an existing female villain has been tapped to be the classic character instead of the expected Norrin Radd. Backlash was rampant when this change was revealed, and Garner shares how difficult it was to face that: "First of all, it's a lot of pressure because you want to respect the fans as well. We were talking about that earlier, but it's different because this is Shalla-Bal, so it's a different Silver Surfer. I was just very excited to play this character, and hopefully it resonates with people. I'm hoping for the best!" The other big bad, pun intended, is Galactus, and Ineson was the only possible candidate for Shakman, he admits: "He's got the greatest voice in movies. I was trying to figure out who should be a 14-billion-year-old space vampire who's 1000 feet tall, and it's Ralph. "We built a suit for him. We shot him practically, we filmed him in a way that you film miniatures with a lot of light and certain optics so that he feels huge, he feels like Mount Rushmore and that's how we approached it." Ineson wasn't surprised by this, as he jokingly adds that he's always been seen as perfect for villain roles rather than heroes: "They look at my face and hear my voice and they're not getting hero." Garner says it was the same with her: "Nobody ever asked me to play a hero, they're like 'ohh villain'. They look at me, they're like 'yeah, villain'. I don't think I've ever been cast as a hero." The challenge was making the world feel unique, but Shakman felt Marvel gave him a good starting point: "What's been so great about this is we've been just creating our own universe. "It's Earth-828, its own universe, they're the only superheroes in it, there's no other Marvel superheroes coming into it that you've seen before. And so it was special, it was our own corner of the MCU that we got to build and develop, and then where they go from here is exciting and you know the future is bright for them." Fantastic Four: First Steps premieres in UK cinemas on Thursday, 24 July.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Assassin stars reveal why hitman thriller is unlike anything on TV
The Assassin is a different kind of hitman thriller. Forget what you know from the genre because Prime Video's new series is something new, and that's why it was so exciting for the cast to work on, they tell Yahoo UK. Created by brothers Harry and Jack Williams, The Assassin sees Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore play estranged mother and son, Julie and Edward, who must rely on each other when Julie's past comes back to haunt her. Forced to go on the run, the pair must contend with healing their relationship and the dangerous forces coming at them from all sides. Hawes has played spies before, she's played detectives, she's even played Lara Croft, but now is her time to take on the coveted assassin role. It was quite different to what Hawes has done before, but it was all about the timing for the actor. "It was offered to me, but that's the great thing, really, about our jobs," Hawes says beside costar Highmore. "We both have created our own work, and we're lucky enough as well to be able to do that, but generally speaking, you're never quite sure what your next job is going to be. "What it's going to be about, which time period it's gonna be set in, if you're playing a real person. You have no idea where you're gonna be; it might be for the next seven years of your life, or it might be for the next six months. But once you give yourself over to that, it's really exciting, and I can't think of a better job in the world than this one." "It was such good fun," she goes on to say about The Assassin: "It was Jack and Harry, and it was Freddie, and just the whole package really was un-turndownable, five months in Athens, a brilliant cast around us." It is how The Assassin feels grounded in reality, despite its out there concept, that makes it feel so different and appealing to Highmore: "I do think on this show they're all real people, I think that there are people who you know who exist in real life and there's a very grounded sense to the thriller engine that doesn't take itself too seriously." The comedic element is a highlight of the series, and one that stands out to Hawes, Highmore and their co-stars Shalom Brune-Franklin and Devon Terrell, who all tell Yahoo UK of their love for the Williams brothers' approach to comedy. One scene finds Edward calling his mother a "peri-menopausal Bond" in a mad-dash quip after he learns of her deadly fighting skills. Referencing this moment, Highmore goes on: "I love James Bond, I love those more elevated spy thrillers, and I think this has elements of that and the sort of high-octane adventure, excitement. But I think Harry and Jack always bring it back to feeling like a very personal, real, downplayed sense of thrill at the end of the day." "It's relatable in a way that James Bond isn't, really," Hawes adds, to which Highmore jokes: "I mean, I obviously relate to that, it's just very natural to me." It was the Williams brothers' reputation and skill as writers that brought the entire cast onboard. For Brune-Franklin, it is the second time working with the pair, and she spoke avidly about them. The actor previously starred in their BBC hit The Tourist, and playing Kayla The Assassin, it seems, recreated much of the same magic. "When I read the first episode of The Assassin it was very similar to The Tourist in the sense that it was witty, it was sharp, so well written. The characters are so larger than life and kind of chaotic in the best way, and you don't know what's coming next," Brune-Franklin says. "You read them so fast because you just wanna find out what happens, but all the while you're giggling along. "So there were very similar feelings, but I think the difference with working with them the second time is you kind of have expectations that you want it to be as good, and so it was like nerve-wracking. I was like 'ohh, I hope it wasn't just a fluke last time.' "But it definitely wasn't. They put together the best crew of people and cast. They only work with nice people, so it was awesome and I had just as much fun." Terrell, who plays Kayla's haphazard brother Ezra, felt similarly, as he adds: "The writing is the first thing you always start with, and I think the characters they've built, each person feels like they go on their journey. "And also the actors that they brought on were just so easy to work with, but also so talented, it felt like you were learning and listening at all times, and it's so easy to be present. The calibre of actors is always what excited me once I came on board." The Williams brothers created a camaraderie and genial atmosphere on set that made it a joy to work on, which shines through onscreen despite all the blood being spilt by Hawes' Julia. "I think what sets this apart is the two brothers' tone in their scripts," Brune-Franklin says. "I think it's really unique, the fact that it's so darkly comedic and witty as well as being action-packed. I think that's quite a tough balance to get right, and I think they've always really nailed it." Terrell concurred with this, adding it's the comedy that truly makes The Assassin set itself apart from other projects in the genre: "There's a comedic element to this that you think something horrific's gonna happen and then a piece of comedy comes in, or you think it's going to be funny and it's something out of nowhere like someone's head being blown off. But I think I think, also, you fall in love with the characters in a different way. "Each character speaks to everyone in a different way, I mean I love hitman stuff, but reading this off the page, it felt different." "Jack and Harry make you laugh at stuff that you should be laughing at," Brune-Franklin quips. "That's their magic that they're able to do." The exploration of the onscreen relationships is what drew in Highmore and Hawes too, particularly as it gave the pair the chance to work together for the first time. Even they were surprised to learn they'd never worked together before, but it made Julie and Edward's relationship all the more interesting. Highmore shares: "It's this thriller, it's got those high stakes, there's a lot of action, but really underneath it what I think appealed to me, and I think also appealed to Keeley, is just this mother-son relationship and getting to explore that and the nuances of it, and also doing it with humour as opposed to taking it too seriously. "I think Harry and Jack are just so brilliant, as they did on The Tourist, at combining those two tonal things, the thrill and the humour." "We're also quite similar in the way that we work," Hawes goes on. "Which makes for a certain sort of ease, and we feel very relaxed because I totally get it, and we're just quite somewhere in that way." Highmore, who is no stranger to primetime TV, feels what makes the series stand out is not its action or the strong cast around him, but the use of comedy in an action thriller: "I think it's the humour that comes with this. "The poster looks like quite a serious sort of show about an assassin, but ultimately I think it's quite a nice surprise when people start laughing, which is always good as it comes with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour." The Assassin premieres on Prime Video on Friday, 25 July.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Assassin stars reveal why hitman thriller is unlike anything on TV
The Assassin is a different kind of hitman thriller. Forget what you know from the genre, shows like The Day of the Jackal or Hit Man, because Prime Video's new series is something new, and that's why it was so exciting for the cast to work on, they tell Yahoo UK. Created by brothers Harry and Jack Williams, The Assassin sees Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore play estranged mother and son, Julie and Edward, who must rely on each other when Julie's past comes back to haunt her. Forced to go on the run, the pair must contend with healing their relationship and the dangerous forces coming at them from all sides. Hawes has played spies before, she's played detectives, she's even played Lara Croft, but now is her time to take on the coveted assassin role. It was quite different to what Hawes has done before, but it was all about the timing for the actor. "It was offered to me, but that's the great thing, really, about our jobs," Hawes says beside co-star Highmore. "We both have created our own work, and we're lucky enough as well to be able to do that, but generally speaking, you're never quite sure what your next job is going to be. "What it's going to be about, which time period it's gonna be set in, if you're playing a real person. You have no idea where you're gonna be, it might be for the next seven years of your life, or it might be for the next 6 months. But once you give yourself over to that, it's really exciting, and I can't think of a better job in the world than this one." "It was such good fun," she goes on to say about The Assassin: "It was Jack and Harry, and it was Freddie, and just the whole package really was un-turndownable, five months in Athens, a brilliant cast around us." It is how The Assassin feels grounded in reality, despite its out there concept, that makes it feel so different and appealing to Highmore: "I do think on this show they're all real people, I think that there are people who you know who exist in real life and there's a very grounded sense to the thriller engine that doesn't take itself too seriously." The comedic element is a highlight of the series, and one that stands out to Hawes, Highmore and their co-stars Shalom Brune-Franklin and Devon Terrell, who all tell Yahoo UK of their love for the Williams brothers' approach to comedy. One scene finds Edward calling his mother a "peri-menopausal Bond" in a mad-dash quip after he learns of her deadly fighting skills. Referencing this moment, Highmore goes on: "I love James Bond, I love those more elevated spy thrillers, and I think this has elements of that and the sort of high-octane adventure, excitement. But I think Harry and Jack always bring it back to feeling like a very personal, real, downplayed sense of thrill at the end of the day." "It's relatable in a way that James Bond isn't, really," Hawes adds, to which Highmore jokes: "I mean, I obviously relate to that, it's just very natural to me." It was the Williams brothers' reputation and skill as writers that brought the entire cast onboard, for Brune-Franklin, it is the second time working with the pair, and she spoke avidly about them. The actor previously starred in their BBC hit The Tourist, and playing Kayla The Assassin, it seems, recreated much of the same magic. "When I read the first episode of The Assassin it was very similar to The Tourist in the sense that it was witty, it was sharp, so well written. The characters are so larger than life and kind of chaotic in the best way, and you don't know what's coming next," Brune-Franklin says. "You read them so fast because you just wanna find out what happens but all the while you're giggling along. "So there were very similar feelings, but I think the difference with working with them the second time is you kind of have expectations that you want it to be as good and so it was like nerve wracking. I was like 'ohh, I hope it wasn't just a fluke last time.' "But it definitely wasn't, they put together the best crew of people and cast. They only work with nice people so it was awesome and I had just as much fun." Terrell, who plays Kayla's haphazard brother Ezra. felt similarly, as he adds: "The writing is the first thing you always start with, and I think the characters they've built, each person feels like they go on their journey. "And also the actors that they brought on were just so easy to work with, but also so talented, it felt like you were learning and listening at all times and it's so easy to be present. The calibre of actors is always what excited me once I came on board." The Williams brothers created a camaraderie and genial atmosphere on set that made it a joy to work on, which shines through onscreen despite all the blood being spilt by Hawes' Julia. "I think what sets this apart is the two brothers' tone in their scripts," Brune-Franklin says. "I think it's really unique, the fact that it's so darkly comedic and witty as well as being action-packed. I think that's quite a tough balance to get right and I think they've always really nail it." Terrell concurred with this, adding it's the comedy that truly makes The Assassin set itself apart from other projects in the genre: "There's a comedic element to this that you think something horrific's gonna happen and then a piece of comedy comes in, or you think it's going to be funny and it's something out of nowhere like someone's head being blown off. But I think I think, also, you fall in love with the characters in a different way. "Each character speaks to everyone in a different way, I mean I love hitman stuff, but reading this off the page, it felt different." "Jack and Harry make you laugh at stuff that you should be laughing at," Brune-Franklin quips. "That's their magic that they're able to do." The exploration of the onscreen relationships is what drew in Highmore and Hawes too, particularly as it gave the pair the chance to work together for the first time. Even they were surprised to learn they'd never worked together before, but it made Julie and Edward's relationship all the more interesting. Highmore shares: "It's this thriller, it's got those high stakes, there's a lot of action, but really underneath it what I think appealed to me, and I think also appealed to Keeley, is just this mother-son relationship and getting to explore that and the nuances of it, and also doing it with humour as opposed to taking it too seriously. "I think Harry and Jack are just so brilliant, as they did on The Tourist, at combining those two tonal things, the thrill and the humour." "We're also quite similar in the way that we work," Hawes goes on. "Which makes for certain sort of ease and we feel very relaxed because I totally get it, and we're just quite somewhere in that way." Highmore, who is no stranger to primetime TV, feels what makes the series stand out is not its action or the strong cast around him, but the use of comedy in an action thriller: "I think it's the humour that comes with this. "The poster looks like quite a serious sort of show about an assassin, but ultimately I think it's quite a nice surprise when people start laughing, which is always good as it comes with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour." The Assassin premieres on Prime Video on Friday, 25 July.