Business owners have hit out at developers of a new skyscraper which they blame for starting fires and causing damage by reflecting the sun’s rays.
The half-finished 37-storey tower at 20 Fenchurch Street in central London has been dubbed the “Walkie Scorchie” due to its distinctive shape and apparent ability to bounce heat from the sun on to buildings in the next street.
Angry business owners in Eastcheap say the £200 million project has blistered paintwork, caused tiles to smash and singed fabric.
A motorist has also said the intense heat melted part of his Jaguar.
Northwest dog bite hotspot
One in every six hospital admissions for dog bites or attacks occurs in the northwest of England, according to new figures.
While the overall number of hospital admissions relating to injuries from dogs has fallen, the northwest accounted for 17.4 per cent of all admissions for dog bites or attacks in the 12 months to May, the equivalent of 1,099 incidents.
The data, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), show there were 6,334 hospital admissions overall for dog bites or attacks in England, a fall of 1.9 per cent on the previous year.
Campus that no one wants
It is big, beautiful and free, but a 217-acre former prep school campus in the northern hills of Massachusetts has also proved tough to give away.
Last year an extensive effort to donate the Northfield campus by the billionaire family that owned it collapsed when the recipient unexpectedly backed out.
Its current owner, the National Christian Foundation, says it has narrowed its search to five potential recipients. It says the top two or three candidates could be announced within a month and definitely will be by Christmas.
Unsure what is good or bad?
DC Comics, home of superheroes like Batman and Superman, has a new magazine series with the unlikely role of lead saviour taken by former evil genius Lex Luthor.
Writer Geoff Johns said evil was relative and the crossover will turn “inside out” the nature of DC’s long-standing characters, both good and bad.
Johns, who is also the publisher’s chief creative officer, says the first issue of the seven-issue mini-series takes the idea of good and evil and mixes it up in a way that will leave readers unsure what is right or wrong.
No more lavish Chinese meals
China’s high-end restaurants have gone into crisis under leader Xi Jinping’s campaign to crack down on the kinds of party extravagances that have angered ordinary Chinese, such as dining on the public purse.
To stem big losses and avoid the now-tarnished image of VIP banquet halls, these restaurants have been busy reinventing themselves as “ordinary” venues.
New party rules since the beginning of this year curb spending on food and drink, and Mr Xi has set the example by having a work meal of four simple dishes and one soup.