Day: January 12, 2017

    The new 12-sided £1 coin - billed as "the most secure coin in the world" - will enter circulation on 28 March. The Royal Mint has unveiled the new circulating coin designs for the year with a pioneering theme linking them. The 12-sided £1 coin was designed by David Pearce and features the flora of the four nations of the UK emerging from a coronet. Then there's the £2 Jane Austen coin to celebrate the Hampshire author, the First World War Aviation £2 coin remembering the Royal Flying Corps and the Sir Isaac Newton 50p coin. Dr Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said: “This is a particularly significant year in Royal Mint history as we welcome in the new 12-sided £1 coin, with its innovative security features.” What makes the new £1 coin so special? • Well, it...

    The pound's value has collapsed against the dollar. The pound has hit its lowest level against the dollar since the UK voted to leave the EU, amid a sudden strengthening of the US currency. Sterling dipped below its post-Brexit low of $1.2081, if the trading blip caused by a so-called 'flash crash' is omitted, as US President-elect Donald Trump prepared to give his first news conference since November's election. But it later recovered some poise back above $1.21 as the billionairetook questions from reporters in what proved to be a fiery occasion. It settled higher than $1.22, leaving it up against the greenback on the session opening. Sterling has had a horror show of a week losing ground at the start of trading on Monday following remarks by PM Theresa May on Sky News t...

    A cancer specialist at an Essex trust said they had never seen so many cancer operations cancelled. More than 20 hospitals in England have had to declare a black alert this week after becoming so overcrowded that they could no longer guarantee patient safety and provide their full range of normal services. Unprecedented numbers of patients requiring care has led to at least 23 hospital trusts declaring they cannot cope since Monday, inquiries by the Guardian have established. Struggling hospitals have been forced to take highly unusual steps in order to manage a surge in demand for care. They include cancelling cancer operations, treating adults in children’s wards and even closing a birthing centre to help cope with a sudden influx of patients who need to be admitted for ...