Budget 2016 predictions: When is it and the key points Chancellor George Osborne will cover in his speech? Last year we had three of them. So far we've made it through two months without one, but fear not campers – there's a new Budget in town. This is everything you need to know about this month's fiscal update from the government. When is the Budget 2016 and how to watch live Chancellor George Osborne is [...]
Coexist in Bristol is first UK company to offer “period leave” to its female staff Discussions surrounding a lady's time of the month can be taboo or uncomfortable, particularly for us Brits. But Rebecca Baxter, director of Coexist, hopes to change that with a so-called period policy, allowing female staff to take leave during painful periods. The company is thought to be the first in the UK to implement such a policy. At [...]
The robotics revolution: Why investment in robots is booming ​Robots are continuing their long march towards world domination. Their ultimate supremacy over humans is predicted to be reached in 2035, the point in time when robots will begin to develop at a faster rate than us mere humans can comprehend. But right now, robots have reached a point of intelligence where they will soon [...]
“There’s something very special about running at the Olympic Stadium”: Martin Lewis on the return of Diamond Relays to London’s Olympic Park January 20, 2016 Money saving expert Martin Lewis: I really hope to take part this year Money saving expert Martin Lewis is perhaps better known for finance rather than fitness. But as a keen runner and a self-confessed athletics nut, he was one of the first to sign his office up for the Diamond Relays corporate run at [...]
No. 1: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation December 17, 2015 USA – £2,059m With over £20bn given away since its foundation in 2000, the spending power of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on development aid is bigger than that of most countries. The organisation formed by Microsoft co-founder and former chief exec Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, who also worked for Microsoft in [...]
No. 2: Wellcome Trust December 17, 2015 UNITED KINGDOM – £556m Mostly known for its work to improve human and animal health, the Wellcome Trust focuses on supporting talented researchers and accelerating the application of their research in the real world. The trust funds 4,000 scientists and a wide array of medical and biomedical research including on how genes affect health, how [...]
No. 3: Novamedia/Postcode Lotteries December 17, 2015 THE NETHERLANDS – £469m Making good citizenship fun: that is the motto of Dutch based Novamedia. Founded over 25 years ago, Novamedia, as the owner of various brands and lottery formats, sets up lotteries to raise funds for charity organisations and to increase awareness of their work. Novamedia organises charity lotteries in three countries, with the [...]
No. 4: La Caixa Foundation December 17, 2015 SPAIN – £350m The 110 year old La Caixa Foundation stems directly from the Spanish bank set up in 1904 by Catalan lawyer Francesc Moragas. Moragas had a deep sense of public responsibility and the bank was the first in Spain to provide social insurance. From 1918 La Caixa began to allocate part of its [...]
No. 5: Ford Foundation December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £314m Motor pioneer Henry Ford and his son Edsel established the Ford Foundation in the US in 1936 to advance human welfare. The organisation started with a gift of $25,000 (£16,000) and now holds an £8bn endowment, having approved over £330m in grants in 2014. Following a two year period of transition, [...]
