London: Countries with few natural resources have performed better in global talent ranking
compared with Britain, which is ranked seventh. Switzerland, Singapore and Luxembourg are rated the top three countries for producing, attracting and retaining top quality workers. Countries with few natural resources are more likely to train highly talented people, according to Insead, the international business school that published the global talent competitiveness index. Researchers looked at more than 100 countries, taking into account factors including political stability, business and government relations, the climate of competition and innovation, labour market flexibility, IT access, openness to migration, entrepreneurial activity and the international rankings of their universities. Bruno Lanvin, co-author of a report on the research, said: “It’s really quite striking that among the top three countries - Switzerland, Singapore and Luxembourg - two are landlocked and one is an island.
Rising costs prevent many parents to have a second child
London: The rising cost of raising a child has prevented many a parents to have a second child.
Parents face bills of almost a quarter of a million pounds to raise just one child to the age of 21, new research shows. Surging childcare fees and expenses linked to education mean the basic cost of bringing up a child in the UK has risen 50 per cent faster than inflation over more than a decade.
The study, carried out by the Centre of Economic and Business Research (CEBR) for the insurer Liverpool Victoria suggests that parents have cut back spending on toys and even food but any savings have been swallowed up by other rising costs. It also points to evidence that the expense of raising children could be shaping the population, with some parents actively postponing of ruling out having a second child because of the cost.
94% rise in attack on Jews in London last year
London: According to latest police statistics, the number of hate crimes against Jews nearly doubled. Figures from the Metropolitan Police showed there were 297 hate crimes against Jewish people in the year to August. The figure was up from 153 in the previous 12 months, a rise of 94 per cent. In the same period the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the capital dipped slightly from 518 to 495 last year, a four per cent fall.
One convicted for throwing water over woman, her ‘noisy’ children
London: Michelle Dodd, a housewife, was charged with assault following the long-standing dispute with her neighbour Mrs Iqbal. It began when Dodd complained about Mrs Iqbal’s four young children making too much noise while playing on a trampoline in the garden of their home in Reddish, Stockport. A court heard Dodd threw water out of her bedroom window three times, and on each occasion some of it landed on Mrs Iqbal, 33. Dodd denied assault, claiming she was bed-ridden with illness and was emptying a bowl of water put out for her cat, not intending to hit anyone. However, she was found guilty of all three counts. After the trial, she said: ‘It’s disgusting but there’s nothing I can do. I thought the court would laugh and sue the police for wasting everyone’s time.’
Outrage forces US firm to pull `Gandhi' beer
Milford: A US microbrewery said it would stop using the name and image of Mahatma Gandhi on one of its beers after complaints that it was offensive to the Indian community. New England Brewing Company of Connecticut had been marketing its India pale ale under the name `Gandhi-Bot', with a label and cartoon image depicting a robot version of Gandhi.“After consideration we feel that renaming Gandhi-Bot is the right move,” the company said in a statement. “Taking these steps will allow us to express our support for the Indian-American community while also limiting any economic losses.” The company said it made the decision to rebrand the beer following meetings with Indian-American business owners, temple leaders and state officials, including Glastonbury state representative Prasad Srinivasan. The company had apologized earlier this month after complaints the beer label was offensive. Srinivasan said he was glad that brewer was rebranding the ale. “Our sensitivity on this important issue has been addressed and I am looking forward to the early release of their renamed and re-branded product,“ he said. The Gandhi-Bot beer, which had been distributed for about five years, was promoted on the brewery's website as “fully vegetarian“ and “an ideal aid for self-purification and the seeking of truth and love.
