ICE raids strain homebuilder labor, cycle times, and bank lines

Iceland Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir participates at a listening session on a referendum in Reykjavik, Iceland, on August 24, 2026. Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty Images Icelanders on Saturday will vote in a knife-edge referendum on whether to resume negotiations to join the European Union, reopening a debate that has taken on deeper significance…

The Zhipu or Z.ai logo is pictured on a smartphone on Aug. 14, 2026. Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty Images BEIJING — Chinese artificial intelligence company Z.ai released a new model Wednesday that the company claims uses entirely homegrown semiconductors to operate. Called GLM-5.3-Flash, the low-cost version of Z.ai’s flagship model ranks 10th on…

Families living in temporary accommodation or waiting for a council home will be helped by a £39 billion government housing programme. The prime minister Andy Burnham and secretary of state Angela Rayner announced almost £10 billion in funding on 25 August to build more than 70,000 social and affordable homes across England. The funding will…

The Payments Council of India (PCI) has backed a potential merchant discount rate (MDR) for the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), adding that sustained investment is necessary to run the real-time payments system reliably.   PCI is an association of digital payments companies in India. It said small merchants would not have to pay…

The Mortgage Works has made enhancements to its application process to broaden support for landlords including age criteria and maximum total borrowing. The lender has increased the maximum age at application for first-time landlords from 70 to 75, up to 70% loan-to-value (LTV). There will also be no maximum age for experienced landlords applying up…