Virgin Atlantic has said it will no longer carry out forced deportation flights for the Home Office June 30, 2018 Virgin Atlantic has said it will no longer carry out involuntary deportation flights for people deemed to be illegal immigrants. A spokesperson for the airline said it had already informed the Home Office of its decision, which was made “in the best interest of our customers and people”. The decision follows months of controversy following [...]
Ocean economy offers UK a trillion pound opportunity in undiscovered gold and precious metals June 29, 2018 As much as 95 per cent of the world’s oceans and 99 per cent of the ocean floor remain unexplored. We have yet to identify around two-thirds of all marine life. We know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our ocean floor. While we look to the stars and imagine what [...]
1898 The Post hotel review: Spend a long weekend in Ghent and you can stay at this converted post office June 29, 2018 Despite being Belgium’s fourth-largest city, not many people seem to know about Ghent, which is a total shame, as it’s full of well-preserved medieval architecture (thanks to its former mayor, who basically bribed advancing German troops in WW2 not to bomb it), criss-crossed by picturesque bridges over the meandering river Lys, and liberally scattered with [...]
Food for Thought in Kerala: On holiday with Das Sreedharan, the Indian restaurant mogul turned eco-hotelier June 29, 2018 I’ve eaten at Rasa W1 on Dering Street at least a dozen times, and on every occasion the subtle smells and flavours of the South Indian cooking have transported me far from central London. With each spoonful of rice I see an ox, knee deep in the paddy fields. The first crunch of a dosa [...]
BBC apologises in equal pay row with Carrie Gracie as former BBC China editor donates full back payment to charity June 29, 2018 The BBC said today it had reached an agreement with former China editor Carrie Gracie over an equal pay row and apologised for underpaying the journalist. A row developed after the corporation published its highest-earning presenters, revealing an imbalance between the numbers of men and women featuring high on the list. Chris Evans topped the [...]
Theresa May is ready for Brexit negotiations to ‘accelerate and intensify’ but Michel Barnier says big divergences remain June 29, 2018 Theresa May has told European Union leaders the UK is ready for Brexit talks to pick up, with the publication of a much-anticipated Brexit white paper to be published shortly. But EU chief negotiatior Michel Barnier said today that while progress had been made – big differences remained. He added that he hoped a British [...]
Apple supplier Sharp’s share price rises 18 per cent, after scrapping its $1.8bn share sale June 29, 2018 Japan’s Sharp has scrapped its plans to issue $1.8bn in new shares, just weeks after its share price began to plummet as a result of the announcement. Its share price fell as much as 21 per cent since the announcement on June 5th, over investor fears that the deal would dilute earnings per share by [...]
What next for the gender pay gap? June 29, 2018 The Gender Pay Gap reporting process for organisations that have 250 or more employees has attracted a huge amount of media coverage. Most recently, the Royal College of Physicians revealed that on average males are being paid £10,000 more than female doctors, sparking a review led by Jeremy Hunt to close the gap, as well [...]
Business and consumers’ confidence wanes as uncertainty dominates pre-Brexit outlook June 29, 2018 British consumers and businesses are battening down the hatches in the face of heightened uncertainty as Brexit approaches, new survey evidence suggests. A widely followed measure of British consumer confidence by data firm GfK, published today, fell by two points to a negative reading of nine, as people expressed growing concerns over the economy. A [...]
DEBATE: In light of the FCA’s retirement outcomes review, is pension drawdown working? June 29, 2018 In light of the FCA’s retirement outcomes review, is pension drawdown working? Alistair Wilson, head of retail platform strategy at Zurich Insurance Group, says YES. Drawdown has given hundreds of thousands of retirees greater freedom and flexibility in retirement. Before the pension reforms, most people reaching retirement were forced to buy an annuity, which many [...]