Bank of england

This is an economic crisis and it’s right that government takes unprecedented steps to compensate employees and the self-employed from huge income hits. But how are we going to pay for these decisions? Eventually taxes will go up, but governments need to raise cash right now as tax revenues fall and spending surges. Luckily, borrowing costs are low, but what happens if financial markets are unable to absorb the huge amounts of extra borrowing? … [Read more...] about Borrow emergency cash by all means, but please pay it back

Cameron said the UK needed an "active industrial policy" to ensure there was a better balance, with some signs appearing of robust growth outside the capital. Employment was rising fastest in north-east England, exports were increasing fastest in the West Midlands and new apprenticeships were highest in north-west England, he said. … [Read more...] about Former Tesco chief executive left disappointed by retailer’s performance

The UK is not yet at capacity for intensive care beds. Powis said: "We are not at capacity yet within London, but beds are being opened all the time to produce that extra surge capacity." He added theatres and recovery areas are being used for patients as ventilators are already set up in those areas. He said that is already doubling the capacity. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is showing mild symptoms of coronavirus but is "absolutely leading the response from the front", Sharma confirmed. Stephen Powis issued a direct warning to the public: "Now is the time to really, really lockdown and hone-down on what we've been asked to do." CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - STAY IN THE KNOW … [Read more...] about What happened in today’s government coronavirus press conference?

“The best way for consumers to protect themselves is to remain vigilant and take extra precautions before clicking on any unsolicited emails, texts or answering calls. Make sure your computers, mobile phones and tablets are supported by the latest security updates, and consider installing antivirus software to minimise threats.” … [Read more...] about Social disease: how fraudsters adapt old scams to exploit coronavirus

Marie Borroff's translation, printed in full in the colossal Norton anthology, also fights shy of contemporary vocabulary, but has a bounce and a flourish that I found much more satisfying. For a good number of years this has been thought of by many as the definitive poetic translation. Some translators, for perfectly valid reasons and with great success, have chosen not to imitate its highly alliterative form. But to me, alliteration is the warp and weft of the poem, without which it is just so many fine threads. In some very elemental way, the story and the sense of the poem is directly located within its sound. The percussive patterning of the words serves to reinforce their meaning and to countersink them within the memory. So in trying to harmonise with the original rather than transcribe every last word of it, certain liberties have been taken. This is not an exercise in linguistic forensics or medieval history; the intention has always been to produce a living, inclusive and … [Read more...] about The knight’s tale