“Hazard zone” deployed around Leadenhall Market after explosion May 10, 2016 Leadenhall Market has been closed after an explosion, thought to be caused by an electrical fault, occurred this morning. A 20-metre hazard zone has been put in place around the City hub and it is not clear when the area will be reopened. We're dealing with a manhole cover fire at Leadenhall Market. We've put a [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announces first transport policy and statutory deputy mayor as Joanne McCartney May 10, 2016 Newly elected mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced his first major policy. The one hour bus "hopper" fare – which he pledged throughout his campaign – will start in September. Bus passengers who use Oyster cards or contactless payment will be able to take an extra bus within one hour and pay just one fare. Khan [...]
Steady as shares grow: Capita leads FTSE 100 on optimistic trading statement May 10, 2016 Capita's shares were leading the FTSE 100 risers this morning, after the outsourcing company revealed it had made a "solid start to 2016" and was making "steady progress" to securing contracts in a trading statement ahead of its AGM. Capita revealed that it had secured £458m aggregate major contracts – including five district council shared services contract worth £139m [...]
This tiny London garage sold for more than the price of the average house May 10, 2016 A tiny garage in west London is the latest sign of the ridiculous scramble for prime property locations in the capital, after being bought up for more than the price of the average home in the UK. The 18ft by 35ft spot in Hammersmith and Fulham smashed the already rather steep £250,00 guide price, the Guardian reports. It went for [...]
Here’s how stamp duty changes affected landlords’ returns in March May 10, 2016 The chancellor's stamp duty hike may have been aimed at quelling the nation's frenzy for buy to let homes – but it seems property remains a great provider. That's according to new research by Property Partner, anyway, which has suggested total returns on residential property rose to 9.6 per cent in the year to March. In the [...]
Facebook denies bias against this type of politics May 10, 2016 Ever felt like Facebook is a little bit lefty? Well, now it's defended itself against claims that it does favour one side of the political spectrum over the other by manipulating what appears on the site. Staff at the social network suppressed coverage of conservative politics in the US, according to a report, choosing not to include them in its [...]
EU referendum: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says jobs, workers’ rights and the environment depend on EU membership May 10, 2016 Remaining in the EU is crucial to defend investment, jobs and workers' rights, Labour's leader Jeremy Corbyn has said. Speaking at the launch of Labour's short campaign, Corbyn said that there is a crucial choice on the 23 June on whether to remain in the EU and reform it or to walk away from it. "I [...]
Opinion on fracking linked to political ideology, study says May 10, 2016 Whether or not the UK should get the frack on with it and start extracting shale gas is a politically contentious issue. So it's hardly surprising that an individual's stance on the controversial drilling technique is linked to their political persuasion. Politically conservative people are more likely to be in favour of fracking due to its economic [...]
The UK trade deficit hits a post-crisis high despite a slight improvement in March May 10, 2016 The UK's trade deficit narrowed slightly in March, but it was not enough to prevent the UK from clocking its largest shortfall for the first quarter of the year since before the economic crisis. In March, the UK bought £3.8bn more goods and services from abroad than it sold to the rest of the world, a [...]
Watch: How Hyperloop’s crazy next generation maglev tech will actually work May 10, 2016 One of the firms working on Hyperloop has revealed how the technology will work to transport people at hundreds of miles an hour in levitating pods. It uses a passive magnetic levitation, a step forward from the maglev technology used by high speed trains such as Japan's bullet train, to carry passengers at up to 760 mph [...]