Pound slumps to 168-year low
Sterling slumped to a 168-low last night selling at $1.2117 in late US trading. According to a trade-weighted index measuring sterling against a basket of its trading peers, the pound has now slumped to its lowest on record, even stretching beyond the introduction of free-floating exchange rates in the 1970s, according to data compiled by the Bank of England reported in the Financial Times. The pound’s effective exchange rate slipped to lows of 29.27 on Tuesday – weaker than the depths...
Is this burger the ultimate food challenge?
If you’re stepping out of the smoke for the weekend and you’re in search of something gorgeous and filthy (food I’m talking about), you’ll do well to beat Smokey's American Grill restaurant and takeaway in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Since opening in 2014 Smokeys has already scooped up the Wiltshire Restaurant of the Year 2015 award (voted for by Wiltshire Times newspaper readers), and is eagerly waiting to hear if it has won Britain’s Best Takeaway 2016 award after making it into the...
A Londoner’s Favourite View
When it comes to buying a house, there are many things that top the ‘must have’ list - off-street parking, a decent garden, a bathroom suite that isn’t avocado to name a few. But, it’s not just about what’s on the inside that counts, the outside matters too. We’re talking about views, and anyone who’s ever lived in a home with windows looking straight out onto next door’s brick wall will know, you can’t really put a price tag on...
Brexit: is London’s loss the North’s gain?
Brexit has already proved hugely divisive - to the point where the unity of the United Kingdom is once again in question - but it is also presenting golden opportunities for those able to position themselves on the right side of history. It is, however, hard to see how metropolitan London - as a global finance and business hub - is going to gain from the sort of ‘hard’ Brexit that is currently being championed by the hard-liners to Theresa...
Heart melting! Inspirational pics of children walking with elephants to school
We used to walk, well run, to school being chased by the bigger boys, but in Eastern Thailand you get a much bigger companion to accompany you to school. The bullies wouldn’t have messed we us, if we had these animals taking us to double maths. These two kids walk to school with their two pet elephants, an animal revered in Thailand. Nong, seven and Ong, five take a mile long walk cradling the young elephants ear with the older...
Driverless cars hit the UK for the first time
You can now fall asleep at the wheel, as driverless cars have arrived on our shores for the first time. Google and Uber are already busy developing this technology and the race to launch the first fully functioning driverless car is hotting up. The self-drive cars were being trailed for the first time, and they were also carrying human passengers. The cars looked very similar to Smart cars and it was a great success. However, don’t expect to get anywhere...
Son stole £300,000…off his elderly dad
A twisted son pretended to be his own father so he could swindle a small fortune from him. Ian Huntley, 63, managed to pass himself off as his unwell 94-year-old dad in phone conversations with an insurance firm. Using his devious methods he obtained £246,333 in June 2013. But he wasn’t finished there, in June 2104 he claimed to have power of attorney over his father’s livelihood and withdrew £78,405 from his dad’s ISA at a major high street bank....
Treasury warns ‘Hard Brexit’ could cut 10% off GDP & cost up to £66bn
This news must panic even the most ardent of “Brexiteers,” as a leaked Treasury document would destroy the UK economy. The fall that has been predicted would damage jobs across the country and send business to the wall. The report was shared with The Times and suggests that GDP might fall to almost ten per cent if the UK leaves the European project and opts to follow World Trade Organisation rules. The paper was published by the ex-Chancellor George Osborne...
Restaurant Review – Simpson’s-in-the-Strand
In this modern-day world of inescapable food fads and single menu demi-chains dominating London’s restaurant scene; the notion of visiting a British institution for dinner is actually somewhat refreshing. First opened in 1828, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand is located within The Savoy hotel and looks as though very little has been changed over the past 188 years. Inside, guests are greeted and whisked through to the vast dining space adorned with dark wood panelled walls, expectedly high ceilings, heavily starched linen and a...