Budget 2015: What to watch out for today March 17, 2015 WHO: GEORGE OSBORNE WHEN: 12.30PM TODAY WHERE: HOUSE OF COMMONS WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW A further shake up of pensions Over 55-year-olds who had previously been forced to buy an annuity will be able to sell it for a lump cash sum to use as they wish, instead of receiving the regular payouts, building on reforms from [...]
Kickstarter funds temporary Temple March 16, 2015 A CROWDFUNDING-backed art project by Burning Man artist David Best lit up the skies of Northern Ireland yesterday after investors helped to raise more than £30,000 last year to fund the project. Temple, as the timber installation is called, was partially funded through popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter. The installation is the brainchild of Best and [...]
Mummy, where has the sun gone? March 16, 2015 WATCHERS of the sky are in for a treat on Friday as a total eclipse of the sun plunges Britain and many other places into darkness. And in a rare coincidence, Friday will also see two other rare if less spectacular celestial events: a Supermoon and the spring equinox.
No sunglasses, selfies or staring: How to look at the solar eclipse on March 20 without getting a “solar burn” March 16, 2015 You might be tempted to line up a solar eclipse selfie this week – but experts have warned that doing so could put you at risk of causing serious damage to your eyes. On the morning of March 20, we will see a near total eclipse – the best places to see it in the [...]
The answer to London’s housing crisis? 263 new towers could transform city’s skyline March 16, 2015 London's traditionally low-rise skyline is experiencing a boom in the number of tall buildings being built, with most of these residential as developers scramble to meet housing demand from the capital’s growing population. Research from think tank New London Architecture (NLA) and consultants GL Hearn shows 263 tall buildings over 20 storeys high are [...]
Bankers to face new fitness test under FCA rules March 16, 2015 Financial services firms will be forced to vet thousands of staff each year and make sure they are “fit and proper” to perform their roles under a new framework being finalised by City regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) will today publish the final proposals for a new regime [...]
Austere Greece? Not at the home of Yanis Varoufakis as seen in lavish Paris Match photoshoot March 16, 2015 Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has built his reputation on a steadfast fight against tough austerity rules forced on his country. Clearly he doesn’t hold with them at home either – judging by a lavish spread in the French magazine Paris Match, showing the economist at a piano in his living room and dining with [...]
Digital probe sparks row over broadband as Sky and Talk-Talk press Ofcom to break up BT and Openreach March 12, 2015 A battle between the UK’s largest telecommunications businesses intensified yesterday, as Sky and Talk-Talk pounced on a decision by the regulator to launch a wide-ranging probe into the sector. Both firms ramped up pressure on Ofcom to break up BT from the part of its business – called BT Openreach – that runs the UK’s broadband [...]
Apprenticeship Week: We can celebrate a revolution in the UK’s skills market March 12, 2015 As many of us look forward to the weekend, I’m here reflecting on the eighth National Apprenticeship Week and the hundreds of events that have taken place across the capital, recognising how apprenticeships have transformed the skills market in the UK. As the mayor’s ambassador for training and enterprise, and as head of emerging talent [...]
2015 General Election TV debates: Broadcasters won’t empty chair David Cameron – they’ve good commercial reasons not to March 11, 2015 The extended row over the proposed TV election debates has reached a deadlock. David Cameron has said he will take part in just one, but the broadcasters (supported by Tory opponents) are committed to running three. What will break this impasse? In my view, commercial factors will force the UK’s broadcasters to give up their [...]