The Culture Secretary has pledged to look in to use of surge pricing in its forthcoming Government review of the secondary gig sales market. Source link
People have been taking to social media to complain about the cost of 99p Flakes – but the name of the ice cream isn’t actually anything to do with the price. Back in the good old days, you could get a cone filled with soft serve ice cream, sweet sauce and a chocolate flake for less than a quid. But nowadays, you’d be lucky to find one for less than £2. On X, one commenter lamented: “It’s summer time, it’s 1999, and you’ve just reached the ice cream van with a round pound coin for a Mr Whippy with a Flake and red sauce. You’re handed 1p change, and life is good – well, it was back then. That’s all changed now and ice cream vans this summer have been seen charging everything from £2.50 to as much as £5 for a single 99 Flake. Cozzie livs, innit?” And another said: “Cost of living crisis is making we wonder what mad price a 99 Flake is going to be this year. £2.50? £4? £5.99? Right …
Consider the breed The cost of owning a cat varies depending on the breed you get. It will set you back at least £11,100 to care for the average cat over its lifetime, according to pet charity People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). This includes the cost of insurance but doesn’t include additional vet bills for illness or injury. However, the breed you choose will have an impact on how much you spend, both at the outset and throughout its life. Cats can be rehomed from shelters for under £100, while prices to buy pedigree cats from breeders vary widely. Maine coon, bengal and persian kittens can cost £800 or more each from breeders. They are also in the top 10 most expensive cat breeds to insure in 2024, according to the price comparison site GoCompare. You can find out more about the other ongoing costs of owning a cat on the PDSA website, including information on grooming, food, and equipment. There are plenty of tips on caring for your cat on a budget on …
The market in Nuseirat was busy on Saturday morning. Among the crowds were Asia El-Nemer, looking for a pharmacy that still had stock of her sister’s medication, and Ansam Haroun, hoping to find new clothes to lift her daughters’ spirits on the forthcoming Eid al-Adha holiday. This part of central Gaza had emptied at the start of the year when Israeli troops first moved through, destroying Haroun’s house in an airstrike, but filled up again from May as more than a million people fled north to escape another operation in Rafah. “The Nuseirat market is always crowded, but now more than usual because of the many displaced people,” said Haroun, 29, who is now staying with an uncle. She was looking at outfits for the girls when the first Israeli airstrikes hit, and almost without thinking raced out of the door to go to them. Outside, she found a scene “like the horrors of judgment day”, as panicked crowds tried to escape the coming onslaught. Helicopters and quadcopter drones would soon join the assault that …
In the run-up to July’s election, the Guardian video team will be touring the UK looking at the issues that matter to voters. In a week when an attack on a refugee camp in Rafah and the Labour party’s treatment of Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen dominated the headlines, we spoke to voters in Ilford – North and South – who were protesting locally about Gaza. We asked whether these issues would make a difference to how they vote in the election, met canvassers getting behind independent candidates, and spoke to business owners about their political priorities Source link
Before we get on to any of the numbers – from Rishi Sunak’s claim about Labour raising taxes by £2,000 to the more outlandish numbers going around today – here’s the most important thing you have to know right now. The parties fighting this election have yet to publish their manifestos. They might come as soon as next week, but until those documents, with their shopping lists of confirmed policies, actually land, we are in a kind of policy no man’s land where each side is guessing (and sometimes plain making up stuff) about what the other side actually wants to implement if they win the election. Election latest:Starmer wins another TV debate poll And since all parties like to talk a lot about exciting new things they’d spend money on and not half as much about the taxes they’d raise to pay for all that stuff, it doesn’t take a mathematical whizz to realise that if you take them all quite literally then you can impute some pretty big “black holes” in their plans. …
Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged a group of top defence officials at a Singapore security conference to attend the Swiss summit this month on ending the Russian war on Ukraine. Zelenskyy told the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum on Sunday that he was “disappointed” some world leaders had not yet confirmed attendance at the conference in about two weeks. The Ukrainian president did not specify any country by name, but the possible participation of China, Russia’s most important ally, has been seen as a key issue. The Chinese defence minister, Dong Jun, spoke earlier in the day at the Shangri-La conference but did not appear to be in the room when Zelenskyy made his appeal. Zelenskiy said on Sunday that he met with the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. “We discussed what’s key: the defence needs of our country, the strengthening of the Ukrainian air defence system, the F-16 coalition and the preparation of a bilateral security agreement.” A Russian missile strike on residences injured 13 people including eight children in …
As half-term drew to a close in England, families short on inspiration might have been grateful to learn of a new day out: on Friday, the Paddington Bear Experience opened its doors in London, promising a “unique and fun-filled interactive experience” spanning more than 2,400 sq metres (26,000 sq ft) and including themed rooms, character interactions – and marmalade sandwiches. But the experience comes at a cost: with weekend ticket prices of £49 for adults and £39 for children, a family of four can expect to pay £176 for the 70-minute event – and a lot more should they wish to peruse the books, games and toys available to buy in Mr Gruber’s antiques shop afterwards. The Paddington Bear Experience arrives at County Hall on the Southbank amid an apparent trend towards large-scale immersive “experiences” over traditional family days out, with far higher outlays attached. Visitors at the new Paddington Bear Experience on London’s South Bank. Photograph: Alex Brenner Also on offer in the same venue is Shrek’s Adventure! London, an immersive tour lasting 70 …
Michelle Roach bought a used ice-cream van in order to bring cheap, affordable food to Liverpool’s struggling communities. She wanted a vehicle with freezers built in for frozen food, and also something cheerful that was able to break down stigmas around food poverty. Using a ’10 items for £5′ model, Michelle sources discount food from supermarket surplus and donations. The Guardian’s Christopher Cherry follows Michelle and the van on its rounds, with the service struggling to meet overwhelming demand as the cost of living crisis deepens, and the UK’s general election fast approaches. Source link
Starting a business can take drive and determination, so it’s not surprising that the so-called “hustle” has become a buzzword among some entrepreneurs. The notion is characterised by hard work and a desire to succeed, with entrepreneurs often required to hustle for business. But while these are generally constructive traits, there can be a downside to hustle culture if they are taken too far. For example, when an “always on” work mentality leads to chronic overworking, and burning ambition turns into burnout. Those running a small- to medium-size enterprise (SME) – many of whom are pursuing their own passion – can find themselves susceptible to what Barclaycard Payments describes as “toxic hustle culture”. New research by Barclaycard Payments shows that more than one in 10 people running UK SMEs (13%) work between 50 and 70 hours a week, with 80% saying they have continued working when sick. A worrying 29% report that an employee has left due to burnout and stress. Add to that a 60% majority who say they almost always or often feel …
