Co creating change

WALKING down the pavement, my heart pounding, I tried to keep my eyes on the floor. A group of men on the opposite side of the street were leering and shouting at me, making hand gestures, exchanging loud comments about my developing breasts. I was 14, and it was one of my earliest experiences of street harassment. It was the first time I’d felt really unsafe because I was a girl, but it wouldn’t be the last. I’d go on to be followed home, chased and spat at. A man would later masturbate near me on the bus while he stared intensely into my horrified eyes, grinning. A senior colleague at my first ever holiday temp job would send me inappropriate emails. Eventually, I’d be sexually assaulted a number of times in my twenties. I’d go on to start a campaign against sexism , only to be deluged with hundreds of rape and death threats. Men would compete to come up with the most disgusting ideas, sending me messages about using pieces of furniture to give me internal … [Read more...] about Everyday sexism is real: I’ve been spat at, followed and assaulted since I was 14 – things need to change

Some 5,000 jobs in the steel industry are in the balance after Greensill Capital, one of the UK's largest speciality finance companies, went into administration today. Greensill, whose advisers include the former prime minister David Cameron, is a major provider of finance to Liberty Steel - the UK's third largest steel company. Liberty, which is part of the GFG Alliance controlled by the so-called 'Saviour of Steel' Sanjeev Gupta, employs 3,000 people directly at 11 sites including Rotherham and Stocksbridge in south Yorkshire, Newport in south Wales and Hartlepool. It also supports at least 2,000 more jobs in the supply chain. The site at Stocksbridge, where 762 people are employed, is said to be under the most immediate threat. Advertisement At a court hearing today, to pave the way for Greensill Capital's administration, lawyers for the stricken company revealed that Greensill had an estimated $5bn worth of exposure to Mr Gupta's GFG Alliance … [Read more...] about Collapse of finance company Greensill Capital leaves thousands of steel jobs in the balance

The increasing dominance of tech giants "is limiting competition and consumer choice and innovation", a new independent review has warned the government. However, the review's lead author stopped short of supporting Senator Elizabeth Warren's plan to split up the tech companies, saying the UK "can do better". Former Barack Obama economic adviser Jason Furman was asked by the Treasury in September 2018 to lead an investigation into competition in the digital marketplace. His review, which is published today, concluded that the lack of competition for tech monopolies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google was harming consumers. "A few companies are dominating lots of markets," Mr Furman told Sky News, "and when you don't have a lot of competition you don't have much consumer choice, you don't have as much quality you don't have as much innovation." Advertisement Asked if that meant the tech giants should be broken up, Mr Furman doubted whether the UK was … [Read more...] about ‘Bullying tactics’ by tech market leaders harms consumers – report

STRUGGLING to find the best electric bike for you? We’ve scoured the internet to source the best e-bikes on the market. Electric bikes come in all shapes and sizes, with the only difference between an e-bike and a normal one being the inclusion of a battery and a small motor. This motor features pedalling assistance and is generally found either in one of the wheels’ hubs or on the frame by the pedals themselves. The addition of this technology often leads to electric bikes not only being heavier than a standard bike, but more expensive too. How much do electric bikes cost? Although the price is always dropping as the technology evolves and becomes cheaper to produce, most electric bikes are still a serious investment. It is possible to pick up a cheap electric bike and be left with change from £1,000, but the range can go as high as ten times that. Before you think about having to remortgage the house though, the majority sit around the £2-3,000 mark. Although that … [Read more...] about The best electric bikes you can buy in 2021

Virgin Atlantic is paying tribute to Sir Richard Branson 's late mother Eve Branson, by naming one of its new A350 planes after her. Mrs Branson sadly passed away in January aged 96, after a battle with coronavirus. The airline announced that it would be marking International Women's Day by naming two new aircraft after inspirational women; one honouring Eve, the other paying tribute to Emmeline Pankhurst. The A350 paying homage to Eve Branson will be named 'Fearless Lady' and be registered as G-VEVE. When announcing the news of his mother's passing earlier this year, Richard Branson wrote a touching post in which he said that "rather than mourn her loss, I want to celebrate her wonderful life, her tremendous spirit". Describing his mother as a "force of nature" he wrote: "She lived many remarkable lives. She took glider lessons disguised as a boy, enlisted in the WRENS during World War II, toured Germany as a ballet dancer after the war, acted on the West End … [Read more...] about Virgin Atlantic’s new plane pays tribute to Richard Branson’s mum who died of Covid