Latest news with #DavidSmith
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Cargo ships told to carry more guns when sailing past Iran
Oil tankers sailing past Iran have been told by London insurers to carry more guns and ammunition and employ more security staff. Ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime choke point between Dubai and Iran, are facing far higher insurance costs to cover the risk of navigating the waterway amid simmering tensions between Iran, the US and Israel. As part of 'war risk insurance' some underwriters are stipulating that vessels carry a certain quantity of ammunition alongside armed guards. Others are offering discounts based on the level of security on a vessel. David Smith, of broker McGill and Partners, said: 'We have seen war insurance for specific regions where they offer discounted premiums when armed guards are on board, and in certain circumstances, insurers even stipulate the minimum quantity of ammunition supplied to those armed guards and the number of armed guards – in order to fight off a potential boarding.' The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's largest shipping routes for oil and gas supertankers, with around 20pc of global oil supply travelling through the waterway. Risks in the region have mounted in the past few months, with Houthi rebels in Yemen threatening ships sailing into the Red Sea, which sits on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula. Impact on London insurance London's insurers were left on the hook for a $40m (£30m) loss last month after the Magic Seas cargo ship vessel was blown up by Houthi militants using drones and rocket-propelled grenades in the Red Sea. Two crew members were killed. The Strait of Hormuz, which is 1,000 miles overland from the Red Sea, is largely protected from Houthi missile attacks. The risks in the Strait come from Iranian authorities impounding ships, blocking the waterway, as well as naval mines or missile strikes from Iran. In a recent bulletin, the joint war committee of the Lloyd's Market Association, an insurance marketplace, warned that 'ship owners have reported a heightened level of harassment when transiting' the Strait as tensions in the Middle East escalate. 'If you're trying to get war risk insurance in the Strait of Hormuz, it's going up dramatically. You can get coverage, but it's a lot more expensive than a year ago. It's available selectively – some coverage is being written and some isn't. If someone needs it, we could handle it', said Steve McGill, a veteran insurer who founded McGill and Partners in 2019. Some ships, particularly those that have recently docked in Israel or carry certain targeted flags, are even struggling to buy insurance altogether because of the risk of being attacked. Marine war risk insurance is one of the biggest types of policy classes written at Lloyd's of London, the UK's insurance market. Insurers such as Beazley, Navium Marine and Travelers are the big names in the market. Mr McGill said the ability of London's insurance market to deal with complex issues like the Strait of Hormuz showed it was the 'jewel in the crown' of Britain's financial services industry. 'London's insurance market is a phenomenal example of Britain at its best. It's an extraordinary marketplace, and it's a great success story. It's still the best in the world', he said.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was overeating and depressed about my 25 stone weight until one small change turned my life around - now I'm 10 stone lighter and becoming a personal trainer
A man who was overeating to deal with being bullied and depressed has revealed how he dropped a more than 10 stone with one unlikely lifestyle change. David Smith, from Hinckley, Leicestershire, tipped the scales at 25 stone at his heaviest and made many attempts to lose weight but nothing proved effective. Before 2012, the 49-year-old was maintaining a regular gym routine, on fat-loss pills, using slimming shakes and going on extreme diets but the weight was not shifting. David was feeling hopeless until a friend gave him some unexpected advice - that he should eat more to fuel his body. He admitted he was 'cynical' when he started upping his calorie intake, recording what he ate in a food diary as well as hitting the gym and walking 10,000 steps a day. Much to his surprise, he managed to lose almost 10lbs in the space of a month - a win that motivated David to keep eating right and continue exercising. David stuck to his new diet and exercise regimen and over two years got down to a slender 14 stone 7lbs - which he has managed to maintain until today. He is even starting his own personal training business and hopes to help people like him. 'Being overweight is not a problem that can be fixed overnight or be solved with quick fixes. The process is long and slow but trust in that process,' he told Femail. David's weight woes started when he was in school when he said he 'stopped eating properly' for over 20 years. He said was being relentlessly bullied at school and his home town before his mother had to leave her job as a dinner lady because of a rumour started by the family of one of his harassers. 'As a result, I started comfort eating and my weight ballooned to 25 stone. 'Many of the bullies, as well as numerous doctors, nurses, managers, kept parroting the same old mantra that I needed to move more and eat less,' David recalled. 'When I was 25-stone, complete strangers would come up to me in the street and bully and abuse and harass me simply for being fat. 'I would hide away because I was ashamed of myself. 'I tried many different methods to lose weight including Slimfast, keeping a food diary on paper and Orlistat - a fat-blocking pill from the doctor. None of these worked.' In 2005, David started hitting the gym and managed to maintain a fitness routine for seven years but his weight never shifted. 'By the end of November 2012, I was seriously depressed and contemplating suicide as I was still massively overweight,' he said. 'One night I was chatting to a friend on Facebook. This friend was going to the gym and Zumba classes and the weight was falling off her. 'I asked her what it was that she was doing right that I was doing wrong. She asked if I was eating enough. I replied that I was trying to lose weight and eating less.' The friend suggested to David that he might be eating too little and recommended adding more calories to his diet as well as keeping a food diary. 'I started the diary on the 1st of December 2012 in a very cynical frame of mind. I thought that Slimfast, the previous food diary and Orlistat hadn't worked and keeping a food diary on the internet was not going to work either,' he said. Reluctantly, David started inputting everything he was eating into MyFitnessPal which suggested he had not been eating enough. The information gave David the wake-up call he needed, so he set a new, higher calorie limit that allowed him to eat more with the goal of losing one pound per week. 'I also learned to properly calibrate the exercise equipment at the gym I was using so it showed the correct amount of calories I was burning - I hadn't done this before so was burning more calories than I thought,' he added. Even throughout the festive season, David stuck to his new routine until January 2013 when he first weighed himself. 'I was still convinced that the internet food diary was not working. However, when I weighed myself the scales told me that I had lost 10lbs since I'd started the food diary,' he said. 'It was an amazing moment because I'd finally found a method that worked.' David said he initially found it challenging to up his intake because he had been conditioned into thinking eating as little as possible would result in weighing less. 'Once I broke that cycle and started eating a proper diet and stopped listening to bullies who knew nothing about diet and nutrition, that was when I lost weight because my body was no longer in starvation mode - it was using the food as fuel,' he said. Looking back, David said he noticed he would drop a few kilos after special occasions when he would allow himself to indulge. 'When I wasn't eating enough, I would lose weight on holiday such as Christmas or Easter or around my birthday because I would think 'go on treat yourself' so I would eat more,' he said. 'Not necessarily healthy food but food nonetheless and my body would start burning the calories rather than storing them. 'Once the holiday was over, I would go back to not eating enough because I was guilt-tripping about the food I had eaten and was thinking that I had put weight on when I hadn't.' After two years of learning to fuel his body with food combined with a varied exercise routine, David dropped down to 14 stone 7lbs and has been able to maintain his figure and healthy habits ever since. He hits the gym five times a week and spends half an hour on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the cross trainer on top of weight training. Outside the gym, he makes sure to get in 10,000 steps a day. On an average day, David would have porridge with protein powder for breakfast and a lunch of cheese on toast. For dinner, he has chicken or fish with potatoes and salad or mixed vegetables and has no qualms about snacking on cake, biscuits and chocolate occasionally. The gym junkie also enjoys treating himself to a meal at the pub and doesn't let the extra calories worry him. 'On a day like that I will do 50 minutes on the treadmill and 50 minutes on cross trainer and weight training,' he said adding: 'Enjoy your food and don't feel guilty about eating it.' For others trying to adopt healthier habits, David recommends putting a good playlist together to make gym sessions more enjoyable. 'Make sure you calibrate the cardio machines at the gym with your correct weight, that way they'll correctly show the number of calories you are burning,' he suggested. He is now setting himself up as a freelance personal trainer in Nuneaton under the name David Smith Fitness Training. David hopes he can help people like him who struggle to lose weight and stay healthy.
Belfast Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Former Paralympian and world boccia champion Claire Taggart announces retirement
The 30-year-old, who was named an MBE in the 2024 New Years Honours list, won gold at the 2022 World Championships in Rio de Janiero, the crowning moment of a remarkable career. Taggart, who competes in the BC2 category, competed in her first Paralympics in Rio in 2021 and would go on to feature in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 as well, both in the individual and team sections. As part of a three-person team with David Smith and Reegan Stevenson the Larne woman secured gold at the 2019 European Championships and a silver in the individual competition before her career really took off in 2022. After winning two gold medals at the World Cup in Portugal, she would go on to be crowned world champion on her return to Rio later that year. Away from competing, Taggart works as a stationer for her day job and also serves as a disability officer for Larne Football Club.
Scotsman
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
'Impeccable Highland restaurant with rooms named best in Scotland by AA Guide
The Dipping Lugger in Ullapool, Ross-shire, has been awarded AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year Scotland at the AA B&B Awards 2025. This accolade adds to an already impressive list of honours for the Ullapool-based restaurant with rooms. It currently holds the AA's Five-Star Gold Restaurant with Rooms Award, three AA Red Rosettes for Culinary Excellence, an AA Breakfast Award, and a Notable Wine List Award. Further recognition includes a White Star Award from the Star Wine Awards, Restaurant of the Year (Fine Dining) at the Scottish Licensed Trade News Awards 2025, and Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Excellence Awards 2025. The Dipping Lugger was also named Regional Winner in the Highlands & Islands Best Eating Experience category at the Scottish Thistle Awards. Picture: The Dipping Lugger Head chef David Smith was listed in the Good Food Guide earlier this year and has earned a place in the Michelin Guide for three consecutive years, one of only 10 restaurants in the Highlands to achieve this. Originally built in 1798, this whitewashed, double-fronted Georgian former manse overlooks the shores of Loch Broom. In 2018, co-owners Robert Hicks and Helen Chalmers purchased the property and began their journey to create a 'standout' restaurant with rooms. The Dipping Lugger officially opened its doors in October 2021, quickly establishing itself as a destination for fine dining and luxurious stays. The property features three beautifully appointed guest bedrooms, a guest lounge, and an 18-cover fine dining restaurant. The dining space is stylishly adorned with Morris & Co. wallpaper, complemented by Robert and Helen's eclectic collection of music concert posters, a nod to their background in live music promotion across Scotland. The guest rooms: MacInnes (named for the former owners), Melville (after the original house developer), and Telford (honouring Thomas Telford's partial rebuild in 1829), are each designed with luxury and relaxation in mind. Rooms feature large beds, refurbished fireplaces, fireside chairs, antique lamps, and luxurious wall coverings. Ensuite bathrooms include walk-in showers and deep bathtubs, offering a tranquil retreat after a day exploring the Highlands. In the kitchen, head chef David Smith creates seasonal tasting menus inspired by global influences, celebrating the region's best produce. Dishes feature scallops freshly landed from Loch Broom by local fisherman Gary Lewis, beef from Strathkaniard Croft, and locally sourced game from Keanchulish Lodge, just three miles away. Commenting on their latest accolade, co-owner Robert Hicks said: ''To be presented with the AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year Scotland award is incredible. 'It's something we've all worked extremely hard for since we opened in 2021. We may be small, but we're perfectly formed, and this award reflects exactly what we're about. 'It gives us even more drive to keep pushing forward while ensuring every guest who stays or dines with us has the best possible experience.'' The AA inspectors and judging panel of the 2025 AA B&B Awards remarked: ''The Dipping Lugger overlooks Loch Broom in Ullapool. 'This 18th-century former manse has been transformed into a wonderful restaurant with rooms offering the highest levels of service as well as hospitality backed up with a stunning dining experience. 'The property takes its name from a sailing boat, and much of the design has a nautical theme. Luxurious bedrooms cater well for the modern guest while the open log fires and the drawing room reflect the character of the property and its heritage. Local provenance is used to good effect in the restaurant.'' Other Scottish winners at the AA B&B Awards were The Colintraive, Isle of Bute, which was named AA Inn of the Year for Scotland; The Townhouse in Perth, which won AA Bed and Breakfast of the Year for Scotland; Roskhill House in Dunvegan, which won Best Breakfast of the Year and Broad Bay House on the Isle of Lewis, which was named the Friendliest B&B of the Year. All AA-rated places are featured on their website.
Scotsman
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
'Impeccable Highland restaurant with rooms named best in Scotland by AA Guide
The Dipping Lugger in Ullapool, Ross-shire, has been awarded AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year Scotland at the AA B&B Awards 2025. This accolade adds to an already impressive list of honours for the Ullapool-based restaurant with rooms. It currently holds the AA's Five-Star Gold Restaurant with Rooms Award, three AA Red Rosettes for Culinary Excellence, an AA Breakfast Award, and a Notable Wine List Award. Further recognition includes a White Star Award from the Star Wine Awards, Restaurant of the Year (Fine Dining) at the Scottish Licensed Trade News Awards 2025, and Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Excellence Awards 2025. The Dipping Lugger was also named Regional Winner in the Highlands & Islands Best Eating Experience category at the Scottish Thistle Awards. Picture: The Dipping Lugger Head chef David Smith was listed in the Good Food Guide earlier this year and has earned a place in the Michelin Guide for three consecutive years, one of only 10 restaurants in the Highlands to achieve this. Originally built in 1798, this whitewashed, double-fronted Georgian former manse overlooks the shores of Loch Broom. In 2018, co-owners Robert Hicks and Helen Chalmers purchased the property and began their journey to create a 'standout' restaurant with rooms. The Dipping Lugger officially opened its doors in October 2021, quickly establishing itself as a destination for fine dining and luxurious stays. The property features three beautifully appointed guest bedrooms, a guest lounge, and an 18-cover fine dining restaurant. The dining space is stylishly adorned with Morris & Co. wallpaper, complemented by Robert and Helen's eclectic collection of music concert posters, a nod to their background in live music promotion across Scotland. The guest rooms: MacInnes (named for the former owners), Melville (after the original house developer), and Telford (honouring Thomas Telford's partial rebuild in 1829), are each designed with luxury and relaxation in mind. Rooms feature large beds, refurbished fireplaces, fireside chairs, antique lamps, and luxurious wall coverings. Ensuite bathrooms include walk-in showers and deep bathtubs, offering a tranquil retreat after a day exploring the Highlands. In the kitchen, head chef David Smith creates seasonal tasting menus inspired by global influences, celebrating the region's best produce. Dishes feature scallops freshly landed from Loch Broom by local fisherman Gary Lewis, beef from Strathkaniard Croft, and locally sourced game from Keanchulish Lodge, just three miles away. Commenting on their latest accolade, co-owner Robert Hicks said: ''To be presented with the AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year Scotland award is incredible. 'It's something we've all worked extremely hard for since we opened in 2021. We may be small, but we're perfectly formed, and this award reflects exactly what we're about. 'It gives us even more drive to keep pushing forward while ensuring every guest who stays or dines with us has the best possible experience.'' The AA inspectors and judging panel of the 2025 AA B&B Awards remarked: ''The Dipping Lugger overlooks Loch Broom in Ullapool. 'This 18th-century former manse has been transformed into a wonderful restaurant with rooms offering the highest levels of service as well as hospitality backed up with a stunning dining experience. 'The property takes its name from a sailing boat, and much of the design has a nautical theme. Luxurious bedrooms cater well for the modern guest while the open log fires and the drawing room reflect the character of the property and its heritage. Local provenance is used to good effect in the restaurant.'' Other Scottish winners at the AA B&B Awards were The Colintraive, Isle of Bute, which was named AA Inn of the Year for Scotland; The Townhouse in Perth, which won AA Bed and Breakfast of the Year for Scotland; Roskhill House in Dunvegan, which won Best Breakfast of the Year and Broad Bay House on the Isle of Lewis, which was named the Friendliest B&B of the Year. All AA-rated places are featured on their website.
