How to stop climate change: Drop the hamburger September 1, 2014 Bad news, hamburger fans. New research shows that if we are going to have any chance of slowing down climate change, we must eat less meat. We tend to concentrate on practices such as fracking and emissions from coal-based power stations when we consider the prevention of climate change, but a paper published today [...]
Coding for schools: How to code like a five-year-old September 1, 2014 This week thousands of children returned to school to find themselves faced with a new subject: computer programming. England's five-year-olds are the only ones in the G20 to be taught programming, in a move the government hopes will turn the nation's children into budding tech entrepreneurs. But children at academies may be spared the new [...]
Why Facebook makes us lose trust in society September 1, 2014 Facebook exposes us to “offensive behaviour and hate speech”, giving rise to feelings of depression and distrust, according to a new study. Researchers at the Sapienza University of Rome looked at the way in which 50,000 Italian people use social networks, and compared the results with the individuals' reported levels of happiness and self-esteem. [...]
Cameron: Police can seize UK passports under new terrorism legislation September 1, 2014 Police will be given the temporary power to seize the passports of those suspected of being involved with terrorism, the Prime Minister said today. In a statement to parliament afternoon David Cameron said it was "abhorrent" Brits had "declared their allegiance" to the Islamic State. Police will be able to seize passports at borders, while [...]
Hot sauce: Tesco launches new sandwich store to fight Pret A Manger September 1, 2014 Another day, another sandwich bar opens. So what's new? Well this time, it's Tesco which is launching a brand new sandwich shop format – selling premium subs and hot breakfast to City workers. This morning the supermarket opened its first small format sandwich store, conveniently located a stone's throw away from City AM's [...]
“Fear and loathing” at BBC as staff vote to strike (again) September 1, 2014 BBC staff have voted for strike action over redundancies and cuts at the BBC, according to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Members voted for strike action by a massive 73.6 per cent of the vote. The figure rose to 86.9 per cent of members when they were asked whether they should take action [...]
Wine can be healthy – but only if you exercise September 1, 2014 We've all heard drinking a glass of wine a day can improve health by warding off heart attacks, but is this just wishful thinking? If you do no exercise, the answer is probably yes. Researchers from the European Society of Cardiology have shown wine does have the potential to protect against cardiovascular disease, but [...]
“Dear colleagues”: Dave Lewis’ letter to Tesco staff on his first day as chief executive September 1, 2014 On his first day at Tesco, new chief executive Dave Lewis has written a letter to staff outlining his initial plans for the supermarket. Lewis introduced himself to Tesco’s more than half-a-million staff, telling them he would be doing “a lot of listening,” to staff, customers, shareholders and investment analysts, and the most important thing [...]
Robots are after your job in the City September 1, 2014 And you thought you were irreplaceable? If you're a banker or analyst in the City, watch your back. You’re about to be replaced – by a robot. Not the walking, talking, C-3PO Star Wars kind, but by artificial intelligence, or computer programs which think for themselves – more HAL in 2001 a Space Odyssey. Within [...]
Nato members account for over half the fastest falling defence budgets – as Russia’s spending soars September 1, 2014 Nato members comprised over half of the world's 20 fastest shrinking defence budgets between 2012 and 2014, according to research from IHS. Out of the 20 nations exercising the most spending restraint when it came to defence, 13 were Nato members, with the Alliances' spending dropping by $93bn (£56bn) over the past two years. In [...]