The fall-out from the Autumn statement continues, and this time it is a former Minister who has laid into Philip Hammond. During his Autumn statement, the last one ever apparently, the Chancellor should have given more funding to the social sector, Stephen Dorrell claims. Dorrell, a former Health Sec told the Andrew Marr show that he was “very disappointed” that Hammond didn’t use his statement to plough additional funds in social care. Dorell is not a lone voice in his...

Cuba's former president Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90. One of the world's longest-serving and most iconic leaders leaves the country in a state of progressive transition as it opens its arms to the World after years of isolation. His younger brother and successor as president Raul Castro told the nation on state television that Fidel had died and would be cremated later on Saturday. "The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29 hours this...

Accessed through a secret door at the back of Milroys of Soho – London’s oldest whisky specialist, having been operating since 1946 – The Vault has re-launched with a new Bar Manager. Having worked as part of the opening team at Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green and as Head Bartender at Milk & Honey, Chris Tanner has brought a brand new cocktail menu to Milroys’ basement bar. All priced at £9.50, the new drinks list includes a number of original...

By Simon Bartram Terrorists strike fear into the hearts of their fellow citizens by bombing and brutalising their homeland, but it is the contents of their wallet that should give us more cause for concern. Whether it’s a company like BHS or a state fighting for survival like the Soviet Union, success or failure depends on having a winning financial strategy. So how does ISIS fare? Firstly, ISIS has been able to accrue a vast amount of wealth. In 2014,...

A Tory MP who once appeared half naked in a TV advert has finally taken the plunge and admitted to being a 'giant penis'. In a move that will hopefully inspire others, Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer responding to a tweet about a genital-shaped cloud on a BBC weather report which appeared to show a rudely-shaped cloud pointing at the Devon city. But while BBC weatherman Matt Taylor appeared not to spot the willy shape several viewers - including Johnny - were quick to...

Warning of shopper fatigue looks to have materialised this year as the Black Friday rush flops on the high street. Fences were erected outside many shops to avoid the chaos that broke out over the past few years, but they stood empty at the start of trading as most shoppers decide to stay at home to bag the best deals. Online spending on Black Friday is expected to reach £1 billion, up 16 per cent on last year, while it...

Frustrated your existing car doesn’t connect seamlessly to your latest phone or you want better fuel economy? To keep pace with consumers’ demand in the real world, the global automotive industry is relying on a more ‘virtual’ world of development Since the late 1970s car manufacturers have trumpeted the use of computers to design and build better cars. Whilst there was a considerable marketing spin to many of those earlier claims, just cast your mind back to the car adverts...

By Linda Marric @Linda_Marric Miles Teller puts in a robust performance in Bleed For This as Vinny Pazienza, a working class boxing hero from Rhode Island, who against all odds manages to overcome personal tragedy to make it all the way to the top. Written and directed by Ben Younger, the film tells the real-life story behind the headlines of the man nicknamed “the Pazmanian Devil,” for his less than orthodox behaviour in and out of the ring. The film...

Donned in smoking jackets and toking on the finest Robustos, these are the men who know how to celebrate Winston Churchill’s birthday in style. Cigar merchants James J Fox, said to be the oldest cigar merchants in the world, held the bash at their London base in St James’s Street - one of the last remaining public places where people can smoke inside. The celebration, on Wednesday, saw men in pinstriped suits with silver-topped canes swilling Caribbean rum, puffing on aromatic cigars...