UK news

HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver, who vowed to reform the scandal-hit bank, kept millions of dollars in a Swiss account, the Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday.

It is the latest in a stream of so-called "Swissleaks" allegations that have hit the reputation of the British banking giant and caused a political storm ahead of a general election in May.

The report claims the chief executive was a client of the Swiss private banking arm accused of helping wealthy clients evade tax.

Gulliver held about $7.6 million (6.7 million euros) in 2007 in a Swiss account in the name of Worcester Equities Inc, a Panama-registered company, according to the report.

Published: 23 February 2015

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It's Saturday night at a busy pub in north London, and the crowd is packed around the bar cheering and shouting at a large screen. It's not showing sport, but a video game.

There is no telltale sign on the grey front of the building, just its name "Meltdown" and the muffled bass of Bob Marley's "Get up, stand up" which makes the windows vibrate gently.

But inside this "e-sports" bar is a temple of competitive gaming.

Around a table crowded with pints of beer, young people are following a tournament of "League of Legends", one of the most popular online games.

"Go, go for it, come on!" shouts a young woman wearing black stockings, shorts and a striped top, her fingers typing quickly on her phone as she comments on the match on Twitter.

Here customers come to have a drink and watch a video game contest as others would a game of football or rugby.

The menu lists a selection of cocktails referencing the virtual world.

With its fruity blend of rum, lime, mango, raspberry and passion fruit, the "Shoryuken" takes its name from "Street Fighter", one of the most famous games in history.

Meltdown is the only one of its kind in Britain and is an offshoot of a chain of bars launched in France by gaming enthusiasts.

The first opened in Paris in 2012.

"I realised that there were many players who wanted to leave their homes, have a drink and party," said Sophia Metz, one of the founders.

"Six months later, we opened in Berlin, then in London. Today there are nine bars," she said, adding that the United States could be next.

"E-sports is still a niche market, but it's a market that's growing," said Metz, who views Meltdown as a video game "Starbucks".

Her guests also come to play games themselves.

Published: 23 February 2015

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The 2015 Running Awards in association with everydayhero has forged a unique partnership with Runner’s World, the UK’s biggest sports title, to create the definitive gala night recognising the very best in the running industry. The Awards take place at indigo at The O2 in London on Friday 24 April.

The nation’s runners are being encouraged to choose who they think should be crowned the industry’s best in two separate awards, the 2015 Running Awards in association with everydayhero and the Runner's World Personal Best Awards.

Vote for the 2015 Running Awards in association with everydayhero at http://therunningawards.com and choose a favourite from categories including shoes, races and retailers through to most exciting blogs and favourite charity.

In addition, voting for the Runner's World Personal Best Awards - www.runnersworld.co.uk - opens on 23 February. Vote for the running industry’s top performers across products, services and races.

Both awards and all associated voting are completely independent of each other.

Published: 18 February 2015

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London shares were higher in early trade on Friday in line with other European markets, boosted by firming commodity prices amid cautious optimism over a fresh Ukraine ceasefire and Greek debt talks in Brussels.

The benchmark FTSE 100 index was 49.80 points, or 0.72 percent, higher at 6,877.69 by 8:58 am.

Greece's new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras edged closer to securing a revamp of the country's huge bailout after making his case Thursday to sceptical EU leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Published: 15 February 2015

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London's flamboyant mayor Boris Johnson plans to renounce his US citizenship to prove his "commitment to Britain", the Sunday Times reported, although he denied suggestions he wanted to become prime minister during last week's visit to the US.

The mop-haired Johnson, who was born in New York in 1964, holds British and US passports.

He recently settled a capital gains tax bill sent by the US after he sold his house in north London, calling the demand "absolutely outrageous."

All US citizens have to pay tax to Washington, even if they live outside the country.

But Johnson told the newspaper that his intention to renounce his US passport was due to patriotic reasons, although admitted the process may not be straightforward.

He said his US passport was "an accident of birth" and that he had to "find a way of sorting it out" with US ambassador Matthew Barzun.

"The reason I'm thinking I probably will want to make a change is that my commitment is, and always has been, to Britain," he added.

"They (the Americans) don't make it easy for you."

Published: 15 February 2015

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Londoners will soon have the capacity to legitimately let their homes through sites, for example, Airbnb, on account of a revision to the capital's lodging enactment right now experiencing parliament.

There are as of now a large number of homes in the capital publicized for fleeting occasion lets, however in fact the practice is unlawful and occupants face fines of up to £20,000 for neglecting to secure arranging authorization before doing as such.

The choice to redesign the London-just law, declared on Monday, closes years of disarray over the practice. In a composed articulation, lodging priest Brandon Lewis condemned the current enactment for being "outdated" and "inconsistently enforced".

The move was adulated via Airbnb, who said the changes will help local people meet the typical cost for basic items in a standout amongst the most extravagant urban areas on the planet. As indicated by the site, which has facilitated more than 30 million visitors since it dispatched in 2008, numerous UK hosts work in the imaginative commercial enterprises and more than 40% are independently employed, independent or low maintenance laborers.

Published: 10 February 2015

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London shares fell on Monday amid ongoing wrangling over Greece's debts and as megabank HSBC dropped after reports it helped clients dodge taxes.

The benchmark FTSE 100 index shed 16.29 points or 0.24 percent to close at 6,837.15 points.

Greece was locked in intense talks with its EU partners after Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras stuck to his anti-austerity guns with the deadline for a deal needed to avoid the risk of default just days away.

"European equities are trading sharply lower... as a speech by Tsipras over the weekend is putting pressure on stocks," said analyst Markus Huber at brokerage Peregrine and Black.

"Tsipras clearly indicated that he won’t be going back on any of his election campaign promises regarding reversing austerity measures.

"With an emergency meeting concerning the situation in Greece by the eurozone only two days away, chances appear rather slim for a compromise, which heightens the risk of a possible Greek default and exit out of the euro in just a few months from now," Huber said.

HSBC dropped 1.64 percent to 610.60 pence in the wake of the unveiling online of a "SwissLeaks" cache of secret files.

The documents published at the weekend allege HSBC's Swiss division helped clients in more than 200 countries evade taxes on accounts containing $119 billion (104 billion euros).

Published: 10 February 2015

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On a quiet street lined with 18th-century Georgian houses behind Westminster Abbey, Garry Usher winds the mechanical clock on the gas street lamp and gives the glass globe a polish.

He steps down off his ladder and looks up with satisfaction as the soft, warm light lifts the dark winter evening, and moves on down the street.

Despite nationwide budget cuts that have reduced local services and seen street lights dimmed to save money, 1,500 gas lamps in London are still maintained by hand.

They are the last of tens of thousands of lamps that were first introduced in the capital 200 years ago, a marvel of modern technology that brought life to the once dark and dangerous streets.

While many London residents are oblivious to their presence, the lamps are protected by local authorities as a piece of history -- and new ones are even being installed.

"They're lovely. It's a fantastic form of lighting, not as harsh as electric," Usher told AFP as he went on his rounds.

The 50-year-old, an engineer with the British Gas energy firm, used to maintain central heating but began working on the lamps because it gave him Saturdays off to play rugby.

Now he leads a team involving four other "lamplighters" who maintain the lamps, half of which still have mechanical clocks that need re-winding every 14 days.

The others run on electrical timers which need their batteries changed every six months, while the various parts also need checking regularly.

"You're touching history everywhere you go -- it's a privileged job," Usher said.

Burning sewer smells

Gas lamps became common across Europe in the mid-19th century. Before that, walking the streets at night was a dangerous business.

In London, you could pay a "link boy" a farthing to guide your way with a candle, but there was always a risk he might rob you blind.

Initial reaction to the first demonstration of gas lights in 1807 -- the first on any street in the world -- was mixed, not least because the early gas lines could be dangerous and there was the odd explosion.

But when King George IV ordered their widespread introduction in 1814, they quickly caught on.

Some lamps had a dual purpose of lighting the streets and clearing the smells from London's underground sewers.

The Webb Sewer lamp drew up gases from the sewers down below and burnt it off. One such functioning lamp still exists, next to the Savoy Hotel near the River Thames.

Published: 06 February 2015

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Almost four years after being banished from the Paris fashion world, Dior's former star designer John Galliano is making his comeback on Monday with his first haute couture show in London.

The 54-year-old, widely regarded as one of the most brilliant fashion minds of his generation, was sacked by Dior in March 2011 after being filmed delivering a drunken anti-Semitic tirade in a Paris bar.

He has kept a low profile since then and some say they will never forgive him for his offensive remarks, but Maison Martin Margiela gave him a second chance by appointing him creative director in October.

The announcement that his first show would take place in London, the city where he trained and made his name, was seen in some circles as a snub to Paris, the home of haute couture.

The collection was subsequently dropped from the Paris couture calendar at the end of January, although it will be shown by appointment.

But there is feverish excitement to see what the designer known for his theatrical flair has come up with in his first collection with a fashion house known for its avant-garde minimalism.

"It will be interesting to see if Mr. Galliano's time away from the industry has incited a creative evolution, and whether he has tried to adapt his aesthetic to that of the brand he now represents," wrote Vanessa Friedman, fashion journalist at the New York Times, in a blog last week.

"Hopefully the answer to both questions will be yes; otherwise, he risks the whiff of irrelevance."

Maison Margiela said the choice of London, where the show takes place at 1630 GMT in a modern building in the centre of the capital, reflected both his personal links and the city's traditional tailoring history and heritage.

Galliano was born in the British territory of Gibraltar but was raised in London and studied in the capital before heading to Paris to join Givenchy and then Dior -- and the British fashion pack has already welcomed him back.

In December, Galliano appeared on stage at the British Fashion Awards to present the Outstanding Achievement Award to "my friend", US Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who wore one of his new creations for Maison Margiela.

Galliano was viewed as the driving force behind the huge success of Dior during nearly 15 years at the fashion house.

But his glittering career imploded after he was captured in a mobile phone video hurling abuse at people in a bar in Paris's historic Jewish quarter.

He was found guilty in September 2011 of making anti-Semitic insults in public -- an offence under French law -- although he was spared jail and was instead fined.

He apologised and blamed his outbursts on alcohol and drugs, and underwent rehabilitation treatment.

Since then, Galliano had been almost entirely absent from fashion, apart from a three-week designer-in-residence role at Oscar de la Renta's workshop in New York in 2013.

Galliano's excommunication ended last year following a decision by Renzo Rosso, president of the OTB group that owns Maison Margiela, to bring him on board.

Published: 06 February 2015

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The widow of a casualty of the 7/7 bombings in London has been imprisoned for a long time and eight months in the wake of conceding she stole £43,000 from her child's recompense – in the wake of having burned through £250,000 she could call her own.

Louise Gray, 42, had spent the £250,000 granted to her in recompense on autos, garments and going on extravagance occasions before she turned to her child Adam's trust and stole a great many pounds from him between July 2012 and November 2013.

Her late spouse, Richard Gray, 41, a bookkeeper, was one of the 52 individuals slaughtered in the 2005 assaults, and had been going to chip away at the London Underground Circle Line prepare that had been focused by suicide plane Shehzad Tanweer. Adam was matured 11 at the time.

Published: 19 January 2015

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