By Steve Taggart Surprised visitors and commuters across the UK had to double take at the sudden appearance of strange gift-wrapped figures on the street as they made their way into some of England's major cities. The festive figures, which appeared overnight in Liverpool, London and Brighton, were actually iconic statues beautifully gift-wrapped as part of ‘People for Presents’ - a new campaign by  giffgaff that encourages people to put their phones down this Christmas and give the gift of...

By Rose Taylor As the waters recede and families begin to count the cost of the floods that killed more than 300 people, injured over 1,000 and destroyed countless properties in Tamil Nadu, for one woman it has heralded the start of a better life. NagammaNagammal was discovered drenched and starving in a partially destroyed goat shed where she had been living for 17 years, after being abandoned by her husband – because she had leprosy. “No one came to...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Jossy Yendall, 28, was selected as a finalist for Ms Galaxy 2016 but was told at the last minute she was not eligible - because she was not born a female. Shocked Jossy claimed she said from the outset she is transgender and even published it in the first sentence on her application web-page. The activities co-ordinator, who hopes to be a model, said she felt discriminated against because of her gender transition - which...

Photo: Jamie Lau By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Londoners are showcasing a real desire for fast food at the moment, as has been omnipresent with the success of particular restaurants (especially American) in recent months. So it comes as no surprise that so many restaurants are jumping on board with this trend. The burger renaissance has been occurring for some time now, but with three restaurants focusing particularly on hotdogs having opened throughout the year – it seems that we...

Sport News 24/7 By Sean Simara  @Sean_FootyMad  @TLE_Sport As we head into the Christmas period in the NFL, we’re starting to see who the potential Super Bowl candidates are.  But who have had breakout years?  Who's been disappointing this season?  It's now time to get down to the nitty-gritty and take a look at some of the NFL’s star names. We know this is a quarterback league, but the next most talked about position is the ones who catch the...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food It’s been another brilliant year for restaurant openings in London, and with the impending arrival of 2016, here’s a roundup of our favourite new restaurants to have opened within the city throughout the past 12 months. Vinothec Compass Opened as a unique concept for up and coming North Greenwich, Vinothec Compass is adjoined to a golf driving range. As for the restaurant, there’s a particularly strong emphasis on wine, while the food menu is...

Review by Ellery Nick @Ellery__Nick Brendon Gleeson plays Thomas Nickerson, last survivor of a doomed whaling voyage. He sets Ben Whishaw on his knee to recount his boyhood adventures and unburden himself of a dark secret. They occupy a spot lit space on the periphery of director Ron Howard’s story, which is set many years in the past. Whishaw is Herman Melville, a yet-to-be famous novelist who is consumed by talk of whales and sets about pumping Nickerson for the...

The Chase family farm in Herefordshire, originally known for setting-up Tyrells crisps, has expanded into the spirits market by producing the World’s first super premium English potato vodka. The vodka is made from potato rather than grain, and is the only distillery of its kind in the UK. It has been voted the World’s Best Vodka by the prestigious San Francisco Spirits Competition. To celebrate its success, founder William Chase is releasing his first ever book ‘One Potato : Two’. Based on...

Strength: 4% Brewed: Albourne, West Sussex Based on a farm near Brighton, Bedlam Brewery prides itself not only on its quality ingredients used throughout the brewing process of their core range, but also on the environment. All of the energy that’s required for brewing comes from onsite solar panels, the brewery plant and harvest their own hops, and they also supply local farmers with free hops and spent grain in order to feed their cattle. As for the beer, all...