Victims of Bedroom Tax Suffer By £66 More Than DWP Predicted
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Figures that have just been released have revealed that the controversial tax is costing 442,000 poor homes £15.27 a week up from an estimated £14. A lot of money for struggling people living on the breadline. This is a total of £794 a year, £66 higher than the £728 the DWP claimed it would be in the official impact assessment from 2013/14. This is 9 per cent above the original figure. The difference on the...
Restaurant Review – Patara, Berners Street
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food London is widely regarded as one of the world’s most exceptional cities for food, with just about everything any hungry foodie could ever crave all available within less than an hour’s tube ride, give or take. And, aside from British food, it’s no secret that some of the most popular international cuisines among city dwellers are Asian. Both Chinese and Indian are often named favourites, so here’s the question: with all the great Chinese...
Cast your vote for the First Time Buyer Awards
By Bea Patel, TLE Property Editor and Director of Shop for an Agent The First Time Buyer Awards is in its seventh year. The industry-recognised awards celebrate initiatives undertaken by UK-wide companies who provide support to first time buyers looking to get onto the property ladder. The judges have announced their short-listed categories for 2016. For the first time, the short-listed awards are now open to a readers vote online through the company's First Time Buyer Magazine. Lynda Clark, editor...
Central America’s top festivals
Festivals don't always have to mean being knee-deep in mud listening to Coldplay in the rain with a warm beer. Across the world, gatherings of all size, descriptions and reasons take place, bringing together cultural traditions and modern-day passions. With its rich and long history, Central America is packed full of a wide breadth of festivals. Here's our faves... The Mayan River Route Challenge, Belize, 4 – 7 March 2016 Experienced and amateur canoers come together every year to take...
Berlin Film Festival – Barakah meets Barakah – Review
Reviewed by Miranda Schiller @mirandadadada It's not often that a film from Saudi Arabia hits the screens over here, in fact, this is the first ever film from Saudi Arabia to play at the Berlinale. No wonder, as there are no cinemas and watching films is considered a sin, there isn't much of a film industry. All the bigger was the surprise when Barakah meets Barakah turned out to be a romantic comedy – not the genre you'd expect....
VIDEO – Shocking Footage of Israeli Soldiers Against Man in Wheelchair
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A shocking video has emerged of Israeli soldiers pushing a disabled man out of his wheelchair after they had shot a Palestinian girl in the West Bank. The 14-year-old girl had been gunned down after she tried to stab a police officer. The Wheelchair user Majed al-Fakhouri was trying to reach the girl to attempt first aid. The officer told him to turn back. “He then turned me over and my head hit the ground," he...
Beer of the Week – BrewDog 5AM Saint
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Strength: 5% ABV Brewed: Ellon, Scotland Tired of a market dominated by industrially brewed lagers and ales, the team behind BrewDog set up the world’s first crowd-funded brewery in 2007. Now operating from a site in Ellon, just north of Aberdeen, a community of over 35000 investors own shares in the business, with shares still available. And what’s more, the brewery that’s made for the people, by the people is still constantly striving to encourage passion for craft...
1,000% surge in doctors applying to work overseas on day Hunt imposed contract
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor On the day Jeremy Hunt imposed his new contract on junior doctors there was a 1,000 per cent increase in doctors applying for documents to work in other countries. Three hundred applied for Certificates of Good Standing on Thursday 11 February – up from an average of 26 a day in February. A doctor costs around £300k to train so on the say of the announcement £90 million pounds of talent began to head to...
Hunt’s advisors claim seven-day NHS might not cut weekend deaths
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Even the Health Secretary’s team can’t pin point evidence that extra staffing over the weekend period will cut deaths on Saturday and Sunday. A leaked document has admits that his trusted advisors can’t prove that his seven-day demands are going to work. This would drastically his argument for ensuring junior doctors accept his new contract. The document says the department: "cannot evidence the mechanism by which increased consultant presence and diagnostic tests at weekends will...