Europe's central bank hikes interest rates again even as threat of recession grows
The European Central Bank has piled on a 10th straight interest rate increase
2023-09-14 20:19
Lazard's next CEO Peter Orszag plans to double revenue by 2030
By Lananh Nguyen NEW YORK Two weeks before Peter Orszag takes the helm as CEO of Lazard, he
2023-09-14 20:18
Deutsche Bank to hold crypto for institutional clients
By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON Deutsche Bank has partnered with Swiss crypto firm Taurus to provide custody services for
2023-09-14 20:15
Nigeria hit by widespread blackouts in 'total system collapse'
Power generation in Nigeria, a major oil and gas producer, fell to zero megawatts early on Thursday.
2023-09-14 19:57
World Bank Turkey head: more to do but economy on right path
The World Bank's Turkey director said on Thursday that the economy was heading in the right direction but
2023-09-14 19:54
Leave Rick Stein alone, Padstow penny pinchers – it’s totally reasonable to charge £2 for mayo and ketchup
First, they came for our energy bills. Now, they’re waging war on our beloved fish and chips. When will the tyranny end? Probably not any time soon and certainly not in Padstow, where Rick Stein has decided to add a £2 surcharge for extras like gravy, curry sauce and aioli at his fish and chippy. Apparently even celebrity can’t protect you from “food inflation, energy costs and rising wages”. Naturally, all hell broke loose among Padstow punters, who were outraged at the additional cost to their already £20 order. “I’ve always felt that there’s something of the night about him,” one decried. “Let’s boycott it,” exclaimed another. Let me add an unpopular opinion to the opprobrium. Back off, penny pinchers. Ketchup doesn’t come for free just because you decided to dine at Stein’s. It’s a product like any other, and it comes with a price. Why should Stein, or any other restaurant, have to pay it? As a restaurant critic, I’m aware that dinner is getting quite dear. But my advice for anyone complaining about prices is: have some perspective. My initial thoughts on hearing the news from Padstow were twofold. Firstly, if you don’t want to pay upwards of £20 for fish and chips, why don’t you just… go somewhere else? Stein’s is hardly the only joint in town. It’s also not the highest rated so if you are splashing the cash, splash it elsewhere. Secondly, what do people expect? Prices are going up in every aspect of our lives. Restauranteurs aren’t immune to that – they face exactly the same problems we do, if not more. The only thing alarming about the news is that even a brand as big as Rick Stein’s is struggling to survive. For a sachet of Heinz mayonnaise, sure, Stein should probably suck it up (though I imagine that, too, costs more these days). But is it so far-fetched to charge for condiments that are made in house, on the day, with quality ingredients, by trained chefs? Yes, Stein could just plonk it onto his already extortionate prices (£16.95 for cod and chips? You must be joking), but I imagine you might have a thing or two to say about that as well. At least he’s giving you the choice of paying for condiments at all. If you replicated the recipe at home, I’d be surprised if you could get the ingredients for under £2 in the supermarket. That perspective should extend to the impact our changing climate has had on fishing. We’re catching far fewer fish, which has driven up the price of a catch by 11 per cent in the last year. Politics also plays a role, where tariffs on Russia, which previously supplied 40 per cent of white fish in the UK, have forced fishermen to cast their nets elsewhere. The cost of vegetable oil has also gone up by 80p per litre. Given the fish and chip industry uses somewhere in the region 100,000 tons of the stuff, that’s an enormous cost for restaurants to shoulder. Even potatoes are heading upwards of £400 per ton due to increased fertiliser costs and the impact of last year’s hot summer. Then there’s the energy crisis – businesses don’t enjoy a price cap. You can see what I’m getting at. It’s a perfect storm. While arguments that a business as big as Stein’s should be able to absorb the costs somewhere in the empire are totally fair, the news reflects the struggle of all restaurants to reconcile spiralling costs with diner expectations. Earlier this year, Mandy Yin, owner of London laksa bar Sambal Shiok, responded to complaints from diners that prices were too high with a detailed breakdown of how much it costs to produce a single dish. From a portion of their £13 fried chicken, the business only makes 30p. This whole debacle also reminds me of a conversation I had recently with Charlie Bigham, a household name mainly for his boujie “ready meals” (he despises the term). When I asked him to justify why his fish pie now costs around £10 for two people, he gave me the usual spiel about rising costs etcetera, then asked: but why are we so obsessed with paying less and less for food? If we care about the quality of the produce, the impact on the environment and fair pay for the people that work in the industry, shouldn’t we be prepared to pay a bit more? For those lucky enough to be in the contingent that can afford fish and chips, £2 curry sauce might not be the hill to die on. Don’t get me wrong: I think it’s outrageous. But I don’t blame the restaurants. Next time you’re in Padstow, a little understanding, perspective and kindness would go a long way. Read More London’s best new restaurants: From Spanish-Welsh fusion at Mountain to British kitsch at 20 Berkeley The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?
2023-09-14 19:54
Leonardo Bonucci launches scathing attack on Juventus over 'humiliating' departure
Leonardo Bonucci has lashed out at Juventus over his departure from the club.
2023-09-14 19:52
China promotes economic ‘integration’ with Taiwan while militarily threatening the island
China is promoting new economic opportunities for Taiwanese people while at the same time ramping up military activity around the island it claims as its own
2023-09-14 19:51
Harry Maguire's mum lashes out at 'disgraceful' abuse of son
Harry Maguire's mother responds to ongoing criticism of her son, labelling the abuse as "disgraceful" and "unacceptable".
2023-09-14 19:48
Copy of Science news - live: 'Alien corpses' unveiled to Mexican Congress
It feels like this year, more than any other, we’re seeing a stream of science stories that continue to blow our minds. Every day is a school day online in 2023, and a host of studies, research papers and headline-making breakthroughs have completely changed our understanding of the world around us at every turn. There have been missions to the moon and findings about our planet which could turn everything we thought we knew on its head – not to mention baffling hearings on UFOs taking place in the US congress. These are the biggest science stories so far this year that have caught our attention in a big way. https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/ocean-beneath-earth-crust-ringwoodite-2665333030 Test Test Scientists discover continent that had been missing for 375 years Geoscientists discovered a continent that had been hiding in plain sight for almost 375 years. Historically, there's been speculation about whether a continent known as Zealandia or Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language exists. Read more here. 'Alien corpses' unveiled in Mexico divide conspiracy theorists Christmas has come early for UFO watchers, with the alleged corpses of real-life aliens displayed for the world to see. The startling revelation came during a congress hearing in Mexico City on Tuesday, titled the Public Assembly for the Regulation of Unidentified Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (UAP). During the session, which was streamed online, Mexican ufologist Jaime Maussan presented what he claimed were two perfectly preserved “non-human entities”. Read more here. Buy now , Massive ocean discovered beneath the Earth's crust containing more water than on the surface People are only just realising that there’s a massive ocean hidden under the Earth’s crust. It turns out there’s a huge supply of water 400 miles underground stored in rock known as 'ringwoodite'. Scientists previously discovered that water is stored inside mantle rock in a sponge-like state, which isn’t a liquid, solid or a gas, but instead a fourth state. Read more here. Buy now , Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
2023-09-14 19:48
Kim Jong-un’s chair was ‘greatest concern’ at Putin summit
Kim Jong Un’s security team scrupulously inspected his chair and wiped it down with disinfectant before he could sit at Putin’s summit. Video footage published by te Kommersant newspaper on Thursday showed a North Korean security official in white gloves attentively wiping down Kim’s black chair and spraying an unidentified substance. The North Korean sprayed and wiped down the seat, the hands, the legs and even the area around the chair as a Kremlin bodyguard looked on in a slightly bemused way. Another North Korean guard then gave some sort of order to the guard doing the disinfecting. The nature of the order was unclear. “The chair turned out to be the subject of the greatest concern of the North Korean side,” wrote Kommersant’s Kremlin correspondent, Andrei Kolesnikov. According to reports, Kim’s security team of 100 people were unhappy with the first chair provided and demanded another one, the Kommersant said.“ Then a North Korean employee wiped the chair intended for Kim Jong Un for several minutes without stopping, wearing white gloves: judging by the smell he disinfected it,” said Kommersant, one of Russia’s leading newspapers. Others have speculated the security team also carried out a vigrous check to ensure the chair could handle the North Korean’s weigh and that one guard used a metal detector to check the seat for booby traps and angerous devices. Putin and Kim discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and possible Russian help for North Korea’s satellite programme. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: UK Storm Shadow missiles used in attack on Putin’s Crimea fleet Russian pilot ‘believed he had permission to shoot down RAF spy plane’ Boris Johnson takes swipe at Rishi Sunak over ‘slow’ response to Ukraine weapons pleas
2023-09-14 19:29
Tyra Banks returns to modelling for Karen Millen
Tyra Banks is modelling again, this time for Karen Millen.
2023-09-14 19:27
