Solar eclipse August 2017: How to watch if you’re in the UK or London – or it’s hidden by cloud August 19, 2017 Much hype has been made of this month’s solar eclipse. The only trouble for UK sky-watchers? It will only be visible in the US. But never fear: as we learned during 2015’s rain-soaked letdown, technology makes it possible for us Londoners to observe this celestial occurrence, without the need for those deeply unattractive eclipse glasses. [...]
Jeremy Hunt hits back at Stephen Hawking over the NHS after the scientist accuses the health secretary of “cherry-picking” evidence August 19, 2017 Stephen Hawking has criticised the government for causing a crisis in the NHS and accused the health secretary of “cherry-picking” research to justify arguments. Jeremy Hunt took to Twitter to deny the claims late last night. Hawking, one of the most renowned scientists in the world, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease when he was [...]
The Night Tube has topped expectations by boosting London’s economy by £171m in its first year | City A.M. August 18, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan has said economic and passenger numbers for the first year of Night Tube services have topped expectations, boosting the capital’s economy by £171m. The Night Tube began operation on the Central and Victoria Lines in August last year, before being rolled out onto the Jubilee Line in October, the Northern Line [...]
Heineken’s £403m Punch Taverns takeover gets the green light from competition watchdog after offering to sell dozens of Punch Taverns pubs August 18, 2017 The competition watchdog said today it had accepted proposals by Heineken to resolve concerns over its proposed £403m takeover of Punch Taverns by selling dozens of pubs. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had opened an investigation into the takeover and found 33 local areas where the deal could reduce competition. So in June, Heineken [...]
Crossrail funding contributions from developers forecast to hit £600m target for a year ahead of schedule August 18, 2017 The funding target for contributions from developers for the £14.8bn Crossrail project will be reached a year ahead of schedule, according to the latest forecast from Transport for London (TfL). As part of the funding arrangement with government, TfL is to raise £600m towards Crossrail through a combination of the mayoral community infrastructure levy (MCIL) [...]
DEBATE: Is it acceptable that EU migrants will be able to enter the UK without border checks after Brexit? August 18, 2017 DEBATE: Is it acceptable that EU migrants will be able to enter the UK without border checks after Brexit? YES – Atul Hatwal, director of the Migration Matters Trust. It’s not just acceptable, it’s essential. Thousands of businesses that employ millions of Britons depend on EU migrants’ skills to stay open. When Britain narrowly voted [...]
No deal? No problem. Institute of Economic Affairs report urges UK to turn down “bad deal” with EU August 18, 2017 A failure to strike a trade deal with the EU would not be a “disaster” for the UK, according to a report out today. While an EU agreement would be “desirable” it is judged to be “not essential” by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). Instead, Britain should focus on securing a policy that would [...]
Singaporean fund and KKR join £6bn Unilever spreads auction August 17, 2017 Competition over Unilever’s spreads business is hotting up as Singapore’s wealth fund enters the fray. The Sinagaporean state’s Government Investment Corporation (GIC) has agreed to back KKR, one of the world’s biggest buyout firms, in its bid for the operation according to Sky News. Unilever’s spreads include some of the world’s most well-known brands such [...]
Outright fake news on Facebook is rare in the UK, Enders Analysis research says August 17, 2017 The issue of “outright” fake news spreading on Facebook is rare in the UK, according to new research, but “misinformation” was found to be more widespread and distributed by traditional media. “Our analysis of the most shared news and opinion content on Facebook shows clearly that especially in the UK, outright ‘fake news’… was both [...]
Government insists UK will make “sufficient progress” in Brexit talks by October to push on with next phase August 17, 2017 The government has insisted it will have made “sufficient progress” in Brexit talks with the EU by October to move on to the “next phase” of negotiations. The assertion, from the Department for Exiting the European Union (DexEU), comes after reports suggested talks on the future UK-EU relationship may be delayed. The parties are due [...]