After the Grenfell tower disaster that claimed at least 80 lives, shocking new details have emerged of the health and safety conditions of private rented homes in London and around the country. Now, one leading letting agent in the capital has urged landlords to improve their professional standards, saying many rental properties are just not up to standard. A total of 1.4 million rented flats and houses in Britain today — housing millions of people — pose a health and...

Farmers can grow bigger, juicier tomatoes - thanks to a gene mutation, according to new research. When humans first began cultivating the wild tomato in the Andean mountain regions of Ecuador and Northern Peru, they continually selected plants that produced larger fruits. Now, thousands of years later, tomatoes on the market can weigh 1,000 times more than the fruits of their ancestors. In the new study, researchers investigated a gene they named Cell Size Regulator, or CSR, that boosts fruit...

The source of the itch sensation has been discovered by scientists. A study conducted by Chinese researchers has discovered a central neural circuit that is "critical" for transmitting the itch signal. Linked with the desire to scratch, the itch sensation is an important protective mechanism for animals. But chronic itch, often seen in patients with skin and liver diseases, remains a challenging clinical problem as uncontrollable scratching causes severe skin and tissue damage. However, therapeutic approaches for chronic itch treatment...

By Michael McNulty Wake in Fright is a film with a more storied history than most. Credited as the film that kick started the Australian New Wave, it was nominated for a Palme d’Or and is one of only two films to have ever been screened twice at Cannes. Directed by a Canadian, Ted Kotcheff (of First Blood) and scripted by Jamaican born Brit, Evan Jones, the film was celebrated by critics the world over. However, Wake in Fright was...

By Michael McNulty Although Quest is not an overtly political film, it is moored in the choppy waters of America’s racial, social and political tensions. Jonathan Olshefski never takes a stand or pushes an agenda, instead he provides an intimate portrait of a struggling family trying to survive. Centring on an African American family living in North Central Philadelphia, Olshefski’s documentary chronicles the lives of Christopher “Quest” Rainey and Christine’A “Ma Quest” Rainey over the course of 10 years as...

Miles Reucroft is undertaking a different way of playing the ever popular Fantasy Football this season. To understand his methodology, read part one here. The Week 1 review is here. I pitched up at Heston services at 11pm on Tuesday night. It’s where my contact had insisted we meet. Out of the public eye and with a bit of privacy to discuss business. I was warming my hands on a half drunk cup of tea, considering my options for the...

If you have come to this article looking for a dispassionate appraisal of the news that Sarah Champion MP has resigned her position as Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, then you have come to the wrong article. If you have come to this article expecting some generalities and cautious opinions about race relations in the UK with additional measured caution regarding the safety of our children, you will be disappointed. If you have come to this article...

Previously used for agricultural applications, geomats are now becoming more common for industrial, corporate and residential purposes. These mats are known as the future of ground design and layout due to their extended bi-oriented polyethylene construction. The three-dimensional design of geomats is manufactured with water permeable synthetic materials such as polymer and polypropylene. A mixture of both can also be used for manufacturing the mats. The layers of geomats are adjoined with thermal technology which enhances their life and weather...

Two years ago Tom Leeburn, 37, from London was diagnosed with stomach cancer and given a 50% chance of living the next 5 years. He tells The London Economic about his upcoming brave adventure to climb the biggest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, to raise money for a fantastic cancer charity. See bottom of post for a chance to donate. He has been in serious training and is ready to go on the 18th August. Well, I’m still here. So...