London’s Oxford Street is world’s worst place for toxic NO2 pollutant July 7, 2014 Oxford Street has the world's highest concentration of toxic pollutant NO2, according to scientists monitoring the air quality of Britain's busiest high street. David Carslaw, principal air quality scientist at Kings College London, said "to my knowledge this [level] is the highest in the world in terms of both hourly and annual mean. NO2 concentrations [...]
Future of NHS funding needs national debate, say health professionals July 7, 2014 A host of health experts have penned a letter to the Times urging a national debate on the future of NHS funding in England. While celebrating the rise in life expectancy, the letter warned that the next 50 years will see a growth of at least two-and-a-half times the number of people suffering from multiple [...]
Graduate jobs market bounces back to pre-recession levels July 7, 2014 The number of graduate-level job openings has returned to its pre-recession peak, with an 11.6 per cent increase in vacancies this year, according to a study conducted by High Fliers Research. Based on a poll of 18,000 final year university students, the study shows the biggest increase in vacancies since the dramatic 23 per cent [...]
Spire Healthcare announces IPO price range at 210p to 300p July 7, 2014 Spire Healthcare Group has revealed its initial public offering price range at 210p to 300p per share, valuing the company at a little under £1bn. The final pricing is expected to be announced around 18 July. With 45 per cent of the company set to be listed, Spire is hoping to raise gross proceeds of [...]
Taylor Wimpey hikes average selling price to £224,000 July 7, 2014 Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey says it has performed strongly in the first half of 2014, with sales rates and pricing at the upper end of the company's expectations. The average selling price of completions rose to £206,000 from £188,000 in the first half of 2013, while the average selling price on private completions jumped by nine [...]
USA races ahead to be world’s largest producer of oil and gas July 4, 2014 The USA now leads the world in the production of oil and gas overtaking both Saudi Arabia and Russia in the last six months, according to research from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML). US oil production has surged by 70 per cent since it bottomed out in 2008, while liquefied natural gas output has [...]
Bitcoin under fire from European Banking Authority July 4, 2014 The European Banking Authority (EBA) has launched a scathing attack on cryptocurrency Bitcoin, warning that the potential benefits of digital currencies will be outweighed by a host of risks, reports the FT's Sam Fleming. In an address to lawmakers, the EBA argued that the problems associated with Bitcoin could only be addressed by a regulatory [...]
Serco fails to win rebid for Docklands Light Railway July 4, 2014 Troubled outsourcing firm Serco has received yet more bad news today as Transport for London informed the company it had failed in its rebid to operate and maintain the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). After 17 years of running the DLR Serco will hand it over to a venture between Keolis and Amey. However, Serco was [...]
William Hill unveils James Henderson as new CEO July 4, 2014 Bookmakers William Hill have announced the appointment of James Henderson as the company's new chief executive officer, effective from 1 August 2014. Henderson currently serves as the group director, operations, with oversight for the UK retail business, online, William Hill Australia and William Hill US and has been with the bookies for 29 years. Gareth Davis, [...]
University students more satisfied over last decade says new study July 3, 2014 UK university students have become increasingly satisfied with their experience of higher education over the last decade, according to a study conducted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Student satisfaction with "assessment and feedback" climbed 12 percentage points between 2005 and 2013, while overall satisfaction rose five percentage points to 85 per [...]