Blame complex tax rules and a lack of competition for the airport VAT debacle August 19, 2015 I arrived back from holiday at Heathrow last week. After I picked up my bags, I went through customs and I saw some stewardesses walking through a passageway that avoided the arrivals duty free shopping area. I had everything I needed, so I decided to skip the shops and go through the passageway to head [...]
Fighter planes soar over England to remember Britain’s Hardest Day August 19, 2015 Yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle for Britain’s “Hardest Day”, when south east military bases came under attack from the German Luftwaffe, with both sides recording their greatest loss of aircrafts in battle. The impressive commemorations involved 18 Spitfires and six Hurricanes flying over south east England. Staged from Biggin Hill yesterday afternoon, [...]
China slowdown: The two reasons British business should remain optimistic August 18, 2015 It’s easy to be down on China. Last week’s negative headlines after the unexpected devaluations of the renminbi (RMB) played into the “China slowdown” narrative which has taken root as this year’s accepted story. But we’re not giving China enough credit. By opening up the RMB to more market forces, it has moved one step [...]
Meet the Gartner Hype Cycle for 2015: It’s all about self-driving cars and smart dust in emerging tech trends August 18, 2015 You've probably heard of the self-driving car, but smart dust probably isn't on your radar just yet. That's because the autonomous vehicle trend has hit what's known as the peak of inflated expectation. Smart dust on the other hand, is at the earliest stage of innovation, as defined by Gartner in its annual research on [...]
Why the government should take outsourcing a radical step further August 17, 2015 Government raids on the methodology of business are commonplace. Some are more successful than others. But as the challenge of George Osborne’s edict to contemplate departmental cuts of as much as 40 per cent sinks in, the search will intensify. As I sat recently in the splendidly refurbished BT Tower – a guest of [...]
The next crash: Why the global hotel boom signals probable disaster ahead August 17, 2015 It’s seven years since the last crash. We know there will be another one soon but where will it happen? Looking at the cranes in the sky has always been a reliable indicator. I remember surveying Reykjavik’s skyline in 2007 and wondering who was going to live in the fancy apartments being erected. Now they’re [...]
Can Alexis Tsipras survive as Greece’s Prime Minister? August 16, 2015 Dennis Novy, a professor at Warwick University, says Yes. Alexis Tsipras will be able to survive, for one simple reason: there’s no better alternative. The Greeks don’t want to leave the Eurozone. The last months have shown that the government’s previous approach hasn’t worked. Predominantly, this is because of too much resistance from other countries, [...]
You could soon travel into space via this space elevator – and it would be 20 times higher than any building on earth August 16, 2015 Unless you're an astronaut or extremely wealthy, travelling into space is practically impossible. But that could soon change, thanks to a Canadian company that hopes to build the world's first space elevator. Read more: A history of human space travel: Here's what we've achieved since the first trip into space Thoth Technology has just [...]
Xherdan Shaqiri: Stoke transfer is just latest in European exodus to Premier League’s middle class August 12, 2015 Leading players are increasingly quitting top continental clubs to play for some of the Premier League’s least glamorous outfits as England’s top-flight middle-class flexes its new-found financial muscle. Graphic by Chris Parmenter Stoke’s £12m capture of Switzerland star Xherdan Shaqiri from 18-time Italian champions Inter yesterday is just the latest example of the trend, which [...]
BT and Sky square up in battle to win over Premier League football fans August 12, 2015 The new Premier League season has kicked off to the usual fanfare, but another battle is raging off the pitch, between rival broadcasters Sky and BT. Both companies have launched high profile advertising campaigns in order to win over new subscribers. Sky Sports has opted for a nostalgic look back at seasons gone by, integrating [...]