News

Nearly five years since the last note launched, the Bank of England will today release its first ever polymer fiver. The so-called 'plastic fiver' is longer lasting, harder to destroy and smaller than other bank notes, with the first notes leaving distribution centres shortly after midnight tonight. From there they will be taken to ATMs in six major cities in England and Wales, with members of the public being able to withdraw them from around 9am onwards. A new five pound note...

Trips to mainland Europe have become very simple and cheap since the UK joined the EU and the cost of airfares plummeted. However, now we have decided to leave the EU, UK citizens may need to apply and pay for visas to travel into Europe. Amber Rudd, Home Secretary, admitted that the EC is contemplating a visa programme for British citizens hoping to enter the EU member states. Rudd said she wasn’t expecting a Visa system to be implemented for...

A new study has ranked Middlesbrough as the worst place to be a girl. Charity Plan International UK took various factors into account to make the decision. They assessed child poverty, educational attainment and teen pregnancy rates. Sadly for Middlesbrough it came top of the list, not an enviable place to be. As expected there appears to be a north/south divide between the best and worst places to be a young female. Poverty could be seen as a major factor...

The NHS is at breaking point and the Conservative Government’s dream of a seven-day NHS will not work unless there is a huge injected of funds, which is unlikely to be sanctioned. Chris Hopson, boss of NHS Providers has a vey bleak assessment of the public sector health service in the UK. He said the NHS was “increasingly failing to do the job it wans to do, and the public needs it to do, through no fault of its own.”...

Humans have destroyed ten per cent of the Earth's wilderness since 1992, according to new research. The study, authored by researchers from Australia’s University of Queensland and published in Cell, revealed that the earth has lost nearly 1.3 million square miles of wilderness (defined as areas that are largely free of human development) in less than 30 years, with most of this loss occurring in South America. This leaves approximately 11.6 million square miles of wilderness left on Earth (accounting for about 23...

It is hard not be astonished by the news that a much-criticised health trust has created a £240k a year role for a member of staff who resigned from her last post, under a cloud, as her position became untenable. Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust accepted Katrina Percy’s resignation as boss of the organisation. The trust has been under Government review since it failed to investigate death of patients between 2011-2015. It is thought there were hundreds of patients who...

The recent Air China in flight magazine has angered a lot of people with accusations of racism against ethnic minority Londoners The magazine, Wings of China, contains a feature on visiting London, maybe even popping up to see historic Oxford, and what to do when there. So far, so good, but then it turns, well, racist. Later in the piece the magazine gives some tips on how to get enjoy the capital and remain safe, this is when the problems start....

Usually most people would do anything for their grandmother, but for one young man he would do anything to beat her! All is fair in love and war and politics it seems. 22-year-old Michael Davies is going to battle his gran Jenny Davies, 74 in a bid for a town council seat. Jenny has thirsty years experience in politics behind her but that has not worried her own grandson They will go head-t-head, with two other candidates on 15th September...

Half of all Apple Lovers Ready to Reject Jackless iPhone The new iPhone 7 was launched today and does not feature a headphone jack. OnePulse, the UK’s opinion polling app, today revealed that almost half (47%) of all iPhone lovers are ready to end their love affair with Apple due to the iPhone 7 lacking a headphone jack. The poll, which was conducted in anticipation of Apple’s iPhone 7 launch, also revealed that consumers are becoming less excited about the new iPhone launches,...