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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- And brother makes three. The third of three siblings, who authorities said ran a borough-wide cocaine ring along with his brothers, was sentenced Monday to 42 months in prison for his role in the operation. Toriano Lewis also had another year tacked on for his guilty plea in an unrelated drug case stemming from a bust in May, when he was free on $150,000 bond after pleading guilty in the original case. Toriano Lewis, then 28, was arrested in February, along with his siblings Alamir Lewis, then 34, and Alphonso Lewis, then 31. The takedown marked the culmination of a five-month undercover operation dubbed "All in the Family," according to District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. Authorities said the defendants peddled drugs in various neighborhoods throughout the borough, including Grasmere, Bulls Head, Castleton Corners, Oakwood and Dongan Hills. Most of the deals were done in a car, prosecutors said. A search warrant executed at one location yielded about 40 grams of cocaine, said authorities. A fourth man, Eric Moore, then 21, who is unrelated to the siblings, was previously arrested and indicted in January on similar charges in connection with the undercover operation, authorities said. Moore was found in possession of heroin and indicted on charges of criminal sale of cocaine, said officials. In March, Moore pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to six months in jail and five years' probation, online state court records show. In May, the Lewises each pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, the top count against them. Alamir Lewis was sentenced in June to 42 months behind bars, plus three years' post-release supervision. Last month, Alphonso Lewis was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years' post-release supervision. Besides prison time, Toriano Lewis was sentenced to two years' post-release supervision in the drug-ring case. He also received another year behind bars - for a total of 54 months in prison - after pleading guilty Monday to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance in a more recent case. Toriano Lewis was free on $150,000 bond while awaiting sentencing on the "All in the Family" case when busted May 26 on the latest drug charges, online state court records show. Attorney Mario F. Gallucci represents Toriano Lewis.

NEW YORK -- Daniel Rendon-Herrera, the alleged leader of a homicidal drug ring that imported tons of cocaine from Colombia into the U.S., was charged with leading a continuing criminal enterprise, authorities said. Colombia's most wanted drug lord, also known as "Don Mario," pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday after being captured in a jungle raid nine years ago and extradited to the U.S. on April 23. "Don Mario is one of the most significant drug traffickers of our time, recognized for moving multi-ton shipments of cocaine to the United States at a moment's notice," said New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill. Rendon-Herrera's attorney said she's "looking forward to representing him." "We are looking at disposing of the cases in one way or another," Johanna Zapp said, adding that her client also was charged in the Southern District. Rendon-Herrera's organization sent U.S.-bound shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Central America between about June 2003 and December 2014 and employed hit men who carried out acts of violence across North and South America, authorities said. "Don Mario was the most feared narco-terrorist in Colombia," Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge James Hunt said in a statement. Colombia's far-right militias, known as the United Self-Defense forces of Colombia, initially formed in the 1980s to counter kidnapping and extortion by rebels but evolved into regional mafias that committed more than 10,000 murders. The militias built lucrative cocaine trafficking operations and stole millions of acres of land, often in collusion with local political, business and military leaders, prosecutors said. Rendon-Herrera and his brother controlled an area of river-laced jungle near the Panama border that has long been a major corridor for drug and arms traffickers. The brothers were among the last paramilitary leaders to demobilize under a 2003 peace deal that promised fighters reduced sentences and protection from extradition to the United States if they confessed to all their crimes. While his brother and other paramilitaries agreed to await justice in jail, Rendon-Herrera fled back to the jungle and rearmed, according to police.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Department of Transportation (DOT) will conduct milling and paving efforts on Staten Island streets next week from Tuesday to Friday. There will be no road work Monday due to the holiday. To register a complaint or to report a pothole or other street defect, call either the city's central complaint hotline at 311 or the Staten Island DOT office at 212-839-2395. To request a repaving job on your street, contact your community board. All milling and paving is subject to weather or emergency road work. Notices to move parked cars from streets that are scheduled to be milled or paved are posted in advance. If a car is not moved, the city will tow it around the corner or to the next closest block without construction. If there is a change in the schedule or if notices can't be posted ahead of time, the contractor will verbally inform residents of the need to move their cars. STREETS TO BE MILLED (DAYTIME): Tuesday (Travis): West Service Road, from Victory Boulevard to Wild Avenue; Wild Avenue, from Victory Boulevard to West Service Road. Wednesday (Rossville): West Service Road, from Arden Avenue/Muldoon Avenue Exit to Bloomingdale Road. Thursday (Rossville): West Service Road, from Arden Avenue/Muldoon Avenue Exit to Bloomingdale Road. Friday (Rossville): West Service Road, from Arden Avenue/Muldoon Avenue Exit to Bloomingdale Road. STREETS TO BE MILLED (NIGHTTIME): Tuesday (Bulls Head): Signs Road, from Richmond Avenue to Victory Boulevard. STREETS TO BE PAVED (DAYTIME): Tuesday (Meiers Corners): Sheraden Avenue, from North Gannon Avenue to Victory Boulevard; Caro Street, from Carmel Avenue to dead end; Ardmore Avenue, from Victory Boulevard to North Gannon Avenue. Wednesday (Willowbrook): Bellhaven Place, from Collfield Avenue to College Avenue; Stewart Avenue, from Bellhaven Place to Watchogue Road. Thursday (Willowbrook): Stewart Avenue, from Bellhaven Place to Watchogue Road. Friday (Westerleigh): Collfield Avenue, from College Avenue to North Gannon Avenue. STREETS TO BE PAVED (NIGHTTIME): Wednesday (Bulls Head): Signs Road, from Richmond Avenue to Victory Boulevard. Thursday (Bulls Head): Signs Road, from Richmond Avenue to Victory Boulevard. Friday (Bulls Head): Signs Road, from Richmond Avenue to Victory Boulevard.

By all accounts the rescheduled Teddy Atlas Foundation's 13th annual golf outing earlier this week was a big hit. For starters, the sun was shining on the Grand Oaks Country Club and South Shore Golf Course, where more than 120 golfers showed up for the event. That was a far cry from the event's original date three weeks earlier when rain forced the postponement of the outing. As usual, Atlas was present himself and was working the golf course, thanking all who came. Of course, all proceeds raised from the event go toward the 21-year-old Dr. Theodore A. Atlas Foundation -- named after Atlas' father -- which exists thanks to the generosity of Staten Islanders. Last year, the golf outing raised $70,000 and will probably reach that number again this year. It's the second biggest fundraiser for the foundation after its annual Teddy Dinner, which this year will take place on Thursday, Nov. 16 at the Hilton Garden Inn. The Atlas Foundation's reach has grown the last two decades. When it first started, the foundation would pay the bills for those who had fallen on hard times, or installed a wheelchair-accessible ramp where needed. When Hurricane Sandy hit, it tackled much bigger projects, such as helping to build homes for the displaced. It still does those great things, but now some of the foundation's focus has shifted to trying to assist in the fight against drug abuse that is widespread throughout the Island. And this week's golf outing helps to fund projects like that.

By Sharon G. Rosen New Brighton The trouble in Charlottesville was initiated by hate-filled subversives objecting to the removal of a commemorative statue to a traitor. Regrettably, Staten Island retains streets named for traitors, because, as some fool or subversive in the Army argues, these traitors were at one time generals in the United States Army. Benedict Arnold also held the rank of a general and also was a traitor. Must we expect to see some infiltrating enemy of America (perhaps at Mount Manresa) propose a Benedict Arnold Boulevard?

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A New Jersey lawyer with a history of disciplinary trouble, including two license suspensions, represented criminal defendants on Staten Island about a dozen times while using a phony name and being unlicensed to practice law in New York, prosecutors allege. Marc D'Arienzo, 50, of Bradley Beach, N.J., has been indicted on felony charges of offering a false instrument for filing and grand larceny, and misdemeanor counts of practicing law without a license and petty larceny. According to the indictment, D'Arienzo illegally represented clients in Criminal Court multiple times between Feb. 8 and March 28. As part of the ruse, he filed notices of appearance with the court signifying he was legally representing those defendants, said the indictment and a criminal complaint. D'Arienzo submitted those notices using the bogus name Mike Rienza, the complaint said. A records check showed there is no licensed attorney in New York state named Marc D'Arienzo, Michael Rienza or Mike Rienza, the complaint said. One client told police he or she paid D'Arienzo more than $2,000 for representation, the complaint said. Two other clients each forked over less than $1,000, said the complaint. When confronted by police, the defendant said, "My name is Marc D'Arienzo, and I am suspended from the practice of law in New Jersey and have never been admitted to practice law in New York state," said the complaint. D'Arienzo is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in state Supreme Court, St. George. He remains free on his own recognizance. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment. D'Arienzo has been licensed to practice law in New Jersey since 1993. Online New Jersey Supreme Court records show D'Arienzo's Garden State law license was suspended twice for three months - in 1999 and as of Aug. 22, 2016. On the former occasion, he made false statements to a tribunal and lied to a judge about his tardiness and failure to appear in court on criminal cases, according to a Disciplinary Review Board report. He was cited last year for failing to update a client about the status of their case or responding to the client's request for information, and failing to state in writing the basis or rate of his fee, said court documents. D'Arienzo has been reprimanded three times. In 2001, he was admonished for record-keeping violations; in 2004, for being charged with marijuana and drug-paraphernalia possession, for which he received a conditional discharge; and in 2013 for previously practicing law while ineligible, said the Disciplinary Review Board report. In the latter case, D'Arienzo had failed to pay his annual attorney assessment. A cousin who worked for him testified at an ethics hearing that she was at fault for not timely paying D'Arienzo's fee, the Review Board report said. D'Arienzo was also censured in 2011 for failing to appear at scheduled court proceedings, said the Review Board report.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island man who was seriously hurt after being struck by a Staten Island Railway train on Thanksgiving two years ago claims the MTA knew he was on the tracks and failed to avert the collision. Robert Pisano Jr. is suing the MTA for negligence after he suffered "life-altering injuries" when he was hit by a Tottenville-bound train at the Bay Terrace station on the early morning of Nov. 24, 2016, according to a lawsuit recently filed in state Supreme Court, St. George. He suffered trauma to the head, legs, and body, and was transported to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, according to Advance records. "The injuries ...were caused solely by reason of the negligence of the defendants," the court filing alleges. The suit claims Pisano, 25, a computer scientist who was living in Hoboken, N.J., was asleep on a platform bench at the Bay Terrace stop between 3 a.m. and 3:46 a.m., and that crews on the multiple trains that pulled in and out of the stop should've spotted him. At 3:47 a.m., the plaintiff fell off the platform near the Justin Avenue intersection, and unsuccessfully tried to climb out, said the complaint. Five minutes later, a Good Samaritan tried to help Pisano off the tracks and called 911. The Good Samaritan told MTA personnel on the St. George-bound train at the Bay Terrace station that was there a distressed person on the tracks, according to the court papers. Pisano was then hit at 4:04 a.m., the suit alleges. "The defendants were aware of plaintiff being on the train tracks, and of plantiff being stressed/disabled, ... and despite this took no action," the suit alleges. The complaint states the MTA failed to take several necessary precautions to avoid the accident, by not shutting off the track power; not telling the dispatcher someone was on the tracks; failing to stop the train when they observed Pisano on the tracks; failure to install ladders to climb off of the tracks; and the inoperable call boxes to summon help. "The defendants caused and created aforesaid dangerous conditions," said the complaint. The suit also claims MTA workers should've assessed Pisano's medical condition when they noticed him asleep on the platform. His brother, James, previously told the Advance the family didn't know what his brother was doing at the train that early in the morning. Court papers also did not offer an explanation. Pisano and his lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday. Attempts to reach the MTA were also unsuccessful.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The NYPD is asking the public's assistance identifying a male in connection with a grand larceny in the 121st Precinct. It was reported to police that on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m., the unidentified man entered CVS Pharmacy, located at 778 Manor Rd. in Castleton Corners, and removed $1,714 worth of allergy and pain medication from the shelves, according to a statement from the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Police said the individual walked out of the store without paying. The individual is described as a black male, approximately 25 to 30-years-old, and was last seen wearing a dark colored shirt, dark colored pants and light sneakers. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at www.NYPDCrimeStoppers.com or texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

This column is written by the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com collegiate correspondent. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Meet Ava Garnett, a 10-year old Staten Islander who suffers from Nail-patella Syndrome. Nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is a rare genetic disorder that is usually apparent at birth or during early childhood. Although physical characteristics associated with this syndrome may vary in severity, NPS is characterized by abnormalities of the nails, knees, elbows, and pelvis. A fifth grader at Michael J. Petrides School, Ava Garnett has been exceptionally active in spreading awareness about rare diseases and inclusion without letting her condition slow her down. Ava raised awareness for Rare Disease Day in February by crafting hundreds of ribbons along with her Girl Scout Troop 5116 that were distributed across Staten Island through the non-profit named Global Genes. Ava hopes her work sheds light on the dangers of NPS. Main symptoms of NPS are changes in nails, especially thumbnails. In most individuals with NPS, improper development, also known as dysplasia, of the nails is apparent at birth or early infancy. It's important to remember that thumbnails are usually always affected, while other fingernails may be slightly affected or not at all. Ava has also lent her image to a cause by modeling for adaptable clothing for Runway of Dreams, an organization that promotes accessibility and acceptance by designing clothes for those with physical limitations. Most recently Ava and her mother, Heather Garnett, attended a ski retreat with SheLift, an organization that provides inclusive adventure experiences for young women. According to rarediseases.org, the hardships of having NPS include metastization, particularly to the eyes and kidneys. Individuals with this syndrome are at risk of developing increased pressure within the eyes (glaucoma) at an early age. Some people develop kidney disease, which can progress to kidney failure. To inform and educate people about her condition, Ava attended the "Women in History" event hosted by Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis last month. During this event, Ava had the chance to share her story and struggles of NPS with her. Inspired by Ava's efforts, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis has recently presented a proclamation to Ava Garnett. The document noted the significant contributions made by this pree-teen to educate others about the over 7,000 rare diseases that affect hundreds of millions worldwide. "Ava is a very impressive young lady who has turned her disability into a positive opportunity to bring awareness to rare diseases and advocate for ways to improve the lives of others. Through her various projects, she has exhibited a poise and confidence that is well beyond her years. I look forward to following her bright future as she continues to pursue her goal of educating our community," said Malliotakis. For more information on Nail-patella Syndrome, please visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine website at https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/nail-patella-syndrome. -- Staten Island native Charista Mroczek is a freshman at Barnard College of Columbia University.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A courtroom broke out in applause Tuesday morning, when a judge sent a babysitter who admitted torturing and murdering the toddler left in her charge to prison. "This is the most disturbing case I've presided over," Justice Wayne Ozzi said while imposing sentence on Gloria Fields in state Supreme Court, St. George. "Why would anyone want to do this to an innocent 17-month-old child?" Fields, 33, was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison. The courtroom broke out in applause when Ozzi told Fields there was "no guarantee" she'd be released after serving 23 years. The Concord resident pleaded guilty earlier this month to the top charge of a 12-count indictment accusing her of causing little Anthony Delgado's death by acting in an "especially cruel and wanton manner ... intended to inflict and inflicting torture" on the child. Prosecutors said those acts included sticking a six-inch Crayola pencil up the victim's rectum. Prosecutors said Fields tortured and sexually abused the defenseless tot over the course of three days -- Friday, Feb. 19 through Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016 -- before he died. "This defendant deserves to spend the rest of her life in prison for the atrocious and sickening crimes she committed, and today's sentence ensures just that," said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. "No family should ever have to experience the loss of a child in this way, and the entire D.A.'s office continues to send our thoughts and prayers to the family of the young victim. "I also want to thank [Assistant District Attorneys] Wanda DeOliveira and Timothy Richard for all of their hard work successfully prosecuting this case." Watch the video below to here defense lawyer Mario Gallucci's reaction to the sentence:

Lemon Blueberry Thumbprints (Yields 4 servings) INGREDIENTS: 1 pound unsalted butter, softened 11/4 cup sugar 4 egg yolks 1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 4 cups flour 1 jar (12 ounces) blueberry preserves DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, egg yolks, lemon rind, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, mixing until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the flour and mix well. Form the dough into balls and press thumbprint in the center of each either using your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon. Fill the thumbprint with blueberry preserves. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. --Kristen Heigl, Eltingville

WASHINGTON -- Under relentless pressure, President Donald Trump on Monday named and condemned "repugnant" hate groups and declared that "racism is evil" in a far more forceful statement than he'd made earlier after deadly, race-fueled weekend clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump's initial failure on Saturday to denounce the groups by name -- instead he bemoaned violence on "many sides" -- prompted criticism from fellow Republicans as well as Democrats. This time, the president described members of the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists who take part in violence as "criminals and thugs" in a prepared statement he read at the White House. "Racism is evil," he said, singling out the hate groups as "repugnant to everything that we hold dear as Americans." "Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America," he said. In his remarks he also called for unity. "We must love each other, show affection for each other and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry and violence. We must rediscover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as Americans," he said. Trump also, for the first time, mentioned Heather Heyer by name, as he paid tribute to the woman killed when a car plowed into a group of anti-racist counter-protesters in Charlottesville. The president left after his statement without acknowledging reporters' shouted questions. At an event on trade later in the day, he was asked why it took two days for him to offer an explicit denunciation of the hate groups. "They have been condemned," Trump responded before offering a fresh criticism of some media as "fake news." Trump noted that the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the car crash that killed Heyer. "To anyone who acted criminally in this weekend's racist violence, you will be held fully accountable. Justice will be delivered," he said. His attorney general, Jeff Sessions, said earlier Monday that the violence "does meet the definition of domestic terrorism in our statute." Sessions told ABC's "Good Morning America," ''You can be sure we will charge and advance the investigation toward the most serious charges that can be brought, because this is an unequivocally unacceptable and evil attack that cannot be accepted in America." Trump gave his statement after meeting with Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray. In the hours after the incident on Saturday, Trump addressed the violence in broad strokes, saying that he condemns "in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides." That was met with swift bipartisan criticism. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, said he spoke to Trump in the hours after the clashes and twice told the president "we have to stop this hateful speech, this rhetoric." He said he urged Trump "to come out stronger" against the actions of white supremacists. Republicans joined Democrats in criticizing the president for not specifically calling out white nationalists. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado said Sunday on NBC, "This isn't a time for innuendo or to allow room to be read between the lines. This is a time to lay blame." The White House scrambled to stem the tide of criticism, dispatching aides to the Sunday talk shows and sending out a statement that more forcefully denounced the hate groups. But the White House did not attach a name to the statement. Usually, a statement would be signed by the press secretary or another staffer; not putting a name to one eliminates an individual's responsibility and often undercuts the significance. White nationalists had assembled in Charlottesville to vent their frustration against the city's plans to take down a statue of Confederal Gen. Robert E. Lee. Counter-protesters massed in opposition. Alt-right leader Richard Spencer and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke attended the demonstrations. Duke told reporters that the white nationalists were working to "fulfill the promises of Donald Trump." Trump's initial comments drew praise from the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, which wrote: "Trump comments were good. He didn't attack us. He just said the nation should come together. Nothing specific against us. ... No condemnation at all." The website had been promoting the Charlottesville demonstration as part of its "Summer of Hate" edition. Trump, as a presidential candidate, frequently came under scrutiny for being slow to offer his condemnation of white supremacists. His strongest denunciations of the movement have not come voluntarily, only when asked, and he occasionally has trafficked in retweets of racist social media posts during his campaign. His chief strategist, Steve Bannon, once declared that his former news site, Breitbart, was "the platform for the alt-right." Early Monday, the CEO of the nation's third largest pharmaceutical company said he was resigning from the President's American Manufacturing Council, citing "a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism." Trump lashed back almost immediately at Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier on Twitter, saying Frazier "will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!"

By: David Pizzuto | Special to the Advance After the opening day of competition at the 2018 CUNYAC Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Championships taking place at Lehman College, the College of Staten Island has claimed third place on both the men's and women's sides, boasting plenty of highlights on a day when only five events were completed. On the men's side, CSI, the defending champs, boast 46 points, trailing Brooklyn College (61) and Baruch College (70), while in front of Lehman College (42). For the CSI women, they earned 42 points on opening day, and trail Baruch (89), and Hunter College (55), while placing ahead of Lehman (31), Brooklyn (14), and John Jay (10). To kick off the annual championship, two relay events and three individual events took place, and CSI was right in the mix and had plenty to cheer about. CSI's foursome of Gabriella Bartley, Alicia Defonte, Victoria Crea, and Ewa Wojciechowska, set a great tone in the opening 200-yard Freestyle Relay. Seeded fifth in the heat, CSI mustered up a time of 1:48.61, getting in less than a second ahead of the Lehman foursome to gain the silver medal. In the men's heat, CSI's team of Christopher Sorensen, Leo Litovsky, Jonathan Gorinshteyn and Nicholas Defonte managed a fourth-place finish, missing a medal finish by less than half a second in a very tight race overall. Before the day would end with another relay, it was time for three individual races, beginning with the 500-yard Freestyle. There, Wojciechowska had the race of the meet so far. Wojciechowska set the CUNYAC record in this event as a freshman with a time of 5:25.78, and the senior obliterated it, racing in at 5:20.65 for a new school, meet, and CUNYAC record, winning the event by nearly 15 full seconds. Joining Wojciechowska with a gold-medal finish was Nicholas Defonte, who took the top prize in the men's version of the race with a time of 5:06.66, beating his personal best this season by 16 seconds, and winning the race by over 23 seconds. Litovsky also earned points in the race, faring sixth with a time of 5:43.65, shaving almost eight seconds off of his seed time. Up next was the 200-yard Individual Medley, and CSI took another gold medal when Jonathan Gorinshteyn turned on the jets and came from behind in the final leg to just beat out Baruch's Erik Kantar by just .04 seconds in what was easily the tightest race of the day, coming in at 2:05.86. Christopher Sorensen also earned points with an eighth-place finish and a time of 2:29.90. The final individual race was the 50-yard Freestyle, and Victoria Crea saved the final 50-yard race of her career as her best, as she came in with a time of 25.66 to win the biggest race of the meet so far, with 37 entrants. Crea beat out Baruch's Amanda Lee by just one-third of a second. The 400-yard Medley Relay followed after a short rest as the final event of the evening, and here, the CSI women took fourth place while the CSI men of Defonte, Brandon Lei, Christopher Sorensen and Gorinshteyn earned a silver medal with a 3:51.76 finish, just a little under three seconds behind Brooklyn's foursome. The CUNYAC Championship will continue tomorrow with 22 events, 11 on each side. Both diving competitions will take place with two relays each and five individual strokes comprising the day's activities. The Championship Meet will finalize on Sunday.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The 9-year-old Tottenville boy who was suspended for bringing a kitchen knife to his elementary school will soon know if he's allowed back in the classroom. The child's mom, Maybeli Mercado, told the Advance Saturday the suspension hearing was held Thursday, and the Department of Education (DOE) will notify the family of its decision by Monday. "There's no way I feel they can punish him," she said. "It's not complicated. Everything is in the judge's hands." At the hearing, school officials, the parents and their lawyer were allowed to speak and present evidence. The mom said the faculty members said Angel Mercado was a good student, had no disciplinary record and that he was beloved by his teachers and classmates. They also noted nobody was threatened by the situation, they didn't want to give him a serious punishment and they wanted him back in the classroom, according to the mom. Angel also got to speak at the hearing. "I want to go back to school," he told the judge, his mom said. On Jan. 25, the fourth-grader brought the utensil to PS 6 to cut up the jalapeno peppers that were in his lunch. He was in the lunch room sharing the peppers with friends when a teacher approached him and took the knife, the mom said. The boy was subsequently suspended, and the DOE told the parents it was categorizing the incident as a Level 5 threat, which is comparable to bringing a gun to school, according to the mom. That category carries a suspension from six months to up to a year. "It was a mistake labeling him a big threat," the mom said. "I hope this doesn't affect him in a negative way." After the incident, the school allowed Angel to attend class while the DOE makes its decision, but the mom didn't send him back to school until Friday. "He said he had a good day," she said. "I told him just don't talk about it." A DOE spokeswoman said Saturday the agency cannot disclose disciplinary information.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed into law new penalties for those who make bomb threats against community centers. The Democratic governor approved the legislation Monday. It was passed by the state Legislature earlier this year in response to a string of bomb threats called into Jewish Community Centers across the country. Citing those bomb threats and recent violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, Cuomo said it is vital for New York to stand against hate crimes. "These despicable acts spread fear and terror across entire communities, and by signing this measure, we will give law enforcement more tools to prosecute hatemongers and treat these crimes with the seriousness they deserve," Cuomo said in a statement announcing the signing of the bill. "The horrific events in Charlottesville this weekend demonstrate that now, more than ever, we must stand united against bias and hate in all of its forms." The new law specifically adds "community centers" to a list of places covered by an existing statute setting penalties for bomb threats that already singled out locations such as schools and transportation facilities. The change ensures that someone convicted of making a bomb threat against a community center can, at minimum, face a sentence of up to a year in jail. Cuomo says the change will help prosecute those seeking to "spread fear and terror."

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The number of potholes across the city has declined by more than 50 percent since 2014, and Mayor Bill de Blasio says it's his 10-year, $1.6 billion street repaving program that we have to thank. Since 2014, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has paved 4,500 lane-miles of roadways out of 19,000 total citywide, or nearly 25 percent. "This mayor deserves praise for forgoing the inconsequential, 'We've filled the one millionth pothole this Spring' pomp and circumstance of the past, and for getting to the heart of the matter of New York City's street conditions," said Borough President James Oddo. The number of Staten Island lane miles repaved increased 20 percent last fiscal year, according to numbers released by DOT in July. "The best way to deliver smooth, drivable roads to New Yorkers is by milling and resurfacing, and in the last four years we have done an epic amount of repaving," Oddo said. "'Pave, Baby Pave' is the cure for potholes and the path to smoother, safer streets, and although we are not out of the hole that was built over the previous decade and half, there is an appreciable difference on our streets." Major Staten Island roadways that will be paved this fiscal year include Goethals Road, from Richmond Avenue to Western Avenue; Narrows Road, from Fingerboard Road to Britton Avenue; and West Shore Expressway Service Road west, from the Arden Avenue/ Muldoon Avenue Exit to Bloomingdale Road. Additionally, as of Oct. 2, 188,837 potholes have been repaired on Staten Island since de Blasio took office. "Thanks to Mayor de Blasio's unprecedented investment in paving, the quality of city roads is up and the number of pothole complaints is down," said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. "This fall, our crews will continue to work -- literally day and night -- to provide even smoother rides." With only weeks to go until Election Day, de Blasio -- who is being challenged by Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis -- says his work on city roads is "not complete." "[W]hile freshly paved streets mean many fewer potholes, we still have too many, so crews will be both quickly filling potholes and keeping up the pace of repaving in the months ahead," he said in a release.

States are creating laws to limit how many painkillers doctors can prescribe out in hopes of slowing the growing opioid epidemic. It's unclear if opioid painkillers can actually treat chronic pain or if drug companies are just doing a great job of marketing. Some say we need to rethink how we treat pain if we want to stop the opioid epidemic. But people who suffer from chronic pain say they need the drugs to be functional. Their pain is real and needs to be addressed. What do you think? PERSPECTIVES Lawmakers around the U.S. are limiting access to opioid painkillers in hopes that it will slow the epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the staggering rise in heroin use and overdose deaths can be directly tied to the surge in availability of prescription opioid painkillers in the past decade. The reasons for the surge in opioid painkillers are complex, but it's largely due to the confluence of the medical community taking chronic pain more seriously and major marketing efforts from drug companies. According to Vox, there isn't any much proof that opioid painkillers are effective for treating chronic pain. Despite that, Americans consume more opioid painkillers than any other country. We need to seriously rethink how we approach treating pain, otherwise, the opioid epidemic will only get worse. Ohio limits opioid prescriptions to just seven days Some medical professionals worry the backlash against opioid painkillers will leave people with chronic pain in agony. Lawmakers setting arbitrary rules on opioid prescriptions unfairly restricts how doctors can treat their patients. What helps with one patient may not help with another. Managing pain is unique to each person and doctors should have the leeway to make that choice. Some studies suggest that limiting painkillers could drive patients to use heroin. Using prescription drugs to manage your pain is expensive. But when the only way to manage chronic pain is taken away, the patient is still left with that pain and no way to keep it under control. Since heroin is readily available in many of these communities, it becomes an easy and cheap replacement. It's important to address the opioid crisis, but there are better ways to deal with it than at the expense of those in pain. Strict limits on opioid prescribing risk 'inhumane treatment' of pain patients The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A disabled truck on the Staten Island-bound side of the Goethals Bridge is causing a 15-minute delay Friday afternoon, according to the Port Authority on Twitter. Further information about the incident was not immediately clear.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Fentanyl, an opioid that's 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine (depending on the dosage), does have legitimate clinical use. It's prescribed primarily in a transdermal patch that's used for those in extreme pain -- late-stage cancer patients, for example. Back in 2015, we published an exclusive report following an inverview with the Drug Enforcement Administration that revealed addicts and dealers were spiking their heroin with fentanyl to provide a more intense, euphoric high. At that point, the additive being used was primarily produced by taking the patches, scraping out the medication, drying it and adding it to the heroin. "It makes you feel like you're Superman," said Michael, an addict we spoke with at the time. He'd been in and out of drug rehabs for years, and we have no idea if he's still alive. As District Attorney Michael McMahon revealed another troubling spike in overdoses -- nine in only four days, with four of them fatal -- he stated: "Let this serve as a warning to anyone who is currently using or knows someone who is: The narcotics on the street right now are deadly." And this could be why: Two years and literally hundreds of overdoses after we first reported on the use of fentanyl-spiked heroin, the borough is facing an even more frightening and deadly threat. It's fentanyl, but not the controlled and labeled dosage kind you get at the pharmacy. It's bricks of the stuff that's reportedly being made in and smuggled from factories in China. No one, not even law enforcement officials who have made large drug busts that include the "homemade" version, know just how powerful it is until each batch is tested. There have been reports that some is so potent that handling it without rubber gloves will produce a high as it's absorbed by the skin. Word is the borough is flooded with this drug and there's little doubt that it has added deaths to the relentless overdose rate. A Mid-Island physician who treats addiction said recently that he's been swamped by users who are hooked on pure fentanyl -- the unpredictable and very deadly "homemade" version. He pointed out that it presents a serious problem in caring for those who come for help. The use of Medicine Assisted Treatment (MAT) with Suboxone or other medications is not as effective for those hooked on fentanyl, the doctor said. And when it comes to using the OD-reversal drug naloxone, much higher doses are needed when the addict used a heroin-fentanyl mixture, and often does not work at all when it's pure fentanyl. Through his Overdose Response Initiative and other creative approaches to the borough's drug crisis, our district attorney has succeeded in doing several crucial things. He's executed major drug busts, created the web portal SIHOPE.org that provides education and links to treatment options, and, when appropriate, his office diverts addicts to treatment instead of jail. All we can do at this point is join McMahon and repeat the plea we've made before to the family and friends of those who are battling addiction: Get them into a detox and treatment before they become another heartbreaking statistic.

TORONTO -- A 25-year-old who plowed a van into a crowded Toronto sidewalk was ordered held Tuesday on 10 counts of murder and 13 of attempted murder as Canadian authorities and the public sought to make sense of what appeared to be one of the deadliest mass murders in the country's modern history. Alek Minassian showed little overt emotion as he made a brief appearance in a Toronto courtroom in a white jumpsuit and handcuffs. The judge ordered him detained without bond and scheduled the next hearing for May 10. Police, meanwhile, still appeared to be gathering evidence. About 20 officers made their way down the van's deadly path on Yonge Street searching for any evidence. Nearby, mourners had put together a makeshift memorial to the victims. "It was like he was playing a video game, trying to kill as many people as possible," said Panna Patel, 42, who stopped by the memorial and had been at the scene a day earlier, getting cash from an ATM as it occurred. "He was looking people directly in the eye, making eye contact, it was so scary. He wasn't remorseful at all." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the possibility of terrorism, saying that authorities see no national security element in the case. He told a news conference that the incident "hasn't changed the overall threat level in Canada," though it occurred as Cabinet ministers from the G7 nations were meeting in Toronto. Authorities so far had not disclosed a possible motive or cause, though "the incident definitely looked deliberate," Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters at a late-night news conference. Saunders said Minassian, who lives in the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, had not been known to police previously. An online social media profile described him as a college student. Authorities released few details in the case, saying the investigation was still underway, with witnesses being interviewed and surveillance video being examined. "We are looking very strongly to what the exact motivation was for this particular incident to take place," Saunders said. "We need every single piece of this puzzle so we can have a fulsome picture and account as to exactly what took place here." The driver was heading south on busy Yonge Street around 1:30 p.m. and the streets were crowded with people enjoying an unseasonably warm day when the van jumped onto the sidewalk. Ali Shaker, who was driving near the van at the time, told Canadian broadcast outlet CP24 that the driver appeared to be moving deliberately through the crowd at more than 30 mph. "He just went on the sidewalk," a distraught Shaker said. "He just started hitting everybody, man. He hit every single person on the sidewalk. Anybody in his way he would hit." Witness Peter Kang told CTV News that the driver did not seem to make any effort to stop. "If it was an accident he would have stopped," Kang said. "But the person just went through the sidewalk. He could have stopped." Video broadcast on several Canadian outlets showed police arresting the driver, dressed in dark clothes, after officers surrounded him and his rental Ryder van several blocks from where the incident occurred in the North York neighborhood of northern Toronto. He appeared to make some sort of gesture at the police with an object in his hand just before they ordered him to lie down on the ground and took him away. Witness Phil Zullo said that he saw police arresting the suspect and people "strewn all over the road" where the incident occurred. "I must have seen about five, six people being resuscitated by bystanders and by ambulance drivers," Zullo said. "It was awful. Brutal." Police shut down the Yonge and Finch intersection following the incident and Toronto's transit agency said it had suspended service on the subway line running through the area. Trudeau on Monday expressed his sympathies for those involved. "We should all feel safe walking in our cities and communities," he said. "We are monitoring this situation closely, and will continue working with our law enforcement partners around the country to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians." The stretch of Yonge Street where the victims were struck remains closed to traffic and was expected to stay blocked off for several days as police continue what is likely to be a lengthy investigation. The incident prompted police to beef up security and close several streets around the Air Canada Centre on Monday night for the Toronto-Boston NHL playoff game. Police tweeted that similar road closures may be in effect for the Toronto Raptors NBA playoff game on Wednesday night. The incident occurred as Cabinet ministers from the major industrial countries were gathered in Canada to discuss a range of international issues in the run-up to the G7 meeting near Quebec City in June. Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale called the incident a "horrific attack" and said the G7 foreign ministers extended their condolences.

Read on for more If you are looking for ideas for your business then you have landed on the right page. These days, it is all about ecommerce, but stating an online store is not the only way to earn online. You can try other ideas too. Let’s have a look at four online businesses that have a lot of scope: Online Marketing Online marketing is one of the fastest growing online businesses out there. With the world slowly moving to the web, there is a dire need for online marketing, which is why you can find hundreds of online marketing businesses providing different services. The good thing is that such businesses have no limitations. You can have an office in London and serve a client based in Australia. When you think about it, this is the biggest benefit of online businesses as they eradicate boundaries and give you access to a wider audience, and all this becomes possible with the help of online marketing on which companies spend about $75,000 per year now. Essay writing services Essay writing services are growing in demand with the number of university students also on the rise. While some may find such a business to be unethical, there is no denying that essay writing services are in demand. Most universities require their students to submit a thesis or paper in order to get their degree, however a large number of students do not have the time and/or resources to complete the job within time. This is why they turn to companies that offer essay writing services so that they can get the job done and get their degree. Online tutions If you have a talent then you can make a career out of it by teaching it to others. There are many platforms like UpWork where you can find clients willing to pay to learn different skills including languages, programming etc. Other than this, there are sites like Udemy that allow you to register as a tutor and upload lectures that are viewed by students from around the world. Moreover, if you do not wish to join a third party platform, you can start your own website or page and promote it online to find clients. These days many fitness trainers are providing fitness tips online. They charge for diet plans, workout tips etc., and make a good amount of money. Same can be said for other skilled individuals including language experts, makeup artists and musicians. Be a blogger/vlogger If you are good at writing, you can start your own blog and earn by advertising on it or selling products online. Other than this, if you’re comfortable in front of a camera then you can be a vlogger and start your own YouTube channels. Many YouTube artists actually make millions just by making videos and posting online. It’s all about being creative and connecting with your audience.

Find out here Vodafone has been ranked the worst mobile service provider for customer satisfaction for the seventh year in a row, according to an annual survey by Which? A spokesperson for Vodafone said: “Improving service for our customers is a top priority and we have been working hard to deliver results. These findings published by Which? really don’t match up with what our customers are telling us, with our own, independently verified customer satisfaction scores jumping 13 points from last year to their best ever level.” Over 3,500 members of the public were surveyed about their service provider, which revealed these customer satisfaction score: 1. Utility Warehouse - 84 per cent 2. Giffgaff - 81 per cent 3. Sky Mobile - 79 per cent 4. Asda Mobile - 77 per cent 5. Tesco Mobile - 75 per cent 6. Plusnet - 65 per cent 7. Three - 64 per cent 8. iD - 63 per cent 9. BT Mobile - 61 per cent 10. O2 - 61 per cent 11. Virgin Mobile 58 per cent 12. EE - 56 per cent 13. Vodafone - 49 per cent Vodafone stood last with a score of 49 per cent, EE stood at 56 per cent, and then Virgin Mobile and O2.

Read on for more The gambling sector has never done better. Since gambling was liberalised some decade ago, the annual sum operators win has increased by 65%. Moreover, the income is soaring due to the proliferation of online games of chance. But, what about players? Well, according to recent studies, there are 430,000 gambling addicts in the UK. Many more are at risk of developing a serious gambling habit. Considering the scale of the problem, it is shocking how little the government has done so far. The time would be now to grasp the full extent it is shocking how little the government has done so far. The time would be now to grasp the full extent of damaging habits and address the root of the problem. Putting all the cards on the table The Gambling Commission has found that many operators failed to meet regulatory requirements and adhere to multi-operator self-exclusion schemes. Namely, some of them continued servicing gamblers that declared self-exclusion or marketed services to them. This way, the addicts remain hooked on machines, despite the urge to escape the pitfall. There are many other operators that make lacklustre attempts at discouraging addicts. Fortunately, on the opposite side of the spectrum, we have the likes of PlayOjo online casino and huge gambling company Bet365, with both operators actively promoting the benefits of channels for player care. In this gambling support group research, several noteworthy organisations are cited. These support groups are very affordable and often are completely free to join with face-to-face counselling on offer. One of the largest support groups, Gamblers Anonymous is a network connecting problem gamblers and giving them a chance to see that they are not alone. Likewise, GameCare leads the way ahead when it comes to offering free counselling, advice, and information. All services are expert and confidential. Yet, this is not enough. Left short-handed In the whole of UK, there is still only one NHS clinic for treating gambling addiction. To make it worse, the government does not even know how many people were treated by the NHS. That puts a lot of strain on the aforementioned organisations for support. It also reflects the failure of officials to recognise that the hidden epidemic of problem gamblers is actually a public health crisis of the most serious nature. Taking this into accounts, we cannot be surprised by the lack of funding for research, education, and specialised treatment. This is a significant challenge and only the synergy of many different steps and actions can uncover the deep roots that gambling has in underlying social conditions and turn the situation around. And the situation is certainly perilous. Playing with fire The social costs of addiction are estimated to £1.2 a year and encompass treatment, welfare, housing, and criminal justice. As for all the dire consequences, they cannot be put into numbers. But, we do see that addiction can lead to severed family connections, ruined careers, criminal behaviour, and poverty. So, let us see addiction for what it is: a problem that wreaks havoc individuals, families, and the community. Youth gambling, in particular, is a burning issue. A significant segment of a younger population seems to be under a false impression that gambling represents a consequence-free joyride with quick money as a reward. Nowadays, they are exposed to gambling is less traditional ways, via eSports, apps, and social media. Many of them take part in skins betting, whereby they bet using in-game items with real-money value. This is just one indication how deeply has gambling penetrated into the daily reality of people, and how it operates in a clandestine fashion. New forms of gambling, especially in the online sector, are levelling the playing field and creating an environment of easy access. If anything, the players should be made aware that the odds are not stacked in their favour. Time to stop making bets in a burning house The British gambling industry has grown into a giant that leaves a blazing trail in its wake. As profits rise, the treatment of addiction and gambling-related harm lags far behind. The government has to awaken to the grim reality, while the gambling industry must be forced to step up and contribute a good share of the cost. It is clear that we need a new approach, mindset, and strategy, fit for the high-tech, digital age. Problem gamblers deserve nothing less.

New research finds New data from First Utility Broadband shows that only 10 per cent of broadband customers have been told when their contract ends - despite an average 37 per cent price hike from most major providers after the initial contract term. That’s £113 per year, per household. This lack of transparency over contract alerts means that 72 per cent of UK households - some 15 million homes - are paying ‘out-of contract’ rates for their broadband, costing the UK £1.7bn a year more than necessary. An investigation from First Utility Broadband also found the confusion reigns among the staff of the biggest broadband providers as to their procedure for alerting customers when their prices increase at the end of the initial contract term. During calls to the contact centres of the major providers, First Utility found that some providers: Admit to not alerting customers because “if the customer does nothing, it’s going to make more money for the business” according to a customer service agent. because “if the customer does nothing, it’s going to make more money for the business” according to a customer service agent. Take a back seat and put the onus on the customer . One customer service agent said: “it’s the customer’s responsibility to know their contract is about to end” . One customer service agent said: “it’s the customer’s responsibility to know their contract is about to end” Believe customers should notice the amount of money coming out of their account . One agent said “when customers notice more money coming out of their contract, that’s a sign that they’re now out of contract” . One agent said “when customers notice more money coming out of their contract, that’s a sign that they’re now out of contract” Found reminding customers about their end of contract date as a hassle. According to one customer service agent; “it’s too much of an administrative task” Energy providers are legally required to alert customers 49 days before the end of a contract but no such regulation exists for broadband. That is despite First Utility Broadband research showing that 92 per cent of UK households would expect their broadband supplier to alert them when their initial contract price is ending. First Utility wants all providers to be mandated to tell customers when their contract comes to an end, just as energy suppliers are required to do. Ofcom is currently consulting on this in order to encourage consumer engagement and help customers avoid paying out of contract charges. Ed Kamm, Chief Commercial Officer, First Utility commented: “The parallels between the energy and telecoms markets are striking, with large swathes of households paying far too much for both services. It’s clear that left to their own devices, the biggest broadband suppliers - just like the Big Six energy companies - will take any opportunity to rip customers off by hiding better deals behind bamboozling T&Cs. “As an energy supplier, we’re obliged to let our customers know when their contract is drawing to an end. We urge the industry to consider something similar to help empower their customers and support engagement. “Broadband is lagging behind many sectors and proving to be among the worst industries for customer communication. It’s about time it caught up and formalised the process of communicating out-of-contract plans with customers.”

300-year old London base is ‘unsatisfactory’ Parts of the Bank of England could be moved out of its base in London and relocated to Birmingham if Labour comes to power at the next general election. The Bank is still known by the nickname The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street and has been based in the City of London since 1734. The report, commissioned by shadow chancellor John McDonnell, has concluded that the central bank’s 300-year-old London base is “unsatisfactory and leads to the regions being underweighted in policy decisions.” They have recommended moving “some functions” to Birmingham, to be located “next door or close to” the National Investment Bank and Strategic Investment Board, organisations that Labour plans to create on entering government. Offices could also be set up in Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast, with two smaller regional ones in Newcastle and Plymouth as part of a shake-up to push investment into other parts of the UK. McDonnell said: “This important report drums home the message that our financial system isn’t delivering enough investment across the whole country, and in the high-technology industries and firms of the future where it is needed most.

Everything you need to know about angel investment All startups begin their life cycle with the aim of becoming the Facebook of their industry, boasting revolutionary offerings and a meaty balance sheet. But to make money, you need money. Enter angel investment – finance from private individuals usually given in exchange for equity but sometimes loaned for convertible debt. Business angels in the UK collectively invest an estimated £1.5 billion annually in startups and early-stage businesses. What is it? Angel investors are wealthy individuals who put their own money into start-ups. They look for strong growth prospects, with the potential to generate a healthy return on their investment. Angel finance is usually the first £500,000 or so of equity funding a start-up takes on after bootstrapping. Firms generally work with a handful of angels at the same time, who will typically invest between £10,000 and £100,000 each. The founders give equity to their new investors in return for the finance. The amount of equity will depend on the valuation of the company, and the scale of the investment required – but as a rule, it tends to be around 20-30 per cent at each funding round. Equity investment is the preferred asset class amongUK investors, given the government’s tax incentives (SEIS and EIS) for angel investing. In the US, however, investors and start-ups generally prefer debt financing, in the form of convertible loans.​​ Angels frequently work together in networks. A good example being FINTECH Circle: a global community of 75,000 fintech entrepreneurs and thought leaders, angel and VC investors, and financial services professionals. Who is it for? Like bootstrapping, angel investment is suitable for almost any start-up, according to FINTECH Circle CEO Susanne Chishti. “Most companies take on an angel round early in their development,” she says. When doing so, they should choose their angels carefully. Susanne advises: “You need investors that know your industry and understand your business. Our angels are all fintech experts who understand the sector.” Angel investors should offer complementary knowledge and skills. Susanne gives an example: “One might have the black book you need, another the deep sector expertise, while another can get you media exposure in the right places, or introduce you to VCs for your next funding round.” Most importantly, there needs to be a good fit between angels and entrepreneurs – what Susanne calls an “alignment of personalities and interests.” She says: “One of our investors puts it neatly: only take investment from people you like going to lunch with!” What are the key criteria and terms? Susanne says angel investors generally look for three success factors: The team. Who are the founders, and who makes up the team around them? What is their unique combination of skills? Do they have a track record of successful ventures? The product. What is its USP? How big is the global market for it? Can it be scaled up globally to achieve economies of scale? The business model. Do the unit economics make sense? How will the company monetise its product to become sustainably profitable? What are the benefits and drawbacks? Susanne describes angel investment as a start-up’s “first smart capital”. She explains: “Angels bring much more than money to the table. They offer expertise, skills, strategic advice, and the network to help your company grow, and to find your next funding round. They’re a sounding-board in good times and bad.” Angel funding isn’t easy to come by, however. Angels are private individuals. They don’t have to invest – they’re not running a VC fund that they’re obliged to derive returns from. “So if they don’t find the right opportunities,” Susanne says, “they won’t open their wallets.” Download this report, which outlines everything you need to know about business finance for start-ups, draws on the expertise of the mentors from London & Partners’ VC Club and its Business Growth Programme, who help London’s early-stage businesses unlock their potential and overcome growth barriers.

Take a look Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union issued a joint statement yesterday confirming a deal has been reached on pay, working hours and pensions, you can view the statement here. Pension terms As previously announced, closure of defined benefit scheme from 31 March 2018 Launch of a Cash Balance scheme with a 13.6 per cent employer contribution Aspiration to launch a Collective Defined Contribution scheme, subject to necessary legislation Boost to contributions for members of the existing Defined Contribution scheme Hargreaves Lansdown comment Tom McPhail: “As an employee, if you’re going to lose your final salary pension scheme, this is a pretty good way to do it. The ongoing employer contributions at £400 million and 13.6 per cent of salary are very generous compared to the majority of Defined Contribution schemes. For members of the Cash Balance scheme there will still be an element of certainty around their benefits. The plans to launch a CDC scheme will be watched with keen interest by the pensions industry, which has very mixed feelings about the viability of such schemes.”

60 per cent of students spend more than half of their student loans on housing New research from Uniplaces.com, the leading online marketplace for student accommodation, has found that three in every five (60 per cent) British students will spend more than half of their student loans on a place to live while studying this year, while 17 per cent claim they will spend all of their loan on housing, plus a little extra. The research identified that the majority of students plan to spend less than £150p/w on accommodation, and that nearly a third of freshers who plan to spend less than £100p/w are not budgeting enough for university halls fees (the UK average is £136p/w). The Uniplaces survey found that, compared to freshers, current students will spend 10 per cent more of their loans on housing. 40 per cent of current students spend more than 75 per cent of their loans on accommodation, which leaves them with insufficient money to fund other aspects of student life, including travel, food, books, stationery, and social expenses. The research also points out that young people studying in the South West and the North West are the most likely to spend more than their entire student loan on accommodation, compared to those studying in London, Northern Ireland and Scotland, who use the least amount of their student loan. 70% of students also claimed to spend less than £150 per week on housing while studying. This is in keeping with the UK’s average cost of private accommodation and halls of residence. Uniplaces’s additional research into the costs of private housing and university halls found that the average weekly cost for a bedroom in a shared, privately-rented house, is £97p/w, while the average cost of a top 20 university halls of residence is £136p/w. However, for students studying in London, living on a “£150 or less a week” budget is almost impossible given the cost of living of the nation’s capital. The average weekly cost of London’s halls of residence is £170p/w, while private shared housing is £164p/w, leaving students with a deficit of at least £14 a week. London is also home to the most expensive student halls of residence of any of the UK’s top 20 universities. Students based in Northern England can rest easy, as the average weekly cost of a shared private house is £62.50p/w, while halls of residence are £123p/w. University towns Sheffield and York were found to have some of the cheapest private rent per person in the country. The city in the UK with the cheapest housing costs is St Andrews in Scotland, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge studied. Here students can find private housing at £50p/w, while halls of residence cost is at £100p/w. Ben Grech, CEO and co-founder of Uniplaces said: “As we start a new university year, many students will be finalising where they are going to live. We’ve found through our research that there is a major discrepancy in the student cost of living across the country, and that while £150 per week may be more than you need in the North, in the South the housing is more expensive and it will push the upper limits of any student’s budget. We also found that a lot of young people are relying on their student loans to get them a place to live. It is a concern that so many students are getting further into debt just to keep a roof over their head and leaving no spare cash for them to actually enjoy life as a student. “Our advice to students looking for a place to live is to first set a realistic budget which balances what you can afford with the rental costs of where you are choosing to study. It is also worth remembering that halls of residence isn’t the only choice of accommodation, particularly for freshers. In the UK, less than 20 per cent of student accommodation is owned or controlled by universities and as our studies show private rental can be the more affordable option.

Check these out The whole of the United Kingdom is a grand place for lovers of gambling, but London is undoubtedly one of the most premier locations for gamblers in the UK. The thing about casinos in London is that they exude a sense of class and timelessness like no other, and in the scope of this list here, we are going to explore some of the best ones in the city that you can visit on your next trip to London. The Sportsman Casino Property of Caesar’s Entertainment, The Sportsman Casino is famous for being one of the top venues for poker games in London, and it isn’t uncommon to find some of the most seasoned local players in the game hanging out there. Park Tower Casino Even though it isn’t the most exclusive casino in London, the Park Tower Casino is still extremely popular for the exemplary services offered by everyone from the valet to the chauffeurs in the club and the discreet gambling tables. No cameras are allowed near these tables and the ones on your phones cannot be used at all to safeguard the privacy of its members. The Ritz Even people who have never entered a casino have heard of the famous Ritz Club at 150 Piccadilly Street; after all, the hotel itself has been called the World’s Greatest Hotel for decades. Those that can afford to gamble at The Ritz pretty much get the best service possible in the country in terms of food, wine, entertainment, music and everything in-between. If you want, you can opt to play American Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat or poker in a private room with even more exclusive services. The Clermont Club Established back in 1962 by John Aspinall, The Clermont Club is one of the most prestigious and sophisticated clubs in the UK. Back in the day, it was exclusive to movie stars, celebrities, famous gamblers and British aristocrats only. Although it is much more accessible for the commoners and tourists today, there’s still a lot of exclusivity about the Clermont Club which it maintains to this day. Aspers Casino It isn’t all about sophistication and exclusivity in all of London’s casinos because there are also fantastic, but somewhat relaxed atmospheres, that you can gamble at too, and the Aspers Casino is a fine example of that. Located inside the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, Aspers Casino has 70 tables and 150 slots for you to try your luck at. In fact, there are even 150 video gaming terminals for you to try out as well for a more relaxing experience. The Casino at the Empire Let’s end this list with a casino right in the middle of the Leicester Square that while being exclusive, brings a bit of a different vibe to the mix with its deliberately similar design to the casinos in Las Vegas. There are four luxury bars to take care of all your wine and dine needs while you try your hand at the ongoing poker tournaments. Apart from poker, Pai Gow, Baccarat and Blackjack are the most popular games here. You can’t go wrong with choosing any one of these casinos for a good night’s gamble, food and drinks, but chances are that you will be visiting more than just one of these casinos on the list. However, it’s neither possible nor ideal for most of us to visit casinos on a regular basis and for those nights, there’s absolutely no shortage of the UK best online slots sites to take care of all our gambling needs. If you are concerned about privacy and convenience, not even The Ritz can provide you better privacy and convenience than that of lying in your own bed with your favourite drink and trying out your luck at one of the online slot ga

Signed a five-year contract with the UK government US energy giant General Electric (GE) has signed a five-year contract with the UK government to test the world’s largest wind turbine in a facility in northeast England. “This is an important agreement because it will enable us to prove Haliade-X in a faster way by putting it under controlled and extreme conditions,” John Lavelle, president & CEO of GE’s Offshore Wind business said in a statement. The American company also said the partnership would help develop the UK supply chain in the renewable sector. Britain’s energy and clean growth minister Claire Perry welcomed the development and said it highlights Britain’s world class research and testing facilities.

All that we know about After successfully launching Kindle and Echo, Amazon.com Inc. is reportedly developing a secret project codenamed ‘Vesta’ or robots for the home. Other reports say that its sales may begin as early as 2019. According to a report from Bloomberg, the tech giant has started working on the top-secret plan, which is being led by Gregg Zehr who runs Amazon’s Lab126 hardware research and development division based in Sunnyvale, California. Lab126 is also responsible for Amazon devices such as the Echo speakers, Fire TV set-top-boxes, Fire tablets and the ill-fated Fire Phone. As of now it’s unclear what tasks the Amazon robot might perform. However, people familiar with the project say that the robot could be a sort of mobile Alexa. An Amazon spokesperson told media that the company doesn’t comment on “rumors and speculation.”

According to latest CBI Industrial Trends Survey The survey of 356 manufacturers revealed that optimism about general business conditions deteriorated marginally, while domestic orders were largely unchanged on the quarter. Output growth slowed somewhat, but remained well above the long-run average. In contrast, optimism regarding export prospects for the year ahead continued to improve at an above-average pace, while export orders growth accelerated at the fastest pace in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, inventories of raw materials rose at the fastest pace since 1977. Employment grew at a similar pace to the last three months – above the long run average – with further growth expected next quarter. While skilled labour diminished as a likely constraint on output in the quarter ahead, concerns that labour availability would constrain investment picked up again. Manufacturers expect to spend more on training and retraining over the next twelve months. Capacity pressures eased compared with the previous quarter, when the proportion of firms with spare operating capacity was the lowest in 29 years. Firms intend to spend more on product and process innovation over the next year, while the balance of firms expecting to spend more on buildings rose to the highest in two years and well ahead of the long-run average. Efficiency remains the predominant driver of investment, closely followed by replacement of existing capital (eg machinery). Average unit cost growth edged lower, and domestic price growth also slowed slightly, while expectations for price growth returned to around the long-run average from last quarter’s 44 year high. Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Economist, said: “Although manufacturing growth has slowed again this month, manufacturers continue to enjoy the fruits of stronger growth in Europe and the lower pound. For manufacturing to continue its resurgence in the years ahead, it will be critical for trade to remain as frictionless as possible with the EU - our closest and biggest trading partner. “And, as the UK leaves the EU, it’s vital firms continue to pursue productivity gains, for example by sharing ideas on innovation, to improve their competitiveness overseas.” Tom Crotty, Group Director of Ineos and Chair of CBI Manufacturing Council, said: “While we are seeing a slight softening in the domestic market, UK manufacturers continue to reap the gains from strong global demand. This is a good sign that our businesses are competitive on the world stage. “But with concerns over labour shortages high, preserving this competitive edge will depend on manufacturers having ongoing access to the people and skills that they need from abroad. Businesses are ready to work with government to ensure an immigration system that is both consistent with the referendum result and supports economic growth.”

According to latest analysis by PwC The European IPO market will end 2017 on a high, with annual proceeds up around 50 per cent year on year to well in excess of €40bn and volumes increasing approximately 13 per cent, according to latest analysis by PwC. Levels of withdrawn and postponed IPOs have almost halved in 2017. The London Stock Exchange is set to be Europe’s most active market by value in 2017 with almost 30 per cent of proceeds raised from European IPOs generated in London. Lucy Tarleton, Capital Markets director at PwC, said: “The UK’s resurgence to pre-EU referendum levels has been driven in part by investment company IPOs. SPACs and REITs accounted for a quarter of UK volumes and values and three of the top five UK IPOs fall into this category, which is a trend expected to continue in 2018. “The pipeline for UK IPOs in the year ahead looks healthy, and includes a number of international companies, demonstrating London’s continued attractiveness for cross-border IPOs in Europe.” The value of IPOs in the UK was almost three times larger than Borsa Italiana’s, Europe’s second most active exchange in terms of value. Borsa Italiana hosted Europe’s second largest IPO, Pirelli & C SpA, a consumer tyre company which raised €2.3bn.

Brexit woes The Home Office is looking in to plans for “Barista visa’s” and new rules for migrants otherwise hospitality industry experts are warning many business will close. The British Hospitality Industry has warned that hotels, restaurants and bars will be forced to close as there is a severe shortage of British workers and a steady stream of migrants is needed. Pret Manger’s HR chief Andrea Wareham told a government committee in June that no British people want to work at the chain. Only one in 50 job applicants to the hugely popular sandwich chain is British, she said. Wareham told the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee: “I would say that one in 50 people that apply to our company to work is British.” Under new plans young EU citizens can come to the UK and work for two years within the hospitality industry however, they will not be allowed to claim for housing or benefits once the UK leaves the EU. Lord Green who is a former ambassador and now works with the think-tank Migration Watch UK suggested the two-year visa plan. A senior source at the Home Office said to The Sun this is a “good idea.” Green told The Sun: “We can kill two birds with one stone here. We can meet the needs of pubs and restaurants and maintain our links with young Europeans by allowing them to come for a strictly limited period of two years to work.” “They could work at any level but would not become long-term immigrants who would add to the pressure on public services. Nor should they qualify for benefits or housing.” “It is quite possible that an unlimited supply of cheap labour has been a disincentive to investment in machinery.” Green said the scheme could also be extended to EU 27 members as it also applies to people from Monaco, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. However, Green added that increasing pay with new production methods within the industry to attract British workers should be thought about first. Although back in June Wareham said on the subject of increasing pay: “I actually don’t think increasing pay would do the trick, I can only talk for Pret on this, but we do pay well above the National Living Wage, we do have great benefits and we offer fantastic careers.” A spokesman for the Home Office said: “Leaving the European Union allows Britain to take control of our immigration system.” “We are working across Government to identify and develop options to shape our future system to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.” “It is logical to consult on proposals to make sure businesses, services and communities can contribute their views.” “However, as we are currently considering the various options as to how EU migration might work once we have left, it would be wrong to set out further positions at this stage.”

Announcement coincides with Goldman Sachs moving to new office in Frankfurt One of the senior staff of Bank of England (BoE) has warned that Britain and the EU must make progress on a Brexit transition deal by Christmas or risk seeing banks and financial firms leave. Talking about the need of a watertight Brexit transition deal by Christmas, Sam Woods, the chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which is an arm of the BoE, said: “If we get to Christmas and the negotiations have not reached any agreement on this topic, diminishing marginal returns will kick in. Firms would start discounting the likelihood of a transition in the central case of their planning.” Woods is one of the BoE’s most senior staff in charge of banking regulation and was speaking at the annual Mansion House dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor of London, Andrew Parmley, who also spoke on the need to secure a transitional deal by the year-end. “I struggle to see an outcome in which banks and insurers do not get harder to supervise and harder to resolve for all involved,” Woods added. Wood’s speech coincided with Goldman Sachs announcing late last evening that it has taken new office space in Frankfurt to prepare for Brexit. “This expanded office space will allow us to grow our operations in Germany to continue serving our clients, as well as provide us with the space to execute on our Brexit contingency plan as needed,” the Goldman Sachs spokesman told media. According to media reports, British prime minister, Theresa May has pledged to secure a transitional period of “around two years” but the EU has yet to make its position clear. Without a legally binding transition deal by year-end, banks would have to start applying for licences in the first quarter of 2018 to allow enough time for regulators to process them. A transitional deal reportedly allows financial firms a “passport” to sell their goods and services across the EU while headquartered in one member country of the bloc.

New survey shows The robotic speaking style of Theresa May often earns her jeers from pundits and the public but it’s proven to be a hit with one audience – artificial intelligence. In a test of speeches by leading UK politicians by London-based Trint, a service that uses AI to generate almost instant transcripts of audio and video, May was the easiest to understand followed by Jeremy Hunt. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow and Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon scored lowest. To conduct the Trint Index test, Trint ran speeches through its automated speech-to-text software, and used Word Error Rate (WER), a common speech recognition metric measuring the number of substituted, deleted, and inserted words to produce a rate of inaccuracy. A transcript with a WER of 5.5 is 5.5 percent inaccurate or, conversely, 94.5 percent accurate Trint transcribed 98.28 percent of May’s infamous 2017 Conservative party conference speech correctly. Trint CEO Jeff Kofman credited the high accuracy to May’s clear enunciation, slow delivery, and lack of audience interruption. One of the few errors for May’s speech was the transcription of “George Osborne” as “George Osmo ball.” Kofman noted that less-common names or new words can result in errors, as was the case for Nigel Farage, whose invented word “Dexit” (for Denmark leaving the EU) was transcribed as “DECT.” To give a sense of how background noise and cacophony can make it difficult for AI to transcribe speech, Trint also tested Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain. Due to Morgan’s tendency to speak over guests and interrupt them, he came in at the bottom of the poll, with an 82.25 percent accurate transcription. Trint Index results: Theresa May (98.25 per cent accurate) Jeremy Hunt (97.58 per cent accurate) TIED: Jeremy Corbyn and Amber Rudd (97.49 per cent accurate) 5. Vince Cable (97.72 per cent accurate) 6. Arlene Foster (96.9 per cent accurate) 7. Boris Johnson (96.75 per cent accurate) 8. Jacob Rees-Mogg (96.13 per cent accurate) 9. John Bercow (95.21 per cent accurate) 10. Queen Elizabeth (95.19 per cent accurate) 11. Nigel Farage (93.32 per cent accurate) 12. Nicola Sturgeon (92.96 per cent accurate) 13. Piers Morgan (82.25 per cent accurate)

Deals will create over 2,500 jobs across the UK Prime Minister Theresa May left China with deals worth more than £9.3bn, at the end of a three-day trade mission. The deals will create over 2,500 jobs across the UK, the British government has said. During a meeting in Beijing yesterday, Chinese president Xi Jinping told May that the two countries should “add new meaning into the bilateral ties so as to forge an enhanced version of the ‘Golden Era’, according to the state-run media. Speaking at a business summit in Shanghai, May said Britain was keen to help bring Xi’s vision for globalisation and a more open Chinese economy to life: “Meanwhile, the UK is preparing to leave the European Union. We’re seizing the opportunity to become an ever-more outward-looking Global Britain, deepening our trade relations with nations around the world - including China.” Chinese investment is helping Britain develop infrastructure and create jobs, with some 50,000 British businesses importing goods from China and more than 10,000 sell their goods to China, May said. As the world’s second-largest economy, China is high on the list of countries that Britain wants to sign a free trade agreement with. “We’ve agreed on moves to bring more of the UK’s internationally renowned food and drink to China, to open up the market to some of Britain’s world-class financial services providers,” May further said.

Read on for the truth about remote working Many people love the idea of working from home, while others think it would be a productivity nightmare. Read on for the truth about remote working, the advantages and disadvantages of working from home and how this new approach to work could benefit companies as well as employees. Lack of commute Working from home has many advantages, such as no long commute, no office politics and a more comfortable working environment. The lack of commute means you can be working as soon as you open your laptop and finished as soon as you log off. For workers in London and other large cities, this can mean many hours saved every day commuting across a busy city in the rush hour. Working from home means you can wear the clothes you feel most comfortable in and choose your own temperature, while opening or closing your windows and blinds at will. You can also do exactly what you like more easily at lunchtime, whether that be browsing https://onlinebingo.co.uk/new-bingo-sites for the latest bingo sites, or going outside for a run. All these small differences can make your working day more pleasant and enjoyable. Productivity Other benefits include being close to your own kitchen, so there is no need to buy an expensive lunch out. Many small tasks can easily be done in your lunch break, such as seeing to deliveries or putting on a wash load. However, this mix of domestic and business can become a nuisance with the ability to distract you from work. So, whether you are productive from home or not can be partly a matter of personality type. Many home workers actually find it easier to focus when working from home as there are fewer distractions, such as irrelevant gossip and other background noise. You can also avoid the pressures and irritations of office politics, along with the daily meetings! Without these small day to day irrelevancies, your productivity rate could soar. The flip side of this is that you could miss networking opportunities and the chance to brainstorm ideas with colleagues around the water cooler. Career progression Disadvantages of home working could include the lack of networking potential and the possibility that you could get overlooked for promotions in favour of colleagues who are physically at the office. Some people from less progressive companies could still see those who work from home as somehow being less committed to their careers. This attitude could damage a remote worker’s chances of progression within that company. Modern technology With modern technology, video conferencing and instant messaging, there seems little need to be in the office at all for many workers, especially those whose jobs are entirely digital-based. Instant messaging also means you can chat whenever you like at the touch of a button, so the social side of office life can also be easier to maintain. Using the internet, laptops, tablets, Smartphones and all their mobile facilities also makes it easy to transfer out of the home and into a café, park or co-working office space. Working from home need not mean literally in your own home. As long as you can get your work done, you could take your work wherever you like. Many homeworkers are taking advantage of the many co-working spaces springing up across many cities. These are spaces that give a social atmosphere and offer all those office facilities that can come in handy but without the presence of your own colleagues – in short, all the benefits of working in an office without the negatives of working in the same place as your boss. Benefits to businesses There are many benefits to businesses when they allow workers to work from home. This flexible way of working means a boost to the morale of workers as they feel more in control and happier in their work. There are far fewer sickness days taken when remote working is allowed, as workers often feel well enough to work from home, just not well enough to commute to the office. Companies that offer flexible working opportunities are also more attractive to job seekers. Younger people moving into the job market are looking for companies that embrace modern technology and modern ways of working. People with children are also keen to find ways to combine work with family commitments without hindering their careers. Home working is on the increase and if businesses are to thrive in the future, all signals point towards the need to be open to new modes of working. Do you work from home or would you like to? What do you think are the biggest advantages and disadvantages of home working?

Giorgio Tacchia on his subscription-free hub Tell us how you plan to shake-up the TVoD market in the UK? When CHILI launched in Italy in 2012 it was a digital library. Today it has evolved into the first and only pan-Europe entertainment marketplace for movie lovers. If you love Jurassic Park, you might want to watch the original films to prepare yourself for a cinema trip to see the latest installment whilst wearing your classic Jurassic Park tee. How many different websites would you have to click to watch a movie or a movie franchise in this way? CHILI offers you this all in one place. You can even read up on actors, directors and film related news on CHILI’s digital magazine, Hotcorn. Buy tickets to the theatrical releases, download digital films straight to your screen and order official merchandise all in one subscription-free hub. CHILI is also the only TVOD with multiple Hollywood Studios as shareholders, so it’s the only licensed platform able to offer special bundles and immersive experiences from all characters and franchises. How big is the market in the UK - and how much of it do you think you can own? We know the UK market is crowded and competitive however, as the first and only Entertainment Centred Marketplace, CHILI is doing something unique - so the opportunity here is significant and exciting. Not only is the UK a mature market for TV and film on demand, it also has great broadband access and there is strong appetite for English speaking Hollywood content. We don’t want to just take market share from the likes of Netflix or Amazon; CHILI is complementary to these platforms, so we want to grow our own fans. We are ambitious that launching in the UK and other European markets will enable CHILI to grow our customers from 1.7million to 5 million by 2019. How did you make your first million? Securing the backing of Hollywood Studios— Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Viacom, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox — as shareholders was the turning point for CHILI. This propelled CHILI from a digital library into one of the most important movie and TV series on demand platform in Italy and an unrivalled entertainment hub. The platform has now accrued 1.6 million registered customers and earnt itself fans in Germany, Poland, Austria and now the UK. What advice would you give other entrepreneurs trying to secure that kind of finance? Focus on knowing what is at the very heart of your business and be clear about what sets it apart from the crowd. Look at businesses you admire and ask yourself, ‘What are they doing well?’, ‘What would I do things differently?’ and ‘How will I futureproof my business against an ever-changing landscape?’ What metrics do you look at every day? CHILI is a data-driven company so we lucky to have access to a lot of metrics which we continuously monitor, evaluate and respond to. Whether that’s watching where our customer base is growing most or evaluating their consumption habits, this data provides us with invaluable insights which means CHILI will never stop evolving and giving its customers exactly what they want. What do you believe the key to growing this business is? CHILI has an extremely strong position and complements consumers’ existing subscription services, such as Netflix or Amazon. As a user of Netflix myself I can see the value in original content but if I want to watch a Fast and Furious movie where do I go, how do I purchase cinema tickets for the next film and how do I get up to speed on the latest TV and film news? CHILI is unique in offering all of this in one place. If we continue to be true to this unique proposition and listen to our customers I am confident CHILI will continue to grow and expand to new markets. What’s been the most unexpectedly valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far? It’s not necessary to reinvert the wheel. There is a lot of pressure on innovation and having original ideas but the most important thing to consider is how these truly benefit the consumer. Customers should always remain at the center of any business. What’s been your biggest mistake so far? There are lots of people out there who want to offer advice, but some of these won’t have you or your company’s best interests at heart. With time you learn to distinguish who are real experts and who to trust. Which London start-up/s are you watching, and why? London has a thriving and impressive start-up scene, with so many companies doing original things it’s hard to name just one.

To see if it breached its licence conditions Energy regulator has launched a probe into whether Ovo Energy gave some of its customers inaccurate information over how much energy they used. Ofgem said it would study the estimates Ovo— one of the “big six” energy firms in the UK— gave to its customers over energy use during the winter of 2016-17. Incorrect consumption figures could lead to customers getting inaccurate bills, the watchdog added. Ovo Energy said: “We have a great track record in customer service and are always open to ways to improve it.” The company was founded in 2009, and currently has about 800,000 customers. In a statement, Ofgem said: “The investigation will examine whether Ovo Energy breached licence conditions related to giving customers consumption information that is accurate, or based on a best estimate, complete, and not misleading. Incorrect consumption figures can lead to customers receiving inaccurate bills, annual statements and other important information. “This in turn can lead to customers being unable to properly manage their accounts and deciding to switch based on incorrect information.”

Perfect troll Boss Elon Musk took to Twitter early this week to share the news that his group had hit Tesla Model 3 production milestone — 5000 units per week— just before deadline. The company had been trying to exceed the 5,000-per-week production target for months. 7000 cars, 7 days ♥️ Tesla Team ♥️ — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2018 But before the CEO could enjoy the glory for long, Ford’s president of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region demolished his feat with one snappy tweet. Here’s what Steve Armstrong tweeted:

New study shows The number of million pound apartment sales in England & Wales has grown nearly threefold (196 per cent) since 2006, from 1,002 to 2,967 in 2016, according to the latest research by Lloyds Private Banking. The rate of growth in transactions for apartments has far outpaced other prime market property types with sales of million pound terraces rising by 165 per cent, followed by semi-detached properties (154 per cent) and detached (88 per cent) in the past decade. Apartments represented 22 per cent of all million pound property sales in England & Wales in 2016 compared with 17 per cent in 2006. Apartments accounted for 26 per cent of the increase of all million pound property sales between 2006 and 2016 in England & Wales. 96 per cent of million-pound apartment sales are in London Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming majority of million pound plus apartments are in London with 96 per cent of sales in the capital. The number of apartment sales in the capital has increased nearly threefold (193 per cent) from 973 in 2006 to 2,853 in 2016, representing 35 per cent of all million pound property sales in Greater London in 2016. (Table 3) The South East had the highest percentage increase of apartment sales in the past decade with a nearly fivefold (389 per cent) rise from 9 sales in 2006 to 44 in 2016, followed by the East of England (283 per cent) and South West (150 per cent). These large percentage increases, however, were from very low bases with these three regions combined accounting for only 3 per cent of total apartment transactions above £1 million in 2016. The only other regions to record sales of million pound apartments in 2016 were the North East and North West, both with just one sale. Kensington & Chelsea had the greatest increase in numbers of million pound apartment sales During the past 10 years, the number of transactions of million pound apartment sales in Kensington & Chelsea increased the most by 374, from 357 in 2006 to 731. The apartment sales in the Royal Borough represented 25 per cent of all million pound apartment sales in England & Wales in 2016. Apartment sales in Kensington & Chelsea now account for 72 per cent of the borough’s million pound property sales compared to 40 per cent in 2006 when terraced properties accounted for the biggest proportion of sales (52 per cent). Westminster follows with an increase of 369 transactions, from 412 in 2006 to 781 in 2016, accounting for 82 per cent of all million pound property sales in the borough last year compared to 59 per cent in 2006. Westminster has maintained its position as the local area with the highest number of million pound apartment sales in England & Wales, representing 26 per cent of the total in 2016. Hackney is one of five boroughs in the top 20 local authority districts with the highest increase in million pound apartment sales over the past decade which had no such sales in 2006. Hackney had the largest rise from zero sales in 2006 to 47 in 2016, followed by Haringey (15), South East’s Windsor & Maidenhead (14), East of England’s St Albans (10) and Brent (10). Other local authorities outside London with £1m apartment sales in 2016 are Poole (15), Newcastle upon Tyne (1) and Manchester (1). Most expensive apartments are in Westminster There are two local authority districts with average apartment prices above £2m. Westminster apartments are the most expensive at an average price of £2,215,073 followed by Kensington & Chelsea (£2,158,151). Outside London, the most expensive apartments in the top 10 are in the City of Bristol (£1.8m) and South Oxfordshire (£1.8m). Louise Santaana, head of lending at Lloyds Private Banking, commented: “The past decade has seen substantial increases in the number of million pound apartments sold, outpacing all other property types.” “London dominates the million pound flat market, with the prime areas of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea accounting for over half of all million pound apartment sales in England & Wales. In these two prime areas of London, apartment sales also account for a bigger proportion of all million pound property transactions in 2016 than 10 years’ ago.” “A finite supply of land in prime Central London combined with a growing population has meant the only way is up with more and more developers focusing on apartments. In the past decade there has been a large increase in the building of high value apartments in Knightsbridge, West End, Victoria and King’s Cross, while Marylebone and Mayfair being the top two locations for most development. With demand still high there are more in the pipeline.” “Outside London, the South East, South West and East of England have seen between two and a half and fivefold growth in the numbers of million pound apartment transactions, but still only account for three percent of the market.”

Find out more… The White Company is moving its head office to a new office building at Television Centre, the former BBC HQ in White City, West London. The luxury lifestyle brand will lease 32,000 sq ft of office space on the sixth floor for its 350 staff who are current Kensington High Steet and plans to move in February 2018. BBC Worldwide already has its HQ in the adjacent office building and other tenants moving in include ITV, which will produce Good Morning Britain, Loose Women and the Jonathon Ross Show at the site. The Television Centre will feature also new Soho House club, rooftop pool and bar on the top of 2 Television Centre, with a gym and boutique hotel in the famous Helios rotunda or ‘doughnut’ and 950 new homes, designed by Stirling Prize winning architects AHMM. Mary Homer, CEO of The White Company said: “We are delighted to confirm our head office move to this exciting and vibrant destination. This is a significant milestone for the company as we enter our next phase of growth and develop our business internationally. “The office will be a perfect showcase for us as a leading luxury lifestyle brand”

From next week Big Ben’s famous bongs will fall silent for up to four years as the UK’s iconic clock under goes essential works. From next Monday at noon the clock will fall silent until 2021 while restoration work is carried out on the Elizabeth Tower which houses the ‘Great Clock’ and ‘Great Bell’. A parliamentary spokesperson said that the Great Bell will be silenced to ‘ensure the safety of those working in the Tower’. “The chimes are being stopped to provide a safe environment for the people working on the scaffolding”, the spokesperson said. Clock mechanics who currently work on Big Ben wear defenders but are only exposed to the bells for short period of time ‘constant proximity to the chimes would pose a serious risk to their hearing, and would prevent efficient working.’ “People will be working on the scaffolding day-in day-out throughout the works, and, while protective headgear could be provided, it is not desirable for individuals working at height to have their hearing obscured as there is concern the ability to hear each other and any alarms could be affected,” the spokesperson added. The bongs last fell silent for maintenance in 2007, and before that between 1983-5 as part of a previous large-scale refurbishment programme. The Great Bell, popularly called Big Ben, weighs 13.7 tonnes and strikes every hour to the note of E. It is accompanied by four quarter bells, which chime every 15 minutes. Big Ben has marked the hour with almost unbroken service for the past 157 years. To stop the bells the striking hammers will be locked and the bell will be disconnected from the clock mechanism, a modern electric motor will drive the clock hands silently until the Great Clock is reinstated. However, the bell will still strike for important national events such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday. Steve Jaggs, Keeper of the Great Clock said: “I have the great honour of ensuring this beautiful piece of Victorian engineering is in top condition on a daily basis. “This essential programme of works will safeguard the clock on a long-term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home – the Elizabeth Tower. “Members of the public are welcome to mark this important moment by gathering in Parliament Square to hear Big Ben’s final bongs until they return in 2021.”

What you need to know Sainsbury’s acquisition of the Nectar loyalty program and its related assets for £60m is a strategic move by the grocer, primarily to gain insights into consumer behaviour across a number of industries, defends against entrance of Amazon to the sector. Jonathan Buxton, partner and head of consumer and retail at Cavendish Corporate Finance, said: “Sainsbury’s acquisition of the Nectar loyalty program and its related assets for £60m is a strategic move by the grocer, primarily to gain insights into consumer behaviour across a number of industries, defends against entrance of Amazon to the sector.” In today’s hyper-competitive grocery landscape, consumer data is king - for grocers, it helps them to market more effectively to consumers, optimise their ranges and maximise footfall. With the Nectar loyalty program under its roof, Sainsbury’s is putting consumers right at the front of its business, in contrast to the Tesco-Booker deal, where Tesco seems to be increasingly becoming a logistics operation. The deal will give Sainsbury’s unparalleled access to consumer habits within both Sainsbury’s stores and other operators, such as Vue Cinema, Ted Baker, and eBay, allowing it to refine product offerings, pricing and marketing. With Amazon gaining traction in grocery following the Whole Foods transaction and given the superior consumer data available to Amazon as an online specialist, we expect to see further acquisitions and collaborations as the grocers seek to gain new insights into consumer behaviour.”

Hiring demand remains strong whilst unemployment is at a record low The latest CIPD/The Adecco Group Labour Market Outlook suggests that UK employment will again grow strongly in the third quarter of 2017, but wage growth is likely to remain weak. The quarterly survey of more than 1,000 employers identifies that near-term employment expectations have risen compared with the previous spring report (May 2017). This is reflected in the quarter’s net employment balance – a measure of the difference between the proportion of employers who expect to increase staff levels and those who expect to decrease staff levels in Q3 2017 – which shows an increase from +20 to +27 during the past three months. However, while the UK labour market remains buoyant, basic pay award expectations for the next 12 months remain at just 1 per cent. The subdued basic pay award outlook can be attributed to a range of reasons. Against the backdrop of poor productivity growth, the report points to an increase in labour supply over the past year as a key factor behind the modest pay projection. This is driven by relatively sharp increases in the number of non-UK nationals from the EU, ex-welfare claimants and 50-64 year olds; although the report is keen to stress the future migration trends appear highly uncertain. The increase in labour supply may explain why the jobs market remains challenging for some jobseekers, especially those seeking lower-skilled jobs. Employers report a median number of 24 applicants for the last low-skilled vacancy they tried to fill, compared with 19 candidates for the last medium-skilled vacancy and eight applicants for the last high-skilled vacancy they were seeking to fill. Overall, employers felt that around half of applicants were suitable for each role they were recruiting for. The variation across skill level is also consistent with labour market trends which show that high-skilled occupations account for a large share of the number of jobs created during the past year in contrast with the low proportion of low-skilled jobs that have been generated. Looking more closely at pay, in the private sector, almost a quarter of firms cite delivering the National Living Wage (23 per cent) as a brake on pay growth, a further fifth (21 per cent) cite uncertainty over access to the single market, and a fifth (21 per cent) reference the Government’s auto-enrolment pensions scheme as acting as a challenge. More than a fifth of firms (21 per cent) also report that affordability is weighing pay down, underlining the urgent need to address weak productivity growth in the UK. Meanwhile, around three quarters of public sector employers (72 per cent) say that restraint in the public sector is the main reason why they cannot match the inflation rate target of 2 per cent in their next basic pay award.

It appears to be an accidental fall from a wall Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co-Chairman Wang Jian has died following an accident in France ,in what local police said appeared to be an accidental fall from a wall while posing for a photograph. Wang, 57, was in charge of HNA’s strategy and ran day-to-day operations, sources familiar with the matter have said, while his fellow chairman and co-founder Chen Feng was often the public face of the group. Wang fell 15 meters off a wall in the village of Bonnieux, near Avignon, a picturesque area popular with tourists, lieutenant-colonel Hubert Meriaux of the Vaucluse gendarmerie force told Reuters. “He stood on the edge of a sharp drop to get his family to take a picture of him and fell,” he said.

Find out more… The £11bn merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management has been completed, creating Europe’s second-biggest fund manager. The merger between the two-Scottish based investment groups was finalised following court approval last week after being initially agreed in March earlier this year. The combined company will trade as Standard Life Aberdeen and will oversee £670bn worth of assets. The company will be jointly led by Keith Skeoch former chief executive of Standard Life and Adberdeen’s Martin Gilbert as co-Chief Executive’s. Keith Skeoch, co-Chief Executive who will manage the day-to-day running of the company said the merger ‘marks the culmination of many months of hard work and preparation by our business and the beginning of a new chapter in our history as Standard Life Aberdeen plc’. Standard Life Aberdeen will have offices in 50 cities around the world, servicing clients in 80 countries. The merger is targeting cost savings of £200m a year, with around 800 jobs expected to be lost over a three-year period from the current global workforce of 9,000 staff. Martin Gilbert, co-Chief Executive who will take charge of external affairs added: “The merger deepens and broadens our investment capabilities and gives us a stronger and more diverse range of investment management skills as well as significant scale across asset classes and geographies. We believe this will enable us to deliver an even better proposition and service to our enlarged client base.”

Here’s why Eddie Hughes MP says embracing blockchain will lead to increased social freedom, trust, and efficiency savings in new FREER paper published today Launching today, Unlocking Blockchain: Embracing new technologies to drive efficiency and empower the citizen is an enthusiastic call for government to embrace the opportunities of blockchain and associated technologies. Its author is Eddie Hughes — Conservative MP for Walsall North. The paper is published by FREER, a new political initiative which launched in March with an aim of bringing economically and socially liberal thinking back into British politics, and of which Eddie Hughes is a Parliamentary Supporter. In Unlocking Blockchain, Hughes argues that blockchain offers great opportunities for increased economic progress alongside increased individual freedom. He makes a series of recommendations, including the establishment of a UK-based international blockchain competition, and a public-facing Chief Blockchain Officer. He also proposes a UK ‘blockchain departmental target’: a long-term aim for government departments to make a 1 per cent efficiency saving by embracing blockchain and other associated innovative technologies. He argues that a renewed UK focus on efficiency and the opportunities of new technology would be inspirational. Proposals An extensive international ‘blockchain competition’ should be set up in the UK to drive homegrown entrepreneurship, and to entice leading global players to develop technology here. This should ideally be established in collaboration with leading British universities, and funded by businesses that would benefit from improved national technological standards. An extensive international ‘blockchain competition’ should be set up in the UK to drive homegrown entrepreneurship, and to entice leading global players to develop technology here. This should ideally be established in collaboration with leading British universities, and funded by businesses that would benefit from improved national technological standards. Embracing the opportunities of distributive ledger technology (DLT) should be fit explicitly—nominally as well as substantively—into a ministerial brief. A public-facing ‘Chief Blockchain Officer’ should be appointed from within the government’s existing taskforce to coordinate the UK’s strategy regarding the application of DLT to public services and data. This role should be expanded to include other key new technologies, such as AI, as and when they converge. Government departments should show leadership by putting in a place a long-term target of making a 1 per cent efficiency saving, by embracing these new technologies. A 1 per cent saving across government would take a great deal of time and effort to implement, though some departments would find such a target much easier to meet than others. For context, however, total managed expenditure for 2017-18 is anticipated to be around £802bn—therefore, a 1 per cent saving would be £8bn. ▪ A renewed UK focus on efficiency and the opportunities of new technology would be inspirational in a wider sense, too.

New study shows Home cinemas have developed into sophisticated VIP club lounges complete with cocktail bars, wine cellars and night-club style spaces say Wetherell in a review of the evolution of private cinemas in Mayfair’s finest luxury homes. Wetherell highlight that home cinemas were first developed in the 1940s and 1950s in the United States and Britain, when playing movies at home became popular with upper-class families and celebrities when the Kodak 8mm film projector equipment was developed. In 1942 Franklin Roosevelt installed a 42 seat private cinema in the White House and in the 1950s he was copied in the US by Elvis, John Wayne and Liberace, who all installed private cinemas in their homes. In London in 1951 the Duchess of Argyll had a private projection room installed in her Mayfair mansion at 48 Upper Grosvenor Street and in 1953 HLM The Queen Mother installed a private cinema in Clarence House. However up until the 1980s, private cinema rooms at home had to rely on expensive and fiddly film projectors and so remained the haunt of celebrities and VVIPs. However, during the 1980s the development of VHS videos and large format television screens allowed for the much wider development of private home cinemas in luxury homes across the UK and USA, with the rooms dressed with movie-theatre style tiered seating facing a large cinema-like screen. Wetherell highlight that by the 2000s home cinemas or media rooms had become essential lifestyle features in Mayfair’s finest houses, mews and mansions whilst the best newly built apartment developments had a shared media room/cinema, which residents could book via a concierge. Over the last five years, Wetherell observe that the best new or newly refurbished luxury homes are having VIP club lounges installed, rather than standard home cinemas/media rooms. Designed to bring the ambience and amenities of a VIP private member’s club like Alfreds, The Arts Club or Soho House into a home, these club lounges are typically 300 sqft in size (twice the size of the average British living room) have a home cinema and lounge seating, and are also equipped with a cocktail bar and bar stools; kitchenette and fitted cabinets for food, popcorn and sweets, humidor rooms and champagne/wine display and serving facilities. For houses priced above £10 million in Mayfair Wetherell calculate that 70 per cent have a private home cinema/media room, whilst another 20 per cent have VIP club lounge, with the remaining 10 per cent having a large cinema-like TV screen set in bespoke joinery in the main reception room. Above £20 million and the number of homes with a VIP club lounge rises to 60 per cent, whilst virtually all homes at this quality level have some sort of spacious private cinema or dedicated media room space. Peter Wetherell, Chief Executive of Wetherell says: “When the Duchess of Argyll and HM The Queen Mother installed private cinemas in their homes during the 1950s it was seen as the height of luxury and refinement. Fast forward to today, and home cinemas are viewed as a standard feature in Mayfair, and the benchmark has now been raised so that having a VIP club lounge is seen as the “must have” lifestyle amenity.”

US cyber-attack? Sir Malcolm Rifkind the former foreign minister said Sunday North Korea’s missile could have been exploded by a US cyber-attack. The missile exploded within seconds after the launch and Rifkind said to the BBC: “It could have failed because the system is not competent enough to make it work, but there is a very strong belief that the US through cyber methods has been successful on several occasions in interrupting these sorts of tests and making them fail.” Kim Jong-Un the leader of North Korea tested the missile Sunday the day after their parade showing their military hardware marking the 105th birthday of Kim II Sung North Korea’s founding father. Vice President Mike Pence’s intelligence advisor said to reporters on condition of anonymity, in South Korea the test wasn’t a surprise adding “We had good intelligence before the launch and good intelligence after the launch.” However, Rifkind warned “don’t get too excited they’ve also had quite a lot of successful tests.” Senator John McCain was asked by NBC does he believe that the US has the capability to cyber hack the missile, he said: “I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t rule it out,” however, he cautiously dismissed the claim.

Here’s what bookies say Jacob Rees-Mogg is being heavily backed to become the next permanent leader of the Conservatives with Ladbrokes. In a week of increased scrutiny on Theresa May’s position of both leader of her country and party, political punters are placing serious cash on Rees-Mogg becoming the next leader of the Tories, and the bookies have been forced to trim his odds into 4/1 (from 5/1). Michael Gove (8/1) has also been a popular bet in recent days, along with 20/1 outsider Dominic Raab. Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes said: “Rees-Mogg may be playing it cool, but money keeps coming in on him taking over the reins and his odds have been cut accordingly.” Ladbrokes latest betting for next permanent leader of the Conservatives: Jacob Rees-Mogg 4/1 Boris Johnson 7/1 Michael Gove 8/1 Andrea Leadsom 10/1 Amber Rudd 12/1 Jeremy Hunt 14/1 Gavin Williamson 16/1 20/1 bar

The government borrowed £42.6bn in the 2017-18 financial year The UK government borrowing has fallen to its lowest annual level in 11 years, the Office for National Statistics reported today. Beating official forecasts, the government borrowed £42.6bn in the 2017-18 financial year — down from £46.2bn the previous year. This was below the £45.2bn forecast made by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) last month. Meanwhile, borrowing narrowed to 2.1 per cent of GDP last year, down from 10 per cent in 2010. The figures are the first provisional estimates of the last financial year. The ONS stressed they would be revised as more data becomes available.

Streaming killing off discs LOVEFiLM by post DVD rental service will close on 31st October 2017, owner Amazon has announced. On the company’s website they said it was due to ‘decreasing demand’ for rental by post as more customers are choosing to stream films and TV series. “We have very much enjoyed delivering the LOVEFiLM By Post service to our customers,” said Amazon in a statement. “However, over the last few years we’ve seen a decreasing demand for DVD and Blu-ray rental as customers increasingly move to streaming. “We are committed to finding alternative roles for all LOVEFiLM employees within Amazon.” LOVEFiLM was founded in 2002 and then acquired by Amazon in 2011, when it had reached 2m subscribers. LOVEFiLM customers pay a monthly subscription fee and receive a DVD or Blu-ray disc of their choice via post that they would send back once watched. In 2010 some content could also be accessed via online streaming instead. The closure has angered some LOVEFiLM fans with many saying that the range of films are unavailable to rent or stream elsewhere. One customer wrote on Twitter: “Well @AmazonUKstopping its @lovefilmservice is comfortably the worst news I’ve had this year. So many films not available to stream.” Well @AmazonUK stopping its @lovefilm service is comfortably the worst news I’ve had this year. So many films not available to stream. — Rob Hughes (@iamrobhughes) August 14, 2017 While another wrote: “Farewell LOVEFiLM By Post. You had a better back catalogue than Netflix, Sky Movies, or Amazon Prime Video.”

Here’s what happened A “major incident” has been declared just a few miles away from Salisbury, where former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found poisoned with a nerve agent in March. A man and woman, in their 40s, have reportedly been exposed to what authorities describe as an “unknown substance” in the southern English town of Amesbury. They were initially believed to have fallen ill after using crack cocaine or heroin, but are now “receiving treatment for suspected exposure to an unknown substance,” Wiltshire Police said in a statement. “Further testing is now ongoing to establish the substance which led to these patients becoming ill and we are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances surrounding this incident,” it added.

Etihad Airways An elderly couple who were on board an Etihad Airways plane heading to Abu Dhabi received a text message informing them their grandson was dying. They informed the cabin crew as the plane was taxiing at Manchester airport and the pilot immediately turned the plane back to the gate to allow the couple to visit their dying grandson. Sadly, their grandson died later on 31 March. Becky Stephenson, the elderly couple’s travel agent said to the BBC: “I’ve been in the travel business for 25 years and never heard of this happening.” “My customers were so grateful that staff were very helpful and they were taken care of,” she added. Etihad Airways said that they can use their ticket again.

Find out the details here British telecoms company CityFibre has agreed to be acquired for £538m in cash by a consortium of infrastructure funds backed by Goldman Sachs, according to reports. The consortium — formed by Antin and West Street Infrastructure Partners — will pay 81 pence for each CityFibre share, a 93 per cent premium to the closing price of 42 pence a share, CityFibre said. Chris Stone, Chairman of CityFibre, added: “CityFibre has established itself as a leading independent provider of wholesale fibre infrastructure in the UK and has been on a transformational journey since its IPO in 2014. Your board believes that this transaction represents compelling value for CityFibre’s existing shareholders and is also a good solution for CityFibre’s long-term funding. Under private ownership, CityFibre will be able to gain alternative and potentially easier access to the financing required for its announced FTTH deployment. This will strengthen the Company’s ability to deliver on its vision to provide full fibre infrastructure to 20% of the UK market.”

The latest North Korea is to continue testing their missiles despite international condemnation after US Vice President Mike Pence earlier said the US’s “era of strategic patience is over.” Han Song-Ryol North Korea’s Vice foreign minister told the BBC Monday: “We’ll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.” Ryol said an “all-out war” will happen if the US are “reckless enough to use military means.” Tensions are on a knife edge with China being seriously concerned about what will happen between the two nations. Beijing ordered 150,000 troops to the North Korean border last week for humanitarian and refugee reasons along with medical facilities in case war does break out. Pence who arrived in the region Sunday spoke Monday from South Korea and said: He said that the threat of North Korea to use any of their nuclear weapons would be met by “overwhelming and effective response.” “Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan.” “North Korea would do well not to test his [Trump] resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region.” Kim In-ryong North Korea’s ambassador said Monday in a news conference that he condemns the US missile strike in Syria. He continued by saying that the US are “disturbing global peace and stability and insisting on the gangster-like logic that its invasion of a sovereign state is decisive and just and proportionate and contributes to defending the international order.” Lu Lang the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said to reporters Monday that the Korean peninsula is “highly sensitive, complicated and high risk” and all sides must “avoid taking provocative actions that pour oil on the fire.” However, Sergei Lavrov Russia’s foreign minister said Moscow will not tolerate “missile adventures by Pyongyang.” He added that any strike by the US would be “a very risky course.” Shinzo Abe the Japanese prime minister said Monday that diplomatic efforts are “important to maintain peace,” however, “dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless.”

Half of holidays not covered Travellers booking package holidays online will receive better protection if a holiday company goes bust, under new government proposals. The proposals announced today said enhanced regulations, which are due to take effect in July 2018, will protect an extra 10 million UK package holidays booked online. Launching the proposals consumer minister Margot James said: “While consumer laws protect millions of holidaymakers from the fallout if a travel company goes into administration, the way we book holidays has changed significantly in recent years and it is important that regulations are updated to reflect this. “On average UK households put aside £100 every month for their holidays. The proposals outlined in this consultation will ensure that an extra 22 per cent of holidays can be booked online with holidaymakers safe in the knowledge that they will get their hard-earned money back if something does go wrong.” The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said that changes to how we book travel, such as using online booking sites, has created a gap in consumer rights. ABTA said half of holiday arrangements are not currently financially protected if a company ceases trading. The industry body said it hopes changes will provide clearer and stronger protections for holidaymakers, ensuring people who book holidays online enjoy the same rights as those who book with a traditional travel agent. The proposals are calling for an extension to current protections to cover the millions of UK holidaymakers who buy package holidays online, better information to be provided to travellers at the point of booking and making it clear what their rights to refund are ensuring the business that puts the package together is responsible for the entire holiday. The Government is encouraging travel agents, booking sites, trade associations and consumer groups to respond to the consultation, which runs for six weeks.

Take a look With advertised salaries for new roles increasing by 1.2 per cent in June, it’s clear that businesses across the UK were feeling confident last month. What’s more, some of the nation’s key industries also saw impressive hikes in pay. That’s according to the latest statistics from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site. The report, which compared job market data from June 2018, with that of the same period in 2017, revealed that the job market is thriving right now, with some of the nation’s key sectors offering competitive salaries. In fact, the top industries for a pay increase include: Legal – pay up by 13.1 per cent Catering – pay up by 9.9 per cent Marketing – pay up by 8.3 per cent Sales – pay up by 4.9 per cent Automotive – pay up by 3.9 per cent Recruitment – pay up by 3 per cent IT – pay up by 2.5 per cent Accounting – pay up by 2.3 per cent Engineering – pay up by 1.6 per cent Manufacturing – pay up by 1.2 per cent Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments: “We typically see recruitment slowing down over summer months, but these hikes in pay suggest that businesses are continuing to push hard to attract talented candidates into their roles. What’s more, some of the UK’s key industries are thriving right now, which is great news for both companies and job hunters across the nation.” Furthermore, the data found that job vacancies also rose last month, increasing by 5.9 per cent year-on-year. While this further proves that businesses are ramping up their recruitment efforts this summer, unfortunately application rates weren’t quite keeping pace with employer demand. The top five industries for job growth in June, include: Hospitality – jobs up by 34.8 per cent Agriculture – jobs up by 25.6 per cent Legal – jobs up by 17.6 per cent IT – jobs up by 15.9 per cent Education – jobs up by 11.3 per cent Biggins concludes: “It’s clear from the data that organisations were remaining very active in their recruitment efforts last month. With June marking two years since the Brexit vote, it’s positive to see that businesses are still pulling out all the stops to secure talented new recruits and continue driving the economy forward. “That said, applications were not keeping pace last month, suggesting that job hunters are still feeling uncertain, even two years down the line. What’s more, our overall happiness tends to increase during the summer months, particularly given the spate of nice weather we’ve been having recently, so it’s not surprising to see that candidate appetite has taken a knock. “Despite this, companies across the UK need to keep working hard if they hope to see applications picking back up in the coming months.”

Business optimism falls to seven-month low The confidence of UK businesses is faltering against the backdrop of protracted and unclear Brexit negotiations, according to the latest Business Trends Report by accountants and business advisers BDO LLP. The new report reveals that the BDO Optimism Index - which indicates how firms expect their order books to deliver over the coming six months – has declined to 102.05, from 103.17 in October. It now sits at its lowest level since April this year and is only just above the long-term trend of 100. The dip in optimism is also being reflected in BDO’s Output Index, which indicates UK business output in November. The index has fallen a further 0.09 in November to 98.99, below the long-term trend and at its lowest reading in almost two years. Firms’ outlook for the future is being dampened following a challenging end to the year in which clarity about the UK’s exit from the EU remains unclear, despite the agreement of a deal last Friday, and the Office for Budget Responsibility revised its growth forecast for the UK economy down to 1.4 per cent.

New study shows A study by Access Commercial Finance, who specialise in small business and startup funding, found that only 16% of applications received since July 2016 were submitted by women. The firm handled 833 applications in total during that time period, but only 135 of those applications came from women. Men made 698 applications for funding during the same period. However, the research showed that the women who did apply for funding had a success rate 18% higher than men. 13% of applications from women were successful, compared to 11% from men. Overall though, due to men making 84% of the funding applications, they received the vast majority of funding awarded, £4,051,052 in total. Women received £332,437. Not only are women less likely to apply for funding than men, they also ask for less money on average when they are do apply. Based on applications where the full amount applied for was awarded, women received £22,162 each, £28,476 less than men, who received £50,638 each on average Matt Haycox, consultant at Access Commercial Finance, hopes the findings encourage more women to think about applying for business funding. “This data shows us that women are on average either better at putting together a funding proposal for their small businesses, or they just have more fundable businesses. Either way, it’s potentially good news for women-owned businesses and startups. “But given the low application rate and low funding request amount for women, men are still getting most of the cash due to sheer volume of applications. “We hope our data gives any woman considering applying for business funding the confidence to do so.”

What to look out for Are you going to be moving to London this year as a new student? At the top, your checklist should be finding the ideal student accommodation. It is widely known that prices in London are far more expensive than in the rest of the United Kingdom and so you will want to ensure that you are getting a great property and are not going to uncover any nasty surprises, especially when you are paying large amounts of money for it. Here, we are taking you through what you should be looking for in student accommodation in order to make an informed decision about whether this is the right property for you. Be prepared Before you start booking in your student accommodation London viewings, you will need to make sure that you are fully prepared. The first thing to do is ensure that you download and print off a housing viewing checklist to remind you of all the important questions that you need to ask and you will also need to remember to take your camera with you too. Don’t be shy at viewings and ask all of the questions that you want as this will be where you will be spending most of your time for at least your first student year. Furthermore, before you start looking for properties you will also want to establish whether you want to find a property directly through a landlord or via a letting agency. When you use an agency, you will get an added extra layer of security as they will act as the middleman between you and your landlord, ensuring that everything is legal and done by the book. What to look out for in student accommodation When you are attending flat viewings, there are certain things that you will need to be looking out for that may be a warning signal. With some student accommodation, they can be poorly maintained and suffer from things such as damp, which can smell extremely bad and make your living conditions unpleasant to live in. It is also a good idea to look out for unwelcome pests such as mice, fruit flies and slugs. Location When choosing your accommodation in London, location plays an important factor and you will want to make sure that you are living somewhere that is close to your new university or college. There will always be lots of options for you to choose from and so you will need to decide whether you want to be right next door to the university or a little further away but close to transport links. Security Finally, the last thing you will need to take into consideration when looking at flats is their safety and security. Some areas of London will generally be safer than others according to statistics but no matter where you are, you will want to make sure that the flat doors and main building doors are adequately secure and that there is also a burglar alarm system in place. London accommodation can be found online, so you can narrow down your search from your current city of residence before making the big move!

Study finds Over a third of London investors no longer view property as a good investment, according to a new survey of over 1,000 UK investors and 500 High Net Worth Individuals commissioned by Rathbone Investment Management. Recent changes to the tax treatment of buy-to-let investments introduced by the government over the past few years, as well as the introduction of new regulations by the Prudential Regulation Authority affecting portfolio landlords, have led to many investors now re-evaluating the cost-effectiveness of property as an investment. In comparison, those investors with over £100k of investible assets are much less bearish about property – just one in 10 don’t view it as a good investment. Interestingly, nearly half of the High Net Worth (HNW) London investors surveyed currently owned buy-to-let properties; however, just 17% planned to increase their portfolio. Research by the National Landlords Association also reported in January that 20% of its members planned to sell a property in their portfolio in 2018. In April 2016, the government introduced a Stamp Duty surcharge of 3% on additional properties. In addition, the tax relief that buy to let landlords could claim on mortgage interest costs has started to be reduced since 2017, and will continue until April 2020 when landlords will no longer be able to claim. Investing in property has been a popular investment option across the UK. 49% of Britons when surveyed by the ONS said that investing in property instead of a pension was the best way to save for retirement. The popularity of the asset class has largely been due to the high returns that property can generate. In addition, less experienced investors will often choose property over investing in the stock market as they are more familiar with this asset class. Well over a third (37%) of the HNW investors surveyed had accumulated their wealth through property, whilst 27% currently had investments in private real estate, 17% in commercial real estate and 12% in land. Affordability has also been a cause for concern in the property market, with house price growth continuing in the majority of regions in the UK, whilst low interest rates and limited wage growth has prevented many from being able to access or move up the property ladder. Robert Hughes-Penney, Investment Director at Rathbones, comments: “Recent changes to the tax and regulatory treatment of buy to let has caused investors to take a step back and assess the viability of these investments.” “Whilst it’s understandable that property, and in particular residential property, has been a popular investment in the past, it’s now making less and less sense. Not only are the returns now being impacted by an increased rate of tax, but they can also prove high risk investments due to a lack of diversification. Property investments require a large amount of capital to be held in one single asset and landlords will often hold a number of properties within one region. “Investors who are looking to invest in property, should make sure to assess their risk appetite, look at all alternative options and make sure this property is held within a well-diversified portfolio of investments.”

Take a look An airline industry code of conduct on disruptive passengers is failing to stem the tide of drunken and anti-social behaviour at UK airports and on flights from the UK, according to a major survey involving over 4,000 cabin crew working for British-based airlines. The survey conducted by Britain’s largest union, Unite found that 87 per cent of respondents had witnessed drunken passenger behaviour at UK airports or on flights from UK airports. More than three quarters (78 per cent) of those who witnessed disruptive passenger incidents at UK airports or flights from the UK said it had happened since July 2016, when the code of conduct was introduced. With the holiday season in full swing, the findings of the survey, the biggest of its kind, will heighten calls for the code to be given teeth and tougher penalties for disruptive anti-social passenger behaviour. Less than one in four respondents, who said they were aware of the code of conduct, thought it had been effective in reducing drunken and disruptive behaviour. Just 14 per cent of cabin crew said they had seen a reduction in drunken disruptive behaviour on board flights from the UK, while 16 per cent said there had been a reduction at UK airports since the code was introduced. The survey also shows how the code is failing the travelling public. More than a quarter of cabin crew said they had witnessed behaviour which had threatened flight safety, while 40 per cent of those who had witnessed such behaviour said the incident had happened since the code was introduced. The shocking levels of abuse cabin crew have to contend with in carrying out their safety critical role is also laid bare. More than half of those taking part in the survey said they had suffered verbal abuse, while one in five (20 per cent) experienced physical abuse and one in ten (10 per cent) said they had suffered sexual abuse on flights from UK airports. Unite represents nearly 30,000 cabin crew working for a number of UK airlines.

Find out why… A £200m Garden Bridge project has been scrapped the charity established to build and run it announced today. The controversial bridge which was originally devised by actress Joanna Lumley and supported by former mayor of London Boris Johnson, would have featured 270 trees and thousands of plants and extended over the River Thames from Temple to South Bank. The Garden Bridge Trust, the charity behind the project said it has informed the mayor of London, as well as Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport, of its decision, taken because of ‘lack of support’ for the project going forward from the mayor Sadiq Khan. The trust said it had ‘no choice’ but to wind up the project as they cannot ‘proceed with what was always designed to be a public project’ without the support of the mayor of London. In April, Khan wrote to Lord Mervyn Davies, Chairman of the Garden Bridge Trust, stating that he was not prepared to sign the guarantee for the annual maintenance costs of the Bridge, needed for planning permission, as he said it would expose taxpayers to financial risk. Since the mayor’s decision the trust has been looking for other funding, including ‘further discussions with the government’. However, the trust said that the benefactors and the Trustees concerned concluded the project could not go ahead without support for the mayor. In a letter to Khan outling the reasons for the decision to scrap the project Davis said: “It is with great regret that Trustees have concluded that without Mayoral support the project cannot be delivered. “We are incredibly sad that we have not been able to make the dream of the Garden Bridge a reality and that the mayor does not feel able to continue with the support he initially gave us. “We had made great progress - obtaining planning permission, satisfying most of our planning conditions and we had raised £70m of private money towards the project. “The Garden Bridge would have been a unique place; a beautiful new green space in the heart of London, free to use and open to all, showcasing the best of British talent and innovation. It is all the more disappointing because the Trust was set up at the request of TfL, the organisation headed up by the mayor, to deliver the project. “It is a sad day for London because it is sending out a message to the world that we can no longer deliver such exciting projects.”

In a letter to the United Nations North Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho is warning the US that its deployment of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and planned military exercises immediately after the Winter Olympics threatens improving relations between the two Koreas. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ri urged the chief to exert efforts to halt the US deployment of equipment and the upcoming military maneuvers as he he believes that they are aimed “to provoke a nuclear war, which will undermine the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the easing of tensions.” Ri has further warned that if the US goes ahead with delayed military exercises with South Korea after the Winter Olympics, it will not “sit idle”. The North’s state media has reportedly said that the US is attempting to create a “stage of confrontation” at the Olympics, saying inter-Korean talks and positive results that have stemmed from them could “disappear” after the Games. Nearly 3,000 athletes and 100,000 spectators per day are expected to converge on the area around Pyeongchang, 50 miles from the North Korean border, for the Winter Games.

Upset customers take to Twitter A day after TSB bank apologized after some customers were unable to access their accounts online, many are still facing problems with its digital services. “I’ve just resurfaced after 48 hours with my teams who have been working as hard and fast as they can to get our services back up and running,” CEO Paul Pester tweeted. This isn’t the level of service that we pride ourselves on providing, and isn’t what our customers have come to expect from TSB, and for that I’m deeply sorry. — Paul Pester (@PaulPester) April 24, 2018 Pester added that TSB needed to take its mobile application and online banking down for a “few hours” to resolve the issue. “Customers can rest assured that no one will be left out of pocket as a result of these service issues,” Pester said. @TSB this is appalling. Payday today, I have no idea what’s in my account & I need to manually transfer money for bills but can’t. I expect all customers to be compensated for this massive inconvenience, worry & stress!! Not being able to access our own money is shocking!!! #TSB — christie eardley (@christieleannex) April 24, 2018 Are you in #Warrington and affected by the #TSBonline banking issues? Get in touch #journorequest #TSBdown — Elisabeth Mahy (@elisabethmahy) April 24, 2018 Meanwhile, Nicky Morgan, chair of parliament’s influential Treasury Select Committee, has said that “warm words and platitudes will not suffice.” “TSB customers deserve to know what has happened, when normal services will resume, and how they can expect to be compensated … I will be writing to the FCA (UK finance regulator) in due course for their assessment,” she said.

Take a look The rental market in Prime Central London has shown signs of recovery at the end of 2017, according to a new analysis by London Central Portfolio. Following 18 months of negative rental growth, the mainstream rental market has now seen two consecutive months of positive increases with rents in November up 3 per cent year-on-year. Weekly rents in the mainstream market now average £573. The increase in November has brought rents back to the level they were at in March 2016 before the introduction of the Additional Rate Stamp Duty (ARSD). This tax had a marked effect on the market as owners, struggling to sell, chose to rent their properties, resulting in significantly increased levels of rental stock. The latest statistics indicate that this trend is now reversing. According to the data, there has been a 23.6 per cent fall in the number of units available to rent over the last three months, compared with the same period in 2016. This has stabilised the balance of supply and demand in the sector, underpinning the rental increases seen towards the end of this year. Heaton explains: “We saw big increases in the number of available rental properties post the introduction of ARSD. As tax changes and Brexit uncertainty caused instability, many owners opted to rent, rather than sell, in a weak market. With more choice available, tenants were able to negotiate harder on rents, resulting in the downward pressure seen in 2016. “However, it now appears that this trend has begun to reverse. Not only have we seen falling numbers of available rental units, but we have seen increases in transactions in the sales market. PCL annual sales volumes to Q3 2017 reached 5,542, representing a 15 per cent increase on Q3 2016.” Whilst all sectors of PCL saw rental increases, demand continues to be strongest for the smallest properties. These attract both corporate executives and student tenants, who represent 58 per cent and 42 per cent of all lets respectively in LCP’s audited portfolio. Over the last year, studios have performed best with weekly rents now averaging £350 per week, 7 per cent higher than in November 2016. Naomi Heaton, CEO of LCP, comments: “It is becoming increasingly clear that tenants are looking for smaller and smaller properties as they seek central locations offering an easy commute to work or university at affordable prices. This is driving demand for Prime Central London’s small units. Whilst larger 3+ bedroom flats have also seen growth, this is compensating for a prolonged period of falls with rents still below where they were in May 2011.”

Here’s what you need to know An analysis of new wealth data by Positive Money illustrates the disproportionate gains between the richest and poorest in the era of QE. The latest ONS Wealth and Assets Survey, released on Thursday, suggests the wealthiest 10 per cent of households gained nearly 250 times the poorest 10 per centof households, in the years after the last financial crisis. According to total wealth figures, in absolute terms the average wealth of the poorest 10 per cent of households rose by £2,912.52 between 2006-2008 and 2014-2016 (from -£557.72 to £2,354.80), whereas the average wealth of the top 10 per cent increased by £725,663.97 over the same period (from £1,432,771.99 to £2,158,435.96). Fran Boait, executive director of Positive Money, said: “Behind the headline figures, Britain remains a deeply unequal country. The levels of wealth gained by the asset-rich since the crash have been completely out of proportion with the rest of the population. “The main driver of this soaring inequality has been the Bank of England’s QE programme, which has seen the central bank create £445bn to purchase assets since 2009, inflating asset prices and thus the wealth of the asset-rich. “Overturning this huge divide in wealth inequality will require new approaches in monetary policy as well as fiscal policy.”

Fight for London survival Uber’s appeal against the loss of its London licence is scheduled to begin in April or June next year. The tech giant will be defending its right to operate in the London court today after it was found “not fit and proper” to have its licence renewed in the city. The chief magistrate at Westminster Magistrates’ Court Emma Arbuthnot said todat that she hoped to hear the appeal over five days from April 30, although the start date could be pushed back due to scheduling clashes. Further hearings will take place next week to decide whether the GMB trade union and the London Taxi Drivers’ Association can participate in the case. Transport for London (TfL) had shocked the tech giant by rejecting its license renewal bid in September, citing its approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers. Uber’s 40,000 drivers in London can continue to take passengers until the appeals process is exhausted, which could take years. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s new CEO had said to Londoners earlier: “We will appeal the decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change.”

what happened? A British couple were removed from an overbooked flight after they had boarded their flight at Luton airport to fly to Sicily last Monday. Once the couple had boarded the EasyJet flight they were asked to leave as the flight was overbooked and were not offered any compensation. This took place only a day after the United Airlines passenger doctor David Dao was dragged from his seat. The couple were told the next available flight was four days later, they had also booked non-refundable accommodation in Sicily. However, EasyJet failed to inform the couple that under EU rules they were entitled to a flight that same day with another airline and or compensation. As a result of not being informed of this the couple decided to cancel their six-day trip. EasyJet said that they are “genuinely sorry” for what happened and added: “Whilst [the couple] were emailed a link to the web page for EU261 compensation applications and the website clearly outlines our policies, we accept that our agents could have pointed this out more explicitly.” “The circumstances were very unusual and resulted from a manual error at the gate.” A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson that under EU law passenger’s rights are protected and this includes overbooking and those who are denied from boarding a flight. The CAA said: Passengers are entitled to a minimum level of compensation, and must be offered an alternative flight, or ‘re-route’, at the earliest opportunity or at a date that suits you, or offered a full refund, if the passenger no longer wants to fly.” EasyJet blamed human error and apologised.

Average price of a used car increased 5 per cent YoY in September According to the latest figures from the Auto Trader Retail Price Index, the average price of a used car in the UK is continuing to grow, reaching £12,436 in September; a like-for-like increase of 5 per cent on the same period last year. The Auto Trader Retail Price Index combines and analyses data from c. 500,000 trade used car listings every day, as well as additional dealer forecourt and website data (OEM, fleet and leasing disposal prices, in addition to pricing data from over 3,000 car dealership websites and data from major auction houses across the UK), ensuring the Index is an accurate reflection of the live retail market. According to the latest new car registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), new diesel registrations dropped 21.7 per cent in September, marking six consecutive months of decline. However, whilst the new diesel car market is struggling, according to our data, used diesel car prices are showing resilience. Despite recent reports that have suggested the prices of used diesels were in decline, the Index reveals that average diesel prices are in fact slightly increasing. Whilst diesel average price increases have been slowing for most of 2017, since August they have started to grow again. In September, the average price of a used diesel was £14,360; an increase of £282 on the previous month, representing an annual increase of 2 per cent on a like-for-like basis (adjusting for changes in the mix of cars being sold at any point in time). However, despite this respectable increase, diesel continues to be significantly outperformed by petrol. The average price of a used petrol car saw a monthly increase of £223, rising to £10,029; a 10 per cent like-for-like increase on September 2016.

Here’s what you need to know In a landmark day for the UK rail sector two international giants - that employ over 5,000 people in Britain - have confirmed they intend to submit a joint bid to design, build, deliver a fleet of bespoke state-of-the-art high speed trains for HS2. The proposed partnership, building upon recent high speed success in Italy, offers HS2 a world class team that has established manufacturing and servicing centres in Britain. The collaboration brings together a deep understanding of very high speed rail with a strong reputation for building and maintaining highly reliable, cutting-edge and iconic trains. This world class team can deliver the most efficient and advanced rolling stock for Europe’s most demanding and exciting transport project. The trains will run on a new high speed network and connect 8 out of 10 of Britain’s largest cities, increasing capacity, delivering greater comfort, faster journeys, while contributing to prosperity and growth. The joint bid would support the UK Government’s aims of boosting UK jobs, skills and British supply chain. Bombardier and Hitachi’s combined UK operations include train factories in Derby and Newton Aycliffe, extensive UK supply chains, together with a network of maintenance facilities across England, Scotland and Wales. The companies are already developing a new generation of engineers and mechanical skills, with a focus on diversity and inclusion to attract new talent into the rail industry. The joint HS2 project would provide a launch pad for new investment in education and learning, adding to their existing partnerships with local schools and the 200 apprentices and graduates who are already employed. Hitachi and Bombardier are a tried and tested high speed team, having already successfully delivered one of Europe’s fastest trains in Italy. With a top speed of 398km/h, the ETR 1000 for Trenitalia – also known as the ‘Red Arrow’ (Frecciarossa) – not only whisks passengers to their destination very quickly, but also offers them great comfort and style; with interiors designed by Bertone, who have worked on classic super-cars, including Lamborghini and Aston Martin. The partnership between the two UK-based firms is built on an impressive depth of experience delivering high speed internationally. Hitachi built the original Shinkansen bullet train in Japan in 1964, and, boasting an impeccable safety and reliability record, continues to pioneer the most recent incarnations of the iconic trains. Bombardier offers a depth of experience having built over 3,000 high speed train carriages for China, including the most recent Zefiro 380. In the UK, Hitachi maintains the country’s only domestic high speed fleet, the Class 395 Javelins, which it built and introduced ahead of the London 2012 Games. The trains, which have run from Ashford to London St Pancras at a top speed of 140mph for almost a decade, are one of the most reliable and popular services in the country. While in Europe, Bombardier has enabled some of the most prestigious very high speed developments across the continent, including four TGV series in France, the AVE S-102 and AVE S-130 in Spain, the ICE family in Germany and the ETR 500 in Italy. The two companies are also making responsible procurement a cornerstone of their approach, in terms of long-term employment and reducing environmental impact. The ETR 1000 train used 85% recycled materials and the joint bid for HS2 would deploy the latest noise reduction technology. The £2.75bn contract on offer is for a minimum fleet of 54 units that will run on Phase 1 of HS2 between London and the West Midlands. The newly designed rolling stock will also be uniquely ‘classic compatible’ so that they can travel on the current network to cities such as York, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The formal tendering process is due to start later this year, with contract award in late 2019.

A new emerging lettings trend revealed… Specialising in lettings only and with offices in Sloane Square and Fulham Broadway, Draker Lettings reports a recent surge of activity from international embassy personnel being relocated to central London. Director of lettings, Jack Stone said: “It is encouraging for Draker to see a wide range of nationalities relocating to London, with several embassies allocating staff to their London offices. The rent levels have varied from £550 - £2,300 per week in prime Central London locations, such as St James’s, Chelsea and Belgravia.” The searches have come from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey and Germany and all have now agreed short and long term tenancies ranging from one bedroom apartments, to family homes. Jack Stone concludes: “These rentals have reinforced landlord confidence in London, safe in the knowledge that it continues to be recognised as a major global city and an important business hub.” Currently available to rent at £825/week is this fully furnished one bedroom apartment in the heart of South Kensington

Take a look Local authorities need to be given more powers to have the final say to grant planning permission, prevent land banking and encourage landlords to fill empty shops, The Grimsey Review 2 has concluded following extensive research into the state of Britain’s high streets. A team led by the former chief executive of Wickes, Iceland and Focus DIY, Bill Grimsey, argues that greater devolution and stronger local leadership is needed to give high streets a renewed sense of purpose and identity. Among the 25 recommendations in the review are also calls to replace business rates, create a Town Centre Commission to develop a 20-year strategy for local high streets, and accelerate ongoing digital transformation in smaller towns. The review has also looked at the costs, financing and operating models of towns. It reveals many examples of best practice showing where there is political will and good local leadership, smart regeneration that embraces technology and recognises the challenges posed by an ageing demographic is possible. The authors have also proactively contacted key stakeholders of towns and cities to gather evidence and opinion, as well as understand what town/community plans already exist. It has already been welcomed by the former boss of John Lewis and current Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, who has praised the “combination of business experience, rigorous research and creative thinking” contained in the Review. Commenting ahead of the launch of the review, Bill Grimsey said there had been some progress since his original review - but not nearly enough. “In our first review in 2013 we argued that there is no point clinging to a sentimental vision of the past and that we need to start planning for a bold new world. This is still very much the case and we need to look to the future,” he said. “What we have seen during our research this time is that some very good initiatives have been put in place up and down the country over the last five years. These need to be celebrated, but progress is too slow and the retail landscape is rapidly changing.

Here’s how Since providing consulting services is all about problem solving and offering best suitable suggestions to help people get things better than before, how you can generate new leads for your consulting business? No doubt new fresh deals are most vital for your new business but, how you will get them really even in this era of huge competition? As an experienced consulting professional, you can bring a fortune of expertise, enhanced industry knowledge and referrals to your new business, you have to do more hard work in order to turn them into leads and sales for your new consulting business. However, if you have clever skills and expertise in the field, it is a great and growing business for you to enter. Just have a look at below listed tips to generate leads for your consulting business for a rapid growth. Address not-fulfilled needs in the industry and resolve them in a new way Being different in problem solving can be one of the best ways to generate leads for your consulting business because people always appreciate something new and proficient when it comes to get the things in their favor. In this way, you can also lessen the competition in the market. For this purpose, determine your creative skills and most importantly how you can approach the market in totally new and different but efficient way. Connect with other consultants Most of the companies always prefer large consulting agencies and firms because they can offer quality services in terms of availability of more and more expert consultants in their network. You can also do the same by connecting with the other professional consultants in the industry to provide your clients competent solutions and suggestions for sure betterment in various processes and circumstances. For instances, if you are unable to provide your clients with apt solution or service, you can partner with another consultant not only to provide the better option but to build customer trust as well. But you should add other professionals in your network if they are competent to deliver quality services and ready to meet the deadlines. Cash your references Once you are available in the market to provide consulting services, your new clients will definitely ask for references to check the quality of your services and it is the time to cash your references for generating new leads for your business. In order to do so, make sure you are permitted by all the recent clients to use them as references in your proposals. Also let them know once they are included in the proposals and inform they might be called by the potential client to inquire about your services. In this way, you can get better favorable reviews to seal new deal more effectively. Rank your business website in search engines It is the digital world where people search over the web to find required services or products and your consulting business website should be on the top in search engine results when your target keywords are searched. It is one of the best ways to generate leads for your consulting business. If you are providing your services for local businesses, you should also focus on local optimization to get more clients in the town. Create a blog In order to improve online reputation in the consulting industry, you should also create a blog for your business website. In this way, you can reach target audience more effectively by helping them in getting things right in best possible ways. By providing informative, problem solving and engaging content, you can boost the audience for your blog that can also help you get more leads and clients in results. Participate in local event Getting in front of the specific business groups and unions in your area can help you generate more leads. You can also ask for a motivational speech at local chamber of commerce to let them know who you are and what services you can offer. It is the best way to promote and grow your consulting business in your area. Protect yourself When you are active in the market with huge client based, you have to protect yourself when providing your services for serious issues like financial consulting and so on. You should be in contact with a dedicated attorney at law to discuss the legal options and other situations to keep yourself and your assets protected. Applying for business insurance can also be the best way to keep you protected when providing services as a consultant. A lot of examples can be found where organizations sue the consultants for the damages and loss. That’s why; you should discuss all the legal matters with the attorney to stay safe on your side.

Here’s why Tesco the supermarket giant is in line for £105m cut in business rates and say’s they will remain “one of the UK’s largest rate payers,” despite reported profits of over £1bn. However, smaller retailers will see the 1 April business rates increase by over 50 per cent although Theresa May has said there will “appropriate relief” for companies hit the hardest. Communities secretary Sajid Javid is to be questioned by MPs over the handling of the revolution Wednesday. Business rates specialist CVS has released new figures that shows the governments revaluation, is to see Tesco’s bill in their largest stores to fall by £13m this year from £450m to £437m, therefore saving them over £100m over the next five years. Tesco said the figure is “inaccurate” and has declined to say how much their larger stores will save. A Tesco spokesman said: “Tesco is one of the UK’s largest rate payers, paying almost £700m in rates in 2016-2017, and the 2017 revaluation will not alter that trend. “Tesco has a significant physical presence across high streets and town centres, and fixed costs such as business rates are placing huge pressure on our operations. The current rates system is unsustainable and needs urgent reform.” Mark Rigby the chief executive of CVS said: “Over the next five years, allowing for transitional relief which limits how quickly bills can rise and fall, with increases through inflation, CVS projects Tesco will save £105.32 million in rates under the revaluation for its largest stores.” “In comparison, across England and Wales small shops have seen their rateable values, used to determine bills, increase by 8.5% whilst pubs have seen a 14.36% hike.” Figures were based from data published by the government on property values dating from 2010 and 2017 covering 563 of Tesco’s superstores.

Fines rise to £229m as FCA makes individuals liable for misconduct The value of fines imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rose tenfold this year to £229.4m, up from £22.2m in 2016, as it clamps down on individual misconduct, says City-headquartered professional services firm RPC. RPC says that the total value of fines issued by the FCA peaked in 2014, when £1.5bn in penalties were issued. RPC says that 67 per cent (8 out of 12) of the fines issued by the FCA in 2017 were levied against individuals rather than institutions – up from 63 per cent last year. This may be a result of the FCA’s ongoing efforts to increase pressure on individuals, rather than just issuing fines to businesses. RPC explains that the FCA introduced the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) to crack down on individual misconduct. The SMCR makes senior managers liable for any wrongdoing within their business unit, and will be extended in 2018 to cover the majority of financial services firms. RPC says that the recent increase in fines also shows that the FCA has now fully recovered from the organisational disruption of a period that saw the FCA run by three different CEOs in just over a year. Richard Burger, Partner at RPC, says: “A tenfold increase in fines is a reminder to the City that the FCA’s ability to impose swingeing financial penalties is significant.”

The Chinese firms have reportedly signed the pact in Hong Kong today Just days after it was reported that House of Fraser has brought in advisers and was considering store closures, it is now said that the struggling retailer is in talks with the Chinese owner of Hamleys to sell a majority stake. The Chinese firms have reportedly signed the pact in Hong Kong today with an official announcement due later in the day. According to media reports, shoe retailer C Banner International Holdings has signed a memorandum of understanding with HoF’s owner Sanpower-controlled Nanjing Xinjiekou. House of Fraser has 59 stores and 6,000 staff.

Find out here We had told you earlier this month that the Royal Bank of Scotland is working on plans to create a standalone digital bank, and millions of pounds have already been earmarked for the new platform. According to a Forbes report today, RBS is building a new mobile-only bank and has set an internal target of switching 1m of its existing NatWest customers onto the mobile-only offering. At a time when traditional banking system is facing heat from challenger banks like Starling and Monzo, RBS is planning a “marketplace” business model where it will earn commissions by assisting its customers to save by switching to financial products provided both by RBS and also other smaller fintech players across the industry. “Our industry is changing rapidly and therefore we need to keep pace with this by launching new approaches to better serve our customers,” a spokesperson for RBS told Forbes. “We will not comment on media speculation, but we’re focussed on using automation and technology to deliver a more efficient banking experience that better reflects the changing way our customers now bank.”

Currently sitting at £32,940, the highest figure since May 2016 Average UK advertised salaries have reached their highest figure since May 2016, according to Adzuna.co.uk. The 1.9 per cent improvement in the year to December means the average advertised wage is now £32,940. Following an ongoing pay squeeze, UK average salaries are starting to show signs of sustained growth. Inflationary pressure has meant that in real terms any increase in wages has been marginal, but despite this, average salaries are continuing to follow a positive trajectory. For jobseekers, the temptation to seek new, attractive pay packages is greater now than ever as salaries were particularly stale in the second half of 2017. Companies such as Amazon are offering competitive wages and comprehensive benefits following the creation of further new jobs in the UK. Keeping the labour market buoyant with new opportunities creates further competition and places bargaining power in the hands of jobseekers to negotiate better pay. In terms of the regional breakdown, the growth of average salaries in London continues to show positive momentum, according to Adzuna data. The 3.4 per cent improvement in the year to December means the average advertised wage in the capital sits comfortably above the majority of most regions. With companies like Google confirming residence of its new £1bn London office in Kings Cross that will open in 2018 as well as Apple announcing a UK headquarters in Battersea Power Station, London looks set to remain one of the world’s foremost tech hubs. This level of investment from global multinational corporations means the capital city is currently in a lucrative position to secure a profitable future and could even reap the benefits of an open, international market as a result of the EU referendum. However while salaries are improving, the total number of advertised vacancies in the UK have flatlined. Currently sitting at 1,100,142, the growth spurt that seems to be boosting advertised salaries is not being matched. Despite a fall in the inflation rate, many companies such as Tesco are implementing a cost-cutting strategy to streamline the business model and improve operational efficiency. However, in terms of volume, advertised vacancies are displaying their usual seasonal patterns following the post-festive period of temp jobs filtering out of the jobs market.

Services industry gained momentum Pound jumped to a five-day high today to $1.3201 after data from Markit/CIPS revealed that Britain’s services industry grew last month at its fastest rate since October. After a weak start to 2018, the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) unexpectedly rose to an eight-month high of 55.1 in June, beating economists’ average forecast of 54.0. Taken together, the three PMIs point to overall economic growth of 0.4 per cent in the second quarter, up from 0.2 per cent in the first three months of the year. “Stronger growth of service sector activity adds to signs that the economy rebounded in the second quarter and opens the door for an August rate hike, especially when viewed alongside the news that inflationary pressures spiked higher,” IHS Markit economist Chris Williamson added.

Find out more… Festival season is officially in full swing. From Glastonbury to Wireless and from Love Box to T in the Park, the UK plays host to some of the greatest musical spectacles in the world over the summer months. However, contrary to popular belief, festivals do not only provide an opportunity for revellers to dust off their wellies and start practising their best air guitar moves. They also provide an opportunity for festival organisers to enhance audience engagement through the use of mobile applications. In this day and age, to remain competitive or in some instances steal a march on the competition, music festivals should aim to have an effective digital marketing campaign, and to do so they must have an active mobile app campaign. Why so? Well, mobile apps are a great communication stream for any music festival. They help to give customers regular updates, create a sense of community for the festival and provide a practical source of information. Mobile apps can provide festival goers with convenient access to the festival’s online presence, offer location based services such as festival maps, privacy, personalisation and security, meaning that they are a very viable resource to enhance the customer experience. At Pocket App we have particular expertise in this field having created a number of event specific applications based on our robust, reskinnable conference product ‘Pocket Events’, an application which utilises a user-friendly and fully editable content management system. Through Pocket Events users can upload a wide variety of material related to their event including agenda, speaker notes, images, Twitter feed, venue information and so on. Festival organisers should ensure that the user’s journey at the festival is replicated in the app. In the same way they have a “customer journey” in real life, a festival’s app needs to flex and change depending on where the user is on that “journey”. With all that said, here are 3 ways a mobile app can help festival organisers amplify their brands: 1. Pre Event - Build Hype & Drive Ticket Sales The branded app is already relied on by festival attendees as the go-to guide for navigating an event. Organisers can benefit from using mobile apps to help drive ticket sales and promote their line-up. In addition to spotlighting their acts, films and parties, interactive and visually appealing mobile apps can make it easy for attendees to explore the line-up and also serve as a powerful way to boost your ongoing marketing efforts. 2. During Event – Enhance Customer Experience Favourites and personalised schedules, social sharing, interactive maps - these are all must-haves for helping festival goers plan and navigate their event experience. To further ensure that attendees are on top of every detail, you can provide valuable and timely content through push messaging or an iBeacon-enabled app. Alert fans to tickets available in their vicinity and provide attendees with critical event updates. Keeping your attendees informed and in the loop can go a long way in making an event memorable. 3. Post Event – Review & Repeat Every festival has a following. From music fans to film buffs, audiences often look back on their festival experiences to determine if they’ll return the next year. However, this doesn’t limit your reach and engagement after your festival has ended. After the last act, your event app is an additional marketing channel to drive attendance for the following year. Features such as social media sharing allow fans to broadcast their experiences to their networks or Spotify playlists help to keep your festival top of mind. Having a mobile app for your event streamlines the entire user experience and gives your team peace of mind that your attendees are in the know about everything happening. Inclusive of critical information such as travel information, links to festival’s other social media platforms and artist background, mobile apps add to the overall festival experience and are a viable virtual space to help engage customers and also feed in much needed information in an accessible manner.

One in five car owners are concerned about the dangers of car washes A survey by leading car care provider, Armor All, has found that one in five car owners worries about the risk of damage to their car as a result of using a professional car cleaning service. In addition to this, one in ten of those that took part in the research had experienced damage to their vehicle after paying for it to be cleaned. Nationally, this could equate to as many as 2.6 million cars being at risk of damage. Harsh chemicals, dirty water full of stones and grit from other cars, and faulty car wash machines are among the long list of dangers that could potentially damage beloved vehicles during the professional car washing process. Responding to these results, Armor All is calling for the return of the family car wash. Not only a great way of ensuring your car gets all the care and attention necessary to keep it looking its very best without the risk of damage, this will also bring the family together to spend quality time outside in the fresh air. Paul Hough, sales and marketing controller at Armor All, said: “It’s likely that after your house, your car is the most expensive thing you own. With this in mind, it’s perhaps quite worrying that more people aren’t aware of the possible damage to your car that could potentially arise from having it professionally cleaned. “While keeping your car clean is a chore that is often viewed as being easier when delegated, it doesn’t have to be this way. If you factor in the potential nuisance and cost of having to deal with damage to your car, it’s definitely worth considering making it a fun activity for the whole family to share. If families took ownership of the car wash once again, it would negate any risk coming from the professional car washing process, allow for quality family time, and tick one job off the to do list in a fun and safe way for all.”

Is this the end for diesel cars? The Commons environment committee’s top chair is to urge government ministers to tackle the emissions from diesel owners by encouraging them to scrap them. London hit the black alert this year and “time was running out” doctors have warned in preventing London’s children from the toxic pollution. According to the Sunday Telegraph Neil Parish MP who is chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee is to say that “households should not just be able to trade in multiple diesels for a cash subsidy.” Furthermore, that the government, “should particularly consider targeting a scrappage scheme at poorer households or those earning less than 60 per cent of the median UK household income.” Parish is to say: “If the Government earmarked £500 million for this scheme, it would take nearly 10 per cent of the five million dirtiest diesels off our roads.” The Sunday Telegraph also said that Parish will say: “Limiting the scheme to these hotspots could potentially take as many as half of these dirtiest diesels out of these pollution hotspots.” The AA in a poll last month learned that 68 per cent of drivers support a diesel scrappage scheme whilst only 10 per cent were against the scheme. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said in February when he was asked if he would consider a ban on driving to cut the toxic air, he said “nothing is off the table.” Khan has said that there will be a new T-charge for diesel vehicles entering central London on weekdays costing £21.50 for drivers.

Where’s yours? Research has looked into the most popular holiday locations, as favoured by the UK public Barcelona tops the list as the UK’s most favoured holiday destination, new research has revealed, with a massive 522,800 searches per month, research has revealed. Barcelona has seen the biggest rise in popularity since 2013 Growing trend in interest for European cities, with locations such as Reykjavik, Budapest, and Dubrovnik all becoming attractive locations to the public Interest for Magaluf and Amsterdam have fluctuated over the past four years Long-haul destinations, including Bali and Cape Verde, are also on the rise Full findings are here, images can be downloaded here. This was closely followed by long-haul destinations Bali and Cape Verde, which are becoming increasingly popular amongst the UK public. Conducted by UK cruise agent Bolsover Cruise Club, the research analysed over 50 locations around the world. Focusing on which holiday destinations the UK public were searching for, the study looked into which locations have been increasing and decreasing in popularity over the past four years. It showed that UK travel enthusiasts might be searching for something a little different now than in previous years, with the search volumes of various destinations increasing drastically. The top 5 destinations that saw the biggest increase in Google searches between 2013-2017 were: 1. Barcelona: 166,000- 552,000 (231 per cent increase) 2. Bali: 47,900 - 131,000 (179 per cent increase) 3. Cape Verde: 94,100-230,000 (144 per cent increase) 4. Budapest: 64,300-154,200 (140 per cent increase) 5. Santorini: 59,600- 142,000 (138 per cent increase) The research was also broken down to highlight the favourites from five major UK cities, and revealed the following: Manchester- 1st Barcelona, 2nd Amsterdam, 3rd Santorini Leeds- 1st Barcelona, 2nd Budapest, 3rd Malta Birmingham- 1st Barcelona, 2nd Amsterdam, 3rd Lanzarote London- 1st Barcelona, 2nd Bali, 3rd Budapest Cardiff- 1st Barcelona, 2nd Amsterdam, 3rd Cape Verde The full findings of the research can be found here. On the other end of the scale, once popular winter get-away location Amsterdam appeared to take a hit, with a 15 per cent decline over the years - this was the biggest decrease out of all the destinations that were examined. This was followed by another previous favourite for the UK party-goer, with the Spanish resort Magaluf appearing to be a quieter clubbing scene than in previous years, with a 4 per cent dip since 2013. However, central and eastern European cities appeared to be on the radar of Brits up and down the country, with the following locations all seeing substantial rises over the past four years: Budapest (140 per cent) Reykjavik (106 per cent) Dubrovnik (49 per cent) While Barcelona has remained in the top spot since 2013, the research has shown where the different peaks have been for other destinations: In 2013, Malta had a high average monthly search volume (92,200) During 2014, it was the Maldives taking peoples fancy, with an average of 93,800 monthly searches 2015 was the year that saw Dubai rise in online interest, averaging 175,300 searches per month One thing that is apparent, when comparing the beach locations against the city locations it’s most definitely the lure of clear blue sea and white sand which is proving to be the people’s choice. Michael Wilson, managing director of Bolsover Cruise Club, said: “At Bolsover, we were keen to get an insight into where the UK public are wanting to travel to. We’re often aware of travel trends amongst our friends and family, but we wanted to see how these look on a larger scale. “It appears that some of the UK’s typical getaway jaunts have paved the way for these vibrant cities with glorious beaches to match, signifying that some of the UK’s favourites might not be as appealing as they once were. “Not only did we want to see which locations rose over the years, but also which destinations did the opposite and started declining. We didn’t expect Barcelona to receive as many searches per month as it did, but it’s clear that with its beach close to the city centre people are wanting the best of both worlds. “The research reflects the changing trends for UK travellers and proves that people are always looking for new places to visit. It is interesting to think that a go-to destination one year could be a ghost town the next”.

More than 900 jobs being saved so far Official receiver has confirmed today that “despite best efforts” as many as 377 workers at Carillion are being made redundant, while 919 jobs have been saved. The Official receiver, who is in charge of managing the wind-down of the company, said: “I recognise this will be a worrying time for all those affected, their families and local communities. I would like to thank all the staff for their professionalism throughout the liquidation. “I am expecting many employees working on other Carillion contracts to transfer in the coming weeks and we are continuing to keep the workforce updated as these arrangements are finalised.” The jobs that have been saved involve those people who were working on infrastructure projects and construction deals, or else on contracts that involved central or local government. All of them have seen their jobs taken over by other companies, allowing them to continue working on the same projects. The company went into liquidation on 15 January.

According to a new survey… As students across Britain await their exam results, thousands could be missing out on pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths (STEM) because teachers do not feel they have enough knowledge of careers within these sectors, according to new research released today by British Gas owner Centrica, Britain’s largest energy and services company. Majority of students surveyed said their post-school choices are influenced by teachers Teachers do not feel well-enough informed about STEM careers Male teachers more likely to see STEM careers as better suited to boys than girls Business should do more to support teachers with information so that students can benefit from their advice According to the independent national survey, nine in ten students said they are influenced by teachers when it comes to deciding what to do after leaving school. However, nearly a third (30 per cent) of teachers do not feel adequately informed about all the different options that are available to students, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) confessing they do not feel confident in their understanding of careers in STEM despite the widely reported STEM skills shortage. With some teachers not feeling well-versed to guide students down the STEM path, it is not surprising that more than a third (33 per cent) of students surveyed feel under-informed about STEM careers. The research highlights a gender gap around how STEM careers are perceived. Nearly a third of male teachers (29 per cent) said that STEM careers are more for boys than girls, compared to 16 per cent of female teachers. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of all teachers surveyed (23 per cent) do not feel confident or do not know if job opportunities exist for girls going into STEM careers. A gender gap is also prevalent among students. The survey reveals that more than a quarter of girls (27 per cent) said that STEM careers are not for them, versus 14 per cent of boys. When asked, nearly half of all students surveyed could not think of any female role models in STEM. The route into a STEM career is also seen as a challenge with two-thirds (66 per cent) of students believing it is difficult to get into and requiring high academic achievement. The majority of teachers surveyed also believe this to be the case, despite a number of routes offered into a STEM career through apprenticeships. Teachers say business should be doing more to close the knowledge gap. More than two-thirds of teachers said they would like more information, training and guidance from business about STEM careers. Half of teachers surveyed specifically requested that businesses come into schools to give careers talks. Catherine O’Kelly, industry development director at British Gas, commented on the survey findings: “There’s a clear role and need for business to provide more support so that both teachers and students have a better understanding of the exciting options that are available through STEM careers. “Innovation and technology are at the heart of our business and is part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. We should encourage students, especially young women who are less confident about pursuing STEM careers, to explore the varied routes into the profession which range from apprenticeships to degrees, and are open to all.”

New figures show It’s been a strong start to the year for London’s labour market, with job vacancies, application rates and advertised salaries all seeing an increase last quarter. In fact, job vacancies rose by a staggering 15.1 per cent in Q1, when compared with data from Q4 2017. That’s according to the latest job market data from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site. What’s more, the report, which analysed data from Q1 2018 and compared this with Q4 2017, found that application rates across the city soared by 27.6 per cent during this period. Some of the nation’s key cities also witnessed impressive growth last quarter. As such, the top locations for finding candidates right now include: Edinburgh – apps up 38.9 per cent Manchester – apps up 35.8 per cent Aberdeen – apps up 34.6 per cent Birmingham – apps up 34 per cent Liverpool – apps up 30.5 per cent Southampton – apps up 28.2 per cent London – apps up 27.6 per cent Glasgow – apps up 25.9 per cent Cardiff – apps up 23.9 per cent Sheffield – apps up 23.8 per cent Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments on the findings: “It’s great to see that the job market in London has performed so well in the first quarter, with businesses in the city remaining resilient as we move through 2018. And it’s clear that this confidence is catching on, with candidate appetite picking back up and job hunters remaining active across the capital. If you’re looking to expand your workforce, now could be the perfect time to ramp up your recruitment efforts.” Furthermore, advertised salaries in London saw an increase in Q1, rising by 1.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 1.7 per cent year-on-year. But despite the report being largely positive, applications rates remained stagnant last quarter. Biggins concludes: “It’s positive that salaries saw an increase on the last quarter and this could be a big contributing factor towards the rise in application rates when compared with Q4. With candidates feeling more comfortable about making their next career move, businesses across London need to continue to offer competitive packages if they hope to keep the momentum going.”

Take a look The average Brit has just 17 days of free time a year, including weekends, according to a new study from Virgin Trains. That’s just over two weeks across the entire year to spend doing the things we really want to do. A third of us (32 per cent) feel we have less time than we did five years ago, and nearly half of us (46 per cent) wish we had more free time. In fact, Brits actually value free time more than money, material possessions and even career success. More than half of Brits (51 per cent) would go travelling if they had more time, over a third (34 per cent) would catch up with friends and family and 16 per cent of us would like to learn a new language. Interestingly, the top things people think they miss out on because they don’t have enough free time, are socialising (35 per cent), weekend and day trips (35 per cent), sleep (33 per cent) and sex (20 per cent). If we’re not doing the things we really want to do, then what is taking up all of our precious time? 103 days a year sleeping 9 days a year on social media 11 days of the year cooking and eating 8 days a year doing housework 7 days a year doing exercise 5 days a year in the bathroom Virgin Trains Free Me With just 17 days to play with, there’s no time to waste. That’s why Virgin Trains has launched Free Me, an inspiring campaign to encourage people to make the most of their free time this Summer, whether that’s visiting a new city, taking up a new hobby, or watching that film you’ve always wanted to watch. The research reveals the top 10 things we’d love to do with our free time are: Travelling (51%) Visiting friends and family (34%) Walking (32%) Going to the cinema and theatre (24%) Visiting museums (20%) Cooking (20%) Gardening (20%) Sleeping (19%) Learning a new language (16%) Volunteering at charities (14%) With the majority of Brits longing to travel more, almost 70 per cent of us would explore more of Great Britain if we had the time. The top destinations we’d visit if we had the chance include Edinburgh (51 per cent); York (48 per cent); Oxford (43 per cent); Bath (40 per cent) and London (37 per cent). Almost half of Brits (47 per cent) agree it’s relaxing to travel by train, and a third (33 per cent) agree it gives them extra time for themselves. Apart from the time you physically save while travelling on a train, Brits use the journey itself to admire the view outside (60 per cent), listen to music (25 per cent) and get lost in a day dream (17 per cent). Patrick McCall, Co-Chairman, Virgin Trains, said of the new Free Me campaign: “When we look back at our lives, it’s the time spent with the people we love that we’ll remember and the experiences we’ve had along the way. It won’t be about the stuff we buy, or the next stage in our career. Whether you’re on a journey to pursue a dream you’ve always had or you simply want to use the time on your train to unwind and relax. Free Me is about inspiring people to get out there, see more of Great Britain and make the most of those 17 days of precious free time.”

Cut backs in non-essentials British shoppers are shunning high streets and shopping centres after footfall fell for the fourth consecutive month. Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that the high streets were the hardest hit with a 2.1 per cent drop in the number of shoppers, while shopping centres saw a 1.3 per cent fall. The BRC said the drop was due to consumers a cutting back spending on ‘non-essential items’ and non-food items had suffered weak sales as a result. However, retail parks have seen an increase in footfall of 1.7 per cent which is in part thanks to ‘convenience for shoppers’ and ‘lower rental costs compared to prime and town centre locations’, the BRC said. Shop vacancy rate is now at its highest for a year, nearly one in 10 retail shops are currently empty and those in some vulnerable communities remain persistently empty, limiting the chances of these places to thrive. Helen Dickinson Chief-Executive of BRC said: “Most shopping destinations saw a decline in footfall in July compared with the previous year. Even high streets, which have seen fairly stable growth over recent months, reported a decline. “The overall decline in footfall translated into weak sales performance for stores in non-food particularly, which fell further into negative territory as consumers rein back spending on non-essential items.” “The vacancy rate, now at its highest for a year, fails to brighten the picture for what was evidently a challenging month for retailers.” Diane Wehrle Springboard Marketing and Insights Director said July’s results mark a ‘sea change in consumers’ willingness to spend as it was the first time since January that footfall dropped during both retail trading hours and into the evening. “Over the last few months the growing importance of the leisure based trip has become a key part of the narrative when talking about retail destinations, but a -0.5 per cent drop in footfall post 5pm in July is the first evidence of a tightening of purse strings on casual dining and leisure trips,” she said.

Here’s what a report says According to a latest report, Uber is in preliminary talks with rival Careem to combine their Middle Eastern ride-hailing services. In discussions with Careem, Uber has said that it would need to own more than half of the combined company, if not buy Careem outright, added the Bloomberg report. While Uber has declined to comment, Careem did not confirm or deny the report. “Our ambition is to build a lasting institution for the region and that means focusing on growth into new markets and doubling down on our existing cities to open our platform up to new products and services. We are only getting started,” Careem spokeswoman Maha Abouelenein told media.

Net-a-porter rival eyes up sale Matchesfashion.com is in talks with a clutch of private equity firms about a takeover which could value the fashion retailer at £600m. The British online luxury retailer is reportedly in talks with firms, including Apax Partners, KKR, Permira and Bain Capital, who are expected to table bids for the retailer in the next few weeks, according to Sky News. The sale would value the company, set up by husband-and-wife team Tom and Ruth Chapman in 1987, at more than £600m. As the majority shareholders, the Chapman’s could receive a windfall of over £300m if such a sale were to go ahead. Matchesfashion’s minority shareholders, Scottish Equity Partners and Highland Capital, own 30 per cent of the business after the couple sold a stake in 2012 for £32m. Sources told Sky that the couple could opt to retain a significant stake in the company or only offer a minority stake in the company. However, sources close to the sale process said the private equity firms considering a bid were expected to pursue a majority stake in the company. Matchesfashion, sells brands such as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Chloe, and reported impressive sales growth of 61 per cent to £204m this year when it published details of its financial performance for the first time. Set up in 30 years ago as a boutique in Wimbledon, south-west London, Matchesfashion took its store online in 2007. They now sell more than 400 brands online and through three London stores and launched a 90-minute delivery service for its London shoppers last year.

Take a look Buying a property is cheaper than renting in 49 out of 50 of the biggest British cities, according to the latest data from Zoopla. London is the only city where rental payments are lower than the monthly cost of servicing a mortgage. Zoopla researched the monthly cost of renting a two-bedroom flat compared to repaying a mortgage in Britain’s 50 biggest cities to find that on average renters in London are 16 per cent (£328) better off every month, compared to those who own a property. The average rental payment in the capital stands at £1,840 versus the average monthly mortgage repayment of £2,168. Homeowners in the North of England and Scotland typically fare the best. Glasgow tops the list of locations where monthly mortgage repayments are cheaper than rent. Glaswegians’ average mortgage payments stands at 57 per cent (£298) cheaper than monthly rent. This is followed by Bradford and Dundee where servicing a mortgage is 53 per cent (£207) and 52 per cent (£225) cheaper than renting a property respectively. The northern towns of Middlesbrough, Doncaster, Barnsley and Warrington also feature in the top 10. Comparing rental and mortgage payments outside of the capital, the monthly costs are almost level in Brighton and Cambridge. There is very little difference – just one per cent – between the cost of renting and buying in these two commuter hotspots. Nationally, across Britain’s 50 biggest cities, the average monthly mortgage payment for a two-bedroomed flat stands at £564 – £136.47 less than the £700.47 average rent payment (assuming an 85 per cent LTV mortgage and an average asking price of £149,539. Further research from Zoopla suggests that these figures are reflected in the sentiment of renters. Its recent State of the Property Nation report found that 67 per cent of renters believe rates will rise over the next year, an increase of five per cent since 2016. In addition, 57 per cent of estate agents are predicting an increase in the number of renters joining the market, however, only 30 per cent think more rental properties will come available to meet this demand. Lawrence Hall, spokesperson for Zoopla, comments:“These figures demonstrate that renters across Britain are paying a premium compared to homeowners servicing a mortgage. Now only London appears a preferable city for renting. However, the recent announcement of a rise in threshold for the stamp duty tax may encourage more first-time buyers on to the market, so it will be interesting to see whether this boost for first time buyers impacts property prices in the near future.”

Takeover gets green light Britain’s business minister Greg Clark told parliament today that there were no national security grounds to intervene in turnaround specialist Melrose’s takeover of UK engineering company GKN. “On the basis of the commitments given relating to national security, the ministry of defence concluded that statutory intervention is not required,” Clark said in a statement to parliament today. “My judgement is that there are not reasonable and proportionate grounds to make a statutory intervention on the grounds of national security,” he added Melrose won control of British engineer GKN after a three-month battle when 52.4 per cent of investors backed its offer.

Find out here In a major step towards legitimising the virtual currency, the Bitcoin has begun trading on a major US exchange. The digital currency launched on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) futures exchange in Chicago on Sunday night, allowing investors to bet on whether Bitcoin prices will rise or fall. Prices of the CBOE Bitcoin futures contracts, which expires in January, jumped to $18,800 (£14,000) today morning, from $15,000. This hike was followed by an increase in the price of Bitcoin, which jumped more than 20 per cent to a record high of $18,700. It later slipped back to around $16,900. According to the Guardian, the CBOE futures don’t involve actual bitcoin. They’re securities that will track the price of bitcoin on Gemini, one of the larger bitcoin exchanges. The move is expected to be followed next week, state media reports, by a listing on the rival Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Established in 2009 after the financial meltdown, Bitcoin has no central bank or regulatory authority backing it up. The digital coins are stored in a digital wallet or on the cloud and can be used in transactions.

Former prime minister, Tony Blair The attorney general, Jeremy Wright QC who is also the Conservative MP for Kenilworth has been formally asked to join the hearing to prosecute Tony Blair the former prime minister over the Iraq war. Britain’s top law officer is to block this bid for prosecution and senior ministers have also said this is to be thrown out. General Abdul-Wahid Shannan ar-Ribat the former chief of staff of the Iraqi army is bringing the private prosecution after last year’s Chilcot inquiry report findings. Ribat is understood to currently live in exile. According to the Guardian newspaper, legal papers they’ve seen say’s that Blair and the then foreign secretary Jack Straw and the ex-attorney general Lord Goldsmith are to be prosecuted for the crime of “aggression.” Ribat’s lawyers are wanting a fresh hearing after a court ruled in 2016 that Blair cannot be prosecuted and has immunity from a criminal charge, because by bringing a prosecution may “involve details being disclosed under the Official Secrets Act”, according to the legal documents. Imran Khan who is one of the lawyers bringing the case said to the Guardian: “My client wants those responsible held to account and prosecuted using the full force of the law.” “He is baffled as to why it is that despite the Chilcot report making it very clear that the war was illegal, attempts are now being made to prevent those responsible from entering a court, let alone being prosecuted for what they did.” Khan added: “I really don’t think it’s a matter for the Attorney General. It sounds a rather defensive approach, one that wants to nip it in the bud, but it’s a bit disingenuous as it should be left to the court to decide.” “It sounds like we’re on to something here, otherwise why would the Attorney General want to get involved at this early stage?” The Guardian further reported that in 2016 an application was made to Westminster magistrates court to summon Blair. The district judge Michael Snow refused the application and said: “Implied immunity as former head of state and government ministers, therefore offence not made out.” “Allegations involve potential details being disclosed under the Official Secrets Act for which attorney general and director of public prosecutions consent are required,” according to the Guardian. Michael Mansfield QC who is also part of Ribats legal team say’s the judge is wrong in saying that three senior government ministers cannot be prosecuted as there are “overwhelming grounds” for challenging Snow’s decision. Wright is reportedly to have formally asked to join future hearings and according to legal papers seen by the Guardian he has called for the attempt to prosecute Blair, Straw and Goldsmith to rejected. Wright’s spokeswoman said to the Press Association: “He is seeking to intervene in this case because it raises issues about the scope of criminal law.” “It is not unusual for the attorney general to intervene in these sort of cases in order to represent the public interest.” Khan added that: “Everybody, including the attorney general, should welcome this court case.” “It is an opportunity for many millions of people to get justice for something which caused immeasurable damage not just to the people of Iraq but all those others that were affected by these events around the world.” However, wright believes that the legal case against them will not stand because under English law the crime of “aggression” does not exist. The International Criminal Court does not rule on decisions to launch conflict and the court in The Hague said decisions for the UK to go to war falls “outside of the court’s jurisdiction.”

How best to take your company forward Being an entrepreneur in the modern world involves a lot of sacrifices because you have to put your business first at all times. There are so many things that go into making and running a successful brand, and you have to understand these. If you want to take your startup to the next level this is going to involve implementing some changes, and deciding how best to take the company forward. Business ownership is never easy, and there is a lot of competition out there to deal with. How are you going to make your company better, and what will help take your startup to the next level. Gaining market share and standing out from your competitors means you can become a much more successful company, and this is important. These are some great tips to help take your business to the next level. Avoid basic mistakes There are a lot of mistakes that business owners make when trying to take their companies forward, and these can be pretty serious mistakes. You need to avoid these where possible, but sometimes it’s difficult to know what these mistakes are. Loads of issues can arise in the world of business management, and you need to make sure you follow the golden rules of great business leadership. Being the best leader you can be will help you avoid basic mistakes, and make you more grounded as a business leader. Utilize online tech There is so much excellent online technology you can use to help take your business to the next level. By using stuff like web hosting and VPS servers, you can make your company much more efficient and productive. This is an excellent way of helping to elevate the company and make it better. You want to do as much as you can to make your company stand out, and showcasing your website is a great way of doing that. This is why it’s so important to make sure you utilize web hosting and companies that provide the sort of technology you need to help you succeed in the business world. Outsource Another of the best ways to take your business forward and ensure you are going to improve is to outsource as much as you can. There are loads of things these days that you can choose to outsource, and they will improve the efficiency of the business. You have to make sure you decide what you need to outsource within the business. There are a lot of things you might choose to outsource, and the more you can, the better it will be for the company. Taking your business to the next level is all about making changes that will help the company grow and improve. There is a lot you can do that will help to transform the business, and you need to assess how you can make the company better. These are just a few of the things you can do that will help the brand improve – it will be better run, more productive, and the results will be noticeable.

Here’s what they said UK Innovation Hub by Innogy, which exists to accelerate solutions to energy transition by identifying and collaborating with Britain’s brightest entrepreneurial talent, has bolstered its offering for entrepreneurs and start-ups with the appointment of three highly experienced venture developers. Odysseas Bassioukas, Alban Bressand and Tomas Ivan all join Innovation Hub’s London outpost to lead the company’s UK venture development operations. They will assume responsibility for identifying, on-boarding and mentoring start-ups and entrepreneurs through the UK Innovation Hub founder programme. Their role will be to combine the best practice of venture capital investing and business mentoring to nurture entrepreneurial talent and provide start-ups with the tools needed to succeed. Kate Jack, country lead for UK Innovation Hub, said: “Venture Developers are a key part of our business in supporting the identification and partner opportunities with disruptive new business models in the energy space. “Their role as experts and mentors is central to our ethos of harnessing ideas, innovation and technologies to propel the UK’s energy transition movement. These hires will enable us to better discover and target potential founders and support them in the realisation of their global ambitions.” Mr Bassioukas joins UK Innovation Hub following a successful career co-founding and leading start-ups in the energy sector. He has held senior management positions in the aerospace industry, and has a MEng/BEng degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering from Coventry University. Odysseas is passionate about technology, design and innovation and will use his experience to add value to UK Innovation Hub through the development of highly collaborative and creative work environments. Mr Bressand has a background in utility scale renewables (wind, solar and battery storage) and distributed demand response aggregation. He was previously doing strategy and business development at RES and with Reactive Technologies Ltd. Alban has a deep understanding of the energy transition and believes that only the most cost-effective solutions will succeed in creating a more sustainable society. Mr Ivan previously founded a start-up within the retail and digital space, and has worked on various entrepreneurial development projects for global corporations including P&G and HP. Tomas is looking forward to discovering disruptive new business models and mentoring start-ups to help them reach their potential.