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| London: the everything capital of the world | London: the everything capital of the world |
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| This week London has been called the libel capital of the world, and the divorce capital of the world. Previously, just a few months before last summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games, the notoriously picky users of TripAdvisor named it the best city in the world to visit, ahead of New York and Rome. London has also been crowned, variously, the fashion capital of the world, the shopping capital of the world, and the food capital of the world. It's a lot of caps to be wearing. What else is London the capital of? And are these titles justified? | This week London has been called the libel capital of the world, and the divorce capital of the world. Previously, just a few months before last summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games, the notoriously picky users of TripAdvisor named it the best city in the world to visit, ahead of New York and Rome. London has also been crowned, variously, the fashion capital of the world, the shopping capital of the world, and the food capital of the world. It's a lot of caps to be wearing. What else is London the capital of? And are these titles justified? |
| Divorce capital of the world | Divorce capital of the world |
| London could never beat Vegas for weddings, but by jingo, it can do divorce. Its divorce courts display a pleasing (for one party at least) sympathy for the less well-off spouse. Phil Collins' ex Orianne Cevey received a £25m settlement in 2008, and Heather Mills secured £24.3m that same year. As the London mayor (almost) said in 2012: "Come, all ye injured spouses, bring your wealthy other halves to the cleaners!" | London could never beat Vegas for weddings, but by jingo, it can do divorce. Its divorce courts display a pleasing (for one party at least) sympathy for the less well-off spouse. Phil Collins' ex Orianne Cevey received a £25m settlement in 2008, and Heather Mills secured £24.3m that same year. As the London mayor (almost) said in 2012: "Come, all ye injured spouses, bring your wealthy other halves to the cleaners!" |
| Libel capital of the world | Libel capital of the world |
| British libel laws are 170 years old. A defamation bill has been chugging away for three years, but now is in jeopardy, having become entangled in the debate about press regulation. The international wealthy love British courts, which, when it comes to libel, seem to be "skewed in favour of the plaintiff", as Richard Dawkins once put it. (Boris Berezovsky, Jennifer Lopez and Kate Hudson have all brought cases here). In 2010, Barack Obama introduced a law in America to protect US citizens from British courts. | British libel laws are 170 years old. A defamation bill has been chugging away for three years, but now is in jeopardy, having become entangled in the debate about press regulation. The international wealthy love British courts, which, when it comes to libel, seem to be "skewed in favour of the plaintiff", as Richard Dawkins once put it. (Boris Berezovsky, Jennifer Lopez and Kate Hudson have all brought cases here). In 2010, Barack Obama introduced a law in America to protect US citizens from British courts. |
| Food capital of the world | Food capital of the world |
| Joel Robuchon called London "very possibly the gastronomic capital of the world". London has it all, from authentic pie and mash to cutting-edge Michelin-starred magic to the de rigueur no-reservation food trucks and restaurants (imported from New York and made snootier here). True, there's always a Macedonian-Danish chef trying out a new ennui-and-sea-kelp dish, snapping at London's heels, but the British capital has diversity, it has hipsters who photograph food. It has chicken shops. | Joel Robuchon called London "very possibly the gastronomic capital of the world". London has it all, from authentic pie and mash to cutting-edge Michelin-starred magic to the de rigueur no-reservation food trucks and restaurants (imported from New York and made snootier here). True, there's always a Macedonian-Danish chef trying out a new ennui-and-sea-kelp dish, snapping at London's heels, but the British capital has diversity, it has hipsters who photograph food. It has chicken shops. |
| Banking capital of the world | Banking capital of the world |
| For the past few years, the British people have been living under the threat that if the government chases the capital's bankers away – say, by capping their bonuses – London will fall, losing its crown as one of the world's financial capitals. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) says job cuts and falling bonuses would allow New York and Hong Kong take over – but would they, and would that be a bad thing? Perhaps a liberated London could become a different capital. World capital of moderate remuneration, say. | For the past few years, the British people have been living under the threat that if the government chases the capital's bankers away – say, by capping their bonuses – London will fall, losing its crown as one of the world's financial capitals. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) says job cuts and falling bonuses would allow New York and Hong Kong take over – but would they, and would that be a bad thing? Perhaps a liberated London could become a different capital. World capital of moderate remuneration, say. |
| Breakfast capital of the world | Breakfast capital of the world |
| Last month the Evening Standard claimed that London was the breakfast capital of the world. This, after all, is the land of the full English breakfast. And as long as pigs still taste delicious when cooked and chickens still lay eggs, it will remain so. This. Is. London. | Last month the Evening Standard claimed that London was the breakfast capital of the world. This, after all, is the land of the full English breakfast. And as long as pigs still taste delicious when cooked and chickens still lay eggs, it will remain so. This. Is. London. |
| Luxury homes capital of the world | Luxury homes capital of the world |
| Really, London has been called this too. A recent report by Christies International compares 10 of the world's top property markets and ranks them across key metrics such as record sales price, prices per square foot, and so on. London came out ahead of Hong Kong, Cote d'Azur, LA. But perhaps you only needed to look at the Shard to guess that. Look at it, and kneel before Sauron. | Really, London has been called this too. A recent report by Christies International compares 10 of the world's top property markets and ranks them across key metrics such as record sales price, prices per square foot, and so on. London came out ahead of Hong Kong, Cote d'Azur, LA. But perhaps you only needed to look at the Shard to guess that. Look at it, and kneel before Sauron. |
| Money-laundering capital of the world | Money-laundering capital of the world |
| Admittedly, it's not entirely flattering, but a #1 is a #1, right? For more than a decade there have been stories about how London is one of the world's money-laundering capitals. Last year Private Eye published a major investigation into the dirty money washing through British banks and tax havens. On the positive side, if the bankers get chased away (see above), perhaps this one would get sorted out too? | Admittedly, it's not entirely flattering, but a #1 is a #1, right? For more than a decade there have been stories about how London is one of the world's money-laundering capitals. Last year Private Eye published a major investigation into the dirty money washing through British banks and tax havens. On the positive side, if the bankers get chased away (see above), perhaps this one would get sorted out too? |
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