Government’s draconian visa policy ‘baffles’ Oxford’s vice-chancellor October 8, 2014 The UK is shooting itself in the foot with its hardline approach on student visas, according to the vice-chancellor of Oxford University. Professor Andrew Hamilton told an audience of academics that he was constantly asked when he travelled abroad why the UK visa system so hostile to student entry. "I do my best to answer [...]
New space weather centre to protect UK businesses against solar flares October 8, 2014 The Met Office is opening the Space Weather Operations Centre in Exeter later today – a forecasting unit which will aim to protect the UK's economy and infrastructure against solar flares and other forms of extreme space weather. The centre will analyse images and solar activity data recorded by UK and US satellites and ground-based [...]
Airline Jet2 flies to Manchester after Blackpool Airport confirms closure October 8, 2014 Airline carrier Jet2 has shifted its flights from Blackpool Airport to Manchester, after the Balfour Beatty-owned airport confirmed its closure yesterday afternoon. Although Blackpool will stay open until October 15, Jet2.com said it would relocate from this Friday (October 10). An announcement by parent company Dart Group this morning explained: "As a result [...]
Mobile network Three fined £250k by Ofcom for failing to handle customer complaints correctly October 8, 2014 Mobile network Three has been hit with a £250,000 fine by the telecoms watchdog for failing to handle customer complaints correctly. Ofcom ruled that Three had not handled complaints in a fair and timely manner, and left customers unaware they were also able to raise their complaints with an independent service. The regulator found Three [...]
European Commission approves EDF’s Hinkley Point nuclear plant project October 8, 2014 The European Commission has approved EDF's £16bn nuclear plant project Hinkley Point after revised plans were submitted that brought it “in line with EU state aid rules”. The body approved the plans after the UK government agreed to “significantly modify the terms of the project financing”, it announced this morning. Under the revisions, the [...]
Boost your budget when buying abroad October 8, 2014 Buying a property overseas is a dream for many Britons, and turning it into reality will take a lot of time and effort in finding the right property for the right price, and working through the potential language barriers to get a good deal. But with property prices in some areas of Spain still around [...]
Is there a cure for Ebola? Scientists identify a way to target all strains of the virus October 8, 2014 Scientists have made a discovery that could help them develop a cure for all strains of the Ebola virus – a crucial step in preventing future outbreaks of the disease. Ebola kills between 50 and 90 per cent of those it infects, and outbreaks have been occurring with increasing frequency in recent years. The [...]
Protect your profits no matter where the market is headed October 8, 2014 Understanding the currency markets is tough enough for the experts, but for business owners who need to be wellversed in every aspect of running their company, having a little help in this area can significantly boost profits. Transferring money overseas is a big part of business life for many companies, and being able to utilise [...]
Vince Cable puts pressure on companies over all-male boards October 8, 2014 Vince Cable is taking aim at some at a host of British companies that have no women on their boards. Cable is planning to write to the chairman of close to 30 FTSE 350 firms that have all male boards voicing his concern that they have failed to embrace diversity, Sky News reports. Companies that [...]
How Ebola spread: This Twitter visualisation maps mentions of the outbreak October 8, 2014 A new map visualising Ebola shows how the first confirmed case in the US sparked a huge surge in Twitter chatter around the world, as fears over the spread of the outbreak increased. The map tracks every mention of the Ebola hashtag (#ebola) across the world over the last month, with tweets coming from as [...]