Pet insurance claims hit record numbers, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers, with just short of one million claims being made in 2015 March 29, 2016 Pet insurance claims hit a record high in 2015, according to figures released today by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The number of insurance claims made reached 911,000, up nine per cent compared with 2014, while their value clocked in at £657m, which is the equivalent of £1.8m a day. The average pet insurance premium came in [...]
Brussels cats are back: But why do we turn to internet cat memes like Grumpy Cat, Lolcats and #BrusselsLockdown in a time of crisis? March 22, 2016 Laughing at cats on the internet is nothing new. But using them as a tool to laugh in times of crisis could well be. Belgian authorities asked locals to avoid posting about police raids via social media for fear that information could aid terrorists, last year. People complied to this potentially aggravating censorship in an unconventional way. From hovercraft felines [...]
Brussels cats return to Twitter after twin attacks in Belgian city leave at least 34 dead, more than 100 wounded March 22, 2016 Brussels' residents are once again finding solace against terrorism in cat pictures. The Belgian city was the scene of a lockdown in November as authorities attempted to trace suspects behind the Paris attacks, which killed 130 people. At the time, residents were asked not to tweet pictures that might tip off suspects – prompting a wave of cat [...]
London’s best steamed buns: Where to find the ultimate street-food snack March 11, 2016 Steamed buns – variously known as baozi, bao, humbow, nunu, bakpau, bausak, pow – are quite possibly the best thing ever. East Asian countries including Korea, Taiwan, China and Japan all have their own take on this light, fluffy package of sweet or savoury goodness. Thankfully, London has plenty of places you can pick them [...]
Foxtons hit by stamp duty changes and EU uncertainty March 8, 2016 Foxtons said it has been hit by falling volumes in central London as stamp duty pressures put off buyers. The figures Although revenues grew 4.1 per cent to £149.8m in the year to the end of December, pre-tax profits fell 2.6 per cent to £41m, Foxtons said this morning. But sales revenue rose 3.4 per cent to £72.2m as the number of units it sold rose 4.4 [...]
London house prices: Prime Central London property is experiencing a dead-cat bounce, after demand for high-end homes suddenly rose March 7, 2016 London's high-end property market may be experiencing a dead-cat bounce – after demand for homes in London's most exclusive areas spiked as investors attempt to squeeze in transactions before stamp duty is hiked in April. Research by online estate agent Emoov, seen exclusively by City A.M., showed demand for homes worth £1m or more has jumped by [...]
From pensions panic and Barclays bungles to Brexit blues and half pint horrors: Here’s what got us talking this week March 4, 2016 There was a hush hush high profile wedding. There were some fancy cars. And there was the disappointing discovery that having a job actually costs you money. Here's what got us talking 1) Pensions panic Retirees at both ends of the spectrum continued to fret over changes to their pension scheme. In one corner, we [...]
Consumer goods groups challenge financials to become biggest sector in FTSE 100 as Barclays, HSBC, RBS and Standard Chartered share prices plummet year-to-date March 3, 2016 Consumer goods groups are challenging the dominance of financial firms in the FTSE 100 for the first time in a decade. The two sectors are neck-and-neck, with consumer goods actually overtaking financials briefly during February, rising to account for 20.85 per cent of the FTSE 100, compared with 20.61 per cent, before slipping back down again. [...]
MWC 2016 roundup: the biggest new phones announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress February 24, 2016 LG G5 LG’s new flagship handset is one of the first modular designs to market, allowing you to remove part of the phone to snap on new accessories to upgrade or add functionality. So far LG has shown the G5 customised with a camera grip – which adds additional battery capacity as well as shutter [...]
Focus On Shadwell: Good transport and pubs mean promising times ahead in East London February 23, 2016 St Chad – after whom east London’s Chadwelle, now known as Shadwell, is named – is jokingly referred to as the patron saint of botched elections. This modern nickname was applied after the 2000 US election, when irregular “chads” (punched holes) may have defaced enough ballots cost Al Gore the 2000 US election. Chad is [...]