Calais migrant crisis: Manston Airfield will be “temporarily used” to relieve pressure on M20 during Operation Stack August 4, 2015 The department of transport has announced Manston Airfield will be temporarily used to “provide additional capacity” for cross-Channel freight when Operation Stack is in place. The disused airfield in Kent will be used as an emergency lorry park, holding freight in the short-term to reduce pressure on the M20 during Operation Stack, the department of [...]
City plays down living wage cost fears but hospitality industry could struggle July 9, 2015 Analysts predicted yesterday that UK retailers would largely dodge the effects of the new national living wage but warned the leisure and hospitality industry would face tough times. In a surprise move on Wednesday George Osborne announced a new minimum wage of £7.20 per hour from April next year for workers over the age of [...]
EU refugee crisis: Prime Minister David Cameron signals U-turn as he promises Britain will fulfil its “moral responsibilities” amid growing pressure to accept more refugees September 3, 2015 Did David Cameron just signal a U-turn on his stance over the escalating refugee crisis? On the back of growing criticism the UK's Prime Minister said this afternoon that the country would fulfil its “moral responsibilities”. Cameron said “as a father I felt deeply moved” by the pictures of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year old Syrian [...]
The five biggest announcements from Apple’s September 2015 event September 16, 2015 Last week’s Apple media event saw the company unveiling what it repeatedly called the “most advanced iPhone we’ve ever made”, just in case anybody suspected they might take the radical step of announcing a less advanced phone. Nope, instead of regressing, Apple instead marched boldly into a shimmering, rose gold future with two more iPhones, [...]
MBA courses: Study at home or away? September 10, 2015 In a climate where “global” is the norm, choosing where to study an MBA can be difficult. Gone are the days when high flyers looking for distinction and a salary hike hopped across the pond. Indeed, QS Top MBA research has found that, despite the UK and US remaining the most popular destinations worldwide, MBA [...]
British people want a technology revolution in the NHS – we need to make sure they get what they’re asking for August 10, 2015 The NHS looks after a population of over 64 million across the UK, dealing with more than a million patients every 36 hours. The service it offers has to remain first-rate despite severe cost cutting, placing immense pressure on those responsible for maintaining standards. There is no doubt that technology can play a significant [...]
London house prices: There’s a bold solution to the housing crisis – if councils get out of the way August 6, 2015 Tessa Jowell is the latest mayoral candidate to pledge to build more homes to tackle London’s housing crisis, promising at least 50,000 new properties would be built each year under her watch. The government has also outlined plans for 200,000 new starter homes to be constructed, many also earmarked for the capital. But history tells [...]
Why the NHS needs old-age reserves to mitigate galloping healthcare costs August 3, 2015 Do you remember the time when healthcare professionals used to argue that the NHS was adequately funded, and that further injections of money were not needed? Me neither, because there never was such a time. The NHS has always been “underfunded”, and the solution to its woes has always been just a few billion pounds [...]
New iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, Apple TV, Apple Watch: Four things you need to know about Apple’s launch September 10, 2015 An iPhone, an iPad, a TV streaming box and a sprinkling of new smartwatch designs – is there anything that Apple didn't announce at its major event yesterday evening? In typical Apple fashion, executives at the company, including boss Tim Cook, took to the stage to reveal some major new hardware and software, which is [...]
Oil prices: A game of chicken or headless chickens? – CNBC Comment August 11, 2015 Forget QE and low base rates, the real great global stimulus – in the form of tumbling commodities and most importantly oil – continues and it’s hard to see what’s going to change any time soon. This huge transfer of wealth from commodity producers to consumers has shown little sign of abating. In oil, the [...]