‘I spent 48 hours exploring the mysterious islands located between Scotland, Norway, and Iceland.’  Credit: Greg Annandale - @Greg_A copy On the flight to the Faroe Islands, it dawns on me how little I know about the country. The picture in my mind is of an old-fashioned, rundown farming community. A place like Craggy Island from Father Ted. The islands' only airport, Vagar, does little to change this perception. It reminds me of an old, forgotten Scottish outpost. Mainly because...

This is nothing short of an attempted cover up, but it’s no wonder that Ministers fought tooth and nail to cover up these damning figures GMB, the union for public sector workers, has exposed a shock Treasury report which Chancellor Philip Hammond tried to hide showing public sector wages are now below those in the private sector. The union has accused the Treasury of ‘covering up’ the study – which reveals that in 2016 public sector workers were paid 0.6...

Treatments for cancer, arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS) are among drugs costing the cash-strapped NHS over a billion pounds a year - despite public funding playing a substantial role in the medicines’ development. Our new joint report with Global Justice Now, Pills and Profits: How drug companies make a killing out of public research shines a light on the level of UK public money used to develop new drugs - with two out of five of the NHS’s most expensive...

Thank you for that fantastic welcome and thank you for inviting me here today. I want to begin by saying that today’s “Socialists Together” conference is a great initiative, and when Gianni Pittella invited me to speak, I was very glad to accept. I want to thank everybody from all the participating organisations, from many different countries, for being here to take part and contribute to this critical debate about the future of socialist and progressive politics and the future...

“The elixir of quietude”, according to E.B. White – the iconic Martini has become one of the world’s best-loved cocktails over the past century. Now with so many variations on the classic (traditionally made with gin and dry vermouth) readily available, from the lauded Espresso Martini to the Porn Star Martini, through to the Dirty Martini. One of the most iconic versions, apart from the classic Dry Martini; the Dirty Martini is typically embellished with a splash of brine from...

Most of us have dreamt of becoming truly rich but how does your typical billionaire compare to the average worker today? The eagle-eyed team at insurance provider Budget Insurance have analysed data from the Forbes 2017 rich list to uncover the secrets of the world’s richest. They compared a range of factors to identify some fascinating differences (and some surprising similarities) between the Forbes' top 10 and the average Brit. Here are a few highlights. On the age front, only...

Gina Miller has been crowned as one of the most influential and successful migrants of all time - Gina Miller features alongside Madeleine Albright and Elon Musk in the inaugural list celebrating the achievements of first and second generation migrants. Miller’s history of activism and fighting for her beliefs contributed to her inclusion. Other winners include the Tour De France and Vuelta a Espana winner, Chris Froome, World Championship Boxer Anthony Joshua and The Evening Standard and The Independent owner,...

Brits only really start to get the most from a holiday at the age of 31, a study has found.  . After years of booze-filled breaks and late nights, it’s only once we reach our early thirties that we really start to relax and truly enjoy holidays.  . Although getting away from it all is still a priority, the way we go about this is different - we are less inclined to party and more inclined to pursue family-friendly activities...

Round nine of Premier League action takes place this weekend – after the English clubs enjoy success in the Champions League. All five English sides lie top of their groups with none having lost so far. But big games take place this weekend with two of those Champions League sides Tottenham and Liverpool clashing at Wembley in what should be an entertaining match. Man City will look to continue their outstanding form at home to equally impressive Burnley, while Chelsea...