5.8m patients have to go to A&E each year because no GP can see them June 30, 2014 Each year, it is estimated that 5.8m people in England have to go to accident and emergency (A&E) with non-emergency problems because there is no GP available to see them. Research published in the British Journal of General Practice showed that for the financial year starting in 2012 and ending in 2013, approximately 26.5 per [...]
The most Earth-like planet yet: Gliese 832c June 30, 2014 Could there be a planet supporting life beyond our solar system? Scientists from the University of New South Wales in Australia have discovered the most likely candidate yet. 16 light years away lies a planet called Gliese 832c. With a mass five times that of Earth's, it absorbs stellar energy from its central star, Gliese [...]
Obama requests $500m to arm Syrian rebels June 27, 2014 Obama has asked congress for $500m to arm and train “moderate” Syrian rebels, in an attempt to bolster defence against Bashar al-Assad's forces, the White House has said. If approved, they hope that the aid will also help to counter militant groups such as Isis, which has captured much of the northern part of Iraq, [...]
How did the ice age start? Scientists are closer to finding the answer June 27, 2014 Two and a half million years ago, a period of freezing cold struck the Earth and covered much of its northern hemisphere in sheets of ice, some three kilometres thick. With so many factors controlling the climate, from the composition of the atmosphere to the location of our planet relative to the sun, it has [...]
Tesco living through a period of radical change, says CEO June 27, 2014 Tesco's annual general meeting has kicked off, with shareholders expressing anger at the poor performance of the UK's biggest supermarket over the last year. Philip Clarke, who replaced Sir Terry Leahy as CEO of the company in 2010, acknowledged that the results had been bad but remained optimistic, saying that Tesco was "living through a [...]
Berendsen revenues up, in line with expectations June 27, 2014 UK laundry service provider Berendsen has announced that trading was in line with management expectations for the half-year ending 30 June 2014. At constant exchange rates, group underlying revenue was up 3 per cent year-on-year. Underlying revenue increased by the same amount in its core growth business. Revenues were calculated as being one per cent [...]
Drones use cameras to politely interact June 26, 2014 “You first!” “After you!” “Thanks, but I must insist!” “This is getting silly” It is not out of the question that drones will engage in this sort of amicable conversation in the near future. Professor Sandor Veres and his colleagues at the University of Sheffield have created a system in which flying robots use cameras [...]
Britain and Islamic bonds: The bigger picture June 26, 2014 Yesterday Britain issued its first Islamic bond, or sukuk, which proved very successful and exceeded expectations. The five-year bond, which was issued by the government in an attempt to boost London's position as a centre for Islamic finance, attracted ten times the number of orders expected. However, some question whether this is really enough to help Britain's [...]
Barclays sued for dark pool securities fraud: What is a dark pool? June 26, 2014 Barclays in the US is being sued for fraudulent behaviour, following a complaint filed by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman. He claimed that the bank had misrepresented the participants of its dark pool, leaving institutional investors exposed to high frequency trading “predators”. A dark pool is a covert trading location where all trades are anonymous [...]
The cost of popularity: How a fear of looking stingy makes us overspend June 25, 2014 Over half of adults in the UK apparently spend more than they can afford on their social lives, but what's driving this habit? It is not a genuine desire to spend, but rather an eagerness to be regarded as generous in the eyes of others, according to a survey by the Money Advice Service. Appearing [...]
