'Britain's bouncing back to wealth'

Britain's economy bounced back spectacularly yesterday with shares soaring and the pound on a 10-month high against the dollar. And as banks reported huge profits even the beleaguered manufacturing industry was rallying - Daily Express​

A man has been arrested following an alleged armed robbery in Derby. A member of staff at the Blue Peter pub in Shardlow Road, Alvaston, reported they were threatened with a handgun on Monday morning and cash was taken - BBC​

The Gunn Inn, Hyde, has became the first public house in Britain to accept a parcel on behalf of a local who knew they would not be home when the postie knocked. The Use Your Local scheme is the brainchild of Stuart Mills, a former manager of the brewery giant Scottish & Newcastle. Pubs sign up for a small fee and locals get to use the service free, meaning no more queuing at the sorting office while someone searches for that priceless tat you bought off eBay - The Independent ​

British pubs group Marston's said on Tuesday its trading performance had improved since April despite wet weather in recent weeks, boosted by a sharp rise in food sales. The company, which has over 2,200 pubs, said like-for-like sales at its managed pubs increased 2.3 percent in the six weeks to Aug 1, benefiting from a 6 percent rise in food trade, which now represent 38 percent of total sales - Reuters ​

The pound and leading shares yesterday hit their highest levels since October last year. Brighter economic data and a rally in financial stocks helped the FTSE 100 index close up 74 at 4,682.46. Sterling rose as high as 1.6965 against the US dollar - The Mirror​

Smoking in middle age increases the risk of developing dementia by nearly three-quarters, a study claims. It found that smokers aged between 46 and 70 were 70 per cent more likely to suffer from Alzheimer's in later life compared to those who had never smoked - Daily Mail​