Andrew Ellson

Britain is going bananas for … bananas Sales have surged amid a craze for homemade smoothies, milkshakes and soups

Britain is going bananas for … bananas www.thetimes.com/uk/social-me...

Least romantic wedding list? Tesco offers tea bags and loo roll The supermarket is offering ‘bespoke’ packages for wedding guests and believes that couples increasingly prefer household essentials to fine china and furniture

Toilet roll, tea bags and toothpaste may not be high on many wedding lists but that has not stopped Tesco unveiling a new gift registry service offering newlyweds the chance to stock up on everyday essentials www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

Cats become Britain’s favourite pet as Gen Z copy Taylor Swift Young people prefer the pet choice of the stars and think dogs are too high-maintenance

There may be a new pope, a major trade deal and an interest rate cut but let’s be honest, this is the big story of the day!

“Cats beating dogs to become Britain’s favourite pet”

www.thetimes.com/article/50e5...

Friday’s @thetimes.com cartoon times.newsprints.co.uk/morten-morla...

How close did we come to financial collapse? After President Trump unveiled ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on foreign goods imported to the US, hedge fund sell-offs of US Treasury bonds threatened economic chaos

I’ve had a go at explaining what happened in the bond markets to force Donald Trump to pause his “reciprocal” tariffs

www.thetimes.com/article/73c1...

Developer’s retirement flats lose families thousands of pounds There have been widespread losses for families who bought retirement flats from a major developer — the majority of resold flats lost money in a decade

If you or your parents are thinking of buying a retirement property built by McCarthy Stone, please don’t

Why? Because nearly 60%of the flats it has built since 2010 that have resold have lost money, with an average loss of £41k

My investigation today
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
#leasehold

Britons brace for April rise in household bills From Tuesday families face increases to energy, water, council tax and broadband services as movers and EV drivers will also pay more in duties

Tomorrow is "belt tightening Tuesday" with a quadruple whammy of inflation-busting bill rises www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Car dealers push finance deals that cost drivers extra £1,780 Failure to shop around for the best loan rate means motorists pay £56 a month more, research into personal contract purchases shows

Hundreds of thousands of motorists are being overcharged every year as car dealers push finance deals that are cheaper elsewhere

www.thetimes.com/uk/transport...

I've come to the conclusion that ChatGPT is substantially superior for general search queries than Google and I would recommend others make the switch.

I suspect that Google's days dominating search are over...

Residents hate them … so why do officials keep making more LTNs? A review of 90 low-traffic neighbourhoods found locals opposed the scheme in 87 per cent of cases where polling was conducted. The majority went ahead anyway

A review of 90 low-traffic neighbourhoods found locals opposed the scheme in 87 per cent of cases where polling was conducted. The majority went ahead anyway

www.thetimes.com/uk/transport...

a tesla model x is driving down the road ALT: a tesla model x is driving down the road

I'm looking to speak to anyone who has been surprised / annoyed at how expensive it is to insure their electric car.

If that is you, or anyone you know, pls get in touch.
Thanks!

#journorequest #journorequests

The Bridget Jones effect: high demand for classic food and drink The Nineties revival has stretched beyond crop tops and baggy jeans, with Jones’s Chardonnay and leek and potato soup now feeling a boost in popularity

I managed to write an entire article about Bridget Jones without having ever watched any of the films 💪

www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...

Tuesday’s @thetimes.com cartoon times.newsprints.co.uk

Almost half of young people no longer drink alcohol Britons of all age groups are cutting back to improve their health — although ‘abstinence influencers’ seem to have less impact on the over-55s

Nearly half of young people and one in every three middle-aged Britons no longer drink alcohol as health concerns, the growing Muslim population and “abstinence influencers” change Britain’s relationship with booze

www.thetimes.com/article/2cce...

Has working from home harmed the UK economy? Office occupancy has hit a post-pandemic high as more companies try to end WFH and growing numbers of staff want to be back at their desks

Has working from home damaged the economy? I've had a look at the evidence.

Short answer: no

www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...

This has been the toughest day of reporting I've ever done, with so many grim details of these poor little girls' murders read out in court and the myriad ways their killer should have been stopped. The composure of the families in the face of it all was awe-inspiring.

I'm looking to speak to a business owner who allows staff to wfh at least some of the time and or a business owner who allows it but has introduced minimum office attendance rules or some other caveat

If that's you or anyone you know, pls get in touch
Thanks!
#journorequest #journorequests

Ticket resale price cap to stop music fans being ripped off The government plans to limit the mark-up on tickets sold on resale websites, following years of complaints from fans

Government to cap mark ups on concert and sports tickets sold on sites like Viagogo. Will this mean an end to touts???
www.thetimes.com/culture/musi...

Lowest graduate salaries ‘on a par with minimum wage’ The shrinking pay gap raises fears that university may be a waste of money for many students and could turn disaffected young people towards political extremes

Graduate salaries are lower today in real terms than in 2001 and are heading towards parity with the national minimum wage 😱

www.thetimes.com/uk/education...

Hello, I'm here you can copy me in. The suggestion that I'm in some way harming the health of the nation by highlighting how a Tory policy is creating unfairness, extra pollution and emissions, often for the most vulnerable, is, of course, risible

Tory-linked developer fined £236k over unfair leases on flats Platinum Skies received at least £15 million in subsidies to help build shared-ownership retirement flats

Following my investigation, a property developer with close links to the Tories has been fined nearly a quarter of a million pounds for imposing unfair leases

www.thetimes.com/article/ba35...

Please give generously if you can. You can donate here. Thank you! times.ctdonate.org

‘Our son’s suicide was a mystery. We want his death to save other lives’ Farah Sayeed and Rashid Iqbal were devastated by the loss of their son Omar at university last year. They hope his legacy will help other men talk about mental health

I interviewed Farah and Rashid who spoke about their shock at losing their 21 yr old to suicide

He was a high achiever with lots of friends and no history of mental health issues

It was for our Xmas Appeal, raising cash for James' Place, which helps men in crisis
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...

Lambeth council to dim street lights after £25m climate spending The deeply indebted London borough plans to cut energy costs ‘mostly in the middle of the night’

A London Council that has spent £25m on climate initiatives and active travel and pays more than 40 staff in excess of £100k a year is now planning to dim its street lights to help close a huge budget shortfall www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

a woman is holding a spoon over a cup of coffee ALT: a woman is holding a spoon over a cup of coffee

I'm working today and looking to speak to anyone who has encountered a shortage of Guinness or rationing of it while out drinking this weekend?

Or do you run a pub and are struggling with supplies? If that's you or anyone you know pls get in touch!

#journorequests #journorequestst

Price of coffee to skyrocket as weather hits global market Cost of arabica beans reached a near 50-year high this week while the price of robusta beans has also risen

The price of a cup of coffee has nearly doubled over the past five years... and there is more pain to come

www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

Taste for Christmas pudding is back after decade of decline The traditional dessert is seeing a revival, inspired by the popularity of Italian panettone

I've been writing about the important issues again:

Christmas pud bites back in its battle against panetonne for xmas supremacy

www.thetimes.com/life-style/f...

Tuesday’s @thetimes.com cartoon times.newsprints.co.uk/morten-morla...

Either my wife has bought some cool new power tool wrapping paper or I know what she’s getting me for Xmas !

Thank the Lordy! There is hope yet. I thought we were going the way of Geoff..