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☆ The Next Frontier in Farming? The Ocean.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Somini Sengupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

For centuries, it’s been treasured in kitchens in Asia and neglected almost everywhere else: Those glistening ribbons of seaweed that bend and bloom in cold ocean waves. Far beyond South Korea, new farms have cropped up in Maine, the Faroe Islands, Australia, even the North Sea. But even as its champions see it as a miracle crop for a hotter planet, others worry that the zeal to farm the ocean could replicate some of the same damages of farming on land. “Seaweed is not going to replace all plastic, but seaweed combined with other things can tackle single use plastic,” he said. Seaweed farms are a far cry from the rows of corn and wheat that make up monoculture farming on land.

☆ Smoothies in, alcopops out as UK updates inflation index for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Fruit is displayed for sale on a stall in Lewisham Market, south east London, Britain, March 9, 2023. However, battery-powered electric bikes and home security cameras similar to Amazon's Ring video doorbells will join the index, the ONS said. Inflation is high on the public's agenda, after surging energy prices pushed CPI to a 41-year high of 11.1% in October. In future it will use an industry database with 30 million price points rather than an index calculated by a regulator. Leaving the index are cooking apples and super-king-size cigarettes - though other types of apple and cigarette will remain.

☆ UK regulator cracks down on illicit London crypto ATMs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Signage is seen for the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), the UK's financial regulatory body, at their head offices in London, Britain March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoLONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - Britain's markets regulator and police have swooped on suspected illegal crypto cashpoints (ATMs) across east London as authorities step up attempts to disrupt unregistered businesses deemed high risk for consumers. The inspections were conducted under money laundering regulations, which allow officers to enter premises without a warrant, observe activities, seek explanations about documents or information and take copies. Crypto ATMs (CATMs) allow people to buy or convert money into cryptoassets. "But there is also definitely an element of fear and uncertainty about what the FCA is going to do next."

☆ An artist struggling to pay rent turned a dumpster into a tiny home for $4,800
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Harrison Marshall converted a dumpster into a tiny home and moved in last month. The artist came up with the idea after struggling to find a home he could afford to rent in London. The project cost $4,800 and has a mezzanine bed, sink, and kitchen area – but no bathroom. The 28-year-old came up with the idea of converting a dumpster, which are called "skips" in Britain, into a tiny home. They are a common sight outside renovation projects, for example, and can easily be moved to another location if desired.

European demand is deepening a shortage of agave, the prickly plant native to Mexico's Jalisco region that's used to make tequila. Tequila prices have leapt. Compounding matters, the flow to Europe of high-quality 100% agave tequila - which has to be bottled in Mexico - has also been constrained by the supply-chain chaos from COVID-19. Michael Merolli, head of Pernod Ricard's tequila business, which includes Olmeca, said there were far fewer tequila brands in Europe than the United States, where the market was more mature and competitive, with new brands emerging every week. U.S. A-listers like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kendall Jenner and Kevin Hart have all launched tequila brands in recent years.

☆ UK vegetable and fruit shortage could last until May, producers warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A shortage of tomatoes affecting UK supermarkets is widening to other fruit and vegetables and is likely to last weeks, retailers have warned. According to the BRC, UK supermarkets import 95% of their tomatoes and 90% of their lettuce in December and typically the same proportions in March. Stiles said UK supermarkets had opted to import even more fresh produce from abroad this winter, taking advantage of lower prices sought by overseas growers. UK supermarkets have not mentioned Brexit as a reason for the supply crunch. Although full UK border checks on fruit and vegetable imports from the Europen Union start only from January 2024, Stiles says additional paperwork has already deterred EU producers from exporting more to the country.

☆ Britain's V&A museum secures David Bowie archive, will make public in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - London's V&A museum said on Thursday it had secured the archive of late music star David Bowie for the nation, acquiring more than 80,000 items spanning his career that will be made available to the public from 2025. The museum, which hosted the critically acclaimed "David Bowie Is" exhibition in 2013, will open The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts at its V&A East Storehouse in east London, where fans, school pupils and researchers will be able to gain insight into the pioneering British singer-songwriter's creative process. "The archive is fascinating, it follows David Bowie's career and his life was art," Kate Bailey, senior curator and producer, theatre and performance at the V&A, told Reuters. "With David’s life’s work becoming part of the UK’s national collections, he takes his rightful place amongst many other cultural icons and artistic geniuses," a spokesperson from the David Bowie Estate, said in the V&A statement about the acquisition. The museum said it secured the archive and could create the new centre thanks to the David Bowie Estate and a 10 million pound ($12 million) donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group.

☆ Seen Big Ben already? Here's a Londoner's guide to visiting other parts of the city
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Central London's City of Westminster is its political heart, while the City of London is where the capital's financial decisions happen. But be warned: Several paths across Hyde Park are pedestrian-only, and police often fine people who cycle on them. The City of London is a blend of old and new, with St Paul's Cathedral close to skyscrapers as well as Roman ruins. While north London has Hampstead Heath, south of the river is Richmond Park, which dwarfs its northern counterpart in size. There's also a branch in central London's Covent Garden — the flower-filled restaurant The Petersham — that has an sit-down deli and bar.

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - This Valentine's Day is set to look different after a year of record food inflation that has sent up prices of everything from flowers to chocolates and dining in restaurants. Last year, British restaurant chain PizzaExpress offered a three-course set menu complete with "a prosecco and raspberry mimosa, heart-shaped dough balls and a main, such as our Padana, with creamy goat’s cheese and sweet caramelised onion". This year, PizzaExpress is advertising a slightly less impressive "love bundle" of a starter and a "classic" pizza for 15 pounds. Reuters GraphicsThe nation's supermarkets are seeking to cash in, keepingprices for their Valentine's Day meal-deals stable in the hope of luring customers from restaurants. Tesco (TSCO.L), whose CEO recently noted that consumers are shifting away from eating out, has reduced the price of its Valentine's Day dinner-for-two to 12 pounds - down from 15 pounds last year - for a main, side dish, dessert and drink.

The National Education Union (NEU), which is organising the teachers' strikes, has asked for an above-inflation pay award funded fully by the government, so that schools can also cover other costs, from stationery to textbooks. With inflation reaching double digits last year, teachers have seen a 23% real-terms pay cut since 2010, the union says. Heighington, who teaches music, said more than a third of experienced full-time teachers and teaching staff had left his school last year. Educators say schools having to pay teachers' salaries from their own pocket has left classrooms starved of money for textbooks, IT upgrades and school trips. Reports say teachers at the elite Winchester College in southern England, where Sunak attended school and was a head boy, are among those striking on Wednesday.

☆ PM Sunak promises to tackle Britain's most pressing problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised on Wednesday to tackle Britain's most pressing problems, from cutting inflation to ending illegal migration, in a speech aimed at reassuring his restive Conservative Party before the next election. Five foundations, on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren," Sunak said in a speech in east London. So, I ask you to judge us on the effort we put in and the results we achieve," Sunak said. We're either delivering for you or we're not," Sunak said on Wednesday. "I ask you to judge us on the effort that we put in and the results that we achieve."

☆ Shoppers scrambled to grab the Prime energy drink promoted by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI at Aldi, leaving shelves bare
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Aldi says it's sold out of Prime just one day after it started selling the energy drink. "It's not a nice drink at all," one shopper who bought the drink for his son told Insider. Leat told Insider he had followed KSI for a long time, "so I wanted to see for myself if his product lived up to the hype." Sam Kinsella, a landscape gardener from Bedfordshire, told Insider that he'd bought it because his son had seen it on TikTok. Jake Dickinson, a motor factory manager from Lincoln, told Insider that some flavors were better than others.

☆ ABBA's successful avatar show in London offers a glimpse at a daring new direction for live music
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"Our ambition is to do another ABBA Voyage, let's say in North America, Australasia, we could do another one in Europe. Dave J Hogan | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty ImagesIt was also designed for flexibility. Promotional image for ABBA Voyage, the digital avatar-based live show currently running in London. For Cox, live shows that provide a "shared experience" like ABBA Voyage hold a greater appeal than headset-based virtual experiences, though there will certainly be more of those available in future. Frazer Harrison | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

☆ This tiny home is just 13 feet wide – but still has as much space as the average London house
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

This London home is just 13 feet wide, but its clever design makes it feel much larger inside. The Library cost about $400,000 to build, with locally sourced materials used throughout. The home was nominated for the prestigious House of the Year award in the UK. Loading Something is loading. Take a look inside The Library House.

☆ Behind a Wall Street headhunter's rapid ascent lie accusations of harassment and abuse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

"It was a complete whirlwind, and it felt too good to be true," Morrison told Insider. "Everyone is given a calendar reminder of when they have to submit a review," one former employee told Insider. Durlston told Insider she wasn't a credible source given the acrimonious nature of her departure from Durlston. "Everyone gets pretty loose at these events," a former employee told Insider, noting the availability of alcohol throughout the day. Bahram told Insider this was not a prohibition but merely a suggestion that it would not be an appropriate arrangement.

☆ Struggling to afford heating bills, Britons turn to 'warm banks' to keep out the cold
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jeevan Ravindran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 52-year-old, who works as a healthcare assistant in Britain's National Health Service (NHS), is among those who are turning to 'warm banks' - designated spaces where people can go if they cannot afford to turn on their heating at home. When they get cold, Obomese said, they wrap up in their coats or sit on the sofa with blankets. CHRISTMAS STRUGGLES"It's really hard to see them like 'but mummy, I'm cold, I'm cold,'" Obomese said, speaking during a cold snap that led to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. Even though warm banks are providing a refuge for those otherwise trapped in cold homes, library manager Amy Jackson says there is still a stigma attached to using them. She added that it was "such a shame that warm banks actually have to exist in this day and age," and that the service was being used by a wide range of people, including people sleeping rough.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Medieval-inspired communal bakery aims to help with cost-of-living crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Her solution is "The People's Oven", a monthly event where locals can come to the bakery she set up six months ago in a former warehouse near a canal in Hackney. In an area where artist and design studios in old industrial buildings rub shoulders with newly-built apartment blocks, the bakery, "Hearth", has a hipster vibe. "I came here for like the experience, also to make friends and kind of seek out a community in east London," Ren said. "For sure to help people to save some money, but also to create a sort of community in the area." Reporting by Aiden Nulty and Ben Makori; Writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Pay increases reached by UK workers following strike action
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Below is a summary of some of the deals reached following strike action:AIRPORTSIn July, British Airways (ICAG.L) staff at London's Heathrow Airport represented by two unions called off strike action after accepting a new pay offer. Earlier that month the airline's check-in staff at Heathrow airport also suspended a strike after an improved pay deal was agreed. Wage rises were also agreed at bus operators Arriva and Go-Ahead, with Arriva's drivers in Kent securing a 13.92% pay rise in October and Go-Ahead's London workers getting a 10.5% increase. WASTE COLLECTIONWaste collection workers in various areas around the country have agreed pay rises after undertaking strike action which disrupted waste collections. Among agreements reached by the GMB were a 17% rise for some workers in Windsor and Maidenhead, just outside London, and increases of between 8% and 22% for refuse workers in Manchester.

This time round, Charles III hosted the first state visit of his reign and welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the UK. The South African state visit was Charles’s first big diplomatic test. But this week, the prominence of the Prince and Princess of Wales during the state visit indicated that the couple have been elevated into crucial central roles. PHOTOS OF THE WEEKHere’s a few of our favorite shots from the first state visit King Charles hosted as monarch. Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesThe state visit also allowed UK PM Rishi Sunak the opportunity to welcome Ramaphosa to 10 Downing Street for a bilateral meeting.

☆ UK's Camilla donates Paddingtons left as tribute to Queen Elizabeth
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Camilla, the Queen consort, smiles while holding a Paddington bear as she visits Barnardo's Nursery in Bow, London, Britain November 24, 2022. Arthur Edwards/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Camilla, the wife of Britain's King Charles, personally delivered dozens of Paddington Bear toys to a children's charity on Thursday, giving a new home to the toys which had been left by well-wishers as a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth. Mourners placed more than 1,000 Paddingtons and other teddy bears among the mass of floral tributes and messages which were left outside palaces and royal parks in London and Windsor in the days of mourning following Elizabeth's death in September. The stuffed bears have been professionally cleaned, and on Friday Camilla, the queen consort, visited a Barnardo's Nursery in east London for a 'teddy bears picnic' featuring marmalade sandwiches, and to hand out some of the Paddingtons to vulnerable young children there. During the comic sketch, she told Paddington she always kept the character's favourite - a marmalade sandwich - in her ever-present handbag.

☆ Woman with a rare brain disease says doctors repeatedly dismissed her condition, blaming it on mental illness
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

She has since been diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a rare brain condition that affects fewer than 1 in 100,000 people. However, she said the earlier opinion caused a substantial delay in her Moyamoya diagnosis, adding: "everywhere I went, it followed me first. Moyamoya disease is caused by a narrowing of blood vessels in the brain. However, he noted that, in general, that a condition is rare is no excuse for dismissing a patient's symptoms. Still struggling to access careIn spite of her Moyamoya disease diagnosis, Simpson says she's still struggling to access support.

Average two-year and five-year fixed rates hit 6.65% and 6.51% on Thursday, according to Moneyfacts, the highest since 2008. FALLING PRICESA drop in gilt yields following Rishi Sunak's victory in the Conservative Party leadership race could potentially feed through to lower mortgage rates. But the number of loans available for first-time buyers remains at less than half those on offer before the mini-budget, according to Moneyfacts. NEW FIXESAs well as first-time buyers, brokers are dealing with thousands of people whose fixed rate mortgages are due to expire in the coming months. Redmond, who has had an offer accepted in east London, said it felt as though every turn of political event only made the fixed interest rate higher.

☆ Shorter showers, slower driving and an Eiffel Tower blackout: How Europe plans to cut gas usage this winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We're already there … savings this month have already surpassed the 15% target," said senior energy strategist from Goldman Sachs, Samantha Dart. Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty ImagesShe added that northwestern Europe's estimated August gas consumption was 13% below average. "We believe this is more than enough savings to go through winter without blackouts or a heating crisis," Dart said, assuming that the average winter weather scenario holds. "Achieving the 15% reduction target vs business as usual will be difficult, but not impossible," Gloystein told CNBC. A cold winter could make it difficult to achieve the demand reduction needed in Europe.

Share this -Link copiedThe full order of service for the funeral at Westminster Abbey The funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II is underway at Westminster Abbey. Police officers patrol outside Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, ahead of the state funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaves Westminster Hall for her funeral service in Westminster Abbey. Around 2,300 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle and 1,000 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. Share this -Link copiedBuckingham Palace releases previously unseen portrait of queen Queen Elizabeth II, photographed at Windsor Castle in May 2022.

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