Raheem Sterling’s quantum leap: Why Man City man’s superhero season should encourage Tottenham’s Dele Alli and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford November 30, 2017 Raheem Sterling’s late winners against Feyenoord, Huddersfield and Southampton in Manchester City’s last three games have underlined his remarkable evolution this season from talented but erratic forward to the elite team’s go-to man in the clutch. It’s been quite a jump. If Sterling was the star in a superhero movie then the 2017-18 season would [...]
Mind the skills gap: A plan to future-proof the UK workforce November 30, 2017 How do we close the skills gap in this country? At the recent World Skills competition and conference in Abu Dhabi, I learnt that this is not just a UK problem, but also one faced by countries across the world. Addressing this imbalance sits front and centre of everything this government is trying to achieve [...]
The EU’s doublethink on smoking in films is such a drag November 29, 2017 In a senate discussion on the price of cigarettes, French health minister, Agnès Buzyn, said that she is ready to clamp down on le problème le plus important: smoking in films. The horror. The health minister insinuated that characters who smoke in films encourage young people to do the same. If only to add legitimacy [...]
London’s house price to salary ratio has hit a record high November 28, 2017 The house price to salary ratio has hit a record high in London, piling even more pressure on the capital's strained property market. The average house price in London reached £496,000 in October, and average earnings were £34,200, representing house price ratio of 14.5 times Londoners' salaries. The ratios were also steep in Cambridge and [...]
UK small and mid cap shares: in search of growth November 28, 2017 For equity investors seeking exciting growth companies the UK market offers some compelling opportunities. Investors in UK-quoted companies have two key markets from which to choose: the main market of the London Stock Exchange with its well-established FTSE indices and 319-year pedigree (see footnote 1), and relative newcomer the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). For active [...]
As the first residents move into Television Centre, a new era is beginning for the BBC’s former home in west London November 28, 2017 When BBC Television Centre in White City, west London, was opened by the Queen in 1961, it was described by then director general Gerald Butler as “the largest, best equipped and most carefully planned factory of its kind.” Rather than goods, this building would manufacture culture and, at the time, it was the most ambitious [...]
Crowdfunding round on Seedrs launches for London’s latest meal delivery startup Independence Market, to rival Hello Fresh and Blue Apron November 27, 2017 Today sees the launch of London’s latest meal delivery startup, Independence Market, on crowdfunding platform Seedrs. But this business – described by its founder as “Amazon meets Avon” – is not just another Hello Fresh, Blue Apron or Graze replicant. With Independence Market, Rob Hocking – a teaching fellow at Oxford University’s Said Business School, [...]
On the trail of world-renowned gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey, Damien Gabet meets with silverbacks in the Rwandan forest November 24, 2017 There he was, the man we’d trekked hours to meet. Frank was square-jaw handsome, but with a perma-frown and scar that made him look dangerous. Once a poacher, he now uses his tracking talents to locate mountain gorillas for tourists. As we approached, I could see he was casually shaving earth from his boots with [...]
Philip Hammond has failed to improve the Tory party’s chances of electoral survival November 24, 2017 This was an elastoplast Budget. Its purpose was to cover the deepening gash in the Conservative party, give Philip Hammond’s reputation time to heal, and keep out germs hurled by the opposition benches. In this regard, it mostly worked. Read more: The Budget was a valiant attempt at an impossible balancing act The £3bn worth [...]
Interiors: Victorian dandy and perfumer Atkinsons returns to Burlington Arcade and we get an early preview of its 19th century-inspired decor November 24, 2017 On the black marble bar the bottles of pale and amber liquid are neatly lined up in a row. I inhale the powerful aromas one at a time like a fine wine or rare whisky. This bar, however, doesn’t serve booze, it’s the centrepiece of the new Atkinsons fragrance shop in Burlington Arcade and the [...]