Author: Shanice Lee

McDonald’s hash browns have risen from approximately 89p in 2019 to as much as £1.99 at some UK restaurants, with delivery platform prices pushing the total cost of a single item beyond £4 once fees are applied. Just Eat lists hash browns at £2.39 before delivery and service charges are added, according to current pricing. The £1.99 charge applies to fewer than five per cent of McDonald’s UK branches, with most restaurants pricing the item between £1.59 and £1.69. However, the increase has prompted widespread criticism from customers who said the hash brown had long been considered one of the…

Former Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards has announced the birth of her second child, a daughter named Alanis Valentine, following a journey to motherhood marked by profound loss. The 32-year-old has previously spoken about suffering two miscarriages, including one at 24 weeks when doctors could no longer detect a heartbeat. Speaking on Paul C Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, Edwards recalled the moment she learned of the loss: “I remember sobbing. I couldn’t see straight. I was just distraught.” She described how her body had continued preparing for the baby despite the tragedy, with her milk coming in days…

Japan’s ruling coalition faces voters on February 8 holding a single-seat majority in the Lower House, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved parliament and called a snap election despite her term running until October 2028. The gamble comes as the Liberal Democratic Party confronts a newly unified opposition. On January 16, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan joined with Komeito — the LDP’s coalition partner for 26 years until recently — to form the Centrist Reform Alliance, which now controls 172 seats in the 456-seat chamber. Norihiro Yamaguchi, lead Japan economist at Oxford Economics, warned that without Komeito’s organisational support,…

The discount retailer Poundland has declared its period of widespread store closures complete, with the chain now operating from 651 locations following a restructuring programme that saw nearly 150 sites close and more than 2,000 jobs lost. The company, which narrowly avoided administration last year before securing High Court approval for a turnaround plan in August, previously ran approximately 800 shops. Staff numbers have reduced from 14,200 to around 12,000. Two of Poundland’s four distribution centres were also shut as part of the overhaul, including facilities in Darton, South Yorkshire, and Springvale in Bilston, West Midlands. The customer service centre…