Author: News Desk

Londoner does the impossible and actually gets his stolen bike back | UK News A Londoner managed to do the (nearly) impossible and retrieve his stolen bike – but the suspect’s mum didn’t seem surprised when police turned up at her door. When Alasdair Bayman’s bike was stolen from the communal hallway of his block of flats in Dalston, east London, he was shocked to find it up for sale on online marketplace Gumtree the very next day. Alasdair, 28, had resigned himself to buying his own bike back from the thief – but less than 48 hours later with…

I moved to London from New Zealand — the UK’s obsession with Quality Street baffles me If you’d told me six months ago that Quality Street was a UK fan favourite, an institution no Christmas is complete without, I’d have shrugged and said: ‘Yeah, nah, mate.’ You see, on the other side of the world, all the way past Australia, somewhere before Antarctica (and usually left off the map completely) a little place called New Zealand has shunned your festive favourites. In a country of just five million, the Nestle treat predominantly lives at The Warehouse, which Kiwis will know is…

Man in his 60s arrested over theft of 950 wheels of cheese from Neal’s Yard | UK News A man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing more 900 wheels of cheese from a dairy shop in London. Detectives investigating the theft of 22 tonnes of cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy have arrested a 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods. Neal’s Yard Dairy said it delivered more than 950 wheels of it to the fraudsters, who claimed they were a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer. It was only afterwards they realised…

The adventurer’s paradise perfect for exploring the UK’s hidden islands This is the story of a holiday that I’m sure will nourish my spirit for years to come. When the bleak days of winter close in I shall sit in front of a log fire and ponder on a rich list of spellbinding moments. The memories are from a long-distance motorhome trek to Na h-Eileanan Siar, the Gaelic name for the Western Isles, or Outer Hebrides. These are a beguiling, fascinating, string of islands which act as a rocky last British bastion before the restless Atlantic and its wild winds…

Voting closes in contest to lead UK Conservative Party as it seeks to rebound from defeat Voting closed Thursday in the months-long contest to lead Britain’s Conservative Party after its crushing election defeat, with the result due to be announced on Saturday. Tens of thousands of members of the right-of-center party were eligible to vote in the runoff between lawmakers Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick. In a race that has lasted more than three months, Conservative lawmakers reduced the field from six candidates in a series of votes before putting the final two to the wider party membership. Both candidates…

Don’t be shocked if Robert Jenrick beats Kemi Badenoch in the Tory leadership contest The bookmakers and many observers have almost given up on the Tory leadership final as a contest, with Kemi Badenoch now the firm favourite to replace Rishi Sunak. But history shows that Tory leadership elections are often far from predictable – whether it is in the early rounds where MPs wittle down the contenders to two, or the final run-off, where party members have their say. Ms Badenoch’s rival, Robert Jenrick, only made it to the final because of some clever tactics in persuading MPs to…

Prolific Gloucester shoplifter banned from wearing wigs in stores after attempts to disguise herself A serial shoplifter has been prohibited from wearing wigs to get around a ban which stopped her from entering stores in Gloucester city centre. Hannah Roberts, 33, had been forbidden from going into shops that were part of Gloucester’s City Safe Scheme following a spate of thefts. A court heard she repeatedly ignored the sanction and tried to get around it by wearing a variety of hairpieces, but her distinctive throat tattoo still gave her away. When challenged by staff or security officers, she reportedly became…

Mohamed al-Fayed: Full timeline of allegations, from the shop floor of Harrods to Fulham Football Club The “horrifying” scale of the allegations against Mohamed al-Fayed is becoming clearer, as a team of lawyers investigating claims of rape and sexual assault by the late Harrods and Fulham FC boss revealed they have now been approached by hundreds of people allegedly impacted by his abuse. The team called Justice for Harrods Survivors said on Thursday its lawyers have been contacted by at least 421 people, including witnesses and survivors. Many of them have come forward since the airing of a BBC documentary…

Oxford student who wanted to be Britain’s youngest PM drowned after jumping into River Thames An Oxford University student drowned after jumping into the River Thames while celebrating the end of his exams, an inquest has heard. Wesley Akum-Ojong was in his first year of studying politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) at Brasenose College when he went missing after leaping into the water from a bridge at the Port Meadow beauty spot. The 19-year-old had been “trashed” – a university tradition in which students who have finished their exams have confetti and shaving foam thrown on them – before making…

Rachel Reeves’ value for money tsar to be paid £950 a day The government’s new value for money tsar will be paid a day rate of £950, the equivalent of a £247,000 annual salary. David Goldstone, who will take up the position of chairman of the new Office for Value for Money, will effectively be on a higher pro-rata salary than the prime minister. Rachel Reeves announced during her Budget speech that Mr Goldstone was being appointed to “help us realise the benefits from every pound of public spending”. A statement from the Treasury later confirmed he will advise the…