By Bea Patel, TLE Property Editor and Director of Shop for an Agent The new three per cent stamp duty land tax (SDLT) levy on top of the current standard rate hit homebuyers on 1 April 2016. Announced in Chancellor George Osborne’s 2015 Autumn statement, it affects domestic and foreign buyers of second residential homes in the UK over £40,000. Caravans, mobile homes and houseboats are exempt and there is no charge on inherited properties. With limited supply, high rents...

It was only when Dianne Vavra looked up one evening to see her husband streaming a basketball game on his laptop, her son absorbed by Mario Kart on the Wii and her daughter playing a game app on an iPod Touch that she realised. “The family was in the same room, but not together". The concept, dubbed the "Domestic Matrix" by the New York Times - families sharing a common space, but plugged into entirely separate planes of existence through technology - is...

A huge leak of data from offshore service company Mossack Fonseca has exposed the super rich, celebrities and politicians. Iceland is considering a snap election over revelations which implicate Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and his wife. He is among several leading politicians with links to Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm whose services include incorporating companies in offshore jurisdiction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been implicated in a $2 billion scheme which involves his best friend Sergei Roldugin. Other national leaders include Pakistan’s...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer Very much a cult curiosity, Black Mama White Mama condenses a truck load of plotting into what is effectively an exploitation chase flick. The results vary. While it’s fun to see a film which heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino, the film is so interested in stuffing itself with mobsters, corrupt cops and revolutionaries that the more interesting elements sometimes get lost. Set in an unknown exotic location (the film was shot in the Philippines), Pam Grier...

Have you ever looked at the al a carte options in a restaurant and thought, “I could eat everything on the menu”? It is one of Trip Advisor’s most common reviews for its most lauded restaurants, and now Gilgamesh in Camden Town is offering its punters the option of doing just that. From Teriyaki Fillet of Beef to King Prawn Tempura, Beef Panang and Black Rice Risotto, groups over ten will have the option of receiving one of every item...

If you're looking country pubs, plenty of walks and good grub in a charming setting, you could do a lot worse than Cookham. The Place A mere 39 minutes train ride out of Paddington, Cookham is a picturesque village tucked in to the north-easternmost corner of Berkshire. Crowned as Britain's second richest village in 2011 by The Daily Telegraph, its modest commercial quarter is populated with quaint restaurants and a smattering of historic pubs, which makes it an ideal base...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Having first opened in 2010, taking over a relatively secluded space close to East London’s famous Old Street Roundabout, Nightjar has been included within the World’s 50 Best Bars Awards top ten for the past four years, and is currently ranked as the third best bar across the whole globe. So with the rising demand, it’s unsurprising that the founders opened a huge new 120-cover space at the tail end of last year, taking...

By Dean Hochlaf As I write, 40,000 workers in the British steel industry face an uncertain future. Tata Steel is on the verge of selling its unprofitable British operations. While attention given to the state of British steel gathers momentum, it is becoming painfully clear that the seeds of the collapse of British steel were sown long ago. There are several reasons as to why we are witnessing this fall, high energy costs among them, however a lot of attention and...

Virgin Trains announced it will be adding the Flying Scotsman to its fleet to pull regular commuter services in a clever April Fools Day prank. The unprecedented announcement came from the company this morning via social media, with notice of plans to repaint the historic loco in Virgin's bright red livery. They also promoted a 25 per cent discount on train tickets for any passengers who help shovel coal on their journey! The Flying Scotsman, which used to run the London to...