How expensive is London?
How expensive is London? LONDON has slipped to 20th most expensive city in the world, falling from 2ND spot in 2007. Prices on 26 goods including milk, mobiles and Big Macs were compared. Norway’s Oslo is the most expensive, followed by Copenhagen in Denmark and Sao Paulo in Brazil. Paris is No 4 and New York No 30. London’s fall is due to price cuts and the Pound’s collapse, said PriceRunner.co.uk. which compiled the poll. UK ‘to fall out of top ten economies within five years BRITAIN could drop out of the worlds top ten economies by 2015 a hard hitting report warned last week. The Centre for Economics and Business Research says Britain has slipped to seventh in the league table, this year behind America, China, Japan, Germany, France and Italy. It goes on to warn that Britain could be overtaken by Russia, Brazil, India and Canada by 2015. The findings are a blow to Gordon Brown as Britain was rated the fourth largest economy in the world as recently as 2005. Mr. Douglas McWilliams, Chief Executive of the CEBR said, “Australia could also catch and overtake the British economy by 2020”. He went on to warn that Britain could lose its influence on the global stage if its economy slips further down the leagues. The report says Perhaps the area where this will be most noticeable, will be on the diplomatic front. PM Gordon Grown has top brain. PM GORDON BROWN was named among the top 100 global thinkers by an influential US magazine. He was ranked 74th in Foreign Policy for his ‘leadership during the financial crisis’, however, six other Brits were higher. Barack Obama was second on the list, topped by chairman of the US Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke for “staving off a new Great Depression. Britain scores low for cancer survival BRITON has some of the worst cancer survival rates among the world’s 13 richest nations a survey revealed last month. The UK has the second lowest five-year bowel cancer survival rate and came fifth from last for breast cancer survival rates after five years, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said. Mobile phones have been given a clean bill of health after new in-depth research was published last month. Experts found no increase in brain tumour rates during the years when the mobile phone caught on and became the must have gadgets they are today. The Danish Cancer Society study was based on data for the 16 million adults in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the 30 years to 2003. The aim was to discover whether the mobile phone boom during the 1990’s could be linked to any statistical increase in brain tumours. Professor Malcolm Sperrin, Director of Medical Physics at Royal Berkshire Hospital said “If there is a link between mobile phones and tumours then it is very, very difficult to find.” Marriage is good for you MARRIAGE is good for you; it can reduce the risk of depression and slash anxiety, say scientists. Most people said they felt happier when married, according to the study of 34,493 people in 15 countries. However, separation and divorce were shown to undo the benefits and lead women to abuse drugs and alcohol and men to become depressed. Kate Scott the Clinical Psychologist from New Zealand’s University of Otago, who led the findings, helped to explain the link between mental health, marriage and divorce. She said “What makes this investigation unique and more robust, is the sample study is so large, and across so many countries”. She said the study found that getting married was good for the mental health of both men and women, confounding previous claims that men do not benefit. However, if depression did strike during marriage, it was more likely to happen to women, probably because of the pressure they felt to run a household, cook and clean. The study was published in the British journal Psychological Medicine. Beating the winter chills BRITS feeling the heat of rising power bills are turning to old-fashioned ways of beating winter chills, including hot water bottles. Sales of the humble bed warmer are up by 27 per cent compared to last year at supermarket Tesco, and bosses expect to sell 115,000 bottles at £5 a time by the end of January 2010. The supermarket giant has also seen a massive 126 per cent increase in sales of electric blankets and a 225 per cent rise in thick bed covers and duvets. The world’ favourite landmarks BIG BEN doesn’t even get a mention in a new Top 10 of the world’s favourite landmarks. In fact not one British attraction made the list, not even the London Eye, St. Paul’Cathedral or Tower Bridge. Even Britons failed to choose one of our landmarks in the survey of 10,000 travellers on the Hotel.com. website. In first place was the Eiffel Tower in Paris, chosen by 16 per cent followed by St. Peter’s Basillica in Rome on nine per cent, while eight per cent voted for the Taj Mahal in India Three American icons, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Empire State Building together with the Statue of Liberty in New York took the next three positions on seven per cent. Website spokesman Alison Couper said, “The pull of these landmarks is so strong people travel specially to see them.” Cycling in Britain is dangerous CYCLING is much more hazardous than car travel with June the most dangerous month, the British Medical Journal said last month, For every 100 injuries a year to car occupants there were 68 cyclists and pedestrians injured, however 40 times more car journeys were made, A University of Surrey study of hospital admissions between 1999 and 2004 found 10,000 more injuries to pedestrians and cyclists in the summer; June was the worst month for adults on bikes. A warning to motorists MOTORISTS could be banned after just one glass of wine or a pint of beer under a review of drink driving laws. Transport Secretary, Lord Adonis, asked legal expert, Sir Peter North, to advice on a shake up of the current system, which could bring Britain in line with much of Europe. Drink driving led to 430 deaths in the UK last year, and 100,000 motorists fail or refuse tests each year. The legal limit is 80mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, or about one and a half pints of average strength beer for the average man. Drivers over this limit face an automatic 12-month ban. Drink a Glass of Red Wine or Champagne A DAILY glass of red wine helps fight tooth decay as it contains chemical that stop bad bacteria sticking to enamel say scientist at Italy’s Pavia University. A glass of champagne it good for your heart. British academics have found that champagne is packed with polyphenol plant chemicals, thought to widen the blood vessels, easing the strain on your heart and brain. And researchers believe the health benefits aren’t limited to the expensive stuff, but are also found in cheaper alternatives such as cava and prosecco. The Reading University study builds on earlier finding that two glasses of red wine a day help keep heart circulatory problems at bay. Researcher, Dr. Jeremy Spencer said “The question was would champagne have the same impact as red wine or would it have the limited impact of white wine? He showed that champagne had a far bigger impact on nitric oxide levels than a polyphenol free “dummy drink” of alcohol mixed with carbonated water’ Sceptics about Global Warning NEARLY half of Brits do not believe mankind is causing global warming, say a poll. Some 46 per cent quizzed by ICM said there were no proof of human responsibility. And around seven per cent were not convinced it was happening at all. Just 23 per cent said global warming was the most important problem man faced, while 17 per cent did not think it was serious. Britain is to get its own space agency LORD DRAYSON, the science minister said “We will take over from the British National Space Centre and aim to put Britain in a better position to negotiate international space deals, as well as boost jobs and growth. Scientists say that the present joint funding by six government departments, two research councils, and the Met Office, hinders long-term planning. The sector supports 68,000 jobs. The agency is about making sure the UK fully exploits its competitive advantage in satellites and robotics Lord Drayson told the Appleton Space Conference in Didcot, Oxforshire, Goodbye to your Cheque Book CHEQUE books could be signed to history after a meeting of finance chiefs. Industry experts say 2018 is the most likely date to axe the use of cheques. In 1990 Britons write 11 million cheques a day. This year the figure will be closer to 4 million and in eight year’s time it is likely to have dwindles to 1.1 million a day. Most high street stores have already stopped accepting cheques, and the Payments Council, which represents industry, will soon discuss how to phase out cheques completely, however, more than 100 MPs oppose the move. Liberal leader, Mark Hunter, said “It’s scandalous that banks, bailed out by the taxpayer, are now planning to cause their customers massive inconvenience by scrapping the cheque. A spokesman for consumer group WHICH? Said “Prematurely getting rid of cheques will make life very difficult to many of the most vulnerable, including the elderly, those housebound and those who don’t have access to internet. Many small businesses also oppose the plan.
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How expensive is London?
