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Connecting Businesses and Communities 22nd - 28th February 2016

New visa rules could prompt exodus of hundreds of doctors Changes to visa rules could lead to hundreds of UK doctors leaving the NHS each year, leading medics have warned. The British Medical Association (BMA) said imposing new recommendations on visa rules from the Migrations Advisory Committee would be a “completely obstructive move”.

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page 30 UK medical graduates from overseas and international medical graduates are said to be ‘essential’ to the NHS

UK medical graduates from overseas and international medical graduates are “essential” to the NHS workforce, said Dr Mark Porter, chair of council at the BMA. In a letter to Immigration Minister James Brokenshire, the union said imposing a £1,000-a-year immigration skills levy for firms for each skilled migrant they recruit from outside Europe could also lead to a hefty bill for the NHS - the BMA estimates that the health service would have to fork out at least £3.5 million a year.

Meanwhile the recommendations could also mean that students from overseas who have obtained a UK medical degree will be last in line to get a job, the BMA said.

Dr Porter said: “UK medical graduates from overseas, and international medical graduates are essential members of our medical workforce and the NHS is dependent on them to provide high-quality, reliable and safe services to patients.

“This would be a completely obstructive move at a time when the NHS is facing unprecedented pressure and huge staff shortages, with rising concerns that junior doctors will leave the NHS after the Government’s imposition of a new, unfair contract.

“The Government must consider specific exemptions for the NHS in order to ensure we have the necessary workforce to provide patients with the care they deserve.”

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Does austerity cause biggest rise in England’s death rate since WWII? RINF Alternative News

Government cuts to social services could be killing large numbers of vulnerable people in England, a health journal has said, as new figures show 2015 saw the biggest increase in the national death rate for decades.

Preliminary figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate mortality rates in 2015 rose by 5.4 percent on 2014 – an increase of nearly 27,000 deaths, bringing the total to 528,340.

Death rates in England and Wales had been falling since the 1970s, but this trend reversed in 2011 when mortality rates started rising. Health advisers are now saying the rising death rate could be caused by cuts to vital social services. Oxford University Professor Danny Dorling, who is also an adviser to Public Health England, said the increase in deaths could be the biggest since World War II. “When we look at 2015, we are not just looking at one bad year.

We have seen excessive mortality – especially among women – since 2012. I suspect the largest factor here is cuts to social services – to Meals on Wheels, to visits to the elderly,” he said.

“We have seen these changes during a period when the health

service is in crisis, while social care services have been cut back.

“The statistics clearly show that this is the biggest rise we have seen since the 1960s. But this may well turn out to be the greatest rise since the Second World War, taking into account the sustained nature

of the rise, as well as other factors, such as the trend for immigration of older people in the 1960s.”

Research published last June by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) showed that Britain’s most vulnerable people are at risk due to an additional £1.1 billion of cuts to adult social care.

ADASS President Ray James said at the time withholding government funds must be short-lived “if we are going to avoid further damage to the lives of older and vulnerable people who often will have no one else but social care to turn to.”

Cuts to other benefits, such as disability and unemployment, have also taken their toll on vulnerable sections of society.

Last week it was revealed a mentally ill man in Glasgow, Scotland killed himself after his benefits were stopped by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Paul Donnachie, 50, had his disability benefit payments stopped

in June 2015 after he failed to turn up for four work capability assessments. His sister, Eleanor, told the Daily Record “the government murdered him.” “The government aren’t living in the real world and have no idea how people live,” she said. “They don’t care about working-class people and the vulnerable.”

Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams called on the government to investigate the rising death rate. “These figures suggest something is going badly wrong… we owe it to older people to investigate why last year’s statistics are so unusually high and to take firm action to address the causes, whatever they may be,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said it will continue to monitor the data closely.

“This is provisional data and our experts monitor deaths closely.

Excess winter deaths can be due to a number of causes and deaths can fluctuate from year to year,” the spokesperson said.

German ‘national interest’ for UK to remain in EU

By Geir Moulson/ AP

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that it’s in Germany’s national interest for Britain to remain in the European Union, and she also pressed her fellow European leaders to work with Turkey to curb the migrant influx. An EU summit on aims to reach an agreement on a package of measures to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc, and Merkel hopes to make some headway toward an elusive European solution of the migrant crisis. Germany is the EU’s most populous — and economically powerful — nation and also has taken in the most refugees.

But Merkel’s open-door stance to asylum-seekers has been under increasing pressure both from abroad and at home, including from within her own conservative bloc.

In a speech to parliament, Merkel painted a largely positive picture of chances of an agreement on

Britain’s EU reform demands. British Prime Minister David Cameron hopes to secure a deal for a looser union with the bloc. He then plans to hold a referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU. “Germany will make its contribution so that a result that satisfies everyone can be achieved, if possible already at the summit beginning tomorrow,” she said.

“I am convinced that is in our national interest for Great Britain to remain an active member in a strong and successful European Union,” she added.

Merkel said Britain is an ally for Germany in promoting competitiveness and free trade, and that “Europe needs Great Britain’s foreign and security policy commitment to assert our values and interests in the world.” On migrants, Merkel made clear that she won’t be pushing the contentious subject of new quotas to distribute migrants

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around Europe. She reiterated that it would be “laughable” for Europe to approve such quotas when it has barely started to share refugees under existing agreements.

Instead, she said, the key issue is to work with Turkey to try to stem the flow of migrants across the Aegean Sea to EU member Greece — a crossing that more than a million people made last year — rather than shutting down Greece’s northern border with Macedonia.

“Our common goal is to drastically and lastingly reduce the number of refugees so as to better help those people who really need our assistance,” she said. Turkey hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees. EU countries, keen to prevent more of them heading for Europe, last year pledged 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) to help Syrian refugees in Turkey.

“We as the European Union must learn to protect maritime

German Chancellor Angel Merkel

borders,” Merkel said. “If we don’t learn, we won’t succeed next time with Italy, across the sea from Libya.” “A continent that doesn’t manage that and only reacts by sealing (borders) off just behind the maritime border, and says ‘we’re not interested in whoever is behind the fence’ — I am convinced that can’t be the European answer,” she said.

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Despite all the difficulties, Merkel offered an optimistic outlook for this week’s meeting — though she said that “the discussion on both issues won’t be ended with the summit. “The meeting “is a stage on the road that, so far, has made Europe stronger after every crisis,” she said. “And I hope that can be the case this time, too.”

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A UK political start-up pushes for gender parity at work

By Sarah Gordon / Financial Times

The Women’s Equality party enjoys rising popularity but has yet to be tested at the ballot box. Scaling up is a challenge for all organisations but for Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality party, the growth over which she is presiding comes with a very public sense of expectation.

Launched a year ago, the fledgling UK movement wants to propel gender equality — inside and outside the workplace — up the political to-do list, to the extent that Ms Walker is running for London mayor.

The party’s rapid rise from being a small campaign to having 45,000 members and non-paying registered supporters has been aided by the fame of one of its co-founders, Sandi Toksvig, the radio and television presenter. The group, however, has yet to be tested at the ballot box.

“I’m not running for mayor specifically to win,” Ms Walker says, adding that the party’s success in the London election in May will not be judged by its share of the vote but by any broader contribution to achieving gender equality in the UK capital.

“If my presence in the mayoral race prompts all of the other candidates… to actually steal my policies and understand the importance to London of incorporating the talents of the 4m women who live here, then that, to me, is… a campaign won,” she says.

Credibility will be the key to whether the

Quota supporters: Sandi Toksvig (L) and Sophie Walker of the Women’s Equality Party

WEP becomes a sustainable party but there are signs that it is making progress towards achieving more prominence for women’s “needs and experiences” on the domestic political agenda.

The UK government last week said it would force bigger employers to publish more information about gender pay imbalances in their workforces — and in greater detail than had been expected. The data will be used to produce league tables so that sectors can be compared with each other .

Attempts to change the status quo have highlighted how much work there is to do.

This month, there was criticism when Sir Philip Hampton, GlaxoSmithKline chairman, was appointed to lead a rev­iew to try to increase the number of women at executive level in UK companies; he will continue the

work of a review headed by Lord (Mervyn) Davies. Ms Walker argued in The Guardian that, by selecting a man (with Dame Helen Alexander, chairman of exhibitions group UBM as his deputy), the government was “perpetuating the myth that women don’t make good business leaders”.

The WEP leader, a former journalist for Reuters who also blogs about her experience of bringing up a child with Asperger’s syndrome, is adamant that her movement has had an effect already.

“We launched our policy document in October [and] four days later the government came out with some movement on the equal pay legislation,” she says. “I don’t think that timing was an accident.”

Ms Toksvig, who until recently hosted The News Quiz, a satirical show on BBC Radio 4 and is to succeed Stephen Fry as host of BBC2’s QI panel game, says the biggest challenge has been the bureaucracy and expense of setting up a political party, rather than putting out the party message.

The system “is absolutely skewed towards

National Gallery wants to replace street performers with a Trafalgar Square Park

By Gary Cutlack/ Gizmodo

The National Gallery is in the process of petitioning central London’s local council to do something about the pavements outside its posh North Terrace of Trafalgar Square spot, suggesting that once the buskers and street artists have all been kicked out it might be nice to turn it into a miniature park.

The part of the square was only pedestrianised in 2003, when cars got the boot - join-

ing the previously welcome pigeons in being asked to leave the area. Now, the new director of the Gallery would like to glam up the paving slabs by turning it into a small park.

“It could be a place with trees, for shade and respite and calm,” said Gallery chair Hannah Rothschild.

Westminster City Council, meanwhile, is looking to introduce a system of licenses for street performers that fill the steps in front of the gallery - meaning it might be easy to one day give them all the boot.

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NATIONAL keeping the status quo and towards not encouraging new ways of doing politics”, she says, pointing out that for poorer women, or men, raising the initial finance to launch the party would have been impossible.

Supporters are permitted to belong to another political party and Ms Toksvig says WEP has attracted supporters from the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and — even — the anti-EU Ukip (“but not Nigel”, Ms Toksvig adds, referring to Ukip’s blokey leader Nigel Farage). “What you see is that you need new political parties in order to effect change.” The party has set up 70 branches nationwide and is fielding candidates in the May elections for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, as well as for the Greater London Authority. “In ten months, from an idea over a coffee, we have a fully functioning political party that’s standing candidates,” says Ms Toksvig. “It’s unbelievable.” It is becoming more established in other ways too. The party has been using the offices of Index On Censorship near Tower Bridge, London, but is soon to move into premises of its own.

“There has been a sea change in attitude [on diversity], I think, in this country… it makes me so positive and optimistic that change is possible in a relatively short period of time,” says Ms Toksvig. Her optimism is, at least in part, based on personal experience.

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Legal Angle Tier 1 (Investor) visa – UK

Mr. Praveen Pandey

You can make an application to enter or remain in UK as Tier 1 (Investor) if you are able to invest £2,000,000 (appx. INR 20 Crore) or more (or £5 million or £10 million for accelerated settlement) in the UK government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies.

Investment funds of £2,000,000 (appx. INR 20 Crore) or more An applicant with family

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members (‘dependants’) can apply under this category if they have £2,000,000 (appx. INR 20 Crore) or more (or £5 million or £10 million for accelerated settlement) held in one or more regulated financial institutions and free to spend (‘disposable’) in the UK; This could be their own money or money made available by the applicant’s husband, wife, unmarried or same-sex partner. In this case applicant must provide a declaration that the money is available to applicant for investment in UK; and Accepted evidence of fund could be a letter from a financial institution or for money held in the UK only, an account statement.

UK Bank account The money must be disposable in the UK and the applicant must open an account with a UK regulated financial institution.

The applicant must provide an original letter, issued by an authorised official of a UK regulated

bank, on their official letter-headed paper which to confirms that the applicant holds an account with that bank for the purposes of investing not less than £2 million in the UK and the bank is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for the purposes of accepting deposits.

Criminal Record Certificate The applicant is required to provide a criminal record certificate from country s/he lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10.

Family members The applicant can make an application to bring family members (‘dependants’) i.e. husband, wife or partner and children under the age of 18.

Extension Visa after 6 November 2014 If successfully applied for your visa on or after 6 November 2014, the applicant will be required to confirm following: • the applicant/s meet eligibility criteria under existing Immigration Rules; • the funds were invested accordingly i.e. have at least £2,000,000 under control in the UK and invested those funds in UK government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active UK companies;

• this level of investment has been maintained for the length of visa; and • made the investment within 3 months of ‘investor start date’ Tier 1 (Investor) - Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) the applicant can apply for ILR after investment of at least £2 million (or £5 million or £10 million for accelerated settlement); and The applicant has spent the specified continuous period lawfully in the UK, with absences from the UK of no more than 180 days in any 12 calendar months during that period.

The specified continuous period is either: 2 years if invested £10 million; 3 Byears if invested £5 million; or 5 years if invested £2 million.

British citizenship The applicant who has completed qualifying period and acquired settlement in UK can make an application for naturalisation after 12 months of settlement in UK. How long it takes In our experience Tier 1 (Investor) application are usually dealt within 10 to 15 weeks. Sometimes complex applications take time where supporting documents require verification and/or the applicant/s is/are required to at-

tend an interview.

How can we assist Singhania & Co is a global law firm with offices all across the world. Our London office manages Tier 1 (Investor) visa applications.

Our team of expert will assess your initial requirements, prepare application bundle and guide you throughout the application process in accordance with Immigration Rules of UK.

Disclaimer The above is a snapshot of Tier 1 (Investor) visa application requirement under the existing Immigration Rules intended to guide interested persons and at no point this should be constituted as financial or legal advice. It is not intended to be a substitute for, or to provide, specific legal advice on any particular situation and should not be relied on for that purpose.

We strongly recommend that you should always consult a qualified solicitor or immigration advisor for expert legal advice relevant to your circumstances. If you need financial or legal advice we may be able to assist or find relevant advisors at your request.

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Comforting a virtual ‘child’ can help people with depression

By Emily Reynolds/ Wired

Virtual reality isn’t just fun - it could also have more practical uses.

From the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s to interacting with medical data, VR is being used in increasingly innovative ways.

Now, a study from UCL and the University of Barcelona have found that an immersive virtual reality therapy could help people with depression be less critical about themselves - reducing depressive symptoms.

The therapy had previously been trialled by healthy volunteers and was subsequently given to 15 patients aged 23 to 61 in order to test its efficacy on depression. Patients were given a virtual reality headset, in which they had the perspective of a virtual body. They were then trained to express compassion towards a virtual child, which responded positively and stopped crying. After a few minutes, the patients’ perspective changed to that of the child, and received the

Comforting a child

comforting and compassionate words they had delivered a few minutes earlier.

This scenario, which lasted around ten minutes, was repeated three times at weekly intervals.

Nine of the patients reported re-

duced depressive symptoms, with four of this group experiencing a “clinically significant” drop in depression severity. “People who struggle with anxiety and depression can be excessively self-critical when things go wrong in their lives,”

said lead author Chris Brewin. “In this study, by comforting the child and then hearing their own words back, patients are indirectly giving themselves compassion.” “The aim was to teach patients to be more compassionate towards themselves and less self-critical, and we saw promising results. A month after the study, several patients described how their experience had changed their response to real-life situations in which they would previously have been self-critical”.

Researchers stress that their work is in its early stages -- the sample size was small, and they hope to do further research to deepen their understanding of how VR can he used therapeutically.

“We hope to develop the technique further to conduct a larger controlled trial, so that we can confidently determine the clinical benefit,” said co-author Mel Slater.

“If a substantial benefit is seen, this therapy could have huge potential.

The recent marketing of low-cost home virtual reality systems means

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that methods like this could be part of every home, and be used on a widespread basis.”

Immersion therapy

The latest study is not the only virtual reality experience to be used to treat mental illness and neurological damage. Psychologist Albert Rizzo uses virtual reality to treat PTSD in Iraq War veterans. Using a programme called ‘Virtual Iraq’, the treatment is a form of exposure therapy that involves “exposing the patient to a virtual environment containing the feared situation”, rather than exposing them to the real environment. In 1995, psychologist Ralph Lamson became one of the first to use VR as therapy, using it to help patients with severe phobias of heights. NICE have also highlighted the benefits of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for treating mild conditions such as depression and anxiety A team from the University of Ulsan found that VR training helped neurological problems in stroke patients.

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Virgin Atlantic leads Heathrow airlines’ move towards quieter planes

Heathrow’s latest Fly Quiet league results, ranking airlines’ noise performance from October to December 2015, are published today. The results show a clear trend towards quieter, newer planes at Heathrow, with airlines like Virgin Atlantic making substantive changes in their fleet over the last three months alone.

The latest data includes the largest single jump in scores tracking the use of quieter planes, since the start of the Fly Quiet programme two years ago. On average, scores tracking aircrafts’ noise certifications improved by 8%, compared to both last quarter (June – September 2015) and to the same point last year (October to December 2014).

Noise certifications are used to de-

termine an aircraft’s noise performance against the International

Civil Aviation Organisations’ noise targets and to recognise “best in

Move over Corbyn... the real risk to the Falkland Islands is an EU army, claims Ukip

By Tom Batchelor/ Express

A war of words has erupted over the future of the South Atlantic outpost, with defence secretary Michael Fallon saying on a visit there that the Labour left-winger was the “biggest threat” to British sovereignty. Mr Fallon took umbrage with recent comments by the Labour leader that Britain and Argentina should negotiate over the islands’ sovereignty. But Ukip’s defence spokesman, Mike Hookem, said it was a pan-European army that presented a greater danger to Britain’s standing in the world. He claimed an EU army would “leave the Falkland Islands wide open for the Argentinians to simply walk back in”. Speaking from Brussels, the far-right MEP said: “Can you see the French - who were happy to supply the Argentinians with Exocet anti-ship missiles and Mirage

fighter jets - or the German’s allowing EU troops to be sent in defence of the Falklands?

“I certainly don’t think so! While I am pleased to hear the defence secretary reaffirming a commitment to spend £180m upgrading the Falkland Islands defences, this in no way makes up for years of under-investment. “If we are to abide by the wishes of the vast majority of the Islanders to remain British, then we need our own, independent armed forces that are equipped and able to respond to threats to British interests anywhere in the world.” Hopes were raised of a thaw in relations between Buenos Aires and London after the election of a right-wing government led by Mauricio Macri. Mr Fallon said it opened the door to better relations between the countries and with South America in general. He said: “I hope that opportunity can now

Britain scrambles jets to intercept Russian airplanes headed for UK airspace The British Ministry of Defence confirms Russian airplanes in UK’s “area of interest”. RAF Typhoons have been scrambled to intercept two Russian supersonic bombers

heading towards UK airspace.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that the Russian Tupolev TU 160 aircraft are in the UK’s “area of interest,” but

be taken.”

But a fresh spat between the Tories and Labour - and Ukip - threatens to overshadow the conciliatory rhetoric from both Argentina and the UK. Mr Fallon is the first British defence chief to visit the islands in more than a decade. Argentina has maintained Britain has occupied the islands illegally since 1833. After an Argentine invasion in April 1982 a British naval task force was dispatched by Margaret Thatcher to retake the islands. A total of 255 British lives were lost, with many hundreds more wounded. In Port Stanley on Tuesday Mr Fallon bowed before a memorial obelisk in remembrance of the British servicemen killed in the conflict. A handwritten note left on a wreath by the Defence Secretary read: “In grateful memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of these islands.” have not yet entered UK airspace, Sky News reports. The Typhoons, which were dispatched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, are currently escorting the bombers south across the North Sea. They are part of the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert.

The UK’s airspace covers a 12-mile radius out from the UK coastline. NATO jets are being scrambled to intercept Russian jets with increasing frequency amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

class” quiet technology.

Due in large part to its increased use of the ultra-quiet Boeing Dreamliners, and its transition away from the use of older, noisier 747’s, Virgin Atlantic has moved up nine places in the league table.

Joining Virgin as a Fly Quiet “winner” this quarter were: Icelandair, which moved up 15 places (29 to 14), following an impressive improvement in its Continuous Descent performance. This moves the airline from the middle of the table to the top 20% quiet performers on the CDA metric.

Finnair, which has moved up 8 places, based on a combination of improvements in quiet approaches to the airport, as well as use of quieter planes operating at Heathrow.

Etihad, which has battled through very tough competition at the top of the league table to move up 5 places, due to its improved track keeping - that is, the ability

of their aircraft to remain within “noise preferential routes” predetermined by the Government in the sky.

Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability and Environment said, “Every day, behind the scenes, our team is working directly with airlines to find new ways to make Heathrow quieter, sooner so we can be a better neighbour. Our approach is yielding results. In fact, airlines operate aircraft at Heathrow that are now 15% quieter than their global fleet.

This, along with our drive towards quieter operating procedures, has meant Heathrow is now quieter than it’s ever been at any time since the 1970s.”

Besides close technical cooperation with airline partners, Heathrow Airport encourages airlines to operate their quietest aircraft by charging ten times more to fly older “Chapter 3” aircraft into the airport than the quietest, best in class planes.

Prince William appears to back EU ‘in’ campaign

By Chris Elliott/ Cambridge News

The Duke of Cambridge may be in hot water after appearing to back the European Union ‘in’ campaign. In a speech at the Foreign Office today Prince William is reported as describing Britain was “an outward looking nation” and that “our ability to unite in common action with other nations is essential”.

Prince William

News media are publishing online reports of the speech, made at a presentation of awards to embassy workers.

The Duke is reported as saying: “For centuries, Britain has been an outward looking nation. Hemmed in by sea, we

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have always sought to explore what is beyond the horizon. That sense of mission and curiosity is something that I know continues to drive our economy, our cultural and educational exports and our Armed Forces and Diplomatic Service. And wherever we go, we have a long and proud tradition of seeking out allies and partners.

“In an increasingly turbulent world, our ability to unite in common action with other nations is essential. It is the bedrock of our security and prosperity and is central to your work. Right now, the big questions with which you wrestle – in the UN, NATO, the Middle East and elsewhere – are predicated on your commitment to working in partnership with others.” The prince’s remarks came as the Prime Minister held meetings in Brussels to drum up European Parliament support for his EU reform demands. A final deal on the UK’s renegotiation is expected to be agreed when EU leaders meet on Thursday, paving the way for the UK’s in/ out referendum.

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For Russia, Ukraine’s political crisis poses danger

By Alexey Timofeychev/ RIR (Russia & India Report)

There are signs that the political turmoil in Ukraine could pose an increasing threat to Russia’s efforts to resolve the crisis and stabilize its own political and economic interests.

Ukraine may be about to enter a new phase of political turmoil. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s possible resignation, the collapse of the coalition, and early elections would be bound to affect relations between Russia and Ukraine and Russian interests. This turn in Ukraine’s political troubles coincides with the crisis surrounding Russian freight transport in the country. Activists from Ukrainian radical groups have been blockading Russian trucks transiting through Ukraine. In response, Russia’s Ministry of Transport has banned Ukrainian trucks from Russia. Ukraine has since announced a temporary suspension of transit journeys across the country by trucks registered in Russia. The situation is further damaging Russia’s economic ties with Europe, already suffering because of the sanctions against Moscow.

Risks of an influx of Ukrainian labour migrants: Analysts indicate that the situation will further deteriorate if the political crisis in Kiev gets worse. According to Vladimir Yevseyev of the Institute of

Rada deputy Oleg Barna removes Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk from the tribune, after presenting him a bouquet of roses, during the parliament session in Kiev, Ukraine, 2015

CIS Countries, it will soon “be necessary to move from a deterioration of bilateral economic relations right up to the maximum possible breakdown of economic ties.”

However, despite the anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine, new waves of Ukrainian labour migrants are expected to arrive in Russia.

According to Mikhail Pogrebinsky, director of the Kiev-based Centre for Political Studies and Conflict Management, this will happen if the socio-economic situation in Ukraine deteriorates against the backdrop of the current political confusion. “Russia may face a flood of refugees that

it will find hard to cope with because of its own economic problems,” said the Ukrainian analyst.

The political crisis and the Minsk agreements: Political instability in Ukraine will make it even harder, if not impossible, for the country to implement the Minsk agreements aimed at resolving the conflict in the Donbass region. The West has made the lifting of the sanctions against Russia contingent on the implementation of Minsk II. However, analysts note that even under more favourable political circumstances, Kiev has been unable to take serious steps towards mov-

Hong Kong student group Scholarism to form political party, contest Legislative Council poll

By Tony Cheung and Owen Fung/ South China Morning Post

Student activist group Scholarism has confirmed that it will form a political party and field at least two candidates to run in the Legislative Council election in September. It is the latest in a series of developments that highlight young Hong Kong activists’ rise in political prominence in recent years.

Oscar Lai Man-lok, a core member of the group, told the Post that he was considering running in the Kowloon East constituency to bring changes to the city’s youth policy and raise awareness about Hong Kong’s future after 2047 – the year when Beijing’s promises under the “one country, two systems” principle are due to expire. The move raised questions about whether the group’s plan would backfire and

hinder the campaigns of pan-democrats, whom a political scientists described as “facing a crisis” amid internal competition.

But Lai said: “We just want voters to have more choices, and those who agree with our means of protest and political discourse can vote

Scholarism’s Oscar Lai (left) and Joshua Wong are forming a new political party

ing on the Minsk accords. The ambiguous amendments to Ukraine’s Constitution, outlined in the peace agreements, have been awaiting final ratification since last August.

The Minsk accords are unlikely to be implemented in the near future either, analysts opine. “To implement the Minsk agreements Kiev needs to start talking directly with Donetsk and Luhansk,” said Yevseyev. Given these circumstances, chances of the sanctions against Russia being lifted appear remote any time soon.

Possible renewal of military action: Among the consequences of the political crisis and the stalling on implementing the Minsk agreements could be a renewal of fighting in the Donbass region. Such a scenario cannot be ruled out should nationalist radicals come to power in Kiev, believes Pogrebinsky.

A renewal of fighting would bring further pressure from the West on Moscow, including economically, as well as new expenses on supporting the inhabitants of the insurgent Ukrainian regions. However, analysts are divided over such critical scenarios will happen; events are more likely to pan out less dramatically. The coalition in the Rada will survive whether or not Yatsenyuk remains prime minister, and if it is unclear if early parliamentary elections will take place, and if so, when. for us.” Lai, who will turn 22 this month, said he would become a social worker after graduating from the Hong Kong College of Technology’s higher diploma programme this summer. The youngest lawmaker ever elected in Hong Kong was the Democratic Party’s James To Kun-sun, who was 28 when he won in 1991.

In the district council poll in November, young candidates – including some inspired by the prodemocracy Occupy movement in 2014 – turned in an impressive performance, signalling a desire among the electorate to see fresh faces take centre stage.

But Scholarism, which made its name in 2012 when it led a campaign that forced the government to shelve its national education curriculum, has stayed away from elections. However, Scholarism leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung wrote on his Facebook page that they had been meeting “umbrella soldier” organisations on their plan to create a new party. Wong will not stand for election as he is 19 – two years younger than the age at which people can contest polls.

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Starbucks CEO is gravely concerned about American politics

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

By Hayley Peterson/ Business Insider

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says the US presidential election has turned into a “circus” and he has “grave concern” about the country’s future. “I think it’s turned into something none of us has ever seen before, which I would label as almost a circus of yelling bombastic attacks, of a lack of respect, of a lack of dignity,” Schultz told employees at a forum last week in Nevada, Fortune’s Phil Wahba reports. “We are talking about the highest office in the land and the most powerful person in the world.”

Schultz isn’t known to be shy about his political views.

Rumors surfaced last year that he was considering a campaign for the White House. He put an end to the speculation with an op-ed in the New York Times last August announcing that he wouldn’t run. Schultz had landed in hot water earlier in the year after he encouraged baristas to talk about race relations with customers and write “race together” on the coffee chain’s cups.

The campaign suffered a public backlash from the start, with critics accusing the company of using racial tension to sell coffee. The vitriol was so strong that it caused a senior Starbucks executive to temporarily suspend his Twitter account.

The company eventually abandoned the campaign.

Schultz acknowledged his critics in his remarks to employees last week, saying, “I have been criticized because people say ‘Well role is to create shareholder value and profits, not to use Starbucks as a political tool.’”

But he said he can’t sit quiet through this election.

“I worry if we just continue on this track and don’t speak up,” he said. “I’m asking myself what can we do, given our scale... to effect change, to elevate the discourse, and to demonstrate that this is not the way the country should be run.”

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Sri Lanka: Rising from the ashes, but much left to do Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has plenty of links to the country’s bloody past but now he needs to look to the future. He has five years left of a generous six year presidential term and will need all that time — and more — to introduce the reforms the country so urgently needs.

ister of economic development and a former secretary of the ministry of defence), and a son suspected of corrupt activity related to allocation of cricket broadcasting rights. Rajapaksa is still in Parliament with a loyal, if diminished, following (his image remains defiantly plastered on roadsides in his rural heartlands),

are returning. Of the 100,000 plus refugees in India, only 429 returned in 2015. Jaffna is well served by new road and rail links, and investment is flowing in. But reconciliation has some way to go. Tamil grievances include a large number of ‘missing persons’ and their demands extend to the resettlement of tens of thousands of displaced people, the release of political prisoners and a return of confiscated land.

The Military

Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in May 2009, when the military under President Mahinda Rajapaksa crushed Tamil separatist forces in a series of bloody offensives in the country’s north east. In January last year, Sri Lankans replaced Rajapaksa, narrowly voting in his former ally and minister Sirisena, who promised to curb corruption, reform the constitution and foster reconciliation. That election success was reinforced in parliamentary elections in August, and the appointment of a new Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, heading a tricky coalition of the nation’s two major parties.

Rajapaksa’s 10-year rule had become increasingly authoritarian.

The new Government is moving carefully to investigate corruption allegations against Rajapaksa, his brothers (including a former min-

and so has the potential to destabilise the government.

Reconciliation

Almost seven years on, the military’s handling of the final months of the war is still contested. Both sides claim breaches of human rights, especially in relation to civilians. Rajapaksa resisted enquiry into these dark aspects of the war. Sirisena has promised to have the allegations examined and has made other conciliatory gestures. Jaffna, the Tamil ‘capital’ in the far north, is recovering economically, but unsurprisingly still looks and feels very different to the south. The population halved during the war, with those who could fleeing to relative safety in the capital Colombo (where they now account for some 40% of the city’s population), or overseas. Few who left

The army has grown from some 7000 in the early the 1970s to more than 200,000 today. Amazingly, despite a botched coup plot in the early 1960s, the military has remained either in the barracks or on the battlefield. Sensibly, soldiers are not being demobbed hastily but rather by attrition. Some are being retrained for civil life, contributing to the restoration of colonial buildings in Colombo and managing civil-war monuments, a new if contentious tourism product. The military, almost entirely Sinhalese, still occupies large tracts of land confiscated for military purposes. Some areas are being returned, some are still to be cleared of landmines (a process assisted by Australia), while some will remain in military hands indefinitely. Military checkpoints have gone from the main roads but a massive military presence remains in the north.

Religion

Sinhala nationalism has been accompanied by a resurgent Buddhist clergy. Massive Buddha statues now dot the landscape, reflecting the generosity of the faithful, but also an assertion of Sinhala cultural

dominance. And another issue has arisen. With the flight of many Tamils and a high population growth among the Muslim community (of ancient Arab and more recent Malay origin), Muslims probably now outnumber Sri Lanka Tamils. While radical Islam has not found very fertile ground in Sri Lanka, over 30 jihadists are reported to have been recruited to date. Sirisena’s critics, including prominent Buddhist leaders, are raising the demographic alarm. Sirisena owes his success in the polls to Tamil (mainly Hindu) and Muslim voters, but to maintain his parliamentary majority he must maintain the support of a good proportion of the Sinhalese Buddhist population.

The Economy

DFAT assesses that Sri Lanka has experienced strong economic growth for more than a decade, has reduced its rates of extreme poverty from 28.8% of the population in 1995 to 6.7% in 2013, and is now ‘approaching upper-middle income status’.

Former President Rajapaksa did much to re-boot the economy with massive investment in infrastructure, much of it from China.

However, corruption flourished and common sense economic policies were trumped by self-aggrandising projects. An ‘international’ airport was built in the President’s electorate in the south of the island. Three years after its completion it is attracting few flights. If Sirisena can curb corruption, maintain investment flows and harness Sri Lanka’s large and talented workforce (rather than leaking many of the best to the Gulf and elsewhere), the economy should surge. Colombo is booming,

Iran Leader: US wants to present Iran’s upcoming elections as illegitimate Sputnik News

The United States wants to call into question the decisions soon to be made by the Iranian Guardian Council, a clerical body that oversees elections and legislation in the country, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Iran’s parliamentary election and the election to the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that appoints the Supreme Leader, are

scheduled for February 26.

“The United States has been opposing some basic things, including the Assembly of Experts since the start of the [1979 Islamic] revolution… Now they want to call into question [the Guardian Council’s] decisions, meaning to present the parliamentary election and parliamentary laws as illegitimate,” Khamenei said in a statement published.

The Guardian Council of the

Constitution approves candidates for the Assembly of Experts and the presidency.

The Guardian Council allowed over 6,200 candidates to stand for parliament and 161 were given the go ahead to run in the Assembly of Experts’ election. Two of Iran’s major political forces — the hardliners already in power and moderate reformists — will be competing for power to shape the political future of the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

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including ever more high rise apartments which are luring back some wealthier émigrés. And the tourist industry has bounced back, including many émigré Sri Lankans eager to reconnect. It is high season now and accommodation is hard to find.

Regional Security:

Rajapaksa’s reliance on China for arms and investment gave Beijing the opportunity develop strategically important deep water ports, close to its strategic rival India. Sirisena has flagged that he will seek to retain the economic links but moderate the strategic dependence. In parallel, the new Government seeks to mend relations with India (more than 1000 Indian soldiers died in its ill-fated 1987-90 intervention in the civil war). The US has been typically nimble on re-engaging. To mark the anniversary of the Sirisena Presidency, US State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon was succinct: the US and Sri Lanka ‘share an interest in safeguarding global maritime commerce in the vital sea lanes of the Indian Ocean...’

More broadly Sri Lanka has mended fences with the international community, striking a deal with the UN Human Rights Commission on a mechanism to investigate charges of human rights abuse.

Australia has long shared excellent people-to-people relations with Sri Lanka. But when other countries are increasing support to Sri Lanka, Australia’s aid is shrinking. Our strategic interests are no less than those of the US, and arguably more.

Australia should be consolidating the relationship to our mutual interest, not least in maritime security. We should also leverage our goodwill to support national reconciliation, and grow our defence and intelligence cooperation. And we have every interest in Sri Lanka’s growing economy, its increasingly busy ports and its attractions as a regional economic hub with free trade agreements with India and Pakistan.

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UK pay pressures remain subdued in tight labour market • Unemployment held at decade-low of 5.1% in fourth quarter • Total earnings growth slowed to 1.9%, ONS data showed

By Andrew Atkinson/ Bloomberg

UK employers are showing few signs of responding to a tightening labour market.

While unemployment held at a decade-low of 5.1 percent in the fourth quarter, pay pressures remained weak with earnings growth slowing to 1.9 percent, the Office for National Statistics in London said,. Pay growth excluding bonuses edged up to 2 percent.

“While the employment rate continues to hit new highs and there are more job vacancies than ever previously recorded, earnings growth remains subdued,” said ONS statistician Nick Palmer.

The data are likely to reinforce expectations that the Bank of England remains a long way from raising its benchmark interest rate from a record-low 0.5 percent.

Governor Mark Carney has sig-

nalled that officials have room to keep rates low, while several policy makers have suggested that nearzero inflation is keeping a lid on pay settlements.

“We’re seeing some normalization in the employment data slowly,

more moderate and plausible rates of growth, and most of the evidence is pointing to a subdued earnings outlook,” said Ross Walker, an economist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc in London. “Carney has made pretty clear they need to see

ONS said the figures are subject to bigger revisions than in the past because the claimant count now includes Universal Credit, a new type of welfare benefit.

Strong demand for labour was on display elsewhere. Vacancies in the economy rose to a record 776,000 in the three months through January, while the number of hours worked in the fourth quarter surged by 1.7 percent to more than 1 million. The increase in weekly hours suggests productivity fell sharply at the end of last year.

The question for policy makers is how long the labour market can continue to improve before inflationary pressures begin to emerge.

While the jobless rate has probably reached its long-run equilibrium level, weak inflation is reducing pressure on employers to raise salaries and productivity remains poor, BOE staff noted this month.

Such factors are expected to fade, meaning cost pressures will build unless firms can increase output per worker.

much clearer evidence of domestic cost inflation and there’s still not much evidence of that. This all reinforces this theme that rates are not going anywhere anytime soon.”

The pound was little changed at $1.4305 at 11:34 a.m. London time, after touching $1.4245, the least since 1st February Record Employment. There was a further increase in the economically active population between October and December. This was more than offset by job creation, with the number of people in work climbing 205,000 to a record 31.4 million. As a result, unemployment fell 60,000 to 1.69 million. Jobless benefits, a narrower measure of unemployment, fell 14,800 to 760,200 in January, taking the rate to 2.2 percent. Both the rate and the level were the lowest since 1975. In December, the total dropped 15,200 instead of the 4,300 fall originally estimated. The

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The alternative finance market: What is out there for small companies? be short-term lenders such as Everline, which offer businesses short-term emergency loans to solve cash flow problems, but it is important to consider the interest rates and affordability. Start-up owners can achieve success with equity crowdfunding, but there is also a chance to secure a personal loan of up to £25,000 from the government’s startup loan initiative. The average granted is around £6,000.

Merchant cash advances

Funding options for SMEs have improved over the past few years

By Ben Lobel/ Alternate business finance

The alternative finance market: What is out there for small companies? Funding options for SMEs have improved over the past few years. Here, we look at the options for SME funding that have emerged since the recession and how there is a method of finance for every business need.

The SME sector has been through a turbulent period over the past ten years, to put it mildly. A long recession made consolidation a priority over growth for many SMEs for a long period of time. Finance was a considerable problem; the banks were not lending and companies were being starved of funds in a world that had yet to see a developed alternative business finance market.

However, as the recession ended, there became a growth in exciting new options for finance, from equity-based crowdfunding to peer-to-peer loans to invoice finance.

While still a competitive and cut-throat business landscape where SMEs face cash flow challenges, the past year has shown reason for smaller companies to be optimistic. For starters, the political stability of a Conservative majority and the pro-business policies it brought arguably was a boon for business confidence, but also the alternative business finance market has seen considerable promise, enjoying a continuing boom in online lenders. Before around 2009 of course, it was much easier for a small company to raise business finance through the banking route. Today, that might be a viable option for more established companies with a demonstrable track record of financial success.

For this route, it still pays to have a strong balance sheet and an exhaustive grasp of your numbers and projections if you want to secure a business loan, as well as strong relationships with your bank manager.

However, the case for banks becomes weaker when considering figures released by the British Bankers’ Association, that show that the value of all newly approved loans and overdrafts to London SMEs in Q3 of 2015 was down 40 per cent on 2014 totals, from £1.7 billion to just over £1 billion.

But as the banks’ appetite for risk has

waned in the ensuing years, companies have turned to alternatives for business funding.

Companies based in London raised an estimated £350 million through peer-to-peer lending in 2015. Indeed, the popularity of peer-to-peer lending is still strong, offering unsecured business loans through a variety of operators such as the market-leading Funding Circle, which has recently crossed the £1 billion barrier in funds lent. Here, you can ‘advertise’ your business and loan proposition on an online platform to potential lenders, who then proceed to indicate their interest and the amount they are prepared to lend.

In a world of low interest rates and poor returns for savers, investors are incentivised by such platforms, which offer higher rewards than a building society.

The equity route

Equity funding is also a good choice, particularly for businesses yet to be fully established. Businesses can apply for equity from such operators as Crowdcube and Crowdbnk, with the process often involving a thorough scouring of the business plan and growth projections, together with producing and supplying a promotional video. The pitch will then go live on the online platform and investors have the opportunity to take a slice of the operation in exchange for their funds.

If you need business capital to buy equipment or machinery, leasing assets/hire purchase agreements could be the option for you, while if you have issues with being paid late or other cash flow complaints, debt factoring and invoicing discounting might be viable approaches. Both of the latter are based on the notion of selling your company’s invoices to a third party, which is charged with processing the invoices. Your business can receive loans based on the expected invoice payments.

If you are struggling to get a loan, lenders of last resort can be considered for small loans where the business has been refused by a bank. These are typically charities or regional/local council initiatives and can offer a loan for business up to around £20,000.

Interest is charged on the unsecured loan, generally slightly higher than a high street lender. Another option if you are stuck could

Other methods include a merchant cash advance (MCA), which allows the borrower time to breathe and increase their business with no pressures of repayments. It works by linking borrowed funds to the businesses card payments. Payments are made as a percentage of card payments taken meaning you only pay back the advance when your customers are coming through the door. Therefore,

advances are paid back at affordable rates and dependent on the business increasing its customer spend.

For example, Merchant Funding from Chip & PIN solutions is an MCA that provides unsecured business finance from £2,500 to £500,000. To date Merchant Funding has secured more than £7,000,000 of funding to SMEs across the UK and intends to fund a further £10,000,000 in 2016.

The system works by businesses can apply for funding equivalent to an average month of their card sales. So, for example, if you take £2,500 in card transactions, your maximum cash advance would be £2,500. The amount repayable is agreed at the beginning and paid back as a fixed monthly percentage of credit and debit card sales. Funding can be 150 per cent of the average monthly card turnover and funding can be made within 24 hours of application. quark/charts/netchart/savings.qxd

MONEYFACTS SAVERS SELECTION Telephone Account Notice Deposit % Interest Number or Term AER Paid EASY ACCESS ACCOUNTS WITH BONUS Post Office Money® www.postoffice.co.uk Online Saver 19 None (W) £1 1.20%* Yly Post Office Money® 0800 783 3012 Instant Saver 7 Instant £500 1.20%* Yly TSB www.tsb.co.uk eSavings None (H) £1 1.10%* Yly Tesco Bank www.tesco.com Internet Saver None (W) £1 1.01%* Yly TSB Via branch Easy Saver Instant £1 1.00%* Yly Telephone Saver (18) None (T) £1,000 1.00%* Yly SAGA 0800 066 5701 EASY ACCESS ACCOUNTS WITHOUT BONUS RCI Bank UK www.rcibank.co.uk Freedom Savings None (K) £100 1.55% Yly Defined Acc E-Saver 4 None (W) £1 1.41% Yly Virgin Money www.virginmoney.com ICICI Bank UK Via branch SuperSaver Savings None £1 1.40% Mly Virgin Money www.virginmoney.com Saving to Buy None (W) £1 1.30% Yly Easy Access - Issue 3 None (W) £1,000 1.30% Yly Shawbrook Bank www.shawbrook.co.uk 3rd Issue Branch Saver Instant £500 1.26% Yly National Counties BS Via branch 1 YEAR FIXED RATES Al Rayan Bank 0845 6060 786 Fixed Term Deposit 18 Month Bnd £1,000 2.17% F Qly Fidor Bank www.fidorbank.uk Savings Bond 18 Month Bnd (W) £100 2.10% F OM Milestone Savings www.milestonesavings.co.uk Fixed Term Deposit 1 Yr Bnd (K) £10,000 2.10% F OM RCI Bank UK www.rcibank.co.uk Fixed Term 1 Yr Bnd (K) £1,000 2.01% F Yly Fidor Bank www.fidorbank.uk Savings Bond 12 Month Bnd (W) £100 2.00% F OM Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk Fixed Rate Bond 18 Month Bnd (W) £1,000 1.90% F Yly 4 YEAR AND OVER FIXED RATES Milestone Savings www.milestonesavings.co.uk Fixed Term Deposit 5 Yr Bnd (K) £10,000 3.20% F Yly AgriBank www.agribankplc.com Fixed Rate Savings 5 Yr Bnd £5,000 3.15% F Yly Fixed Rate Bond (26) 28.01.23 (B) £1,000 3.13% F Yly Secure Trust Bank www.securetrustbank.com FirstSave www.firstsave.co.uk Fixed Rate Bd 3rd 7 Yr Bnd (W) £1,000 3.10% F Yly FirstSave www.firstsave.co.uk Fixed Rate Bd 10th 5 Yr Bnd (W) £1,000 3.06% F Yly Paragon Bank www.paragonbank.co.uk Fixed Rate 5 Yr Bnd (W) £1,000 3.00% F Yly MONTHLY INTEREST 120 Day Notice Issue 7 120 Day (W) £1,000 1.80% Mly Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk 100 Day Notice Issue 2 100 Day (W) £1,000 1.70% Mly Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk 95 Day Notice Issue 8 95 Day (W) £1,000 1.65% Mly Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk RCI Bank UK www.rcibank.co.uk Freedom Savings None (K) £100 1.55% Mly 60 Day Notice Issue 1 60 Day (W) £1,000 1.55% Mly Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk 90 Day Notice Deposit 90 Day £10,000 1.55% Mly Julian Hodge Bank 0800 840 2810 NOTICE Al Rayan Bank 0845 6060 786 120 Day Notice 120 Day £250 1.81% Mly 120 Day Notice Issue 7 120 Day (W) £1,000 1.80% Yly Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk 200 Day Notice Deposit 200 Day £500 1.75% Yly United Trust Bank 0207 190 5599 100 Day Notice Issue 2 100 Day (W) £1,000 1.70% Yly Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk 95 Day Notice Issue 8 95 Day (W) £1,000 1.65% Yly Charter Savings Bankwww.chartersavingsbank.co.uk Ecology BS 01535 650770 90 Day Notice 90 Day £25,000 1.60% Yly VARIABLE ISAS Al Rayan Bank 0845 6060 786 Notice Cash ISA 120 Day £250 2.02% Mly Cash ISA Notice 90 (5) 90 Day (I) £100 1.50% Yly Teachers BS 0800 783 2367 40 Day £9,000 1.50% Yly Yorkshire Bank www.ybonline.co.uk Cash ISA - 40 Day Notice 40 Day £9,000 1.50% Yly Clydesdale Bank 0800 445265 Cash ISA - 40 Day Notice None (W) £100 1.45%* Yly Post Office Money® www.postoffice.co.ukOnline ISA - Easy Access 4 Premier ISA None (P) £5,000 1.45% Yly Tipton & Coseley BS 0121 520 7375 * = Introductory rate for a limited period.

B = Operated by Post or Telephone.

F = Fixed Rate.

H = Operated by Internet or Telephone.

I = Operated by Internet or Post.

K = Operated by Internet, Telephone or Post.

OM = Interest paid on maturity.

P = Operated by Post.

T = Operated by Telephone.

W = Operated by Internet.

All rates are shown as AER. All rates and terms subject to change without notice and should be checked before finalising any arrangement. No liability can be accepted for any direct or consequential loss arising from the use of, or reliance upon, this information. Readers who are not financial professionals should seek expert advice.

FIGURES COMPILED ON: 11 February 2016 Source:

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The company that found oil at Gatwick just pumped ‘significant’ amounts for the first time

By Will Martin/ Business Insider

UK Oil and Gas Investments (UKOG), the small company which last year made one of the biggest onshore oil discoveries in British history, has finally struck oil, and its shares are going absolutely wild.

The company, nicknamed the “Gatwick gusher” after finding the oil close to Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, claims that it has managed to get “significant” amounts of oil to flow to the surface, under “minimal stimulation.”

UKOG says that it managed to pump the equivalent of around 463 barrels of oil per day for just over seven hours. That announcement has sent shares in UKOG up by as much as an enormous 77%.

That may sound like an awful lot, but in monetary terms isn’t all too big. Shares opened Tuesday at £1.40 ($2.03), before popping as high as £2.26 ($3.28) per share.

They’ve settled down a little bit since that peak at around 8:00 a.m.

GMT (3:00 a.m. ET) and around an hour after the open are up to £1.97

($2.86), a gain of 41%. Here’s how that spike looks: In April last year, UKOG revealed that it discovered about 100 billion barrels of oil near Gatwick Airport.

After much scrutiny from the markets and media over the find, independent analysis confirmed two months later that there is a whole glut of oil underneath the ground in the Horse Hill-1 oil field.

However, Tuesday’s announcement marks the first time that any oil

has actually been produced by the field, which was at one point tipped to garner 100 billion barrels of oil for Britain.

Speaking about the event, UKOG’s executive chairman Stephen Sanderson said: This is a very significant event for the company and for oil and gas activity in the Weald basin of southern England. Importantly, tests so far show oil has flowed to the surface under its own pressure and has

not, so far, required artificial lift.

The flow test, the first ever in the Lower Kimmeridge limestone within the Weald basin, provides proof that significant quantities of moveable oil exist within the Kimmeridge section of the well and can be brought to surface at excellent flow rates. In this case from a vertical well with minimal stimulation.

UKOG is listed on two different share indexes, first with the AIM index on the London Stock Exchange, but also on the ISDX Growth Market, a spin-off of the ICAP Securities & Derivatives Exchange (ISDX) designed for small-to-medium enterprises. It announced its second listing in October 2015, as a means of attracting more investors to the company.

Despite the discovery, and double listing, UKOG is not yet profitable.

Its most recent results statement revealed that it made pre-tax net loss of £383,000 ($555,480) for the six months ending March 31. That marked an even bigger loss than the £290,000 ($420,601) it made in the same period a year earlier.

India push to become manufacturing hub hinges on easing investment Emulating China

By Anjana Pasricha/ Voice of America

India is making an aggressive push to become a global manufacturing hub at a week-long event being attended by thousands of industry leaders in the financial capital, Mumbai. But businesses say success will hinge on the government’s ability to fast track promises to make the country an easier place to do business. Calling on investors to take advantage of India’s cheap labour and growing economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated pledges of ushering in business

friendly policies. “India is blessed with 3 ‘Ds’, Democracy, Demography and Demand, to this we have added another D “Deregulation,” he told the gathering at the “Make in India” event.

The high-profile event, which concluded on 18th February 2016 has attracted attention – with participants including Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, Finland’s Prime Minister Juha Sipila, and senior officials from Germany, Japan and other countries besides representatives of many global corporations.

It is all part of an ambitious initiative launched a year and a half ago to emulate China’s runaway success in becoming an export powerhouse. The aim: to ramp up manufacturing to 25 percent of gross domestic product from the existing 17 percent by radically transforming the bureaucratic hurdles, complex regulations and shoddy infrastructure that have deterred investment in Asia’s third largest economy.

The government’s bid has met with some success – foreign direct investment nearly doubled last year to an estimated $59 billion.

Some pledges of investment have flowed in -- London-based Vedanta Resources promised an investment of $3 billion to set up the country’s first plant to manufacture LCD panels and Foxconn last year pledged to invest $5 billion to establish an electronics manufacturing plant. Others putting up new facilities or expanding existing factories include carmakers BMW and Ford and chocolate manufacturer Mars.

But economists warn the government’s pitch for “Make in India” could remain a mere slogan

unless there are speedier changes in regulations in areas critical for manufacturers, such as land, labor and power.

State governments

Domestic businesses – who are still at the heart of Indian manufacturing – complain that is not happening. A.K. Jain, the commercial vice president of one of India’s largest apparel exporters, Orient Craft, says they are finding it tougher to stay competitive after the Haryana state government, where many of their factories are located, raised minimum wages by about 20 per cent last October. With wages constituting a major chunk of production, that has raised costs versus apparel manufacturers in countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. “We have become scared to increase the manufacturing base because we do not know whether we will be able to survive under this growing cost or not the cost of electricity, there are so many things,” said Jain, whose company employs nearly 30,000 people and is one of northern India’s largest apparel exporters.

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Sir John Vickers: HSBC’s HQ decision backs up my capital idea Street banking in the UK so that being home to these global banks isn’t going to hurt us if there is some huge global shock.

Sir John is clear that, as it stands, the Bank of England is not requiring banks to hit exacting enough standards.

He sees the collapse in bank share prices over the last two months as proof there is still a question mark about how resilient banks in Britain and elsewhere in the world really are.

“In markets’ eyes we’re not there yet,” he told me. “There is more work to do before we can say we’ve got a robust enough banking system.” So what are the implications of HSBC’s decision to keep its headquarters in the UK?

HSBC says bank headquarters will remain in UK

In December the Bank of England revealed the UK’s seven biggest lenders have been stress-tested to the point of disaster and had pulled through

By Joel Hills/ ITV

So HSBC is staying put and the man who was asked by the Government to make the banking system safer says it isn’t safe enough.

The two stories happily land on the same day. Happily because they are linked.

HSBC’s HQ is staying put, was it ever really going to move?

Sir John Vickers told ITV News that HSBC’s decision to keep its global headquarters in the UK is good, if unsurprising, news but he feels it reinforces the point he is trying to land about the need for banks to hold back more capital than the Bank of England pro-

poses to. So HSBC is staying put and the man who was asked by the Government to make the banking system safer says it isn’t safe enough. The two stories happily land on the same day. Happily because they are linked.

HSBC’s HQ is staying put, was it ever really going to move?

Sir John Vickers told ITV News that HSBC’s decision to keep its global headquarters in the UK is good, if unsurprising, news but he feels it reinforces the point he is trying to land about the need for banks to hold back more capital than the Bank of England proposes to. We have to have sufficient resilience, sufficient shock absorption capacity in High

Metro Bank cuts flotation target from £500m to £400m High street lender Metro Bank has reined in the size of its flotation in the face of market turbulence and the rout on bank stocks.

The move means Metro Bank’s expected value will come significantly lower

The challenger bank cut back the amount it intends to raise from £500 million to £400 million, offering new shares at £20 per share instead of the original price of £24. The move means Metro Bank’s expected value will come in significantly lower, knocking it back from around £2 billion to £1.6 billion.

Its listing on the London Stock Market has also been delayed until March, according to reports. The cut comes as volatility has swept through financial markets in recent weeks, with investors punishing banking stocks

amid fears some heavyweight lenders do not have the capital to withstand a slowdown in global growth.

Vernon Hill, the bank’s chairman, told The Times he cut the price after “the bottom fell out of bank stocks at the beginning of the year”, while the board had also considered pulling the plug on raising capital altogether.

He said the bank would press ahead with the flotation because it was already “far down the road”.

The lender unveiled narrowing losses at the end of last month, with the underlying figure after tax hitting £10.1 million in the fourth quarter to December 31 last year, compared with losses of £10.7 million in the third quarter of 2015. It also said in the trading update in January that lending to business and personal customers had more than doubled in 2015, hitting £3.5 billion in its fourth quarter. The bank - which employs more than 2,000 people and has 40 branches across London and the South East - confirmed last month that it would open another nine branches this year, including sites in King’s Road, Chelsea, Bexleyheath and Wimbledon.

Metro Bank was the first new high street bank to enter the industry for 150 years when it launched in Holborn six years ago.

In December the Bank of England revealed our seven biggest lenders have been stress-tested to the point of disaster and had pulled through. We were told that “the long

march to ever more capital” had come to an end. Sir John believes the march should continue, saying: “I just hope the Bank of England will regroup, reconsider, think again and move things upwards.”

The good news is Sir John believes the problems of banks that are too big to fail has almost been “solved to a substantial degree”.

Sir John’s Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) was asked to look at ways of making the banking system safer and less dependent on taxpayer support.

In September 2011 its key recommendations were: Banks “ring-fence” their traditional retail deposits and conventional lending from their riskier operations. The biggest (and therefore the most risky) ring-fenced banks should be required to hold back an extra layer of capital - known as a “Systemic Risk Buffer” - to offset the risk of the loans they make and, if necessary, absorb losses.

The ICB set the additional Systemic Risk Buffer at 3% of a bank’s Risk Weighted Assets and intended it to apply to six of our biggest lenders.

Last month the Bank of England decided not to apply it to any of the lenders, a decision that has clearly upset Sir John.

\charts\general\mortgage.qxd

MONEYFACTS MORTGAGE SELECTION Telephone

Rate

Period

Max LTV

Fee

Incentive

Redemption

Fixed Rate Mortgages with no extended redemption tie-in Norwich & P’boro BS HSBC Hanley Economic BS

0345 300 2522 1.49% 0808 256 6876 2.09% 01782 255000 2.29%

for 2 years 65% to 30.4.18 90% to 31.3.19 80%

Virgin Money

0345 850 2325 2.24%

to 1.6.21

first direct 0800 482 448 Woolwich from Barclays 0845 607 1111

2.99% 2.99%

65%

for 5 years 90% to 31.3.26 80%

£195 Flexible option. No HLC £1499 Remortgages free legal fees. No HLC £250 Free valuation (max £260). HP £250 rebate.

Remortgages free legal fees (max £250).

No HLC £995 Remortgages free valuation. Remortgages free legal fees. No HLC £1450 Remortgages free legal fees. No HLC £999 Remortgages free valuation. Remortgages free legal fees. No HLC

1st 2 yrs To 30.4.18 To 31.3.19 To 1.6.21 1st 5 yrs To 31.3.26

Current Account & Offset Mortgages Norwich & P’boro BS

0345 300 2522 2.14%F for 2 years 75%

Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 1.85%

for term

65%

Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 1.99%

for term

75%

first direct

0800 482448

2.89%

for term

75%

Hinckley & Rugby BS

0800 774499

3.69%

for term

85%

NatWest

0800 068 8512 4.00%

for term

80%

-

Flexible option.HP £250 rebate. Free valuation. 1st 2 yrs Remortgages free legal fees. No HLC Free valuation (max £670). Remortgages free None legal fees. No HLC £999 Free valuation (max £670). Remortgages free None legal fees. No HLC £950 Free valuation. Remortgages free legal fees.

None Minimum income £50K required. No HLC £1090 Free valuation. Remortgages free legal fees. No None HLC £499 Remortgages free valuation. Remortgages free None legal fees. No HLC £999

Remortgages Tesco Bank Tesco Bank Hanley Economic BS

0845 051 8446 1.25%V to 31.3.18 75% 0845 051 8446 1.64%F to 31.3.18 80% 01782 255000 1.89%D for 3 years 80%

£995 £995 £250

Saffron BS Tesco Bank Coventry BS

0800 072 1100 2.19%V for 3 years 80% 0845 051 8446 2.19%F to 31.3.21 60% 0800 121 8899 1.89%V for term 75%

£995 £999

Free valuation. Free legal fees. No HLC To 31.3.18 Free valuation. Free legal fees. No HLC To 31.3.18 Free valuation (max £260). Free legal fees None (max £250). Refund £250 booking fee. No HLC £800 rebate. No HLC 1st 3 yrs Free valuation. Free legal fees. No HLC To 31.3.21 Free valuation (max £670). Free legal fees.

None No HLC

Discounted Variable Rate Mortgages Vernon BS Principality BS

0161 429 6262 1.50% 0845 045 0006 1.70%

for 2 years 80% to 28.2.18 85%

£499 £994

Melton Mowbray BS Loughborough BS Tipton & Coseley BS

01664 414141 01509 631950 0800 833853

1.50% 1.99% 2.88%

for 3 years 65% for 3 years 85% to 30.4.19 90%

£299 £199

Hinckley & Rugby BS

0800 774499

1.95%

for term

£999

80%

No HLC 1st 2yrs Flexible option. Free valuation. Remortgages To 28.2.18 free legal fees. No HLC Offset option. No HLC 1st 3 yrs No HLC 1st 3 yrs House purchase only. Free valuation. £199 To 30.4.19 rebate. No HLC Flexible & offset option. Free valuation. Remtgs None free legal fees. No HLC

First Time Buyers (variable unless stated) Hanley Economic BS

01782 255000

3.29%D for 2 years 95%

Newcastle BS Yorkshire BS Melton Mowbray BS Saffron BS Tesco Bank

0345 606 5148 0345 120 0874 01664 414141 0800 072 1100 0845 051 8446

3.59%F to 31.5.18 3.68%F to 30.4.18 3.69%V for 3 years 3.97%F to 31.5.19 4.49%F to 31.3.21

-

95% 95% 95% 95% 95%

£199 £975 £195

£250 rebate. Free valuation (max £260).

1st 2 yrs No HLC No HLC None Flexible option. £500 rebate. No HLC To 30.4.18 Offset option. Help towards legal fees. No HLC 1st 3 yrs No HLC To 31.5.19 No HLC To 31.3.21

Variable Rate Mortgages Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 1.75%

for term

65%

£999

Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 1.89%

for term

75%

£999

Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 1.89%

for term

65%

£499

Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 1.99%

for term

85%

£999

Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 2.19%

for term

85%

£499

Coventry BS

0800 121 8899 2.25%

for term

90%

£999

Free valuation (max legal fees. No HLC Free valuation (max legal fees. No HLC Free valuation (max legal fees. No HLC Free valuation (max

£670). Remortgages free

None

£670). Remortgages free

None

£670). Remortgages free

None

£670). Remortgages free

None

Free valuation (max £670). Remortgages free legal fees. No HLC Free valuation (max £670). Remortgages free legal fees. No HLC

None None

ASU = Accident, sickness & unemployment insurance.

B+C = Buildings & contents insurance.

U = Unemployment insurance.

FTB = First Time Buyers only. HP = House Purchase.

HLC = High Lending Charge.

F = Fixed rate.

D = Discounted rate.

V = Variable rate.

Lenders standard redemption conditions may also apply at any time.

Incentive of free or discounted legal fees may only be available through lenders nominated solicitor.

All rates and terms subject to change without notice and should be checked before finalising any arrangement. No liability can be accepted for any direct or consequential loss arising from the use of, or reliance upon, this information. Readers who are not financial professionals should seek expert advice.

Source:

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FIGURES COMPILED: 11th February 2016

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With recession lights amber, brittle markets vulnerable to all shocks

By Mike Dolan/ Yahoo Finance

Financial markets that predicted eight of the last six recessions may be yet be wrong again, but market stress itself is now part of the calculus and leaves the world more open to left-field shocks.

Given the violence of this year’s slump in equities, where more than $8 trillion has been wiped off global stock market values, it is remarkable how few economists still see recession as the most likely outcome.

Yet more and more believe it will be a close-run thing; protracted market volatility itself could well tip the balance and investors are in no mood to hang about for a confirmation. Anxiety is high, with few extraordinary policy measures now likely or even available, and more negative interest rates in Europe or Japan seen by many as part of the problem rather than the solution for a bruised banking system.

It may take a nervy few months for clarity on whether the worrying slide in global industry, trade and investment late last year has deepened, or to see if indebted consumers and a still-growing service sector will save the day.

While they wait, investors are scrutinizing the many geopolitical risks and systemic concerns that would typically be ignored in periods of more robust growth, but which may now be magnified as additional threats to businesses’ and households’ investment or spending plans.

In cutting its world growth forecast for this year to 2.7 percent from

3.1 percent - still above the 2-2.5 percent level many see as a baseline to avoid an effective per-capita global recession - Axa Investment Managers flagged concern about systemic as well as cyclical risks for markets in this climate.

“When global growth is so sluggish, when corporate profits are so miserable, when pay rises are so small - you don’t need a very big shock to disturb global markets significantly,” said Eric Chaney, Chief Economist at French insurer Axa. A sudden change of financial and economic policy thinking within China’s ruling communist party was one possible shock it outlined.

The political and central banking dilemma surrounding the euro zone’s incomplete banking union was another soft spot.

But on a knife edge in terms of probabilities is a referendum on Britain’s possible exit from the European Union, likely to be held by the end of June. For AxaIM, this contains huge uncertainties for world financial markets, for Brit-

ain as a top five world economy and the wider EU as a durable construction. “London is the number one financial centre, for example.

If there was any destabilization of the financial industry in the UK, it would transmit quickly around world markets,” said Chaney, adding that this went beyond location and into questions about the extent to which English law, which dominates global financial contracts, is influenced by EU law.

But is the world in a better place than markets let on?

Some banks, such Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale, put the chances of a global recession this year at about one-in-five. Others, such as Citi, say the risk is rising all the time. Bank of America Merrill Lynch sees a 20 percent chance of a US slump.

Whoever you believe, recession is no longer off the radar. The energy shock saw world industrial activity barely grow at all in 2015 and

it tailed off alarmingly in the back end of the year.

World trade growth too has stalled as China splutters, and huge annual drops of between 11 and 18 percent in Chinese exports and imports in January should ring more alarm bells. Global shipping freight prices have collapsed to record lows.

Yet, JPMorgan points out that since 1970, global factory output has slowed to a near-halt year 12 times but only six were associated with subsequent recessions. And services, while weakening, are still expanding at least.

Stock markets, on the other hand, appear to have priced in a recession already. “Equity markets are correcting lower only a little more aggressively than in the past if we assume that a global recession starts this year and finishes mid2017,” according to Citi strategist Jeremy Hale.

Fund managers around the globe have raised their cash balances to the highest levels since 2001, generating an “unambiguous buy signal”, according to Bank of America (BofA) Merrill Lynch.

In its latest fund manager survey, which had 198 respondents and was carried out between 5 and 11 February, the group revealed global fund managers had raised cash balances to a long position of 5.6%, the highest it has been since November 2001.

As a rule, BofA Merrill Lynch said when cash is raised over 4.5% an unambiguous (or contrarian)

buy signal is triggered for equities.

The percentage of fund managers remaining overweight equities has fallen from net 21% to just 5%, as investors rotated out of banking stocks and equities overall, into cash, utilities, bonds and telecoms during the volatile start to the year.

In Europe, 42% of fund managers are now overweight cash.

With some commentators predicting a repeat of a 2008-style global recession, respondents also revised macro and market expectations lower.

Around 19% now believe a recession is likely to occur in the next 12 months, up from 12% in the previous monthly survey. Global corporate profits expectations also fell to their lowest level since August 2012.

A US recession was touted as the “biggest tail risk”, with 27% saying this is a possibility while 23% worried about the risk of an EM/energy debt default, and 16% said quantitative failure was a risk. Just 8% consider Brexit a real risk.

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Forecast corporate profit declines this year anywhere between 7 and 10 percent might justify equity market fears. But, here again, JPMorgan research shows there have been periods in the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s where profits and markets peaked and then both rebounded quickly without recessions.

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Meanwhile, allocation to bonds has improved to the highest level since November 2012, with respondents now 36% underweight compared to a 47% underweight a month ago.

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EMERGING MARKETS

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How the pen industry hangs on in a digital world

By Becky Yerak/ Chicago Tribune

Karyn Martin uses only one type of pen for everyday writing: a Uni-ball Vision with pink ink. “I do a lot of writing and editing, and all of my notes are in pink,” Martin, 36, said.

“People know that when they see pink ink it’s my comments.”

At the same time, her firm believes that employees might like at least one expensive pen in their tool kits. “When you’re at the company for three years, you get a Cross pen engraved with your name as an anniversary gift,” said the executive vice president of 451 Marketing in Boston. The pens cost about $100 each. “That’s the type of pen you write a check with for buying your first house or signing important contracts.”Martin’s pen preferences illustrate how, even in an increasingly digital world, consumers haven’t written off the pen industry, data show.

Pens and other writing tools generated revenue of $16.2 billion worldwide in 2014 and are expected to reach $20.2 billion by 2019, according to a December report by Technavio.

The market research firm acknowledges that the growing adoption of electronic devices is pressuring pen demand.

One downtown Chicago pen store, Gilbertson Clybourn, closed last year after about 35 years in business. “The last three years business went down a little bit each year,” proprietor Dan Collins, 66,

said. “The last year we just thought about it and thought about it, and we thought, ‘Well, next year is going to be less.’” Collins theorized that people can have only so many fancy pens and that the instruments are less important in a digital world.

Pen sales overall, however, are still growing for a variety of reasons.

“Demand for basic writing instruments is high in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East due to the increasing population and literacy levels, while in the United States and Europe the demand for luxury pens is higher as these are preferred as gift items and are nowadays perceived as fashion accessories, similar to high-priced watches,” Technavio said.

Retail sales of pens in the United States in 2015, through Nov. 28, were up 5 percent in dollars and 4 percent in the number of units sold, according to NPD Group.

Leen Nsouli, office supplies analyst for NPD, which tracks consumer trends, cites “a lot of creativity and innovation” in pens, and says demand for ballpoint, gel and porous pens, including in the luxury category, is up. Cross recently paid tribute to “Star Wars,” released in 1977, with a limited edition of 1,977 pens inspired by characters from the movies. The pens retail for $450 to $575 each and are doing well, Cross says.

“Some of this can be attributed to the trend in adult coloring

books,” Nsouli said. “Whether it’s taking notes in an office meeting, keeping a journal, coloring or finding that special lifestyle or luxury pen, many consumers are still handwriting.” Corporate-branded promotional pens are also popular, with about half of Americans owning pens with logos, Technavio said.

“I like my freebies that I get from Edward Jones,” says Wendy Prabhu, co-founder of Mercom Capital Group in Austin, Texas. The investment firm handles Mercom’s retirement planning, she said.

Petter Knutrud, Office Depot senior vice president of merchandising, recognizes that customers are increasingly using digital devices to stay connected and capture information. But “writing instruments such as pens are still essential,” Knutrud said.

Newell Rubbermaid, whose pen lines range from higher-end Waterman and Parker to mass-merchant lines like Paper Mate and Sharpie, also said pen sales are holding up.

“People think that the convergence of technology and writing is going to disable writing,” Chief Executive Mike Polk told analysts last year. “That’s not evident in the data.” In September at a Barclays conference, Polk said Newell would focus mostly on its “everyday writing business,” including Paper Mate and Sharpie. Last November, Newell Rubbermaid told analysts that its ideas for 2016 included Paper Mate InkJoy gel pens. But a merger announced in December

between Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden, owner of class ring maker Jostens, has a luxury writing angle.

“Jostens will enable our fine writing brands like Parker and Waterman to find their way into the hands of graduating high school and college students as phenomenal graduation gifts,” Polk said when the deal was announced.

Cross chief marketing officer Magnus Jonsson always tucks an A.T. Cross pen between two buttons on his shirt. That way his 14-karat-gold “writing instrument,” as they’re called in the business, is more likely to be a conversation starter. In early February 2013, publicly traded Cross announced plans to sell its accessory unit, which included pens, to “build shareholder value” and to focus on its sunglasses businesses. Later that month, Cross said it expected the fine writing market to grow because “as the world economy improves, consumers and corporate gift buyers in mature markets will return to the category,” and, in emerging markets, “the growing middle class will build the market.”

In July 2013, New York-based private equity firm Clarion Capital Partners bought the Cross accessory business for $60 million.

Jonsson was hired by Clarion in 2014 as Cross chief marketing officer. He said Cross pen sales were falling about 15 years ago but have been “relatively flat” in recent years.

In November 2014, Clarion also bought Sheaffer, another luxury pen line. Clarion said the combined company would be better positioned in key markets like the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico and India, and would be able to cut costs and improve profits by merging sales, back office and manufacturing operations.

Uber raises $200m for emerging market expansion Payments

With the latest round of funding under its belt, Uber now plans on going the extra mile to further expand its presence in emerging markets, including India, where it faces stiff competition from Ola, China, where Didi Kuaidi is the largest ride-hailing app company, and Southeast Asian countries, where it is fighting Grab, which runs a multi-market operation across various countries. The company reportedly also plans on expanding its presence in the Eastern Europe market.

“Every day, millions of people rely on Uber to get from A to B. Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our app to make money,” said

Travis Kalanick, Uber’s CEO, in a statement. “Our goal is simple: reliable and affordable transportation everywhere, for everyone, at the push of a button. L1’s knowledge of emerging markets will be crucial in helping us make cities more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more opportunities for drivers.” The timing of the funding is particularly crucial to Uber’s growth in emerging markets, as not only has Uber sent its international competitors into a money-raising spree but it has also motivated its top competitors to form a coalition that supports users from partner networks by allowing them to pay in their local currency when traveling to other countries.

Since further details about the investment weren’t revealed, it remains unclear whether the latest round of funding was a standalone investment or if it was part of Uber’s plan to raise its valuation to $62.5 billion, as TechCrunch pointed out. “It’s early days, so we’re waiting before we say more,” an L1 spokesperson reportedly said.

While the $200 million investment will most definitely help Uber’s market and total valuation, it comes on the heels of two class action lawsuit settlements for which the company has agreed to pay $28.5 million. The two lawsuits alleged that the company mislead its users with its safety promises, justifying its $1 safety fee.

In its latest move towards building muscle against ride-hailing companies in the Asian market, Uber has raised another $200 million from Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman’s investment fund, LetterOne

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Emerging-market debt: How big a threat is it?

By Justin Lahart/ World Street Journal

There has been a major change in the way companies in emerging markets borrow money. Now, the new funding regimen is getting put to the test, and nobody is sure whether it will pass.

That uncertainty is contributing to market turmoil, which has sent stocks tumbling and central banks scrambling to find ways to prop up their economies.

The default option for emergingmarket companies looking to borrow used to be going to the bank.

But after the 2008 financial crisis, that got harder. Global banks, hammered by losses and facing tighter regulation, became less willing to lend. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve and other central banks launched bond-buying programs

aimed at lowering long-term rates and pushing investors into riskier, higher-yielding assets.

So emerging-market companies turned to the bond market for more of their funding. By 2014, bonds were 17% of emerging-market corporate debt outstanding, according to the International Monetary Fund, up from 9% a decade earlier.

Many of these bonds were issued not in companies’ local currencies, but in U.S. dollars. As of the third quarter of 2015, the Bank for International Settlements estimates there was about $1.1 trillion in dollar-denominated bonds issued by nonbank emerging-market companies outstanding, up from $509 billion at the end of 2008.

Now, weakness in emergingmarket economies, crushed commodity prices and the strong dollar have made it harder for companies

to repay debt. Having lived through 2008, investors are worried about the potential for spill overs, one reason bank shares have been hit.

Such fears may be overdone. The bonds are held by a large pool of global investors, so the risks are more thinly spread than for loans from big global banks.

Moreover, these investors aren’t nearly as levered as banks, nor are they borrowing in the short term to fund long-term lending; the mismatch contributed to the effective run on financial institutions during the crisis. The bonds also tend to have long maturities, so companies aren’t in immediate trouble.

There is the potential for other problems, though. First, while many emerging-market countries have substantial dollar reserves, most don’t have mechanisms for

dealing with debt problems away from banks. So rather than engaging in loan workouts with banks, they must deal instead with economic effects. That can be costly, inefficient and lead to future problems.

Second, when global investors are forced to sell emerging-market debt, they tend to sell more than they have to. The BIS found that for every $100 in outflows that emerging-market bond-fund managers experience, they sell $110 in debt. That can intensify losses, leading to further redemptions.

Finally, many emerging-market companies that borrowed in dollars invested in local-currency assets.

That was great when economies were roaring and currencies were appreciating. Now, this version of the carry trade is getting unwound.

That has the potential to stir up

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Companies in Brazil and other emerging markets face a tricky climate in the debt markets.

Here, the Christ the Redeemer statue stands above Rio de Janeiro

even more trouble for emergingmarket economies and send the dollar even higher.

Absent so-far-unseen problems, those things probably aren’t enough to cause the levels of stress global banks have experienced in past crises. But they create a new set of worries for investors.

14 16

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Hunters Advertorial

As a successful Agent with over 150 branches, the Hunters team constantly get asked on how and what involves in a daily working life of a Negotiator. Here we interview Akshay Chauhan who is the in house lettings Negotiator at the Hounslow Branch.

Each day begins with a Team meeting to discuss the previous day’s events and subsequently our targets for the day ahead. We are briefed on any new instructions (new lettings Properties) and relets in preparation for our applicant (Tenants) callout. The morning meeting provides a vital platform for communication to exchange ideas amongst the team members and to ensure that we are on track to meet our targets for the week, month and year as our director is present in all the meetings. Once our applicants (potential Tenants) have been updated with any new opportunities we have for them, the diary quickly fills up and we are off on various appointment. These can be anything from property checks, appointments with clients (Potential

Landlords) to value new properties or viewings with potential tenants.

Inevitably in a busy office like hunters, our schedules are never entirely predictable, as we need to accommodate people who may walk through the door at any moment, and the phone is constantly ringing with new business and general enquiries. An important skill to develop is the ability to juggle a wide range of tasks simultaneously. It is our responsibility to manage our time effectively to achieve our goals as individuals and as a team.

After the morning viewings it is important to provide our clients (Landlords) with feedback, so that we can discuss how we might continue to attract interest and to ensure that our marketing is at its most effective for each individual property. Often it is also necessary for us to seek the advice of our sales team, who we work closely with, if we feel that it may be more profitable to sell a property or vice versa. Once we have successfully matched an applicant to a property, offers are forwarded,

Director Kabir Roy Babber

and after negotiation a mutually agreeable deal is struck. This can sometimes require the ability to think of compromises to find a solution that suits everyone equally.

The role as a Lettings Negotiator can be a very satisfying as there is always a sense of achievement when the keys are handed over and the file is sent to our management

team at the head office for the duration of the tenancy.

I am fortunate enough to work alongside the company director Mr Kabir Roy Babber, which involves weekly targets and mentoring meetings.

Hunters is a member of NALS (National Approved Letting Scheme) and SafeA-

gent (a mark denoting firms that protect landlords and tenants money through client money protection scheme).

To have your property expertly valued by one of our senior valuers please call our branch on 020 3697 2992 or email us on hounslow@huntersnet.com

London property: Is it normal in the prime market?

By Shane Croucher/ International Business Times

There are plenty of reasons to feel pessimistic if you work in and around the prime central London property market. Chancellor George Osborne has attacked the sector, powered by wealthy overseas investors, with tax hikes.

Those who usually put their money into luxury London property, the natural resource-rich elites from

Doha to Lagos, Moscow to Riyadh, are licking their financial wounds after the oil price plunge. Prime London property – the most expensive in the city – has boomed in recent years with eye-watering price rises. But now prices and sales are dropping. Amid the talk of bursting bubbles and bear markets, is prime central London property dying? In 2015, there was 21% fewer prime central London transactions when compared with the year before, said

LonRes, a property research firm.

Prime prices dipped 0.1% over the year on average. Hedge funds have started shorting the shares of Berkeley Group, a big developer of luxury London property, reported the Financial Times, a sign the good times may be well and truly up.

But buying agents, who represent wealthy clients from all over the world wanting to invest in London property, insist there has been no dramatic shift in activity or appetite. And you cannot look at prime central London as a monolith – a common fallacy among property eschatologists – because it is made up of different markets and price brackets, each with their own variables. Some people buy flats for £1m, others, big period houses for £30m. Prime property in Islington saw prices rise by 7.7% over the year to January 2016, according to Knight Frank’s Prime Central Index. Knightsbridge, on the other hand, saw a 6.4% fall.

“I still think there’ll be a fairly

busy market below £1m and £2m, and if you go up through the price ranges from there I think things will be slower,” said Caspar Harvard-Walls, a partner at the buying agent Black Brick, to IBTimes UK. “You’ll see some significant price correction. But that’s not all of prime central London. If you look

at what’s been happening in the City and fringe areas, they’ve actually grown and done really well.

So we can’t really treat it all as one area. It’s too big for that. There are too many differing driving factors going on just to say that it will all come down. I don’t think that will be the case.”

Prime central London property can fetch in the tens of millions, sometimes even hundreds of millions of pounds, as foreign investors flood in

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These are some of the reasons why

96% of customers recommend Hunters to friends and family

3 Whatever matters to you, matters to us 3 We understand the real value of your home is not just the price 3 We know communication is key and we’ll feedback to you within 24 hours 3 With more than 150 branches throughout the country, we have access to a huge database of tenants, buyers and property 3 We understand the importance of professional property presentation 3 We will advertise your property on major websites and through social media

We’ll get you there with the least amount of stress!

80 Vicarage Farm Road, Heston, Hounslow TW5 0AE

www.hunters.com – hounslow@hunters.com Over 150 independently owned branches across the UK To advertise in this paper call 0208 560 9726 or 07405 380208 or 07404 958903

0203 697 2992

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THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

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26th February 1987: Synod says ‘yes’ to women priests

The Church of England’s General Synod has voted by a huge majority to clear the way for the ordination of women priests.

The Church of England has been debating the issue for 10 years and

the final go-ahead is still some years away.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, supported the yes vote but was careful to point out the Church would study an

inquiry to be carried out by a committee of bishops before it reached a final decision. He also said those who warned the issue would cause a split the Church were suffering from “premature panic”.

The Bishop of London, Dr Graham Leonard, who is against the move retracted earlier threats to leave or divide the Church But talk of a split in the Church dominated the debate in the Synod.

The Government Junior Agriculture Minister John Gummer, a lay member, said: “It would no longer be the church into which I was born, which I love and in which I pray to die.

“That is not a threat, it’s a statement.” Sister Carol, a nun from Worcestershire, told those present women had a right to become priests. She said: “Am I called to walk tall in society and to walk small in the Church?”

A spokesperson for the Movement for the Ordination of Women said members would be “absolutely delighted” by the vote.

The synod is divided into three houses - bishops, clergy and laymen. Overall 317 (68%) voted for

Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie

and 145 against.

Only the House of Clergy had less than the significant two-thirds majority. The final vote will require a two-thirds majority in all three houses.

The week in history 22nd February 1984 Britain and the U.S. send warships to the Persian Gulf following an Iranian offensive against Iraq.

23rd February 1898 Writer Emile Zola is imprisoned in France for his letter J’accuse in which he accuses the French government of anti-Semitism and the wrongful imprisonment of army captain Alfred Dreyfus.

24th February 1821 Mexico gains independence from Spain.

25th February 1910 The Dalai Lama flees from the Chinese and takes refuge in India.

26th February 1848 Karl Marx and Frederick Engels publish The Communist Manifesto in London.

Have a story? Email us: info@weeklytribunenews.com

27th February 1991 Coalition forces liberate Kuwait after seven months of occupation by the Iraqi army.

28th February 1066 Westminster Abbey, the most famous church in England, opens its doors.

20

HEALTH & HAPPINESS

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Live Life to the Max

It was reported that the NHS has pledged to invest in excess of £1 billion [$1.4 billion] extra annually in mental health by 2020-21.

According to the Guardian, people facing mental health problems will be able to get community care 24 hours a day as part of what will potentially be the biggest transformation of NHS mental health services for a generation. This news couldn’t come soon enough.

Over the last few years, the extent of Britain’s mental health crisis has been slowly and painfully drip fed to us with stats that’ve almost desensitized us as a public body.

This positive development comes

as a response to a damning leaked report into mental health services in the UK held by an independent task force last week.

The report painted a picture of a system in tatters. It revealed that one in four people experience mental health problems over the course of a year while the number of people killing themselves is soaring.

Sick children are being sent “almost anywhere in the country for treatment” and three-quarters of those with psychiatric conditions are not being helped. A quarter of people with severe mental health problems need more than is currently on offer and many are at serious risk of self-neglect. Worryingly, there has been a 10 percent increase in the number of people sectioned under the Mental Health Act over just the past year.

Undoubtedly, this is a system that routinely fails the entire country. The report’s bottom line: ministers needed to find an extra £1.2 billion a year for mental health services by 2020. This £1 billion pledged by the NHS, then,

is not enough. But it’s something.

Is this cause for celebration? What will this £1 billion really mean for a devastated service?

Currently, £9.2 billion is spent on mental health services—less than a tenth of the overall NHS budget. This has been decreasing dramatically over recent years.

Mental health trusts saw a realterms fall in budgets of more than 8 percent between 2010 and 2015, as reported by the BBC. On Sunday, the BBC revealed that 2015 budgets fell 2 per cent when adjusted for inflation in the financial year. When you take this into consideration, the £1 billion pledged barely makes up for cuts made in the first place.

Advertorial

Homeopathy and depression Depression affects more than 200 million people around the world and in extreme cases could lead to suicide.

• People with a family history of anxiety, despondency, bipolar disorder or suffering from an alcohol or drug abuse problem are more likely to develop depression.

• The condition also has a propensity to worsen as time progresses.

Major Types of Depression

Symptoms and diagnosis

By Dr Mukesh Batra, Padma Shri Recipient, LCEH, FSRH [MED] P [LOND], MDH [USA], FBIH [UK]

Circumstantial or Situational depression: Situational depression is short-term and can occur in the aftermath of various traumatic events like divorce, retirement, loss of job and the death of a relative or close friend. Other situations that can potentially overwhelm your normal coping mechanisms include surviving a major disaster like a hurricane, a serious accident, a major illness or even marriage. Doctors sometimes refer to the condition as an adjustment disorder.

Hormonal depression: Biological and hormonal changes cause this depression, especially in women. Many new mothers experience the “baby blues”. This is a normal reaction that tends to subside within a few weeks. However, some women experience severe, lasting depression. This condition is known as postpartum depression.

How and why

• • •

•

• Depression can affect people of all ages and backgrounds.

• Depression does not affect the individual alone; it has repercussions on one’s family, friends, and work.

• Depression is the leading cause for disability all over the world.

Symptoms may include a persistent feeling of sadness, isolation, emptiness, spells of crying, irritability, lack of interest, lack of energy, excessive sleepiness or sleeplessness, decreased sex drive, hopelessness, a feeling of dread, backache, headache, digestive problems and muscular cramps.

Your doctor will diagnose depression on the basis of common signs and symptoms.

Your doctor will enquire about any drug or alcohol abuse and physical illnesses that may have led to the depression.

In case of chronic depression, your doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist who will look into experiences that may have had a bearing on how you feel about yourself and others.

Blood tests may be required from women patients when there is a suspicion of hormonal disorder.

Healing with Homeopathy

Thirty-five-year-old Jayanti was suffering from depression for over five years and was on anti-depressants. She was listless, not interested in any activity and would sit

Paul Farmer, chair of the report and chief executive at MIND, however, is positive that this money, along with the “landmark” report, will ensure “another one million people” receive improved support.

Speaking to VICE, he said that MIND is pleased with the pledged amount as it is based on the recommendation in the report. “The fact that the NHS and government are committing to that figure is really important; it’s a significant step. What needs to happen now is that it’s worked up over a period of time. Some of the people you need to have in place to deliver these services have to be trained so there’s a period of time to get to where we need to be.

near the window, gazing at the horizon for hours. She was aloof towards her husband and two children. On analysing her case we found she had developed depression following a surgery which involved the removal of her uterus due to a tumour. Since the ovaries were also removed with the uterus, she developed a hormonal imbalance, causing ‘a feeling of a void’ which subsequently led to her depression.

We prescribed the homeopathic remedy, Sepia Officinalis, based on her listless indifference towards her loved ones, coupled with her hormonal imbalance. After 5 months she was a changed woman. She started taking interest in her daily activities and was more loving and caring towards her family. Most individuals with depression have common symptoms but the cause for these symptoms varies from case to case.

The homeopathic remedy, Aurum metallicum, which is prepared from the metal gold is used to treat mental disorders such as depression.

The homeopathic remedy, Ignatia, is used to treat depression and anxiety caused by an unexpected event such as the death of a loved one or losing one’s job.

Homeopathy is safe and free from medicinally induced side-effects. When treating depression, the homeopathic doctor always looks at each patient holistically and identifies the cause based on the patient’s personality and history before choosing the right homeopathic remedy.

Suggested remedies are indicative. To be taken under competent medical supervision only.

Do you have a health question that needs an answer?

E-mail your health questions to dramita.agarwal@drbatras.com For enquiries, please call 020 89036261 or 020 7631 1169 Our Clinics: Wembley: 594, Wembley High Road, London, HA0 2AF Central London: Harley street- 3rd Floor, Front North Suite, 17 Harley street, London, W1G 9QH Website: www.drbatras.co.uk

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HEALTH & HAPPINESS

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What does the extra $1.4 billion invested in the UK’s Mental Health Services actually mean?

By Hannah Ewens/ VICE

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The truth about Fat and Sugar: Cardiologist explains why Fat is the best medicine

By Dr. Aseem Malhotra/ Men’s Health

For decades, we were told that eating fat would lead us to early grave.

Horror stories of clogged arteries and coronaries were the norm, while foods such as pasta were seen as healthy. But research is increasingly disproving this theory - and sugar is now public enemy number one. In fact, fat is good for us and should be our medicine, claims cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, who is based in Surrey. He says a mounting slew of evidence suggests that far from contributing to heart problems, having full fat dairy in your diet may actually protect you from heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Here, writing for Men’s Health, he explains his controversial view...

Fat, after all, furs up our arteries and piles on the pounds – or at least that’s what prevailing medical and dietary advice has had us believe.

As a result, most of us have spent years eschewing full fat foods for their ‘low fat’ equivalents, in the hope it will leave us fitter and healthier. Yet I’m now convinced we have instead been doing untold damage: far from being the best thing for health or weight loss, a low fat diet is the opposite.

In fact, I would go so far as to say the change in dietary advice in 1977 to restrict the amount of fat we were eating helped to fuel the obesity epidemic unfolding today.

It’s a bold statement, but one I believe is upheld by an array of recent research.

Why I encourage my patients to eat fat?

These days I make a point of telling my patients – many of whom are coping with debilitating heart problems – to avoid anything bearing the label ‘low fat’.

Better instead, I tell them, to embrace full fat dairy and other saturated fats within the context of a healthy eating plan.

It’s an instruction that is sometimes greeted with open-mouthed astonishment, along with my request to steer clear of anything that promises to reduce cholesterol – another of those edicts we are told can promote optimum heart

and artery health. As we will see, the reality is far more nuanced: in some cases lowering cholesterol levels can actually increase cardiovascular death and mortality, while in healthy people over 60 a higher cholesterol is associated with a lower risk of mortality. Why, exactly, we will come to later.

First though, let me make it clear that until very recently, I too assumed that keeping fat to a minimum was the key to keeping healthy and trim.

In fact, to say my diet revolved around carbohydrates - sugared cereal, toast and orange juice for breakfast, a panini for lunch and pasta for dinner was not an uncommon daily menu.

Good solid fuel, or so I thought, especially as I am a keen sportsman and runner. Still, I had a wedge of fat round my stomach which no amount of football and running seemed to shift. That, though, wasn’t the reason I started to explore changing what I ate.

The toxic truth about sugar

That process started in 2012, when I read a paper called ‘The toxic truth about sugar’ by Robert Lustig in the science journal Nature. In it, Lustig, a Professor of Paediatrics who also works at the University of California’s Centre for Obesity Assessment, said the dangers to human health caused by added sugar were such that products packed with it should carry the same warnings as alcohol.

It was an eye-opener: as a doctor I already knew too much of anything is bad for you, but here was someone telling us that something most of ate unthinkingly every day was, slowly, killing us. The more I looked into it, the more it became abundantly clear to me that it was sugar, not fat, which was causing so many of our problems.

This is why, along with a group of fellow medical specialists, I launched the lobbying group Action on Sugar last year with the aim of persuading the food industry to reduce added sugar in processed foods. I would go so far as to say the change in dietary advice in 1977 to restrict the amount of fat we were

eating helped to fuel the obesity epidemic unfolding today Then earlier this year I had another light-bulb moment.

In February Karen Thomson, the granddaughter of pioneering heart transplant surgeon Christian Barnard, and Timothy Noakes, a highly-respected Professor of Exercise and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town, invited me to speak at the world’s first ‘low carb’ summit in South Africa.

I was intrigued, particularly as the conference hosts are both fascinating characters.

A former model, Ms Thomson has courageously battled a number of addictions including alcohol and cocaine, but lately it is another powder – one she labels ‘pure, white and deadly’ – that has resulted in her opening the world’s first carbohydrate and sugar addiction rehab clinic in Cape Town.

Professor Noakes, meanwhile, has recently performed a remarkable U-turn on the very dietary advice he himself expounded for most of his illustrious career: that is, that athletes need to load up on carbohydrates to enhance performance.

A marathon runner, he was considered the poster boy for high carbohydrate diets for athletes – then he developed type 2 diabetes.

The terrific link between sugar and disease

Effectively tearing pages out of his own textbook, Professor Noakes has now said athletes – and this goes for those of us who like to jog around the park too – can get their energy from ketones, not glucose.

That is, from fat not sugar.

Alongside them were 15 international speakers ranging from doctors, academics and health campaigners who between them produced an eloquent and evidencebased demolition of ‘low fat’ thinking – as well as suggesting that it is carbohydrate consumption, not fatty foods, which is fuelling our obesity epidemic.

As one scientist said: ‘You don’t get fat from eating fatty foods, just as you don’t turn green from eating green vegetables’ Opening the conference was

Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist, founding member of Action on Sugar

Gary Taubes, a former Harvard physicist who wrote The Diet Delusion, in which he argued that it is refined carbohydrates that are responsible for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and many other of our Western maladies. The book caused controversy when it was released seven years ago, but his message is finally gaining traction.

And that message is this: obesity is not about how many calories we eat, but what we eat.

Refined carbohydrates fuel the over production of insulin, which in turn promotes fat storage.

In other words: it’s not calories from fat themselves that are the problem. It’s a robust message that was reinforced time and again at the conference. Take Swedish family physician Dr Andreas Eenfeldt, who runs the country’s most popular health blog Diet Doctor.

In his home country, studies show that up to twenty three per cent of the population are embracing a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. A ticking time bomb you might think – but contrary to expectations, while obesity rates are soaring everywhere else, they are now starting to show a decline there. More research on this correlation is yet to be done – but in the meantime The Swedish Council on Health Technology has made its position clear. After a two year review involving 16 scientists, it concluded that a high fat, low carb diet may not only be best for weight loss, but also for reducing several markers of cardiovascular risk in the obese.

A mounting slew of evidence suggests that far from contribut-

Have a story? Email us: info@weeklytribunenews.com

ing to heart problems, having full fat dairy in your diet may actually protect you from heart disease and type 2 diabetes In short, as Dr Eenfeldt told the conference: ‘You don’t get fat from eating fatty foods just as you don’t turn green from eating green vegetables.’

This, of course, is a difficult message for many to swallow; particularly for heart patients, most of whom have spent years pursuing a low fat, low cholesterol diet as the best way to preserve heart health.

It’s a public health message that was first promoted in the sixties, after the globally respected Framingham Heart study sanctified high cholesterol as a major risk factor for heart disease.

It’s a cornerstone of government and public health messages – yet what people didn’t know was that the study also threw up some more complex statistics.

Like this one: for every 1mg/dl per year drop in cholesterol levels in those who took part in the study there was a 14 per cent increase in cardiovascular death and an 11 per cent increase in mortality in the following 18 years for those aged over 50.

It’s not the only statistic that doesn’t sit with the prevailing anticholesterol message.

The link between fat and cholesterol

In 2013, a group of academics studied previously unpublished data from a seminal study done in the early seventies, known as the Sydney Diet Heart study.

22

AVIATION

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Most luxurious private aircrafts ever made

Hawker 4000

The Hawker 4000 is also known with the name of the Hawker Horizon. It is a superb aircraft. Its developer is Hawker Beechcraft. The price tag of Hawker 4000 is $$22.4 million.

The approximate range of this jet is 3180 nm, and it has the capacity for 11 passengers.

This is one of the costly and very comfortable private aircrafts. It is currently being owned

by Segio Garcia, a Spanish professional golfer.

Sukhoi Superjet 100

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a modern Russian aircraft. It is known to be one of the biggest private jets with an approximate capacity for 100 individuals. Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) aircraft has price tag of $35,4 million It is combined with awesome interiors, comfortable seats, and has superb performance. This is cost-friendly in terms that its engine is powerful, so fuel efficiency is made sure. The approximate range of this jet is 4100 nm.

Cessna Citation Excel

The Cessna Citation Excel is powered with a turbofan. This is a jet with medium size, and bas been developed by the Cessna Aircraft Company. Price tag of $10,700,000 The estimated cruising speed of this aircraft is around 440 knots, and it has around 2000 nautical-mile range. This jet can accommodate around ten passengers, and is being owned by millionaires only because it is too costly.

Hawker 850XP

The Hawker 850XP is a design of one of the best aircraft manufacturing companies. The Hawker 850XP costs $13.79 million.

It features improved technology, fast speed, stand-up headroom, LCD lights, touchscreen seat control, and plenty of in-cabin storage. This is one of the most demanding midsize jets ever made. It can accommodate around 10 individuals.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is coming to the UK

By Roland Hutchinson/ Techradar

Good news for Samsung fans in the UK as the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will be landing in the UK later this year. Samsung decided not to launch their Galaxy Note 5 in the UK, although you can buy the device through some third party retailers in the UK, it has never launched with any of the mobile carriers.

Samsung has apparently decided to launch the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 in the UK this year, the handset is expected to launch later in the year.

The company has apparently decided not to launch the Galaxy S7 Edge+ in the UK and will instead launch the Samsung Galaxy Note 6. Samsung will announce their Galaxy S7 And Galaxy S7 Edge at Mobile World Congress later this month, they are not expected to announce the S7 Edge+ this is rumoured to be launching later on.

It was a strange move for Samsung to decide not to launch the Note 5 in the UK as the device has been a popular handset, Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Note 6

fans will be pleased to know that the company will be bringing the new Note 6 to the UK. The

Mary Berry helps kitchen gadgets sales

By Fiona Parker, SWNS/ Bath Chronicle

Bath’s famous baker Mary Berry helped kitchen gadget sales reach £897million in 2015.

Brits are estimated to have chopped, whisked and blended their way through nearly £900 million worth of new electrical kitchen gadgets last year.

Sales of kettles, blenders and juicers have shot up by 41 per cent over the last five years, rising from £635 million in 2011.

Sales of the gadgets have continued to boom with the nation’s cooks keen to produce showstopping platters - just like the ones they see on popular prime time TV shows.

Consumer analysts Mintel, who produced the report, forecast kitchen gadget sales to reach a new record of £976 million this year.

More than four out of 10 Brits (41 per cent) cook from scratch most days so that they can control how much salt, fat and sugar is included in their diet.

The report found 30 per cent of those who bought a kitchen appliance in September 2015 said they looked for a modern design when choosing one, while 29 per cent said a design that coordinates with other kitchen appliances was important.

When it comes to smaller kitchen appliances, gadgets that help prepare food are top sellers.

Sales of liquidisers, juicers and blenders have whizzed up 145 per cent over the last five years to reach an estimated £225 million in 2015.

The popularity of healthy eating and a love of smoothies saw juicer sales reach an estimated £22 million last year when one in eight

Brits (13 per cent) bought a juicer or smoothie maker, up from six per cent in 2013.

Mary Berry

Sales of liquidisers are estimated to have risen by almost 50 per cent in 2015 to reach a cool £70 million, while health grills have gone up 30 per cent from £43 million in 2011 to £56 million in 2015.

Sandwich makers and grilling machines have seen a jump in demand, to 15 per cent in 2015 from 10 per cent in 2013. And sales of coffee appliances grew a steamy 89 per cent from £78 million in 2011 to an estimated £148 million last year.

One in eight Brits (13 per cent) bought coffee capsule or pod drink makers in 2015, up from

handset is expected to be announced at the end of the summer. eight per cent in 2013, while one in nine Brits (11 per cent) bought a filter coffee machine in 2015, up from five per cent in 2013.

But the humble kettle remains the nation’s most popular kitchen appliance, with 42 per cent buying one in 2015, up from 36 per cent in 2013, for an estimated £198 million.

And toasters were the second most widely purchased appliance, with 30 per cent of Brits buying one in 2015, for an estimated market value of £91 million. Jane Westgarth, Mintel’s senior retail analyst, said: “High levels of prime time television exposure for cookery, including The Great British Bake Off, MasterChef and The Hairy Bikers, is creating interest in top of the range food preparation equipment and healthy eating trends have helped drive demand for blenders, liquidisers and juicers.

“For many Brits, owning a small kitchen appliance is something of a status symbol allowing consumers the pleasure of ownership, as well as a way to demonstrate that they have food and drink knowledge when inviting guests into the house.

“Demand for stylish, added-value appliances is growing, and there is plenty of evidence of growth at the premium end of the market.

“Consumers are willing to pay premium prices for small kitchen appliances that help them create the same kind of indulgent food and drinks they have become accustomed to in restaurants and coffee shops. This is driving demand for food preparation equipment, including specialist items like juicers and food mixers.”

She added: “Falling prices have made coffee machines accessible to a wider audience, while special deals during key selling seasons have boosted volumes of coffee makers at discounted prices. “The majority of consumers are opting for low budget toasters and kettles, typically spending between £11 and £30 on kettles and £10 and £20 on toasters.”

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&TV continues to surge forward and rule the South Asian TV Network &TV HD, the first and only South Asian entertainment channel continues to surge forward and exceeding viewers expectations with fresh shows and movies month on month.

Last weekend, &TV stormed ahead in the ratings scale, with a total reach of 452,880 viewers with a smashing line up of all-time favourite romantic movies for an extended Valentine’s day celebration!

First HD Premiere of Dil Dhadakne Do, starring Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra and Anushka Sharma was viewed by an average 46,900 viewers besides the line-up of Salman Khan epic romantic movies Maine Pyar Kia, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun & Shahrukh Khan & Subhash Ghai’s classic Pardes.

The channel also offers a variety of shows on the weekend starting with The Place to Eat reaching an average audience of 36,700 last

weekend- a must watch for every Food loving Londoner. This show is your one stop solution to authentic restaurant reviews, tips on where to eat and recipes of top dishes at some of London’s finest restaurants. The show also promises to provide cooking tips and recipes of most loved dishes by the diners.

Next watch Agent Raghav Crime Branch as he solves the most complex cases that may seem hard to understand and horror series Darr Sabko Lagta hai. &TV is also set to announce the launch of another brand new show on the channel – Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai starring Deepti Naval, Zarina Wahab, Amrita Rao &

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This is a musical journey which revolves around two arch-rivals who are not only the most wonderful and soulful singers, but also happen to be real life sisters!

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Akshay Kumar is known for his love of martial arts skills and techniques and the actor has never stopped entertaining us with it.

The actor was recently spotted at an awards ceremony held for his martial arts academy, which provides free self-defence training to women of all age groups so that they are well equipped with the right skills to protect themselves.

The academy was launched by Akshay Kumar along with Aditya Thackeray in 2014. What really caught everyone’s attention was Akshay Kumar’s arrival on a bike

with his bodyguard riding it. With the star making an entry in this unconventional way, the students and the media tried to photograph the star on his bike. That is when a photographer fell down and Akshay Kumar decided to get off from his bike and help the journalist.

Akshay Kumar was later joined

by Aaditya Thackeray. The duo were then seen evaluating the developments of the under-construction sports stadium, where the academy conducts its classes. Akshay Kumar later attended the award ceremony and congratulated the women who

achieved the degree in martial arts.

The Bollywood Superstar has previously expressed his love for Martial Arts saying “Martial arts is a way of life for me. It has changed everything for me. It has given me more than anything else has. This is why I try to spread awareness about it. Martial arts isn’t just a sport, it’s something that can inculcate so many life-changing qualities in you. I want every child in India to experience it.”

The Airlift actor was later seen posing with the students at the academy too!

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Zee Cine Awards 2016, the award show with a difference

It is the most awaited property of (ZEEL) Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, one of India’s leading TV media and entertainment companies.

Zee Cine Awards is going to held in Mumbai on 20th February 2016. The show will be hosted by Bollywood Town’s Hero Shahid Kapoor and filmmaker Karan Johar. The award night will witness great performances from quite a few Bollywood celebs right from Anil Kapoor to Sonakshi Sinha.

Zee takes pride in introducing a transparent judging process with senior and renowned members of the industry like Rakesh Roshan: One of B-Town’s ace directors, Roshan has many blockbusters to his credit. He’s also the only filmmaker to successfully launch an Indian superhero. Anurag Basu: After Gangster and Life... In A Metro, Basu won much acclaim for the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Barfi. He is currently working on Jagga Jasoos with Ranbir.

Prasoon Joshi: Prasoon is the lyricist of several songs from movies like Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, Delhi 6 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. He also wrote the script of BMB. Resul Pookutty: Pookutty got his big break with the 2005 film Black, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He won an Oscar for Best Sound Mixing for the film Slumdog Millionaire.

Leena Yadav: As a TV show director, she directed both fiction and non-fiction for almost 12 years.

Shabd was her directorial debut, She followed it up with Teen Patti.

Ravi K Chandran: Cinematographer Ravi K Chandran is on every filmmaker’s wish-list. He has collaborated with filmmakers like Mani Ratnam, Priyadarshan and AR Murugadoss.

Shantanu Moitra: Moitra has composed many soulful songs and is most known for his scores in films Parineeta, Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots to his credit. The panel members will be picking actors and technicians who will be nominated for their excellence in cinematic achievements and then pick the winners. The jury will select the best in the field of acting, direction, music and cinematography.

Staying true to its brand proposition ‘Movies.

Masti.Magic’, Zee Cinema will also give its viewers an opportunity to experience Zee Cine Awards 2016 — for the very first time .

It will be telecast on March 5, on Zee TV and 27th March on Zee Cinema. The awards will reach over 959 million viewers across 169 countries.

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CINEWORLD

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LIFE & STYLE

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The mythical Lamassu: Symbols of protection were very common in households from the Sumerian to Babylonian period, and they became associated with many royal protectors in different cults. Akkadians associated Lamassu with the god Papsukkal (the messenger god), and the god Isum (a fire-god, herald of the Babylonian gods) with Shedu.

Mythical guardians that influenced Christianity

A Lamassu at the North West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II

By Natalia Klimczak/ Ancient Origins

Lamassu are human-headed, eaglewinged, bulls or lions that once protected cities in Mesopotamia.

They were believed to be very powerful creatures, and served both as a clear reminder of the king’s ultimate authority and as symbols of protection for all people.

The most famous colossal statues of Lamassu have been excavated at the sites of the Assyrian capitals established by King Assurnasirpal II (reigned 883 – 859 BC) and King Sargon II (reigned 721 – 705 BC). The winged beasts from Nimrud in Iraq (the ancient city of Kalhu) also became very famous when Lamassu there were damaged in 2015. Other statues of the mythical beasts belong to cities like ancient Dur Sharrukin (current Khorsabad, Iraq). Every important city wanted to have Lamassu to protect the gateway to their citadel.

At the same time, another winged creature was made to keep watch at the throne room entrance. Additionally, they were the guardians who inspired armies to protect their cities. The Mesopotamians believed that Lamassu frightened away the forces of chaos and brought peace to their homes. Lamassu in the Akkadian language means “protective spirits.”

Celestial beings

Lamassu frequently appear in Mesopotamian art and mythology.

The first recorded Lamassu comes from circa 3,000 BC. Other names for Lamassu are Lumasi, Alad, and Shedu. Sometimes a Lamassu is portrayed as a female deity, but usu-

ally it is presented with a more masculine head. The female Lamassu were called “apsasu.”

The ancient origins of the legendary griffin

• A Paradise Lost: In Search of Eden • The Legend of Gilgamesh Lamassu, as a celestial being, is also identified with Inara, the Hittite-Hurrian goddess of wild ani-

Lamassu were protectors of not only kings and palaces, but of every single human being. People felt safer knowing that their spirits were close, so Lamassu were engraved on clay tablets, which were then buried under the threshold of a house. A house with a Lamassu was believed to be a much happier place than one without the mythical creature nearby. Archaeological research shows that it is likely that Lamassu were important for all the cultures which lived in the land of Mesopotamia and around it.

As mentioned, the Lamassu motif first appeared in royal palaces at Nimrud, during the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, and disappeared after

Human-headed winged bull, otherwise known as a Shedu, from Khorsabad. University of Chicago Oriental Institute

ponents. Furthermore, it is likely that the Lamassu was one of the reasons why people started to use a lion, not only as a symbol of a brave and strong head of a tribe, but also as a protector.

• The Ancient Epic of Gilgamesh and the Precession of the Equinox • Previously Unknown Lines to the Epic of Gilgamesh discovered in Stolen Cuneiform Tablet • The Dilmun Civilization: An Important Location for Ancient Mythology and Trade

Powerful monuments

mals of the steppe and the daughter of the Storm-god Teshub. She corresponds with the Greek goddess Artemis. In the Epic of Gilgamesh and Enuma Elis, both Lamassu and Aspasu (Inara) are symbols of the starry heavens, constellations, and the zodiac. No matter if they are in a female or male form, Lamassu always represent the parent-stars, constellations, or the zodiac. In the Epic of Gilgamesh , they were considered as protective because they encompass all life within them.

The cults of Lamassu and Shedu

the reign of Ashurbanipal who ruled between 668 BC and 627 BC. The reason for the Lamassu’s disappearance in buildings is unknown.

Ancient Jewish people were highly influenced by the iconography and symbolism of previous cultures, and also appreciated the Lamassu. The prophet Ezekiel wrote about Lamassu, describing it as a fantastic being created of aspects of a lion, an eagle, a bull, and a human. In the early Christian period, the four Gospels were also related to each one of these mythical com-

Nowadays, Lamassu are still found standing proud. They were carved from a single block. The oldest monumental sculptures are about 10-14 feet (3.05-4.27 meters) tall and they are made of alabaster.

The most recognizable difference between the older Lamassu and the ones from a later period is the form of their body. The first Lamassu were carved with the body of a lion, but the ones from the palace of King Sargon II have a body of a bull. What’s more interesting– the Lamassu of Sargon are smiling.

In 713 BC, Sargon founded his capital, Dur Sharrukin. He decided that protective genies would be placed on every side of the seven gates to act like guardians. Apart from being guardians and impressive decoration, they also served

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an architectural function, bearing some of the weight of the arch above them. Sargon II had an interest in Lamassu. During his reign, many sculptures and monuments of the mythical beasts were created. In this period, the body of Lamassu had a high relief and the modelling was more marked. The head had the ears of a bull, face of a man with a beard, and a mouth with a thin moustache. The motif of Lamassu is still very popular in culture. It appears in The Chronicles of Narnia

by C.S. Lewis, in the Disney movie Aladdin, in many computer games, and more.

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JOURNEY TO SUCCESS

The success story of Tony Fernandes and AirAsia low-cost airline in the region.

AirAsiaX, Fernandes’ low cost international airline launched flights to India in 2010. Flies 45 weekly flights out of India. In 2011, he ordered 200 A320 from Airbus.

Has an order of 350 aircraft in total. Out of these 118 have been delivered. 87% Aircraft is on balance sheet - highest owned ratio for an Asian airline.

Tony Fernandes would have ended up as a doctor Forty-eight-year-old

Economic Times

Anthony Fernandes has the largest holding in AirAsia, which suffered a crash in December when an AirAsia Indonesia plane carrying 162 people went into the Java Sea after trying to avoid a storm. He won high marks for his handling of the disaster, responding quickly and keeping the public and his 1 million Twitter followers well informed. The stock price tumbled but has now recovered, and is flat for the past year.

But his wealth is down because he sold his Formula One racing team for far less than it was valued at a year ago.

He and Kamarudin Meranun built AirAsia and started the Tune Group. Fernandes began operations in India last year with AirAsia India; the Tata Group owns a stake.

When he was six years old, he announced that he will start an airline and his father, a physician, quipped, “if you make past the doorman of Hilton Hotel, I will be

Anthony

him move into the uncertain world of airline industry and that too, right after the 9/11 terror attacks.

In October 2001, Fernandes mortgaged his home to buy an airline for one ringgit (Rs 17 at current exchange rates). It meant he bought two ageing Boeing 737 jets, 200 employees and $11 million in debt.

A year later, the airline miraculously broke even. There was no turning back. Today, if the West has the loose-talking Micheal O’Leary, the CEO of Dublin-based Ryanair, the low-cost carrier that is both loved and loathed in Europe, the

happy”. Well, he did make past the doorman of Hilton and then did not stop there. He says marketing is in his blood as his mother ran a successful direct-selling Tupperware business in Malaysia.

He won a Formula One racing bet, and some bet it was, as a few months from now the person who lost the bet, Richard Branson, the founder and chairman of Virgin Group that owns 400 companies, waxed his legs, put a red skirt and walked down the aisle of an AirAsia flight serving beverages to passengers.

Tony Fernandes turned AirAsia into a profitable airline within 2 years

He acquired bleeding low-cost subsidiary of Air Malaysia from Malaysian government in 2001 and launched AirAsia, turned it into a profitable airline within two years, adopted a JV model for expansion in the South East Asian region. And now goes on to become the largest

Tony Fernandes and Richard Branson

Francis Fernandes, better known as Tony Fernandes, who is worth $615 million today, would have ended up as a doctor, like his father (originally from Goa), had he been a disciplined child who followed the path chosen by his parents. Instead, Fernandes, who left Malaysia at the age of 12 to study at Epsom College in Surrey, England, and then graduated from London School of Economics, had other plans.

Fernandes, an accountant, started his career with Warner then moved to Richard Branson’s Virgin Communications only to move back to Malaysia in 1992, to dabble in a career in the music industry.

He became the youngest managing director of Warner Music, Malaysia, and would have stayed in the industry-he plays guitar and piano-revolutionizing ethnic music to take it from the fringes into mainstream of contemporary music.

Tony Fernandes’s appetite for taking risks had him move into airline industry

His appetite for taking risks had

East has Tony Fernandes.

Tony Fernandes, one of the first CEOs to harness social media to market AirAsia

Last year, Fernandes, who owns a Formula One racing team,

bought British sports car manufacturer Caterham and soccer club Queens Park Rangers to add to his kitty of businesses in hotel, education, mobile phone and insurance industry.

He is one of the first CEOs to harness the power of social media networks to sell tickets and market his airline. One Wednesday afternoon he wrote on his Facebook page, “within a few hours AirAsia will be making a significant step in our journey of (sic) being an Asian airline”. Within hours, he received about 800 likes. On Twitter, he does an average of at least 10 tweets a day. Fernandes believes in involving himself in the day-today functioning of an airline.

Tony Fernandes well-versed he is with the working of AirAsia: So, once in every two months or so, he is a cabin crew member on one of his flights or he is handling the checkin counter or he is supervising the loading and unloading of bags. His jokes reveal how well-versed he is with the working of his airline. Like for instance: in an aviation conference he attended in Mumbai about four years ago he spoke about doing business in different countries and how cultural difference can throw up its own set of problems.

“Our pilots and flight attendants are ferried together to and from the aircraft in a coach bus. But when we launched operations in Thailand the pilots there protested, saying they will not travel with flight attendants. Now that was a surprise to me, as in Malaysia, the pilots protest if they are not allowed to travel with flight attendants,” he said.

Game-changer in Indian skies: Price warrior AirAsia set to shake up the aviation sector

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EDUCATION

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UK welcomes TCS’ internship programme

By Joao Lima/ Computer Business Review

Unveiled during India’s PM UK visit last year, the scheme is first project of a wider program that aims to take up to 25,000 British young people to India by 2020. Last night, government and private sector came together to officially launch 1,000 internships in India for UK graduates under the Generation UK-India program.

The scheme was first announced during the visit of India’s PM Narendra Modi last November, when he and PM David Cameron signed £9 billion worth of deals between the two countries. As part of the agreements, the PMs agreed that 2016 would be the UK-India Year of Education, Research and Innovation. The internships have been arranged under a partnership between Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the British Council (BC).

The program will give British hopefuls a year of training at TCS,

where they will work at its Innovation Labs and software development centres across India. The Rt Hon Priti Patel, Minister of State for Employment and MP, said: “Endorsed by Prime Ministers Cameron and Modi, Generation UK-India is a highly ambitious programme run by the British Council.” The Generation UK-India program aims to build collaboration, engagement and trust between the two countries, by supporting up to 25,000 young people in the UK to gain work and study experience in India by 2020. Speaking of “exciting times for India”, Patel said: “I am delighted that this year, as part of this growing programme, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will now be providing UK students with the opportunity to undertake 12 month paid digital internships in their offices around 17 locations in India. “By working in India, graduates will be learning new skills from experts in business. They will build their own networks. They will de-

Priti Patel

velop new ideas. It will provide your students, your future employees, and our next generation with a competitive edge. “And, as well as developing business acumen, it will also provide a full immersion into the world’s largest democracy and a rich, diverse and modern culture.”

To enter the program, graduates, particularly those interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, have to apply

online through the British Council website. Applications are open until midnight on March 31, 2016, with the first graduates to fly to India during the summer.

Although the internship is paid for and those in the scheme will receive a monthly allowance of INR35,000 (£356 as of February 10), successful candidates will have to pay for their flight to India, Visa, a £300 placement fee, travel

insurance, vaccinations and accommodation. British Council CEO, Sir Ciaran Devane, said: “India is a giant economic and strategic power, with deep and broad links to the UK. “It is vitally important in this interconnected age that we do not ignore our historical connections, but seek to embed them still further, using the power of modern technology. “The end result of this project - and many other projects between our nations - will be enhanced cultural and economic (and personal) relations between the UK and India.” Also attending the ceremony was Shankar Narayanan, Country Head UK & Ireland, TCS, who said that emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and virtual reality are likely to enter the mainstream in the coming years, each with as much potential (if not more) to transform everyone’s lives as the advent of social media, mobile computing or Big Data. He said: “This digital future is bringing with it major opportunities: according to the Boston Consulting Group, the UK’s Digital Economy is already the largest of the G20 nations, and it could be worth as much as £200bn per year by 2020.

“The new partnership between Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the British Council is one example of how we are aiming to

Will BIS Sheffield closure frustrate David Cameron’s access goals?

By John Morgan/ The Higher Education Times

By closing its Sheffield office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills could be losing a “centre of excellence” in higher education policymaking and jeopardising the prospects of the Green Paper along with David Cameron’s goals on access.

That is the picture painted by critics of BIS’ move to close down its building in the city, which puts at risk about 250 jobs, including those of about 40 staff working on higher education. The move has been presented as undermining the government’s “northern powerhouse” rhetoric in its relocation of jobs to London – and also has a potential impact on higher education. Nick Hillman, formerly special adviser to David Willetts in his time as universities and science minister, has already described the move as “a genuine tragedy for good public policymaking”. The Sheffield civil servants “hold BIS’ institutional memory on HE and often know more than the policymakers who are nominally closer to the centre of power”, the Higher Education Policy Institute director has written.

And the BIS group of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has told me more about what they see as the potential impact on higher education. There are currently 38 staff working on higher education (although about five are already scheduled to leave on voluntary severance deals at the end of March). According to the PCS branch,

“almost all” are working on the Green Paper consultation.

At a Universities UK conference Polly Payne, joint director of higher education in BIS, emphasised the volume of responses to the Green Paper and the length of time that it would take to get through them. If Jo Johnson, the universities and science minister, wants to get out a consultation response before a possible European Union referendum later this year, then the Sheffield closure won’t help. Part of the teaching excellence framework team is also based in Sheffield, as are the widening participation team and those working on “market entry” in higher education – all key priorities in the Green Paper.

The prime minister has set out two goals in the area of widening participation: doubling the proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education from 2009 levels by 2020, and increasing the number of black and minority ethnic students going to university by 20 per cent by 2020. If the PCS branch is to be believed, then there is a potential impact on these goals.

At last week’s BIS select committee hearing on the work of the department, Paul Blomfield, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central, called the Sheffield office a “centre of excellence for further and higher education policy”. Staff will have to reapply for their jobs and no packages for relocation to London are being offered, he added.

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New classic books in schools initiative launched Department for Education and Nick Gibb MP

Jane Eyre and Gulliver’s Travels will be some of the literary treats offered to schools thanks to Penguin and Schools Minister Nick Gibb. Anna Karenina, The Thirty-Nine Steps and Twelve Years a Slave are among 100 titles being offered as part of a new initiative from Penguin Classics, following a call for action by Schools Minister Nick Gibb to ensure there is more classic literature being taught in our schools.

The 100 titles - taken from Penguin’s popular Black Classics series - range from the earliest writings to early 20th century works, span fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, and are intended to offer a springboard for children to discover the classics. All the titles are by authors who died before 1946 and are therefore out of copyright.

Penguin is offering secondary schools classroom sets of 30 copies of each of the 100 titles for a package price of £3,000, allowing pupils to read along with their teacher and classmates.

The Schools Minister wants to encourage debate and discussion among students and members of the public on what classic literature should be read in the classroom.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: It is important that all pupils

in secondary school are taught to read and enjoy challenging books from amongst the world’s greatest literature. The first few years of secondary education is an opportunity for pupils to be introduced to such literature free from the constraints and analysis of public exams.

I welcome this initiative from Penguin and look forward to seeing the list grow so schools can discover great books together. But this is not the end of the debate and I want this to be a springboard for discussion on the impact a great story can have on us all.

Simon Winder, Publishing Director, Penguin Classics said: For 70 years, Penguin Classics have been introducing the world’s most extraordinary books to millions of readers. The Classics in Schools initiative is a fantastic opportunity to

continue with what has always been our mission - to get remarkable, good-value books into the hands of as many people as possible.

We have chosen 100 books from the Penguin Classics series to continue our tradition of engaging the next generation - to surprise, provoke and delight young readers. The opportunity to work with schools to make these 100 books available to their students is a unique one and we are thrilled to be involved.

Nick Gibb wants to encourage more secondary schools to read together as a whole class, ensuring all pupils leave school well read and with an appreciation of a wide range of authors, genres and texts.

The list from Penguin Classics is intended to broaden the literature which pupils are exposed to and allow them to enjoy stories and au-

Justine Greening urges firms to hire more ‘rough diamonds’ Express and Star

Justine Greening said apprenticeships are “just a start” and insisted that companies should not just hire people from the “usual networks” .Businesses should “feel in their heart” that improving social mobility is the right thing to do and realise disadvantaged youngsters can be “immensely successful” with the right opportunities. In a speech that strayed outside her brief as International Development Secretary, Ms Greening drew on her own experiences of growing up as a steelworker’s daughter in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. After her father was made redundant from British Steel, Ms Greening said she had the toughest year of her life but “knuckled down” and went on to study economics at university.

Ms Greening became an accountant, with her employer then

Justine Greening says companies should not just hire people from the “usual networks”

funding an MBA at London Business School, and she insisted that such help for young people should be normal.

The Conservative MP said it was important to improve education but that business is the “big player”

in improving social mobility. Speaking at the 2nd Chance training and education project in south-east London, Ms Greening said: “For employers and businesses I think they need to see that apprenticeships is just a start.

But what else can they do?

Are they really promoting beyond the usual networks? Are they recruiting outside the sort of usual recruits that they bring into their company?

“My then employer, SmithKline they put me through an MBA at the London Business School but that’s not that normal actually. Why not?

“How can Britain’s corporate world do a systemically better job of overall consistently pulling in and then pulling through the talent of young people we have who start as rough diamonds, but can be immensely successful if they get the right opportunities if they are spotted and

thors which might otherwise be beyond their individual reading level.

The move builds on government reforms which have transformed the way young people learn to read. Since the introduction of the phonics screening check in 2012, 120,000 more children are on track to becoming excellent readers.

The government has already made more than £20 million available for schools to buy and develop resources for teaching phonics. Those who do not reach the threshold in the light-touch check are given extra reading help by their teachers so they catch up early in their school career, before it is too late.

In August 2015, the Department for Education announced its ambition to be the best in Europe for reading by 2020 alongside the first steps in the government’s literacy campaign, including: • funding the Reading Agency to extend their popular Chatterbooks scheme which has led to 200 new book clubs being opened in primary schools since September last year • supporting the Reading Agency to work with schools and get more year 3 pupils enrolled at their local library to help them get into the library habit early Scholastic have launched their Scholastic Classics, giving schools and students access to the classics in class sets and packs. then developed.”

She went on: “Getting young people out of our education system who don’t necessarily always have that polish, if you like, that some of their counterparts have.

“I’ve talked about a levelling up of Britain and that’s a really important phrase to me.

“Because I wouldn’t have been helped growing up in Rotherham by taking away an opportunity from someone else, that would have completely upset me. “What I wanted was a levelling up of opportunity for me to have a go too.” She added: “Fundamentally, you just talked about education, but after a while it becomes business that is really the big player in opportunity.”

Ms Greening urged firms to understand the economic case, insisting that people’s potential is often wasted in the UK. “I think in the end though, again you go back to our learning in DfID (Department for International Development), you need businesses to feel it in their heart, they need to have a sense that it’s the right thing to do,” she said.

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UK and Australia set to collaborate on student loan repayment

By Chris Havergal/ Times Higher Education

The UK and Australian governments are set to share data on expatriate graduates in a bid to improve student debt collection. The planned agreement is part of a new strategy designed to help recoup more of the £457 million portion of the UK student loan book that is held by non-paying or “unverified” borrowers who live overseas.

Australia is the most popular destination for British university leavers who have a student loan, and correspondingly is home to the largest amount of outstanding debt apart from the UK itself.

Ministers are pursuing the idea of data sharing – in which information on Australian graduates in the UK could also be shared with the Canberra government – after successful pilots involving Sweden and the Netherlands. In the trials, each country shared the details of about 200 borrowers, believed to be in each other’s countries, who were not making regular repayments and whose status was unknown. Using public and government data, it proved possible to locate up to 90 per cent of non-responding borrowers, and one in five of these started making repayments after receiving a single letter.

The strategy says that other European Union countries are joining the initiative, which could become a “wider European approach to data sharing”, and adds that talks are also under way with more nonEU countries. In addition, the Student Loans Company could make increased use of international debt collection services and “tracing agencies”. The strategy also says that sanctions for borrowers in the UK and overseas who actively evade repayment could be strengthened, with options including the levying of penalties, serving a default notice to a borrower’s credit history and “the use of litigation where appropriate and cost-effective”.

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PARENTING

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Smoothing the adoption process

The Foster to Adopt scheme was introduced in 2012 by Prime Minister David Cameron

By Tammy McAllister/ BBC

Finding a permanent loving home for a baby approved for adoption can take several months. In 2012, the government said it would change the law to allow potential adopters to foster a baby while the courts were deciding on its future. So what has the Foster to Adopt experience been like for those taking this route?

In 2013 David and Jane, from Somerset, were placed with a three-week old baby boy.

“We met him on my birthday which was the best birthday because we’d gone through IVF and had miscarriages so that’s why we were doing this,” Jane says.

“We really wanted to be parents and to have a baby and what it felt like from the very beginning.” Another couple, Mary and her husband John, volunteered to try out the scheme in 2013. They met their adoptive daughter when she was three months old.

“A lot of the professionals we come in contact with comment how happy and sociable, how well adjusted she is,” says Mary.

“They seem to see a real difference in her

compared to children the same age who have been in care for longer and that’s wonderful for us to know.” Those in favour of the foster to adopt scheme believe it increases the likelihood of an adopted child receiving a stable upbringing.

Children in care in England…

• 52,050 were in a foster placement • 3,715 were under the age of one • 3,320 were placed for adoption • 2,630 were unaccompanied asylum seeking children (Source: Department for Education) Most experts believe a stable start in life with a safe parent figure is among the most significant factors in preventing a child developing behavioural difficulties. “I think with the multiple moves, if you’re not careful you’re embedding a pattern that says chaos, saying, ‘I can’t cope, I’m overwhelmed’,” social worker, Richard Reddington, said. He added if babies or children could not regulate their own emotions, they would revert to a “fight or flight” mode to stay safe, something they had no choice about.

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Another mother, Alison, who adopted her daughter before the law was changed, says she wishes she had done so when her daughAlso available: ter was younger. She adopted her daughter when she was five years Wellbaby Liquid old after she had been taken into Wellkid® Calcium care aged three and then placed WellTeen® Original with different foster carers.

CHEWABLE TABLETS DROPS “I have got a very satisfying career and I would have had to From , Superdrug, Holland have given that up in order to & Barrett, supermarkets, chemists, health stores & vitabiotics.com have been a foster carer so that *Nielsen GB ScanTrack Total Coverage wouldn’t have worked for me,” Value Sales 52 w/e 25th April 2015. says Alison. “But if the question is would I have rather had my daughter when she was a baby then of solute rollercoaster emotionally in those first ADWKD10x8_10-09-15E.indd 1 11/09/2015 course, absolutely categorically the answer couple of years.” is yes because then I could have spared her Although the foster to adopt scheme is five years of considerable trauma. “We could intended to smooth the adoption process, have built our lives together from a very good the placement period is still a worrying time start rather than from a very rocky start.” for prospective parents while social workers She said her daughter displayed behavioural establish the best option for the baby. Birth problems. parents also continue to see their child under supervised contact sessions. For Mary, this Baby adoptions via the Foster also meant meeting a relative of the birth mother who was also being considered as a to Adopt scheme since 2012 prospective adopter. Although she liked the • 14 Gloucestershire County Council woman, it was an unsettling experience.

• 12 Somerset County Council “I felt that we were a barrier to stopping • 10 Bristol City Council the baby being with her family and that was • 6 South Gloucestershire Council a real low point for me,” she says. “It was • 5 Wiltshire Council • 1 Bath and North East Somerset Council a real wobble and so that was quite a difficult time.” However her fears turned out to (Source: BBC) “One minute she would be very loving be unfounded and her application to adopt and caring and clinging to me and the next was approved. For Jane, meeting her son’s minute she would be very confused and angry birth mother was “very hard” as she already begging to be taken to her foster carers and felt like his mother.” We wanted to form a she could be very physical with me,” she says. good attachment with him so giving him “There was a lot of pinching, pushing, shov- back to his birth parent was hard (during the ing, biting so it was unpredictable and an ab- contact sessions).

What’s a child worth? Cost of raising kids soars by 11%

By Keith Kendrick/ Parentdish

Children might be brilliant value for money in terms of love and entertainment, but they don’t come cheap – and they’re getting even more expensive. In fact, new research reveals that the cost of raising a child has soared by an incredible 11 per cent.

Family shopping club KidStart found that parents on an average single income of £21,473 a year now fork out 49 per cent of what comes in on their kids, compared to 38 per cent 10 years ago. That’s an increase of 55.29 per cent, compared to the average rise in UK income of 25.07 per cent, making Britain one of the most expensive countries to raise children.

And if that news wasn’t gloomy enough, KidStart warned the cost is going to soar because of recent cuts in child benefits and rising university fees. Julian Robson, CEO of KidStart said: “Families are well aware that children are expensive but when this escalating cost is compared against the average rise in income we can clearly see why parents are burdened by financial pressures.

“With the recent cuts in child benefits, parents will need all the support and advice they can get to help make their money go further and combat the rise in living costs.” Other findings from the research showed that: • 44 per cent of working parents say financial pressures are their

greatest worry.

• The average UK house price in September 2012 was £233,000 just slightly less than it would

cost for you to raise a child in London from cradle to college £234,263 • The most expensive period of

The cost of raising children is more than £230,000

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a child’s life is the university years with an increase of 75 per cent from 2003 to 2011, caused by increased tuition fees over the last 10 years.

• Sweden is the cheapest country to raise a child as parents only spend 4.7 per cent of their income. Thirteen per cent is the average proportion of income that parents spend on their children across the globe.

Julian Robson added: “KidStart’s aim is to try and ease those money worries and help parents save for their children’s future.

For families, knowing that they are saving money whenever they do a regular shop at one of our partner retailers is a huge relief as their money can stretch even further.”

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BEAUTY & FASHION

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What do the Bafta winners mean for the 2016 Oscars?

The Revenant’s Alejandro G. Iñárritu with Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Supporting Actress winner Kate Winslet

EE Rising Star award-winner John Boyega

Creatives of Colour leader Leon Herbert with The Revenant’s Will Poulter

By Huw Fullerton/ Radio Times

Bafta Film Awards delivered few surprises, and paved the way for several of the winners (full list here) to pick up the equivalent awards at the Oscars later this month – just as soon as they’ve finished warming themselves up from the sub-zero temperatures of the red carpet.

After winning the Golden Globe and SAG Best Actor awards along with his Bafta, The Revenant’s Leonardo DiCaprio looks like a shoo-in for the top acting gong at the Hollywood ceremony, and Brie Larson seems pretty locked in after winning all three awards as well.

Still, there could be a surprise there – Larson’s in a strong category this year, so Jennifer Lawrence, Charlotte Rampling, Saoirse Ronan or Cate Blanchett could steal it from under her nose.

Elsewhere in the major awards it was The Revenant’s night as Alejandro G. Iñárritu picked up gongs for Best Director and Best Picture, and if he repeats his likely success in the Oscars it’ll be the first time since Joseph L Mankiewicz’s double win in 1949/1950 that someone has won back-to-back directing Oscars (after Iñárritu’s win for Birdman last year). A director has NEVER won back-to-back Best Pictures before, so it would be an extremely big deal all round.

But then of course the Bafta Best Picture/Best Director winners aren’t always a precursor of Oscar success. Just last year Iñárritu and his film Birdman were overlooked this side of the pond in favour of Richard Linklater and his comingof-age epic Boyhood, and this year movies like Spotlight and The Big Short (which won Baftas for original and adapted screenplay last night, a feat they’re likely to repeat at the Oscars) could give The Revenant a run for its money in a

Bafta 2016 winners

country where their very American stories resonate more with voters.

It’s also worth noting that the Producer’s Guild of America, the Screen Actors’ Guild and the Directors’ Guild of America usually all choose the eventual winner of the Oscar for their own Best Picture awards, but this year in an extremely rare twist they’ve all gone different ways – PGA for The Big Short, DGA for The Revenant and SAG for Spotlight – so it could still be anyone’s game. In fact, given the PGA win the edge might be given to recession comedy-drama The Big Short, as the PGA switched to the same ballot system as the Oscars in 2009 and has accurately predicted every Best Picture winner since then. So maybe Iñárritu won’t be making movie history just yet.

In the remaining major categories it seems likely that Mark Rylance’s Supporting Actor win for Bridge of Spies will stand him in good stead (though Sylvester Stallone’s big comeback in Creed might just leave the Wolf Hall actor out for the count), while Kate Winslet’s Supporting Actress triumph

as Joanna Hoffman in Steve Jobs might struggle in a strong category including Alicia Vikander, Rachel McAdams, Rooney Mara and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

And of course there were a lot of snubs last night, bound to leave actors and filmmakers going to the February 28th Oscars ceremony with a little less hope. Despite picking up the most nominations at the Baftas (nine in total) Todd Haynes’ Carol went home empty-handed, and considering it’s nominated for even fewer Oscars (including an absence from big categories Best Film and Best Director) it’s not looking great for the Cate Blanchett/Rooney Mara lesbian romance.

Ridley Scott’s The Martian suffered a similar drought, while sci-fi blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens was beaten to many of its technical awards by George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which has even more nominations at the Oscars (including Best Director and Best Picture) but will probably just clean up in the craft categories again. And while Saoirse Ronan’s Brooklyn won Best British Film

at the Baftas there’s no equivalent Oscar, so it’ll have to go toe-to-toe with the big hitters in the Best Film, Best Actress and Best Writing fields. Again though, this very American tale might resonate more with US voters, so absolutely anything could happen, particularly for Ronan in the acting category.

With that said, one thing is for sure this year– the Oscar winners are bound to be less diverse than their Bafta cousins, with black actor John Boyega picking up the publicvoted Rising Star award last night, Asian director Asif Kapadia awarded the prize for Best Documentary for Amy, and Jordanian filmmaker Naji Abu Nowar awarded the Outstanding Debut Bafta (along with Rupert Lloyd) for Theeb.

Sidney Poitier was awarded the Fellowship, while other Bafta nominees from ethnic minorities included Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation and Benicio del Toro for Sicario, both for Best Supporting Actor.

The presenters of the various awards also seemed pointedly diverse this year in a possible retort

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from Bafta to the #OscarsSoWhite scandal (Trumbo’s Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje joked that “This seems to be a running theme, this interracial dating tonight,” after other awards were presented by duos of Idris Elba with Kate Winslet and Blake Harrison with Gemma Chan).

The Oscars, meanwhile have only one non-white nominee in the headline categories – The Revenant’s director Iñárritu – and while he’s a likely winner it’s not nearly enough to satisfy the increasing calls for the Academy to diversify after the second year in a row with no non-white actors nominated.

The only black Oscar nominee this year is musician The Weeknd (for Best Original Song), and along with Amy’s Asif Kapadia the other nonwhite nominees are limited to costume designer Paco Delgado, short film director Basil Khalil and producer Rosa Tran.

This isn’t to say the Baftas are a perfect example of diversity, of course – there were still a few notable ethnic minority absences from the nominations this year including those involved with Straight Outta Compton and Creed, while Carol’s lack of silverware isn’t a great sign of LGBTA recognition either. But the British Academy do seem to be further ahead when it comes to addressing the issue. They even supported a peaceful protest (above) from organisation Creatives of Colour on the red carpet last night that called for more diversity in the film industry through quotas .

So in summary, the Baftas told us a few things we already knew, showed us that they’re SLIGHTLY cooler than the Americans about race (but still not that cool about it) and ably demonstrated via the red carpet just how impractical most ball gowns are when faced with freezing winds.

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What your clothing colour choice says about you

By Tory Dube/ Mind Body Green

Last month, I was particularly aware of my mental murkiness. It didn’t matter how many green juices, meditation sessions or extra hours of sleep I added to my schedule — I couldn’t shake the dull, foggy mood I was schlepping around. I chalked it up to the dreadfully cold winter New York is experiencing, and drank another green juice.

It wasn’t until I was having one of those “maybe I should rearrange the whole apartment to avoid doing my work” moments that it hit me. Sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor, I was looking around at a sea of grey clothes: 19 grey shirts, four pairs of black pants, four pairs of grey pants ... 99% my winter wardrobe was downright depressing.

Whether you’re hip to the science of colour therapy or not, there’s no denying we have deep associations with certain colours. What does bright yellow remind you of? I bet you say the sun. What about green? Grass. Blue? The expansive summer sky, or the ocean. Now what does

This week Sudoku

grey remind you of? For me, I think of dirty snow, a sad elephant and gloomy weather. In an attempt to limit materialistic behaviour, I’d often throw on any old thing, paying no mind to how it made me feel. But not being mindful of your own vibes when you step out into the world isn’t doing anyone any favours. The better you feel about yourself, the more you have to give to others.

Chromo therapy explains why we’re physiologically affected in certain ways by certain colours, but I’ll save you the science lesson so you can start focusing on dressing for success. The clothes you choose to wear are viewed by you throughout the day, so they should serve as a source of constant inspiration. Is your wardrobe inspiring or draining you?

Check out the list below to see how you can tweak your wardrobe to positively affect you throughout the day!

• Grey causes indifference, non-expressiveness. Some associated terms are

Solution of last week

fixed, depressed, lifeless apathetic.

• Black symbolizes extremes, all or nothing.

• Gold symbolizes authority, self-confidence, creativity, perfection.

• Silver inspires emotional stability, removes or neutralizes negativity.

• Copper & bronze symbolizes love and passion in personal and professional relationships and endeavours.

• Red stimulates energy, warmth and healing. Some associated terms are courage, will-power, speed and assertiveness.

• Orange stimulates new possibilities, creativity and enthusiasm.

• Yellow awakens mental inspiration and energizes your muscles. (Remember, your heart is a muscle!)

• Green inspires balance and harmony, soothes both the mind and body.

• Blue soothes and cools.

• Indigo as a mix of blue and red, indigo combines the devotion of blue and stabilization of red. Indigo inspires coolness and electricity.

• Violet & purple are colours of transformation, soothing mental and emotional stress. For those of you who meditate, it is believed that violet strengthens one’s spiritual power.

• White is the combination of all colours. It signifies perfection, balance and harmony.

• Magenta inspires magnetism and extra focus to achieve power.

• Pink restores youthfulness, inspires genuine contact to your true feelings.

• Turquoise increases intuition and sensitivity. Relaxes sensations of stress.

• Brown represents solidity and grounding, natural and simple.

So, now what? Should you go out and buy a new wardrobe? Not necessarily. If you’ve got the cash, shop ‘till you drop. If you’re like most of us, just make due with you already own. In attempts to spice up my winter clothes I have added bright jewellery (that I already owned but only rocked in the summertime), colourful scarves and even bright socks.

Take note of how certain colours affect you and keep it in mind when dressing each day. Who knows, maybe your next big idea is just a gold broach away.

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Starts with: E, U, Ai, Au, Va, Vi, Vu, Ve, Vo A person who has been seeking your participation in a certain venture may have some selfish intentions behind the entire scheme.

Gemini - May 22 - June 21 Starts with: Ka, Ki, Ku, Gha, Dha, Chha, Ke, Ko, Ha Monetary gains are indicated through your efforts at work.

Some of you may invest in a property or a vehicle. Socially, you are much in demand. In a meetings or a social gathering, you are going to be very popular.

Cancer - June 22 - July 23 Starts with: Hi, Hu, He, Ho, Da, Di, Du, De, Do Do not get taken in by false promises of making quick money, it might lead to a major setback. Being away from home most of the time you could be losing on the pleasures and delights of marriage and romance.

Leo - Jul 24 - Aug 23 Starts with: Ma, Mi, Mu, Me, Mo, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te You seem to benefit more through your social contacts and good public relations. But make sure to meet all your deadlines otherwise you might lose credibility or even will let down your supporters. Those looking for openings in a creative field will get a favourable offer this week.

Virgo - Aug 24 - Sep 23 Starts with: To, Pa, Pi, Pu, Sha, Na, Tha, Pe, Po You will do well at work and monetary gains are indicated for you this week. You may be prised your recent achievements. Those who have been unwell will make a quick recovery. A happy occasion will be celebrated in the family. Show respect to you well-wishers.

Libra - Sep 24 - Oct 23 Starts with: Ra, Ri, Ru, Re, Ro, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te You will be in a mood to take a risk participating in new ventures, and they are likely to be successful. There will be new developments around you which will give you plenty opportunities and scope to surge ahead in your career.

Scorpio - Oct 24 - Nov 22 Starts with: To,Na, Ni, Nu, Ne, Nau, Ya, Yi, Yu It will be a busy but very rewarding week. You may plan a journey. News from overseas concerning work will also be favourable. Your entertainment this week will be successful . However late nights could affect your health. You must show respect to your seniors and take extra care in money matters.

Sagittarius - Nov 23 - Dec 21 Starts with: Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi, Bhu, Gha, Pha, Dha, Bhe You will need to work in co-operation with others to achieve optimum results. Put more trust and faith in your loved ones to achieve harmony. You might realise that you have been oversensitive for no reason. Take care of your health this week.

Capricorn - Dec 22 - Jan 20 Starts with: Bho, Ja, Ji, Ju, Je, Jo, Kha, Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho, Ga, Gi An increase in your income is indicated. You will be able to re-invest your extra money profitably. There will be some tension at home especially for those living in a joint family. Try to keep your anger under control or things could get nasty. Your old friend might help you in a new venture this week.

Aquarius - Jan 21 - Feb 19 Starts with: Gu, Ge, Go, Sa, Si, Su, Se, So, Da Some delays in getting payments could be distressing.

Handle financial issues carefully to avoid any losses. Do not make any further investments and financial commitments right now.

You will be able to overcome difficulties in your personal life. Your partner will be supportive and helpful.

Pisces - Feb 20 - Mar 20 Starts with: Di, Du, Tha, Jha, Sha, De, Do, Cha,Chi It might be a very busy week work wise for you. You will be meeting a lot of people and getting new work proposals. You may feel tensed about certain developments in the family. A family member will visit you this week.

34

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Top vacancies in Heathrow

Please note that for the majority of vacancies in Heathrow applicants must have fully checkable 5-year background and a valid passport for issue of BAA ID pass

Heathrow Jobcentre Plus office is now on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ Heathrow_JCP for news of latest hot vacancies and job search tips TEAM MEMBERS- STARBUCKS CAFÉ £7.46 PER HOUR REF. 24927978

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CHARITY

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MPs support Alzheimer’s Society’s Fix Dementia Care campaign Virendra Sharma MP for Ealing, Southall joined over 160 other MPs at the launch of Alzheimer’s Society’s new campaign Fix Dementia Care which calls for improvements in hospital care for people living with dementia.

MPs gathered in Westminster to call for greater transparency across the NHS following an Alzheimer’s Society investigation which found too many people with dementia are falling while in hospital, being discharged at night or being marooned in hospital despite their medical treatment having finished.

Freedom of Information requests (FOIs) carried out by the charity found that in 2014-15: • 28% of people over the age of 65 who fell in hospital had dementia - but this was as high as 71% in the worst performing

Virendra Sharma MP (R)

hospital trust • In 68 trusts that responded to this FOI (41%), 4,926 people with dementia were dis-

charged between the hours of 11pm and 6am • In the worst performing hospitals, people with dementia were found to be staying five to seven times longer than other patients over the age of 65 Virendra Sharma MP said: “Good hospital care for people with dementia should never be a throw of the dice – yet in some hospitals people are routinely experiencing the consequences of poor care”.

“Alzheimer’s Society were in Westminster to urge MPs to back their new Fix Dementia Care campaign to end the postcode lottery on the quality of hospital care people with dementia face. The first step to improving the issue across the country is greater transparency - once we know where the shortcomings are we can take steps

Prepayment rip off must end!

The latest research by the Citizens Advice Bureau has revealed that pre-payment meter customers on average pay £226 a year extra for the cost of their energy compared to the cheapest direct debit tariff.

And with 1 in 5 prepayment meter users already in fuel poverty this amounts to an extra £1,099,264 a year being taken out of the pockets of the 4864 Ealing, Southall households who can least afford it.

Virendra Sharma MP joined Dawn Butler MP at the launch of her campaign along with Sadiq Khan MP, Labour’s candidate for Mayor of London, calling to take action on the Big 6 energy companies.

The petition calls on the government and energy companies to: 1. Cut the cost of prepayment meters in line with the cheapest direct debit fuel tariffs saving consumers £226 a year 2. End debt collection by energy companies during the winter (Scottish Energy have lead the way) 3. Ensure homes with pensioners, disabled people and children don’t have prepayment meters fitted 4. Stop installation of prepayment meters during the winter 5. Monitor and require action on self-disconnection by those on smart meters and pri-

Prepayment rip off

to tackle them.”

George McNamara, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Alzheimer’s Society said: “We must put a stop to the culture where it’s easier to find out about your local hospital finances than the quality of care you’ll receive if you have dementia. We are encouraging everyone to get behind our campaign to improve transparency and raise the bar on quality.”

“Poor care can have devastating, life-changing consequences. Becoming malnourished because you can’t communicate to hospital staff that you are hungry, or falling and breaking a hip because you’re confused and no-one’s around to help, can affect whether you stand any chance of returning to your own home or not.

“We are delighted to have been able to engage over 160 MPs in oritise prepayment meter customers in the UK roll-out.

Virendra Sharma MP said: “It is unacceptable that the poorest in our society are forced to pay the most for their energy bills when the cost of energy is falling but bills continue to rise. I will continue to call for real action in the energy market to pass on the savings which thousands of families in Ealing, Southall deserve. This Prepay Rip Off must end now.”

Dawn Butler MP said: “It is about time someone stood up to the Big 6 energy companies on behalf of the most vulnerable energy consumers who are being left out of pocket. The cost of energy is at an all-time low yet prices keep going up. The Government need to take action to force energy companies to pass on these savings to consumers.

If you support my campaign add your voice by signing the petition!”

Sadiq Khan MP highlighted at the launch the enormous cost to Londoners: “1 in 5 households in London have no choice but to use prepayment meters to pay their bills. This could be costing the most disadvantaged families in the capital an additional £140 million a year. This is money taken out of the pockets of those who can least afford it, and money that would otherwise be spent in the local economy on goods and services.

I am calling on the energy companies to automatically give Londoners the best possible deal on their energy tariffs and ensure the most disadvantaged in our communities are given reduced standing rates.”

You can sign the petition online by going to http://chn.ge/1P83QSC.

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one day. Virendra Sharma MP has a huge influence in Ealing, Southall and we hope he will use this opportunity to take action and improve the care for people living with dementia.”

The campaign is making the following recommendations to fix dementia care: • All hospitals to publish an annual statement of dementia care, which includes feedback from patients with dementia, helping to raise standards of care across the country • The regulators, Monitor and the Care Quality Commission to include standards of dementia care in their assessments Alzheimer’s Society is calling on people to back the Fix Dementia Care campaign by signing up at www.alzheimers. org.uk

Ciné Film of Heston, Hounslow, Isleworth and Osterely

By Liz Mammatt, Committee Member, Hounslow and District History Society

A Ciné Film of Heston, Hounslow, Isleworth and Osterley is to be presented at the next meeting of the Hounslow and District History Society’s which is held United Reformed Church Hall, Chapel Road, Hounslow on Tuesday 23th February 2016 at 7.45pm.

Vice-President Andrea Cameron, assisted by Local Studies’ Librarian James Marshall, will present a 1930s ciné film made by Alfred Sanson between 1935 and 1938. Alfred Sanson was the caretaker of Spring Grove Central School, now the site of Kingfisher Court, off Thornbury Road.

Local scenes and events cover Spring Grove, Osterley, Hanworth, Hounslow, Cranford and further afield to Staines, Hayes and West Drayton. These show a past way of life which ended in 1939 with the Second World War. Old scenes from these very familiar local venues will be fascinating. Everyone is welcome at £2.00 each for non-members.

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The Birth of Jesus Christ Christ and the early Church didn’t celebrate Christmas. Why? Was the birth of Jesus really on December 25? What else is questionable about Christmas?

By James Capo/ Life Hope and Truth

Today, Christmas has become a nostalgic icon of a past that never was. Santa Claus, the Christmas tree and lots of gifts take center stage in Christian and non-Christian homes.

But these and other customs have little connection to the Bible and the true story of the birth of Jesus, or the message and meaning of His first coming. While the Bible teaches a great deal about Jesus and His message through the story of the birth of Jesus Christ (“Christ” means “messiah” or “anointed”), the traditions of Christmas often mislead, misinform and even contradict the Scriptures!

Would you be surprised to learn that the Bible doesn’t say when Jesus Christ was born? That the early New Testament Church didn’t celebrate Christmas? That Christmas was banned by the Puritans of New England? Or that some Christians today do not celebrate Christmas for biblical and doctrinal reasons?

Why? Honouring Christ?

The primary problem is that the roots of Christmas lie in polytheistic, pagan religious practices, rather than in Christian ones. The New Testament Church honoured Christ as the One who came to deliver us from error, darkness and sin. Having turned from paganism to follow Christ, early Christians would never have continued in the practices of paganism in an effort to honour Him!

The apostle Paul wrote, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:8-11). If something is grounded in practices dedicated to pagan worship and false gods, continuing in such “unfruitful works of darkness” would have been a fundamental violation of the allegiance and obedience they were pledging, as Christians, to their Savior and King! No wonder, then, that the New Testament Church did not observe Christmas.

When did “Christmas” become “Christian”?

The World Book Encyclopedia explains, “The first mention of the celebration of Christmas occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar, which indicates December 25 as the day of observance” (1990, article “Christmas”). Notice this first mention of Christmas is more than 300 years after Christ’s lifetime! The date of Christ’s birth is not recorded in the Bible. So why did they pick December 25?

“This celebration was probably influenced by pagan (unchristian) festivals held at that time. The ancient Romans held year-end celebrations to honour Saturn, their harvest god; and Mithras, the god of light. Various peoples in northern Europe held festivals in midDecember to celebrate the end of

the harvest season. … [Their] customs gradually became part of the Christmas celebration” (ibid.).

Even religious people who celebrate Christmas have written about its non-Christian roots. Consider this history from the “Grace to You” website: “The decision to celebrate Christmas on December 25 was made sometime during the fourth century by church bishops in Rome. They had a specific reason for doing so.

“The first mention of the celebration of Christmas occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar, which indicates December 25 as the day of observance”. “Having turned long ago from worshiping the one true God and creator of all things, many early cultures in the Roman empire had fallen into sun worship. Recognizing their dependence on the sun’s yearly course in the heavens, they held feasts around the winter solstice in December when the days are shortest. As part of their festivals, they built bonfires to give the sun god strength and bring him back to life again. When it became apparent that the days were growing longer, there would be great rejoicing.

“The church leaders in Rome decided to celebrate Christ’s birth during the winter solstice in an attempt to Christianize these popular pagan celebrations. For the most part their efforts failed to make the people conform, and the heathen festivities continued.”

“An affront unto the grace of God”

The Roman festivals were characterized by licentiousness—a trait that continued to characterize the supposedly Christian holiday through the centuries.

“Through most of its history, the Christmas season has been a time of raucous revelry and bacchanalian indulgence more akin to Mardi Gras or New Year’s Eve than to a silent holy night. So tarnished, in fact, was its reputation in colonial America that celebrating Christmas was banned in Puritan New England, where the noted minister Cotton Mather described yuletide merrymaking as ‘an affront unto the grace of God’” (Jeffery L. Sheler, “In Search of Christmas,” US News and World Report, December 23, 1996).

Christmas’s bad name continued as cities and celebrations grew. In 1828, “New York City organized its first professional police force in response to a violent Christmas riot” (ibid.). But wild and sometimes violent celebrations were soon to be transformed into the family friendly gatherings around the Christmas tree that have become the stuff of nostalgia—thanks, ironically, largely to the power of advertising and the commercialism so many today decry.

37

FAITH & SPIRITUALITY

Dada J. P. Vaswani met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Dada with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar met Dada J.P. Vaswani on his visit to Pune this February. Greeting Dada, Sri Sri said, “You have laid the path and we are all walking.”

Considering the condition of

the world today, Dada replied, “Now is the time to fly.”

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was on a day trip to Pune and took the time out to pay a personal visit to Dada JP Vaswani.

Ask the spiritual healer Phone: 07970641691 • www.sprituallypsychic.com email: bobbie@spirituallypsychic.com Prakash - Ilford

Hi Bobbie, I asked you a lot of questions and you answered them all. Some were positive and some negative.

You very politely explained that when things don’t happen, there is a reason. In fact we need to learn from what is not happening. Are we not on the right path or is it not meant to be or is there a hold up?

Bobbie answers

Dear Prakash, Yes, I remember you had a lot of questions to which you needed satisfactory answers and I believe that you got those answers to your satisfaction. Sometimes destiny plays an important role in our lives. Sometimes our thought process moves us away from the path that we are following. This is very easily done. In our thoughts we get side tracked. This is where Karma plays an important role.

No matter what the outcome, always remember about the good things because the minute we think that something is not right, we start judging others. Most of the time, people loose their faith and yet this is a test. Sometimes

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there is a hollowness and this is taken as a sign of negativity.

Sometimes people read symbolic messages as they want to. Mostly if the messages passed are to be taken positively then things do happen. It may take time but the end result is there. This is a learning process and in this we learn so much. The teachings learned by us go a long way. What I find amazing is that somewhere along the lines, there is somebody around us who is in need of learning lessons. Sometimes things happen but not when we expect them to. Always thank Lord for giving us what he has. We get greedy and want more and more.

In the olden times there was more unconditional love, peace and unity amongst us all.

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38

SPEED

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Hennessey Venom GT: Fastest car in the world - top speed 270.49 mph

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Top Speed

It’s been five years since Hennessey introduced the Venom GT, the only production car that’s faster than the Bugatti Veyron, and the Texas-based company has just announced than an updated version of the supercar will be offered for the 2016 model year. According to Hennessey founder and President John Hennessey, this will be the last iteration of the Venom GT. The Lotus Exige- based supercar will be replaced by the Venom F5, through which the American company wants to offer “improved power and performance both in terms of straight line acceleration as well as road course handling and lap time performance.”

The Hennessey Venom GT is a sports that the Hennessey Performance Engineering, a Texas-based tuning house, first revealed back in 2010. The Venom GT is currently

the fastest car in the world after a record of reaching a 270.49 top speed was set this year on February 2014 on the 3.22-mile shuttle landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center. The Venom GT has a Twin Turbocharged 7.0l LSX V8 engine and a Ricardo 6-speed Manual transmission, while its price currently starts from $6 million going up to $10 million.

Technical Features:

– Model years: 2012 – Engine: 7.0l [427ci] LSX Twin Turbocharged V8 – 1,244 hp (horsepower) – Transmission: Ricardo 6-speed Manual – Accelerates: 62 mph (100km/h) in 2.4 seconds – Top speed: 270.49 (435.3km/h) – Worth: from $6 million going up to $10 million. Hennessey has yet to announce pricing for the 2016 Venom GT It likely that not many of would ever be able to drive one of these fast-paced vehicles, let alone own one, but it is definitely amazing how fast these cars can and the incredible top speeds they are able to reach.

Thus, these were the world’s top ten fastest cars that shattered speed records in their own due times, and have earned their place among the top street-legal speedsters.

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39

SPORT

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1,000 runs and counting: Is this India’s next Tendulkar?

By Euan McKirdy and Mallika Kapur/ CNN

Pranav Dhanawade dreams of cricket, studies with a cricket ball in hand, and plays hooky from school to hit the pitch with his friends.

In India, this cricket obsessive isn’t alone. The entire country is mad about the sport, as seen by the overnight success of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008, it is now the most-watched 20-over tournament worldwide.

Last month, Pranav, aged 15, emerged as an unlikely cricket hero: scoring a phenomenal 1,009 runs in a single innings. He set a new world record in school cricket -- smashing one that had stood for more than 100 years, after Arthur Collins, aged 13, scored 628 runs in Bristol, England, in 1899.

Runaway success

“I never thought I would score the runs,” Pranav, the son of an auto-rickshaw driver, told CNN at his cramped but well-cared for home in a working-class township on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Pranav Dhanawade, 15, poses next to the score board after smashing a 117-year-old record for the number of runs scored in one innings. “When I went to bat, I was simply scoring runs -- but when I crossed 500, then 600 runs, I realized, ‘I can score 1,000’.”

When CNN visited his tiny home in Kalyan, two hours from Mumbai, Pranav said that while he felt happy, his overwhelming emotion was that of tiredness. Hardly surprising. Though he hit 59 sixes and 129 fours, he still had to run 2.8 kilometres between the wickets for the other 139 runs.

Pranav -- who says he doesn’t work out in the gym or lift weights -- hit his record from just 323 balls in 395 minutes.

A star is born: “Honestly, his

achievement is unthinkable, no matter who you play against,” former Indian international cricketer Ajit Agarkar told CNN. “Put any batsman out there, give him the worst bowler and I doubt he will reach 1,000 runs.” Equally im-

pressed by Pranav’s feats was cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. A fellow native of Mumbai, who made his Test match debut aged 16, Tendulkar is revered in India and holds the record for most runs scored both in Test matches and one day internationals. He sent a signed bat to Pranav, which arrived while CNN was visiting. The schoolboy’s eyes lit up as he held it reverentially.

The school run: Historically, Mumbai inter-school cricket -- a platform for talented players hoping to get scouted for the city’s Under-16 team -- has been extremely competitive, producing greats such as Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and Rohit Sharma, who captains current IPL champions Mumbai Indians. “Take any great cricketer from Mumbai and he’s

Pranav Dhanawade smashed his way to 1,009 runs out off 323 balls

Pranav Dhanawade

played school cricket here,” says Agarkar. “I benefited from it, personally. In fact, I changed schools because of cricket. Which is a big step for a 12-year-old. I was at a school that was not very strong in cricket, so I switched schools to go to one that was known for its cricket.” Performing well at the Under-16 level often led to a place on a Ranji Trophy side -- India’s domestic cricket championship -- and from there, the Indian national team. Today, it’s slightly different.

With the rise of new formats such as the IPL and other T20 competitions, and the proliferation of private cricket coaching academies in recent years, there are more scouts

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looking for talent, meaning aspiring stars have more opportunity to get spotted.

Cricketing dreams: Following in the footsteps of batsman Sharma -- whose father was a caretaker, and who excelled in school cricket -- Pranav hopes his talent will provide a route out of poverty.

“I want him to be a good cricketer,” says Pranav’s mother Mohini Dhanawade. “He should rise high, but keep his feet firmly planted on the ground. That’s what I pray for.” Speaking outside their modest home, his father Prashant Dhanawade says: “Pranav’s 1,009 proves that everyone is equal. This is the magic of cricket”.

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Arsenal won the cup last year and will now focus on retaining it

FA and Premier League could scrap FA Cup replays Theo Walcott celebrates with Hector Bellerin after scoring the first goal for Arsenal

By Desmond Kane/ Eurosport

FA Cup matches could be moved to midweek and replays scrapped as the Football Association looks to help the England national team and Premier League clubs in European competition, report the BBC. The FA and Premier League have apparently held talks about cutting back on the number of fixtures in England, with FA Cup ties potentially moved to midweek and League Cup semi-finals being contested over one match rather than the traditional two-legged affairs in January. The report in the Independent claims there is a “willingness among sides to push for change”.

Due to the League Cup format, English clubs play more matches in a season that their European counterparts, a situation that has alarmed some Premier League sides as they bid to make an impact in the Champions League. The FA have their own reasons for wanting to shorten the calendar with the concerns over the English national side suffering burn-out when they are expected to contest major tournaments at the end of arduous domestic seasons in England.

The Independent claim that Barcelona and Real

Madrid remain the preferred destination for the club’s elite players due to the demands of the English game. “In transfer negotiations, clubs have found that some elite players are put off by the “intensity” of the league, which has been put forward as one significant reason why Barcelona and Real Madrid are still preferred destinations for the game’s top stars,” read a report in the Independent. Any move to change the format of the Cup competitions would need to wait until the end of the broadcasting deal for the FA Cup - shared between the BBC and BT Sport - with the Football League also involved in talks over any changes to the League Cup. There is certainly common sense in seeking a reduction to the num-

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ber of fixtures. It would also be beneficial to the integrity of the FA Cup if matches were settled on the night rather than clubs facing the prospect of a replay that continues to be viewed as a major hindrance to the bigger clubs. Teams competing in Europe and the national side would be assisted by such a manoeuvre, but there is also the added prospect of bringing back some much-needed credibility to Cup tournaments that have lost their lustre due to the importance of the Premier League and its huge televised financial incentives. The FA Cup should have greater prominence in the grand scheme of the national sport. The FA have released the fixture calendar for next season with the FA Cup final scheduled to take place on 21 May 2016.