City of London, Hillingdon, London Bridge & Westminster have been selected from more than 1,000 entrants from across the UK to take part in the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom UK Finals 2014, as the campaign celebrates its 50^th anniversary.

The finalists from London were nominated following the regional stage of judging in 2013.  The shortlisted groups were chosen for their efforts to engage all members of the community, for demonstrating an exceptional commitment to helping the environment and for horticultural achievement.

In July / August, the finalists will be visited by two RHS judges who will meet community representatives and go on a tour of local projects. As well as the usual bedding displays, judges will inspect everything from local recycling initiatives to areas of natural habitat and conservation. They will also be looking at the management of street furniture and public parks, and will be assessing how well the group is responding to climate change and local challenges.  Special awards will be presented to finalists demonstrating excellence in specific areas such as planting for pollinators and community involvement.

Each group is going for Gold in the hope of being crowned winner of their individual categories.   Three out of the four nominated regions, Hillingdon, London Bridge and the City of London will be looking to build on their achievements from last year’s national finals.    Results will be announced at an awards ceremony in Bristol this October and will be attended by representatives of all 72 finalists.

Published: 30 January 2014

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Andrews Estate Agents is delighted to confirm the appointment of Jeff Bathija as Area Manager for London.

The appointment highlights the company’s continued commitment to growing its presence in London, where it already has six branches in Kingsbury, Battersea, Southfields, Putney, Balham and Streatham.

Jeff who lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb has been working for Andrews as Branch Manager in the Kingsbury branch for the past four years and in his new role he will be managing the company’s London branch managers from the Battersea office.

On his appointment, Jeff says: “I am, of course, delighted to be appointed to the role of Area Manager for London and I am keen to see our presence in London continue to grow.  In particular, I have been tasked with the responsibility of growing the Andrews network in the London area, which is a very exciting prospect.

Published: 13 January 2014

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Engine maker Rolls-Royce said on Monday that Britain's Serious Fraud Office had launched a formal investigation into alleged bribery linked to the group's overseas operations.

It comes one year after the British company warned that it might be prosecuted over alleged "malpractice" in Indonesia and China after passing on information related to bribery concerns to the office.

Published: 23 December 2013

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A British Airways airplane carrying 202 people struck an office building at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport with its wing while taxiing for take-off Sunday, injuring four, aviation authorities said.

The Boeing 747-400 en route for London Heathrow Airport took a taxiway that was too narrow for it, said South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokeswoman Phindiwe Gwebu on Monday.

"This resulted in the aircraft's right-hand wing impacting the office building," she told AFP.

The control tower "told them to take one taxiway and they took another one. They took a wrong one," said Gwebu.

Four people inside the building were injured, but the 185 passengers and 17 crew on board were unharmed during the late-night accident, according to the CAA.

No further information on the injured was immediately available.

An airport spokeswoman confirmed the incident.

Published: 23 December 2013

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The leader of Germany's Jewish community on Thursday slammed a decision by authorities to return hundreds of paintings to a recluse accused of hoarding priceless artworks believed stolen by the Nazis.

The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dieter Graumann, said the aim by prosecutors to give back some 300 works as early as next week was an irresponsible choice.

"After the whole thing was handled over 18 months nearly conspiratorially, the hasty reaction for a general return is certainly also the wrong one," he told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung, stressing that the case had a "moral and historical dimension".

The chief prosecutor in the southern city of Augsburg, who is investigating 80-year-old Cornelius Gurlitt on charges including tax evasion, acknowledged Tuesday that many of the hundreds of works confiscated from his home in February 2012 clearly belonged to him outright.

Published: 21 November 2013

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International Food Photography Day is to take place on Thursday 14 November 2013 - a day to celebrate food photography in all its tasty and delicious glory.

This is a day to embrace and champion an art form that has become such a big part of our lives. Everyone is encouraged to have lunch with a friend, colleague or family member and take a photo.

All images posted on Twitter with the hashtag #FoodPhoto13 on 14 November will be automatically entered into a draw to win exciting photography-related prizes, including Photo Plus X5 software from Serif to edit, enhance and organise images, as well as a website hosting package from Zenfolio.

Anyone who registers for Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2014 on 14 November is in with a chance to win dinner for two at an exclusive London restaurant.

Published: 03 October 2013

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Growth in the Group of 20 emerging and advanced economies accelerated in the second quarter of this year to 0.9 percent from 0.6 percent in the previous three month period, the OECD said Thursday.

Most G20 members saw growth pick up momentum in April through May, with Turkey posting the highest quarter-on-quarter expansion of 2.1 percent, said the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

China followed with a marginal increase to 1.7 percent growth, followed by fellow emerging market nation Brazil at 1.5 percent.

Published: 12 September 2013

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President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Russian television Thursday that Syria would place its chemical weapons under international control in line with a proposal from Moscow.

Published: 12 September 2013

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The British banking giant Barclays wants to cram with a capital of 5.8 billion pounds a part of its seven-billion pound financial gap. Barclays boss Antony Jenkins also wants to increase the capital base with division sales and reduce risk.

Seven billion pounds large is the capital gap, the UK’s Financial PRA has recently been identified in the United Barclays Bank – now the Bank is responding. With multi-billion dollar capital measures Barclays boss Antony Jenkins wants to plug the hole. A capital increase to 5.8 billion pounds, the equivalent of 6.7 billion Euros to contribute, the bank said on Tuesday. “Once we have thoroughly examined all the options, we decided to react quickly and determined,” Jenkins said.

Accordingly, the shareholders have the right to one new share for four old pence for 185 shares. This represents a significant discount of 40 percent to the closing price of Monday evening. So that their interests are not diluted, shareholders will receive a purchase right first. In addition, the sale of convertible bonds in the amount of two billion pounds is provided. For Jenkins, the capital is so far the biggest setback since the end of August 2012; he assumed leadership of the bank.

Published: 31 July 2013

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The IPC world athletics championships in Lyon next month are an opportunity to build on the success of last year's Paralympics and build awareness about disabled sport, the head of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) told AFP in an interview on Tuesday.

French para-athletes have been critical in the past about the status accorded to them in relation to their non-disabled counterparts, while the amount of coverage on French television of last year's sell-out Games across the Channel was also questioned.

But with a new domestic television deal signed for the July 19-28 championships in eastern France, IPC president Philip Craven said the greater exposure could challenge traditional attitudes and improve media exposure.

"I think already with the Games in London that's what's changed perceptions of the people who saw it and that will continue," he said on a visit to Paris.

"More people will watch Lyon, hopefully, and then looking forward to the next world championships in Qatar in 2015 then moving on to (the 2016 Paralympics in) Rio, it's going to be fantastic."

Last year's Paralympics were the biggest since the event began in Rome in 1960, with more than 4,200 athletes from over 160 countries, including reclusive North Korea, competing to packed venues after a successful Olympics.

In a sign of the expansion of para-sport, 1,200 athletes from 97 countries will take part in Lyon, compared with 950 competitors from 78 nations at the last world championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2011, the IPC said.

Among them will be Brazil's Alan Oliveira, who just last week lowered the 100m world record to 10.77secs, breaking the world record for both the T43 double, below-the-knee and T44 single, below-the-knee amputee classes. T44 Paralympic 100m champion -- the previous world record holder Jonnie Peacock -- will be out for revenge.

Other competitors include Britain's multiple gold medallist wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft.

Published: 25 June 2013

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