Category Archives: Life

Here’s How Much Your Food Bill Has Gone Up (Again)

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The price of your average grocery bill has increased again – this time to a new high of 12.4% just ahead of Christmas.

The price of food has been one of the primary drivers of the cost of living crisis, along with the soaring energy bills.

Now, new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows that food inflation has increased from 11.6% last month to 12.4% for November – a new record since the stats started being collected back in 2005.

The current rate of food inflation is 7.4% higher than this time last year, too.

The BRC-Nielsen IQ Shop Price Index has also revealed that fresh food has climbed in price by the largest amount – last month, it was 13.3% inflation, now it is at 14.3%.

Eggs, dairy and meat have been some of the largest drivers of the increase in cost. Coffee prices have climbed too, due to high input costs.

The BRC also predicted that winter will look “increasingly bleak as pressures on prices continue unabated”, even though the Bank of England has predicted that they may start to fall again in 2023.

Food inflation is one of the primary drivers of the cost of living crisis

mathisworks via Getty Images

Food inflation is one of the primary drivers of the cost of living crisis

According to PA news agency, Mike Watkins, the head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ said: “WIth prices still rising, the cost of Christmas will be higher this year and shoppers will be managing their budgets more closely than at any time since the start of the cost of living crisis.

“Retailers are now responding by offering seasonal savings and price cuts and will be hopeful of an uptick in shopper spend as we move into December.”

This news comes as the UK is now in recession – according to chancellor Jeremy Hunt – while Europe’s energy crisis continues to hang over the general public as temperatures drop this winter.

The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, also warned in August that people were going to see an “apocalyptic” rise in prices.

According to market research company Kantar, the average household was already facing a £643 climb in their annual grocery bill to £5,625 if they were to carry on buying the same items last month.

These new stats show food inflation is actually higher than the average inflation rate right now, as this stands at 11.1%.

The chair of Marks & Spencer, Archie Norman, said back in May that one of the reasons food prices are rising so much is because of the supply chain issues and surging energy costs triggered by the Ukraine war.

“What’s happening is global prices are rising, it’s not to do with UK food so much as the effect of freight costs, wheat prices, oil and energy prices knocking onto almost everything,” Norman explained.

“As a consequence, all food retailers in the UK are – because we operate on very thin margins – going to have to reluctantly allow some food price inflation to run through the system.”

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Kate Middleton Dazzles In Sparkling Tiara For Charles’ First State Banquet As King

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Kate Middleton donned a dazzling tiara at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday for a very special occasion: King Charles’ first state banquet as monarch.

The banquet was held on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa’s state visit, which also marks the first state visit for Charles as sovereign. The trip was originally scheduled prior to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September at age 96.

The Princess of Wales wore the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara with earrings that once belonged to Princess Diana, as identified by Lauren Kiehna, the writer and editor behind The Court Jeweller.

Kiehna also identified that Kate paired the tiara with an equally stunning dress ― with bejeweled shoulders, no less ― from one of her favourite go-to designers, Jenny Packham.

Prince William dressed in white tie for the glamorous occasion.

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for the president of South Africa on Nov. 22 in London, England.

Chris Jackson via Getty Images

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for the president of South Africa on Nov. 22 in London, England.
A closer look at Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Chris Jackson via Getty Images

A closer look at Catherine, Princess of Wales.
President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort during the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Chris Jackson via Getty Images

President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort during the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Earlier in the day, the Prince and Princess of Wales greeted Ramaphosa at the Corinthia Hotel to kick off his two-day visit.

From there, the group traveled to Horse Guards Parade for a welcome ceremony, where they met Charles and Camilla before undertaking more engagements.

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, King Charles III, Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend the Ceremonial Welcome at Horse Guards Parade on Nov. 22 in London.

Max Mumby/Indigo via Getty Images

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, King Charles III, Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend the Ceremonial Welcome at Horse Guards Parade on Nov. 22 in London.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will soon undertake a visit of their own, as the two are making a trip across the pond next week to Boston, Massachusetts, for William’s second annual Earthshot Prize award ceremony.

“In 2022, we’re back and bringing Earthshot to the USA, where we’ll award the next five winners of the prize,” the duke said in a video back in July announcing the visit. “And we will be doing it right here in Boston.”

Hannah Jones, CEO of the Earthshot Prize, previously spoke with HuffPost in September about the significance of holding the award show in Boston.

“It’s the 60th anniversary, as you know, of the ‘Moonshot,’” Jones told HuffPost at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City. “And that was really a great source of inspiration to Prince William when he founded the Earthshot Prize, which was to try to inspire what President Kennedy inspired in the American people.”

Jones said that she hopes that this year’s award show “gives everybody inspiration and it rekindles that American mindset of turning the seemingly impossible possible.”

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Camilla’s Queen Consort Cypher Is Revealed (Here’s What That Means)

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The Queen Consort’s new cypher has been revealed. And if you’re wondering what that means, it’s a monogram used to show Camilla’s official position.

The cypher will be used by the Queen Consort on personal letterheads, cards and gifts, as well as on the cross that she’ll lay at the Field of Remembrance on Thursday November 10.

The design incorporates the Queen Consort’s initial, ‘C’ for Camilla, and ‘R’ for Regina, – Latin for Queen. It sits alongside a representation of the Crown.

The cypher was selected personally by Camilla from a series of designs and will now become her personal property.

The Queen Consort’s official cypher.

Buckingham Palace

The Queen Consort’s official cypher.

The cypher was designed by Professor Ewan Clayton, a calligrapher on the Faculty and Academic Board of The Royal Drawing School, in collaboration with Timothy Noad, Herald Painter and Scrivener at The College of Arms.

Though you’ll catch the odd glimpse of the Queen Consort’s cypher, you’ll see the King’s official symbol far more frequently.

King Charles unveiled his chosen design in September and like Camilla’s, it includes the C for his first name and the letter R for Rex, the Latin name for King.

King Charles III's new cypher

Buckingham Palace via PA

King Charles III’s new cypher

In between these two letters is the Roman numeral for three (III) indicating that he is the third monarch in British history to be known as Charles, so it reads Charles Rex III.

Charles’ cypher will appear on government buildings, traditional police helmets, state documents and any post boxes built after his reign began.

It’s a slow process to make these changes, however, so you’re unlikely to see much of the two new cyphers ahead of Charles’ official coronation in May.

For now, you’ll continue to see the cypher of the late Queen Elizabeth II in many places across the country.

The official design, prepared at the College of Arms and approved by the Queen, for the Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.

PA Images via Getty Images

The official design, prepared at the College of Arms and approved by the Queen, for the Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Your Least Favourite Celebration Has Been Ditched From Some Boxes This Christmas

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Every Christmas, the same sad chocolates rattle around the almost-empty selection tub as people race to scoff their favourites before anyone else can (shout out Malteaser Teasers).

Now, in a bid to stop its most unloved miniature chocolate going to waste, Mars has announced a major change to its Celebrations boxes and tubs, reports BirminghamLive.

Shoppers at Tesco’s pop-up Christmas markets will now be able to buy limited edition ‘No Bounty’ boxes of the iconic chocolates. According to a survey, the coconut filled chocolate was the least popular in a box of Celebrations with over half (52%) admitting to picking it last – and 32% admitting to throwing them away.

Now, the special Bounty-free boxes will instead come stocked with miniature versions of: Snickers, Mars, Twix, Galaxy, Galaxy Caramel, Milky Way and Malteasers Teasers.

Celebrations senior brand manager Emily Owen said: “Last year, we gave customers the opportunity to return their unwanted Bounty chocolates. Now, off the back of public demand, we’re trialling taking them out of the tub altogether.

“You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. And to those loyal – and secret – Bounty lovers out there, there’s still a chance they’ll make a return after the trial.”

Shoppers can get their hands on a tub in November and December at 40 participating Tesco Christmas Markets.

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Ministry Of Justice Ad Banned For ‘Reinforcing Negative Stereotypes About Black Men’

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The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has had one of its adverts banned, for being likely to cause “serious offence” by “reinforcing negative stereotypes about Black men”.

The ad for the MoJ’s Prison Jobs scheme, which ran this summer, featured an image of a white prison officer talking to a Black inmate, with superimposed text stating: “Become a prison officer. One career, many roles.”

A caption accompanying the image read: “We’re key workers, problem solvers, life changers. Join us to perform a vital role at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.”

A reader complained that the ad perpetuated negative ethnic stereotypes and was likely to cause serious offence.

The MoJ said the photographs used in the ad campaign featured real officers and prisoners, arguing that it did not therefore “portray” a Black man as a criminal but rather depicted a real person who had been convicted of an offence.

It said it was not therefore an inaccurate or unfair representation of the type of engagement that might have been seen between officers and prisoners.

The now-banned MoJ advert.
The now-banned MoJ advert.

The MoJ said the image formed “one small part” of the overall campaign – accounting for less than 5% of its spending on the ads – “which used a wide variety of images and showed officers of different ethnicities, interacting with each other”.

It added that none of the other images used in the Facebook part of the campaign showed white officers alongside ethnic minority prisoners.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) noted all this, but pointed out that viewers would be likely to see the advert in isolation on Facebook.

The ASA said: “The ad made reference to prison officers being ‘problem solvers’ and ‘life changers’, and we considered it drew a link between the officer depicted and those attributes. On the other hand, the Black prisoner was depicted as a criminal, without those positive attributes.

“We considered the ad did not suggest that all Black men were criminals or were more likely to be so than any other ethnic group.

“However, it showed an imbalanced power dynamic, with a smiling white prison officer, described as a ‘life changer’, and a Black, institutionalised prisoner.

“We considered the ad’s focus on the positive qualities of the white prison officer and negative casting of the Black prisoner was likely to be seen as perpetuating a negative racial stereotype.

“We concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious offence on the grounds of race by reinforcing negative stereotypes about Black men.”

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told the Ministry of Justice to ensure they avoided causing serious offence on the grounds of race.”

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Hey Duggee’s Got A Super Catchy ‘Welcome Song’ For Ukrainian Refugees

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Ah-woof! Or should we say, ah-welcome! Duggee and The Squirrels have taught the nation’s children many valuable lessons over the years. But their latest episode, which drops on November 2, is perhaps their most important yet.

In news that will delight kids everywhere (and parents who have watched all four seasons back-to-back, multiple times), the award-winning BBC CBeebies series has launched a brand new episode welcoming new characters from Ukraine.

The Squirrels are joined by new faces, as well as Ukrainian-known characters Mavka and Swampy, who Ukrainian children will recognise from animated feature film Mavka. The Forest Song.

To welcome their new friends, Betty, Norrie, Roly, Tag and Happy sing an incredibly catchy ‘Welcome Song’ complete with translations of Ukrainian phrases and words.

And yes, you will be whistling this song for the rest of the day.

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The ‘Welcome Badge’ episode sees Duggee and The Squirrels waiting for some new friends to arrive. The show’s narrator, Alexander Armstrong, explains they come from a country called Ukraine.

The new arrivals speak a different language from Duggee and his friends, so to help them settle in, Duggee, The Squirrels and Hummingbirds burst into song.

‘The Welcome Song’ is complete with translations of Ukrainian phrases to help the new arrivals feel at home – and to give children here some phrases to use for a nice big welcome.

There’s also lots of waving, something everyone understands. And, of course, a big old Duggee hug.

The show’s producers say the aim of the episode is to improve the real experiences of Ukrainian children coming to the UK, in the hope they feel even more welcome.

It’s also educating British kids to learn their language and encourage them to be warm and kind.

The usual cast are joined by children from the UK, as well as those who have recently arrived from Ukraine, who all sing the words of the song in their native language.

All episodes of Hey Duggee are available on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

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