VIDEO – Jeremy Hunt Presented With His ‘Dick Of The Year Award’
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Jeremy Hunt is not exactly top of the our xmas card lists and as the junior doctors row continues to rumble on; support for the medics seems to be holding, and he looks increasingly under pressure. So maybe is was a good time to win an award, right? Wrong. Channel's 4 The Last Leg awarded him the title "dick of the year" and attempted to give Hunt his accolade, but he refused to accept it,...
Article – The Martian: From Bernie Sanders and to the Stars
Written by Simon Columb/@screeninsight . Reproduced with thanks from Screeninsight The Martian may have failed to light up the stage at the Oscars, but underneath the space-dust Matt Damon walks upon, there is a powerful message. There is no need for a statuette and a tick-box on a to-watch list here. Instead, The Martian’s socialist message preceded the unstoppable rise and optimism of Bernie Sanders powerful campaign, setting the cinematic stage for a new future. Sci-Fi depictions of the future...
‘150 Somali militants killed’ by US air strike
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The pentagon has said that a US air strike has killed over 150 al-shabab militants in Somalia. Military spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the strike hit a training camp where a "large-scale" attack was being planned. Davis said: "We know they were going to be departing the camp and they posed an imminent threat to US and forces. Initial assessments are that more than 150 terrorist fighters were eliminated.” Al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, was pushed...
Tory equality minister’s department pays men £3,000 more than women
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Shocking figures have revealed that women who work for the Tory minister responsible for closing the gender pay gap are paid almost two pounds per hour less than men in the same roles. Government’s figures state that male civil servants earn £22.30 a hour on average at the Department of Education however women make just £20.54. Nicky Morgan recently said she plans to “name and shame” companies who did not pay men and women equally...
IS planning ‘enormous and spectacular attacks’, warning from counter-terrorism boss
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor IS (Islamic State) is waging war against Western lifestyles and is planning “enormous and spectacular attacks on the UK mainland, a counter-terrorism boss has warned. Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, said the Islamist group had called on would-be jihadis to attack police and the military, but now their plots are now broader with "plans to attack Western lifestyle". He said: "In recent months we've seen a broadening of that, much more plans to attack...
Glaucoma Week raises awareness of second most common cause of blindness
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor World Glaucoma Week, which runs 6-12 March 2016. It was set up to help raise awareness of glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness in the world after cataract and the leading cause of irreversible sight loss. The condition affects 67 million people worldwide, of which 8 million have lost their sight completely. As well as raising awareness there also lies an important health message to ensure people book regular eye tests to monitor...
Alex Lodge: Weekly report Vol 37
By Alex Lodge (@alexlodgemusic | Insta @alexlodgemusic7) Alex Lodge is a music supervisor for film, TV and advertising at Studio 32 Music. All I've been listening to this week is jazz and Steve Mason, which will become very apparent when you play this list. I discovered a great album by Matthew Halsall and the Gondwana Orchestra which is pretty straight on the first disc, but moves into some wonderful astral jazz on the second with a tribute to one of...
Restaurant Review – Pharmacy 2
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Within some of London’s trendiest restaurants, the world of art is rarely far disconnected. A recent prime example is that of Mayfair’s Sexy Fish from Richard Caring’s Caprice Holdings: which, like most of his group’s restaurants was an instant smash hit addition to the area’s dining scene, with a table for two during a peak dinner hour still painfully arduous to secure. Aside from the apparently exceptional fish, and the celebrity clientele that frequent...
Virtually 100% of “northern powerhouse” top officials work in capital
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A tiny fraction (97.6 per cent) of senior officials at the Department for Communities & Local Government actually work outside of London. This was the department that the chancellor asked to deliver the “northern powerhouse,” which aims to devolve power to the outlying regions and cities. However the government admitted that 97.6% of senior civil servants at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) are based in London. A pitiful 2.4% of the department’s...