Birmingham New Street station gets another makeover after dazzling drivers October 29, 2016 If you think your effort's going unappreciated at work, spare a thought for architecture firm AZPML. It only completed its £750m overhaul of Birmingham New Street railway station last year, complete with shiny steel "skin" to reflect trains pulling in and out of the station, as well as the surrounding cityscape, but it's already getting [...]
MPs want mobile phone network roaming in the UK as signal coverage is “unacceptable” October 29, 2016 You might have suspected it; a new report from a group of backbench MPs has confirmed it. Britain's mobile phone users are suffering from an "unacceptable" level of signal coverage. That's despite billions of pounds being spent to improve the network. The British Infrastructure Group (BIG) of cross-party MPs said that British mobile phone signal [...]
First legal challenges to Heathrow expansion take off as residents’ group claims bias October 29, 2016 We all knew they were coming; it was a matter of when rather than if. And not a week since the government announced that Heathrow expansion was getting the green light, the first legal challenge has been set in motion against the third runway. Residents' organisation Teddington Action Group (TAG) is alleging "apparent bias" against Sir [...]
World Bank appoints Kristalina Georgieva as chief executive October 29, 2016 Kristalina Georgieva has been appointed chief executive of the World Bank. The Bulgarian will effectively replace Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the bank's managing director and chief operating officer, though the title of chief executive is newly created. Indrawati was appointed Indonesian finance minister in July. Georgieva, the former head of EU humanitarian affairs and vice-president of [...]
Here’s Elon Musk’s latest project: Tesla’s solar roof October 29, 2016 You'd forgive Elon Musk for feeling pretty confident at the moment. He has just surprised Wall Street with Tesla's first profit for three years, reporting net income of $21.9m (£17.9m) for the third quarter after 13 consecutive quarterly losses. Record deliveries helped offset rising expenses. And now, the Tesla co-founder and chief executive has unveiled his [...]
Hillary Clinton demands FBI release information in fresh email probe “without delay” October 29, 2016 Hillary Clinton has demanded the FBI "immediately" explain its review of a new batch of emails, that the agency said seemed to be pertinent to the previous investigation into her use of a private server. The Democratic presidential nominee has called on the FBI director James Comey to explain the new inquiry to the American people. [...]
Giving Uber drivers “worker” status is bad news for passengers, the gig economy and the drivers themselves October 28, 2016 Friday's decision to grant two Uber drivers worker status is bad news not just for Uber, but for its drivers, its customers, and the future of the “gig economy” as a whole. It is primarily bad for Uber drivers. We know for a fact that, by vast margins (five to one), they don’t want to [...]
New Builds: From 31 storey Docklands towers to boutique homes next to the Royal Courts of Justice October 28, 2016 Dollar Bay, Docklands From £5m Four penthouses that form the crowning glory of this 31-storey tower in the Docklands are on sale this week. Two four floor, three bedroom penthouses and a couple of two bedroom duplexes are on sale next to each other at the apex of this joint venture between Mount Anvil and [...]
Focus On Bermondsey: River views, great food, warehouse conversions – what more could you want in SE1? October 28, 2016 This ancient town, first mentioned in the Domesday Book as Bermundesy, has had a colourful existence on the south bank of the river Thames. For centuries condemned as a slum, this centrally located area in Zone One has blossomed in the last ten years into one of the most artistic – not to mention delicious [...]
Property of the Week: Pied-a-terres are a popular way of living close to the office. Here’s how Dr Clive Rankin chose his in EC2 October 28, 2016 Pied-a-terres are fast becoming the property a la mode in central London. For a fraction of the price of a family home – not to mention the stamp duty – you could live the high life in a studio in the city with a barely-noticeable commute during the week. Then spend the money you saved [...]