Climate change increases risk of global food demand outstripping supply, study finds July 26, 2014 Researchers at Stanford University have found that global warming will significantly increase the risk of a major slowdown in the production of wheat and corn over the next two decades. By putting data about crops and weather into computerised climate models, they set out to estimate the chance that climate change would interfere with [...]
European leaders urged to approve most severe Russian sanctions yet July 26, 2014 European leaders are being urged to approve a new set of sanctions against Russia, spanning the financial, defence and energy industries. The package being put forward represents “phase three” of the European Union's plan to hit entire sectors of Russia's economy. If approved, it will result in the most wide-ranging sanctions to have been [...]
Property tax could deter foreign investment, specialists warn July 26, 2014 A capital gains tax that the government is planning to impose on some property owners could hinder investment in the private rented sector, tax specialists and investors have told the FT. The tax, due to begin in April next year, would affect anyone holding homes through a company structure. It was originally developed to [...]
London train disruptions continue after storms July 26, 2014 Rail passengers travelling to and from London can expect a continuation of rail disruptions following yesterday's storms. Lightning strikes and signalling failures led to a series of train cancellations in southern England and Wales on Friday. Many of the trains affected had links in London. A strike in Surbiton, south west London, caused [...]
Councils seek to impose “Tesco tax” on supermarkets July 26, 2014 Local councils in England are requesting the right to impose a “Tesco Tax” on large supermarkets, in an attempt to recirculate supermarket spending in small communities. The tax would apply to all retail outlets with a rateable value of £500,000 or more. Derby City Council, backed by 19 other councils across the country, [...]
General Motors recalls a further 717,949 vehicles July 24, 2014 Detroit-based General Motors (GM) has announced that it is making six more recalls involving 717,949 vehicles. This means that it has now recalled almost 29m vehicles this year. The recall is expected to cost the car manufacturer $1.2bn (£700m) in repairs. Most of the recalls have been because of faulty ignition switches, but [...]
From manufacturing to space farming: Meet Baxter, the multi purpose robot July 24, 2014 Baxter was originally designed as an industrial robot for working alongside humans on factory floors, excelling at fast, repetitive manufacturing tasks. Each with its own pair of chunky robot arms connected to a computer brain, hundreds of Baxters are already busily working away in factories and packing stations across the US. First launched [...]
Chikungunya epidemic: Virologists warn of danger to Europe July 24, 2014 An epidemic of Chikungunya disease has been sweeping across much of the Caribbean and Central America. Now, the mosquito-borne virus is also making an appearance on US and European shores, with virologists warning that it could spread rapidly. The disease, native to Central Africa, first arrived in the Western hemisphere last December, and [...]
GSK seeks regulatory approval for the first ever malaria vaccine July 24, 2014 British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has developed the world's first anti-malaria vaccine, designed for use on children in Africa. If GSK acquires the regulatory approval it is currently seeking, it will mark a big step forward in the fight against the mosquito-borne parasitic disease, which currently kills over 600,000 people a year. Most of [...]
Men with wide faces secure bigger bonuses but are worse at collaborating, study finds July 24, 2014 It pays to have a wide face, but only when you're going it alone, according to research by scientists at the University of California, Riverside. Called “Negotiating face-to-face: Men's facial structure predicts negotiating performance”, the study used a series of negotiation simulations to compare the success of wide-faced and narrow-faced men at securing deals when [...]
