Power to the people: Meet the P2P lender that uses a centuries-old way of lending September 21, 2017 Think back to 2001 when the Foot and Mouth epidemic raged across the UK. The outbreak led to the culling of thousands of animals, not to mention the loss of billions of pounds. It certainly took its toll on agricultural, leisure and tourism sectors over the years, and many needed funds to revitalise their business. [...]
I went up a mountain in Sri Lanka to meet a reclusive mystic and here is what I learned September 14, 2017 Somewhere high up in the hills surrounding the town of Kandy in Sri Lanka, there lives a man called Rahju. An artist, spiritualist and musician, Rahju practices meditation while riding along coastal roads on his motorcycle. His paintings are inspired by the writing of Buddhist philosophers and the intergalactic observations of the Hubble Space Telescope [...]
Corbyn’s cunning EU plan has ended in abject failure September 13, 2017 It was meant to be a cunning plan, but just like Baldrick, Jeremy Corbyn’s cunning plan was too clever by half. And he has now fallen flat on his face. A year ago, Labour was on the wrong side of history. Having campaigned to remain in the EU, Corbyn had seen the majority of Labour [...]
Waka review, Monument, London: Japanese/Pervian fusion restaurant that’ll brighten up your lunch time | City A.M. September 12, 2017 Waka 39A Eastcheap, EC3M 1DE WHAT? A “grab-and-go” Nikkei (Japanese and Peruvian fusion) restaurant serving top-quality food for prices that makes Itsu seem expensive. You can eat in the 60-cover dining room downstairs, with its minimalist design and regional flourishes, or bag it and go if you prefer to dine al desko. It’s all freshly [...]
Fitness advice: Why building a “cheat day” into your regime could be bad news for your waistline September 12, 2017 If you’re one of the millions of people trying unsuccessfully to lose fat, your problem could boil down to two little words: cheat day. A “cheat day”, or “cheat meal” as it’s sometimes called, is where people on a training program allow themselves a period where they can eat whatever they want. Being healthy [...]
Lost for words: The indie bookshop has weathered many storms, from the rise of Amazon to rising rents. But its future has never looked so perilous September 7, 2017 Prospero’s Books stood on Crouch End Broadway for 10 years. I remember it, though not well. The bookshops of my childhood memories are all vaguely similar – they were places where I’d be both happy and bored. To hear locals tell it, there wasn’t any sign that Prospero’s was in trouble. It seemed to plod [...]
Could the secret to a long and healthy life be hidden in a remote part of Costa Rica? We set out to meet the tribespeople who live beyond 100 years old September 5, 2017 The town hall in Nicoya, western Costa Rica, is one of the few colonial buildings left in the country. Given that the town was about to host a “congress of international centenarians”, it seemed like a good place to start my investigations into longevity. Unfortunately, no-one in the building seemed to know anything about it. [...]
Solar, bitcoin, tech, Tesla and tea: seven important investment charts from August September 5, 2017 Each month, writers at Schroders pull together the most intriguing charts of the month. Solar production eclipsed (briefly) The US came to a standstill on 21 August as people looked skyward to witness a remarkable solar eclipse. But as the moon blocked the sun it also temporarily blocked solar energy production. California aims to generate [...]
Just Eat investor Vitruvian and Hugo Boss backer Permira are managing two of the world’s most popular private equity funds August 28, 2017 Two London-based private equity houses currently hold the title of managing some of the world’s most desirable funds, according to data from private equity marketplace Palico. Investors who purchased stakes through the secondary market in Permira’s Europe IV fund and Vitruvian’s Investment Partnership 1 during the first half of 2017 were willing to pay a [...]
From food and hotels, to where to find the best jenever, here’s our guide to the perfect long weekend in Antwerp August 18, 2017 Antwerp is the largest city in Flanders and a cultural Pandora’s box. It’s home to the largest diamond district in the world, whose official language of trade was Yiddish until the 1930s. It is also in this city that the printing trade was invented, and where artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens lived and worked for [...]