News

Japan’s new volcanic islands provide scientists with an opportunity to study new life colonising untouched land By Dr. Robin George Andrews, TLE Science Editor  Have you ever heard of an island called Atarashii Shima, off the coast of Japan? I’m betting you haven’t, but to be fair, before November 2013, neither had anyone on the planet. This little island, not given an official name but which the Japanese media christened “new island”, formed close to Nishinoshima (meaning “western island”), a small...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Last week news filtered through that Handelsbanken, the Swedish-owned bank, had decided to open an office in the small town of Ashford in Kent. Eschewing the capital, the bank is one of many firms looking to secure international footing in the Garden of England. Perched on the banks of River Great Stour at the edge of North Downs, Ashford is a prodigy of international economic growth. Directly connected to London, Brussels and now the three largest...

Watch Norman Smith accidentally call Nigel Farage a c**t during a live broadcast on 14/05/2015.

By Max Bluer Thursday evening and the British general election’s exit poll has just been released; it accurately predicts massive gains for the Europhobic Conservative Party and the Scottish Nationalist Party – the driving force behind last year’s referendum on Scottish independence. That noise you heard when the news broke was supporters of the left, of the integrity of the United Kingdom and of the European project banging their collective head against the nearest wall.   David Cameron and his government...

By Pieter Cranenbroek The day after the UK general election, a Dutch journalist commented that ‘as long as the British press is giving out voting advice, you’re better off reading cat blogs.’ Although most European newspapers can be linked to a certain political group, this relationship is rarely as explicit as in the British media. With more flavours on the political menu and a surge in floating voters, it becomes increasingly important for newspapers to hide their political partisanship. There were...

By Marc Cave, co-founder of communication consultancy, Green Cave People Social values drive commercial value. That statement might feel empty to many business leaders. But when Unilever reports that their 'brands with purpose' are growing at twice the speed of others in their portfolio, it’s time to sit up and take note. Startups intrinsically understand this need to do good in order to do well. Looking at young ventures like Perfect World (premium ice cream made of nutrients that are...

By Jack Peat, TLE Editor   I am too old to be pulling all-nighters. On Thursday evening I returned home with a solid plan; exit polls at 10, bed, up at 6 for a clear indication of the results - and repercussions thereof - then at my desk for results in time for elevenses. GE2015 made a complete hash of that. Like many others, I became engrossed from 10 o clock onwards. Mainly in disbelief. I knew that a Labour...

By Alexander Murtagh A few weeks prior to the election even the most senior of Tory politicians wouldn’t have been arrogant enough to even suggest they were in line to win a majority in the House of Commons, but now they have been elected with just that. We have already seen David Cameron’s glistening ego parade itself in front of the press backed by the knowledge that he has managed to do what all his critics told him he couldn’t,...

By Steve Taggart, TLE Correspondent  Professional financial advice costs money, and hiring the wrong financial advisers could be a costly mistake. When deciding on an accountant, one of the first things you should consider is how much the service will set you back. As a small business owner, you can’t afford to squander your money. Accountants charge for their services depending on what task is required of them. This could be determined by an hourly rate, a set fee for...