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☆ London is handing out free meals for all primary school children
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —London’s mayor has announced an emergency program to provide free meals for all children attending state primary schools in the capital, adding to a string of fresh evidence that Brits are struggling to afford necessities. “The cost-of-living crisis means families and children across our city are in desperate need of additional support,” Sadiq Khan, who himself received free school meals as a child, said in a statement Monday. A quarter of all London pupils, including those in high school, already qualify for free school meals according to national criteria largely based on household income, according to official data. This number tallies with an estimate by the Child Poverty Action Group that about 210,000 children living in poverty in London don’t qualify for free school meals because the eligibility criteria are “so restrictive.”Children eat lunch at St Mary's RC Primary School in Battersea, south London, on November 29, 2022. Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images/FILEThere was further evidence Monday that more and more Brits are struggling to afford food and electricity as inflation, which is near its highest level in four decades, erodes wages and welfare payments.

☆ Cleveland Clinic to open its third London facility as Brits flock to private health care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —US group Cleveland Clinic will open its third London facility this autumn as demand for private health care booms in the United Kingdom — sparked in large part by long wait times to access treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). “We are excited to be expanding our London footprint with a third location, in the heart of the City of London,” said Tommaso Falcone, interim CEO of Cleveland Clinic London. Cleveland Clinic is one of several major private health care providers expanding rapidly in the United Kingdom to keep up with demand from a much broader swathe of the population than ever before. Also building new UK facilities this year are HCA Healthcare — another American group — and private hospital group Spire Healthcare. NHS wait timesThe demand is being fueled by long wait times to access care on the NHS.

☆ BRITS' all-male best artist list casts shadow ahead of music awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/PoolLONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Hitmakers gather in London on Saturday for Britain's pop music honours, the BRIT awards, where an all-male contender list for the artist of the year prize has cast a shadow over the event's introduction of gender-neutral categories. But it added that organisers "acknowledge and share in the disappointment" of no women making the list. "A key factor is that, unfortunately, there were relatively few commercially successful releases by women in 2022 compared to those by men." We recognise this points to wider issues around the representation of women in music that must also be addressed." Last year, women won prizes in 10 of the awards' 15 categories.

☆ As Brits reel from a cost-of-living crisis, the UK stock market quietly booms to an all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The sun rises over the city on Feb. 6, 2023 in London, United Kingdom. LONDON — The U.K. is facing the weakest growth prospects in the G-7 and a catalogue of cost-of-living pressures that are pushing the poorest into crisis and intensely squeezing the budgets of middle-income households. The FTSE 100 index has smashed through three intraday records over the last week, starting last Friday and hitting new heights in Wednesday's and Thursday's sessions. The most recent uptick for the FTSE 100 shows that, as well as occurring despite harsh cost-of-living pressures, they are also linked to them. Meanwhile, the strong performance of commodity stocks has also lifted the index higher as they have been boosted by a rise in prices, supply constraints and, recently, the prospect of China's Covid-19 reopening.

☆ Valentine's Day spending boosts British retail sales in February - BRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A woman photographs a Valentines Day floral display attached to the facade of a restaurant in London, Britain, February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Peter NichollsLONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - Valentine's Day helped to boost British retail sales in February but volumes remained down on last year as households cut back on non-essential items, a survey published on Tuesday showed. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said spending in store chains increased 5.2% in annual terms last month, well below the 6.7% rise in February 2022. The BRC figures are not adjusted for inflation, meaning the rise in sales masked a much larger drop in volumes. "Popular trends this month include buying 'dupes' of popular products, shopping at discount stores, and limiting Easter spending."

☆ BP posts record 2022 earnings to join Big Oil profit bonanza
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The British energy giant posted underlying replacement cost profit, used as a proxy for net profit, of $27.7 billion for 2022. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected net profit of $27.6 billion for full-year 2022. BP said its previous annual profit record was $26.3 billion in 2008. For the fourth quarter, BP posted net profit of $4.8 billion, narrowly beating analyst expectations of $4.7 billion. Before that, U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil reported a $56 billion profit for 2022, marking a historic high for the Western oil industry.

☆ Britain’s NHS was once idolized. Now its worst-ever crisis is fueling a boom in private health care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Private hospital groups flourishTo keep up with growing demand for their services, private health care providers are expanding at a rapid clip. CEO Justin Ash estimates that the market for private health care in the United Kingdom has doubled since before the pandemic to 15 million people. Ash said that appetite for private health care spans a much broader set of ages and incomes than in the past. “We’ve clearly moved into a world in which we’re all NHS patients but have episodes of private care,” he said. There is no universal health care in America and most people have private health insurance because health care is very expensive.

☆ From Nike to Nutella: Company names you have probably been mispronouncing your whole life
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Global company names often get Anglicized or Americanized to the point where they're unrecognizable, but brands could see some benefits if their names are pronounced correctly. Allianz: al-ee-anz"Allianz " is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the German word for "alliance." It isn't pronounced like the ancient Greek herald of the gods, Hermes, unlike the U.K. delivery company of similar spelling. Moët & Chandon: mow-et ey shon-donIn contrast to typical French pronunciation, there is a hard "T" sound at the end of "Moët." Heuer is the last name of the company's founder, Edouard Heuer.

☆ Britain kicks crypto when it’s down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain’s answer, unveiled by Financial Services Minister Andrew Griffith on Wednesday, is that the existing framework suffices. The government intends to regulate the digital assets using the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000, legislation applied to the City of London. The consultation also notes that the City and Wall Street typically segregate activity consolidated by crypto groups, such as being a broker, exchange, lender or custodian. Coming on the heels of last year’s collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX means Britain’s kick lands when the industry is down. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Brits are being paid to cut power use, as cold snap threatens supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Cold weather has returned in January, causing the U.K. power supplier to offer financial incentives for households to cut use at peak times. On Monday, three out of five back-up coal power stations were told to fire up to provide back-up supply, although the measure was reversed early Tuesday. National Grid ESO, which has overall responsibility for managing Britain's electricity supply, said the public should not worry about blackouts. The cold weather has combined with a drop in wind power — a key energy source for Britain — which frequently generates more than half of the country's electricity. Over the weekend and into this week, the wind power share has dropped below a quarter, with gas taking over as the primary source.

☆ Greek Tsitsipas feels at home in Melbourne
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas described the Australian Open as his "home slam", saying the conditions in Melbourne remind him of the Attic Peninsula. Tsitsipas, a three-time semi-finalist at the Australian Open, reached the quarter-finals on Sunday after he held firm to beat Italy's Jannik Sinner 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3. With Melbourne boasting the largest Greek population in Australia, Tsitsipas said he always felt at home when competing at the season-opening major. "Another reason, another plus is wherever I look I see Greek faces, I see Greek people speaking Greek. For me it's the Australian Open."

☆ What to know about 'Naatu Naatu,' the song that beat out Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga at Golden Globes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

“Naatu Naatu,” a song from the hit Telugu-language film “RRR,” was the unexpected and historic winner for best original song at the Golden Globes Tuesday, beating out Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Majumdar said she was surprised but thrilled “Naatu Naatu” took home the award. “Earlier, that was seen as a feature that was strange about Indian cinema. Keeravani accepts the Best Original Song award for "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" during the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Tuesday. “When I envisioned the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song,” Rajamouli told Variety.

☆ UK consumer spending fails to match inflation in December: surveys
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - British consumer spending in December lagged inflation, representing a sizeable fall in real-terms expenditure, despite contributions from Christmas shopping and the men's soccer World Cup, surveys showed on Tuesday. Separately, the British Retail Consortium said spending in store chains rose by 6.9% in annual terms in December - also representing a decline when adjusted for inflation. For 2022 as a whole, UK online retail sales fell 10.5% year-on-year - the first ever year of negative growth. Barclays also noted weak online retail sales. "The postal strikes hampered online retail due to fears of missing pre-Christmas delivery dates, while rising living costs caused more Brits to cancel their subscription services," Harwood said.

☆ Taliban leader hits out at Prince Harry for calling his Afghanistan kills 'chess pieces' in new tell-all book
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The early release of Prince Harry's tell-all memoir "Spare" is triggering anger from plenty of different sources, from loyal monarchy supporters to television pundits and ordinary Brits — and most recently, the Taliban. Among the many controversial revelations in the memoir is Harry's disclosure that he killed 25 Taliban fighters while on deployment in Afghanistan with the British Army. The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return. Haqqani added, "Our innocent people were chess pieces to your soldiers, military and political leaders. The Taliban returned to full power over Afghanistan when the U.S. withdrew its last troops from the country in August of 2021.

☆ Investors anxiously await jobs report for clues about Fed rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Traders are betting on a further deceleration in jobs growth because that could lead to a reduction in the size of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Further strength could set off more alarm bells about inflation and Fed rate hikes. Focus on worker payWall Street will also need to dive even deeper into Friday’s jobs report to get a better sense of what’s happening in the economy. Investors cheered the fact that wage growth, measured by average hourly earnings, rose only 4.7% over the previous 12 months in October. Big Tech keeps handing out pink slipsOverall, the jobs market is still in good shape.

☆ UK train strikes will disrupt return to work this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Britain’s largest transport union, RMT, said workers will strike on January 3, 4, 6 and 7. The rail strikes will make city centers “ghost towns” for another week, Nicholls said. “The sector has struggled to recover from Covid and these protracted rail strikes since May have made that bounce back much tougher,” she added. According to PwC, the average British worker’s pay in 2023 is expected to fall back to 2006 levels once inflation is taken into account. In a statement, Network Rail said that the RMT strike was “unnecessary and deeply damaging” to the railway and the economy.

☆ UK wages next year will be at their lowest level since 2006, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The report confirms that wages have stagnated in Britain even as inflation hits double digits, sparking the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. That’s led to widespread strikes across the UK economy, encompassing railways, schools, nurses, hospitals and the postal service. “Despite a contracting economy, the UK remains an attractive destination for workers,” PwC economist Jake Finney said in a statement. “The rise in inactivity poses serious challenges to the UK economy. PwC’s Kupelian added that UK inflation likely peaked in October and “will gradually begin to return to target over the next two years.”

☆ Prince Harry says Prince William 'screamed' at him over royal split with Meghan in Netflix documentary
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Prince Harry said it was “terrifying” to have his brother, Prince William, scream at him during his bitter split from the royal family, in the final installments of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s controversial Netflix documentary that were released Thursday. You kind of get used to that when you live within this family,” Harry added. Harry said he spoke to Queen Elizabeth II and arranged to meet her, with Meghan, before that split was finalized. Thursday’s release follows last week’s batch of episodes, in which Prince Harry criticized “unconscious bias” inside the family. Sign up for CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on the royal family, what they are up to in public and what’s happening behind palace walls.

☆ Will 'Emancipation' set Will Smith free from 'the slap?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Three things to watch‘Emancipation’Will Smith (center) in a scene from "Emancipation." Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars for the next decade, but he is still eligible for nominations. ‘Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?’Idina Menzel attends the American Music Awards on November 20, 2016 in Los Angeles. A Boogie wit da Hoodie performs at the Rolling Loud Los Angeles festival on December 15, 2019 in Los Angeles. Something to sip onNick Cannon attends an event at the GRAMMY Museum on June 25 in Los Angeles.

☆ Brits told to rethink Christmas plans with strikes set to hit flights and train travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A train makes its way through the snow in Penistone, South Yorkshire, in March 2022. Passengers face Christmas travel disruption as workers strike over pay and working conditions. LONDON — Passengers traveling into or around the U.K. over the holiday period face significant disruption due to strikes, with the government urging people to reconsider their plans. Airport staff working for the U.K. Border Force are due to walk out from Dec. 23 to 26, and again from Dec. 28 to New Year's Eve. It will impact services at the U.K.'s busiest airport, London Heathrow, as well as London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow.

☆ What did Prince Harry and Meghan say in Netflix series?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Netflix (NFLX.O) released the first three episodes in a six-part documentary series on Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Thursday, showing how the couple met and the problems they say they faced as part of Britain's royal family. HARRY ON WOMEN IN THE ROYAL FAMILYHe had learnt "the pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution". HARRY ON MEGHANShe sacrificed everything she ever knew, the freedom that she had, to join me in my world. HARRY ON MEGHAN'S MEDIA HOUNDINGTo see another woman in my life who I love go through this feeding frenzy, that's hard. HARRY ON ROYAL CORRESPONDENTS AND EXPERTSThat press pack of royal correspondents is essentially just an extended PR arm of the royal family.

☆ UK consumer spending fails to keep pace with inflation: surveys
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - British consumer spending ticked up last month at a rate that greatly lagged behind inflation, according to surveys on Tuesday that underscored the pressure on household budgets ahead of the Christmas holidays. Barclaycard said spending on its credit and debit cards rose 3.9% year-on-year in November, far behind the annual 11.1% increase in consumer prices in October that was the highest reading in 41 years. Some 94% of Britons surveyed by Barclaycard said they were concerned about the impact of soaring household energy bills on their personal finances. Many Brits intend to reduce festive spending on presents and parties in an effort to save money," said Esme Harwood, director at Barclaycard. However, sales growth remained far below current inflation, suggesting volumes continued to be down on last year," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.

☆ Wall Street Journal insiders are buzzing about what a leadership shake-up could mean for Murdoch world
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Steven Perlberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sunday Times editor Emma Tucker is expected to replace Journal editor Matt Murray, Semafor reported. News Corp insiders believe Murdoch might make changes ahead of a possible recombination of News Corp and Fox. Is Rupert Murdoch planning to move his editorial chess pieces ahead of a potential recombination of News Corp and Fox? Last month, Semafor reported that Wall Street Journal editor Matt Murray is expected to be replaced by Emma Tucker, who leads fellow News Corp title The Sunday Times in London. That report followed the October disclosure that Murdoch is considering recombining News Corp with Fox Corp, with both companies convening special committees to review options.

☆ People are turning to fish heads, protein shakes, and unsold food apps to save money on groceries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

An app that offers unsold food saw a 100% month-on-month rise in the first half of the year. Jenny Holden, who runs a PR firm in Staffordshire, told Insider that she's started having a pea protein shake for dinner once a week. More Brits are buying unsold food through appsToo Good To Go lets users buy unsold food for one-third of the price. One user of such unsold food apps is Penny Moyses, the founder of the Clean and Tidy Home Show, which offers household budgeting tips. The energy price cap has been extended by one year, but will increase by £500 ($613) from April 2023.

"Queer Eye" host Tan France says he noticed four key money differences between Brits and Americans. France writes, "On the whole, if you have money in America, you buy stuff. Circling back to American car culture, France said he couldn't understand why Americans take out loans to buy fancy new cars, especially when their older models still work. Before joining the cast of "Queer Eye," France was a businessman looking for independent health insurance. France writes, "It's the best con, but it's perfectly legal."

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