Fewer rats

Published 30 September 2015 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The number of children living in care homes in Wales has fallen, according to Welsh government figures. The government said the figures were down to more children being adopted from care and programmes such as Flying Start keeping families together. The figures showed 5,617 children in Wales were in care in March 2015, 128 (or 2.2%) fewer than the previous year. Between April 2014 and March 2015, 383 children were adopted from care, up by 38 - 11% - on the previous year. Health and Social Services Minister, Mark Drakeford said he was "encouraged" by the figures. "I believe we take too many children into the care of local authorities," he said. "We need to do more to repair families where we can instead of rescuing children and putting them into care. "I'm also delighted to see the number of … [Read more...] about Fewer children in care and adoption on the rise figures show

T he pound is facing an “existential crisis” and is likely to weaken further during this year, one of Wall Street’s top banks has warned. Bank of America says sterling “finds itself in an increasingly invidious position” for reasons including “increasingly challenging” Bank of England communication. Kamal Sharma, a London-based foreign exchange strategist for the lender, said the outlook for the pound was “grim”. The warnings came as the price of oil breached $120 (£95) a barrel on Monday, hitting a two-month high amid tightness in the market and concern over supplies. Oil prices have risen amid tight supply driven by the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as increased demand as more economies return from Covid-related restrictions. China announced easing of its restrictions, while the European Union worked on a plan to ban imports of Russian crude. The pound has fallen about 6.6pc this year in dollar terms, leaving it as one of the worst performers among the … [Read more...] about Pound faces ‘existential crisis’, Bank of America warns

Shanghai is scrambling to avert an economic disaster with an attempt to reboot the battered city in June after two months of brutal lockdowns to preserve China's zero-Covid strategy. The authorities are ramping up spending on physical infrastructure and construction, as well as encouraging banks to lend more money to businesses and promoting the return of international trade as they seek to kick-start the country’s biggest port. The vital commercial city of more than 25m people has been hammered by the Communist regime’s latest attempts to completely suppress Covid in the face of the extremely transmissible omicron variant of coronavirus. Taxes on car sales are being cut, after an entire month in which not a single vehicle was sold in the city owing to the intensity of the lockdowns. More shops and factories will be allowed to open, residents are tentatively being allowed to leave their homes with less frequent tests, and online deliveries are being encouraged to promote … [Read more...] about Shanghai scrambles to avoid zero-Covid economic catastrophe

There are fewer pubs in England and Wales than ever before, according to analysis that sheds light on the ruinous impact of the coronavirus pandemic and soaring business costs. The total number of pubs dropped below 40,000 during the first half of 2022, a loss of more than 7,000 since a decade ago. Pubs that have disappeared from communities have been demolished or converted into other buildings like homes and offices, the research from real estate advisers Altus Group says. The hospitality sector has faced immense challenges in recent years as it recovered from the pandemic, which saw national lockdowns causing closures and reduced demand. Recommended Over £130m handed to housing providers named and shamed by regulator But the researchers suggest that while pubs managed to battle through Covid-19, they are now facing a fresh challenge thanks to record-high inflation and an energy crisis. Altus Group’s UK president Robert Hayton said: “Whilst … [Read more...] about Pubs in England and Wales drop below 40,000 for first time on record

Travel chaos: UK 'worst affected' says Simon Calder Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info O’Leary warned passengers that Ryanair flight prices are set to soar for the next five years. He also blamed Brexit for current staffing issues in the aviation industry. Related articles Never miss a travel update again with our email briefing, sign up here 'Portugal calling' Brits thrilled as country drops all Covid entry rul “It’s (flying) got too cheap for what it is. I find it absurd every time I fly to Stansted, the train journey into central London is more expensive than the air fare," O’Leary told the Financial Times. The budget … [Read more...] about Ryanair boss warns flight prices are set to soar as he slams Brexit as a ‘disaster’

Outgoing UK National Lottery operator Camelot has revealed falling sales because players have 'tightened their belts' amid the cost of living crisis. Camelot, which recently launched legal action against the Gambling Commission after losing the National Lottery licence to a rival, saw sales drop by 3% - a loss of £283.2 million. The company made £8.1 billion in the last year up to March 31. Camelot blamed the fall in sales on a 7% drop in sales of National Lottery instant win games - down by £240 million to £3.4 billion. The group also blamed the end of Covid restrictions, which it said meant there was 'greater competition for people's attention and spend.' It added that 'growing economic uncertainty' and rising costs held back sales, while scratch card sales remained below pre-pandemic levels. Joe Thwaite, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 46, from Gloucestershire, won a £184 million EuroMillions jackpot in May. National Lottery operator Camelot said fewer rollover jackpots … [Read more...] about National Lottery ticket sales drop by £283million as players tighten their belts in cost-of-living crisis, Camelot announces

In two years, Disney could lose the exclusive rights to Mickey Mouse. The original version of Mickey Mouse appeared in 1928; at the time U.S. copyright law protected Walt Disney’s iconic character for 56 years, but Disney later pushed for the Copyright Act of 1976, extended protections to 75 years. Then in 1998, Disney lobbied for an extension that expanded their rights to 95 years. “The most recent extension came through the Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998, known to many as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act because of Disney’s heavy lobbying in support of the bill,” The Los Angeles Times noted, adding: From 1987 to 1990 — around the time the legislation was being voted on — the Disney Political Action Committee donated $146,519 to federal candidates, while Disney employees gave $474,083 to candidates, plus an additional $133,382 to political parties and other PACs, according to a 1991 analysis by The Times . “You can use the Mickey Mouse character as it was … [Read more...] about Disney Could Lose Exclusive Rights To Mickey Mouse By 2024 | The Daily Wire

By Toby Luckhurst Published 25 June Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Russia-Ukraine war At a house outside the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Natasha shows us two cars riddled with shrapnel holes. She and her family drove them all the way to safety in Georgia from their devastated hometown of Mariupol in Ukraine - a dangerous route that took them right through Russia itself. "A fragmentation bomb," she says, gesturing to the damaged vehicles. "A drone was flying around dropping them." Most Ukrainian refugees head west to escape the Russian advance, aiming for Ukrainian-held lands or the safety of the EU. But others have done the unthinkable and headed towards the invaders. Natasha and her family are among hundreds who have driven into Russia and then onto a third country - risking arrest at border crossings and dozens of checkpoints by passing into … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Families risking all to escape through Russia to Georgia

By Rebecca Wearn Published 6 June Share close Share page Copy link About sharing People hoping to find a property to rent are going to ever greater lengths to secure a home. As well as having to put up more cash in advance, they're offering landlords CVs for their children and photos of their well-behaved dogs. That's because a shortage of available homes is pushing up monthly rents, deposits and leading to bidding wars. Industry body Propertymark says the number of rentals on the books of lettings agencies has fallen sharply. Propertymark surveyed over 440 letting agency businesses, spread across 4,000 branches UK-wide and found that on average, letting agents have seen the number of available rentals on their books halve, from over 30 to just 15. One is agent Adam Kingswood, who says he's never known the market behave like this in two decades in the business. "We … [Read more...] about Shortage of homes to rent leads to tenant bidding wars

Labour shortages on British farms have left tonnes of food unpicked, costing millions of pounds and pushing food inflation as high as 20% at the farm gate, the agriculture industry has told Sky News. Farmers say this year's harvest has been hit by a shortfall in the overall number of seasonal worker visas granted by the Home Office, delays in processing those visas and a collapse in the number of Ukrainian workers coming to the UK after the Russian invasion. Last year more than 60% of workers on seasonal visas were from Ukraine and 8% from Russia. That number has greatly reduced as adult Ukrainian men are unable to leave the country. Sky News has also spoken to Russians who say their visa applications have been cancelled without explanation by recruitment agencies, despite there being no explicit ban on Russians working in the UK. As a consequence of the labour squeeze individual farmers have already left crops worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in the ground, and … [Read more...] about Food costs soaring as farms are crushed by visa shortfall