Sir Tim Berners-Lee talks about the future of the internet

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, British inventor of the World Wide Web, has been on a short visit to Britain from his base at MIT in Boston, during which he met government ministers, academics and major corporations, to promote a new subject, Web Science.

This is a multi-disciplinary effort to study the web and try to guide its future. Sir Tim explained that there were now more web pages than there are neurons in the human brain, yet the shape and growth of the web were still not properly understood.

“We should look out for snags in the future,” he said, pointing to the way email had been swamped by spam as an example of how things could go wrong. “Things can change so fast on the internet.” But he promised that what web scientists would produce over the coming years “will blow our minds”.

The creator of the web has said consumers need to be protected against systems which can track their activity on the internet. Sir Tim Berners-Lee told BBC News he would change his internet provider if it introduced such a system. Plans by leading internet providers to use Phorm, a company which tracks web activity to create personalised adverts, have sparked controversy. Sir Tim said he did not want his ISP to track which websites he visited.

See video interview at BBC News        Monday, 17 March 2008, 12:26 GMT

The US sub-prime crisis in graphics

The US sub-prime mortgage crisis has lead to plunging property prices, a slowdown in the US economy, and billions in losses by banks. It stems from a fundamental change in the way mortgages are funded.

See this useful BBC News explanation of the origins of the sub-prime crisis - some nice graphics help us to understand the underlying causes and some of the effects.

BBC News

 

Alitalia accepts Air France offer

Troubled Italian carrier Alitalia has agreed to be bought by rival Air France for a cut-price 138m euros(£106m:$215m) in a move to save the state airline. The Italian government, which holds 49.9% of Alitalia, failed to sell the company by auction in 2007. Alitalia has lost money for five years, and has struggled to clinch a buyout. Air France-KLM offered one share per 160 Alitalia shares, valuing Alitalia at a low-value 0.10 euros a share. That is a 81% reduction on Alitalia’s current share price.

BBC News Sunday, 16 March 2008, 09:31 GMT

Major boardroom shake-up at M&S

Marks & Spencer has announced its chief executive, Sir Stuart Rose, will stay with the company for an extra two years, in a major management revamp. Sir Stuart will stay with the firm until 2011. His original commitment was to stay until 2009. The company also announced that Sir Stuart will be made executive chairman from 1 June, when the current chairman, Lord Burns, departs.

BBC News

Monday, 10 March 2008, 12:09 GMT

Tories urge corporation tax cut

Corporation tax rates should be reduced to help revive the economy and boost competition, the Tories have said. The main rate is due to fall from 30% to 28% in April, but shadow chancellor George Osborne wants it cut to 25%.

More at:-

BBC News      Sunday, 9 March 2008, 12:30 GMT

BMW to make fewer cars in Europe

The luxury carmaker BMW is expected to unveil details of radical plans to ramp up production in the US later. The firm is currently battling against rising costs, which are priced in euros, and flagging US demand.

BMW recently announced plans to cut 7.5% of its German workforce by the end of the year.

Since last September, the dollar has tumbled against the euro, hurting firms that pay their costs in euros but receive payment in dollars.

BBC News                Monday, 10 March 2008, 14:14 GMT

Anglia Ruskin student team wins the IBM UBC Universities Business Challenge

Friday 7 March 2008

Anglia Ruskin University students Stefan Muench, Daniel Kunert, Philip Gotter and Felix Richter - have won the finals of the IBM Universities Business Challenge (UBC) at IBM headquarters at Bedfont Lakes, Feltham.

Full story at CambridgeAREA.

MBA in Cambridge at Anglia Ruskin University

Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge has run its MBA programme since 1989.

Anglia Ruskin University is now recruiting for its two year part-time programme. You attend lectures and seminars on Thursday / Friday / Saturday once a month at the Anglia Ruskin Cambridge campus. The same programme is also offered at Anglia Ruskin’s Chelmsford campus. The programme includes a UK residential and an overseas residential.

Students fly in from jobs in the USA and Germany once a month to follow the part-time programme.

You can also study for an MBA full-time at the Cambridge campus.

In July 2006, a team of Anglia Ruskin MBA students won the i10 Innovators competition at the London Eye.

The more famous school in Cambridge is the Judge Business School - part of the University of Cambridge

MBA in Berlin

The Berlin School of Economics (FHW) has been running its MBA programme since 1992 in conjunction with Anglia Ruskin. Building on many years of experience, the MBA programme is designed to enable the students to obtain a Masters degree from both Anglia Ruskin University and the Berlin School of Economics (FHW).

 

Could you make the tough decisions needed to keep the UK’s lights on in 2020?

Could you make the tough decisions needed to keep the UK’s lights on in 2020 while balancing environmental concerns and cost? More or less fossil fuel? More or less nuclear energy? What about renewables?

Try the BBC Electricity Calculator to find out.

Cathay Pacific profits jump 72%

Cathay Pacific Airways has reported a 72% rise in profits for 2007, but says conditions will be harder in 2008. Cathay Pacific reported a net profit of $901.9m (£454m) for 2007, higher than expected and helped by the weak dollar and sales at Air China, in which it owns 18%. Including its Dragonair subsidiary, Cathay Pacific carried 23.35m passengers last year, a rise of 28.5%. But the company said 2008 would be more difficult, because of high fuel prices and a slowdown in the global economy.

BBC News         Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 07:38 GMT