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National Express awarded contract to operate services on major UK rail route

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

NXEC Trains Ltd, a subsidiary of National Express Group, has been awarded the contract to run the InterCity East Coast franchise and operate intercity rail services on the East Coast Main Line, a high-speed route connecting London with the north-east of England and Scotland. The company, which is to brand the service as National Express East Coast, will take over the franchise from the current operator Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) from December 9, 2007.

GNER’s contract was initially due to run until 2015 but was terminated early by the Department for Transport after its parent company, Sea Containers Ltd, found itself in financial difficulties which meant it was unable to pay the £1.3 billion it had promised in its bid to run the service.

A number of other bids were made for the franchise. These were from Arriva, FirstGroup, and a partnership of Stagecoach, Virgin, and GNER.

Richard Bowker, chief executive of National Express Group, said, “We are absolutely delighted that we have won the UK’s premier intercity railway. We have won with a bid which is ambitious, deliverable and structured to generate shareholder value.”

BBC suspend presenter Jeremy Clarkson over ‘fracas’ with producer

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Jeremy Clarkson, one of the presenters on the BBC’s motoring programme ‘Top Gear’ has been suspended by the corporation. Clarkson, responsible for several prior controversies, was suspended Tuesday, after allegedly ‘punching’ a producer last week. The next two episodes of ‘Top Gear’ have been pulled from broadcast, with a third — the season finale — also unlikely to be shown.

The incident leading to Clarkson’s suspension reportedly occurred after an argument with a producer. After filming had finished in Newcastle, it is believed Clarkson, 54 punched 36-year-old producer Oisin Tymon over a lack of catering availability. The incident was reported to the BBC on Monday. A source spoke to the British newspaper The Daily Mirror about the incident. They said, “They came to the end of filming after a long day and Jeremy discovered that no food had been laid on. He just saw red and hit the assistant producer, who he blamed for not having organised the food. He snapped.”

However a source close to the suspended presenter defended him saying “he didn’t punch anyone”.

The BBC released a short statement clarifying the situation. It said “Following a fracas with a BBC producer, Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended pending an investigation. No one else has been suspended. Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday. The BBC will be making no further comment at this time.”

Previously Clarkson had been given a “final warning” by BBC bosses over comments he had made. In 2014 it appeared that the presenter used a racist term while singing a nursery rhyme, he apologised after the incident came to light. He also caused offence with comments he made about India and Mexico as well as comments about people with special needs.

‘Top Gear’ is a motoring programme shown on BBC Two in the United Kingdom. Clarkson has presented the show since 2002, co-hosting alongside Richard Hammond and James May. He is one of the BBC’s highest paid stars.

Do Domestic Violence Victims Needs Legal Representation?

Posted on March 26, 2018June 5, 2018 by

Submitted by: Kimberly Diego

As a Denver Domestic Violence Attorney, I frequently get asked whether a victim in a pending domestic violence case actually needs a criminal defense attorney. This question is often asked of me in situations where the victim becomes frustrated with the so-called victim’s advocate, or where the victim does not wish to see the prosecution against the defendant move forward.

The truth is that victim’s advocates are not on your side unless you are on the prosecution’s side. They work for the prosecutor’s office. They are not your attorneys nor can they provide you with legal advice. Their job is to seek your position on plea bargains, sentences imposed, and modifications of the restraining order – and to remain in contact with you in such a way as to facilitate the prosecution. They may tell you they are there to help you, but that may only be true if you are in a sense “on their side”. If you are seeking, for example, to reconcile with the defendant, and therefore wish to have the restraining order vacated and the charges dropped, they are unlikely to assist you in achieving those goals and you may have to figure out how to modify the restraining order on your own.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY9uzC-lV4c[/youtube]

If you want legal advice that is truly in your best interests, there is no substitute for hiring your own attorney. This is particularly true if your Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is implicated. If you believe that by testifying you may incriminate yourself, because you either lied at an early point in the process or because your testimony will expose that you yourself engaged in some criminal activity at the time the incident occurred, then it is imperative that you speak with a domestic violence lawyer about your rights. If your Fifth Amendment rights are implicated, and you actually do plead the 5th at trial, you may nonetheless be forced to testify if the prosecution grants you immunity. Keep in mind that an attorney cannot assert that you wish to raise your fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination if in fact there are no valid grounds for you to do so.

You may also want to know what will happen to you if you do not show up for a jury trial in a pending domestic violence case. Many victims choose not to appear at trial, because they do not wish to see the prosecution proceed. There are limited occasions in which the prosecution may still be able to proceed without the victim’s presence, however, they are in the minority of cases. Also, if you have not been personally served with a subpoena, you are not legally required to appear. Even a subpoena by mail is not binding if you have not mailed it in, and you are not obligated to send it in; by sending it in you are actually waiving personal service.

Unfortunately, Colorado law does not provide for victims to “drop charges” against defendants in pending domestic violence matters. Hiring a lawyer of your own as a victim will not ensure that charges get dropped; but it may make it harder for the prosecution to make their case against the defendant, particularly if the prosecution is in municipal court and not county or district court.

If you are in doubt as to whether you need to retain a domestic violence attorney, you can always take advantage of the free consultations the majority of criminal attorneys provide to all potential clients.

About the Author: Kimberly Diego – Domestic Violence Attorney –

diegocriminaldefense.com

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Steps To Know Before Filing A Car Insurance Claim}

Posted on March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 by

Here’s An Opinion On:

Steps to Know Before Filing a Car Insurance Claim

Dinesh MittalIt has been observed that most car owners though possess a car insurance policy, at the time of damage to the car or while registering a claim, are clueless about the procedure they need to follow. Documentation to be kept handy:Before one decides to file a claim they should have the following documents in place: 1-Original Registration Certificate and Driving license required for verification. 2-Claim form (duly filled in & signed) to be submitted to the repairer/surveyor. 3-Some of the details you will need to fill in the claim form and must know are: – Policy Number – Name of the Insured Person – Name of Driver – Contact Number(s) – Vehicle number – Make and Model of your Car – Date & Time of the Accident – Location of Loss – Brief Description about the IncidentCashless and Reimbursement Claim Settlement While registering a claim, it is important to know that one can either go in for a cashless claim or a reimbursement one. In a cashless claim, one must send the car for repairs to one of the workshops where the insurance company has a tie-up after taking approval. In this case, the insurance company will pay the approved amount to the garage directly, and the insured will only need to pay the part not paid. On the other hand, for the reimbursement settlement, one will need to pay the amount after the repairs are done and post that the amount will be refunded by the insurance company. If there is a networking workshop close by, cashless claim settlement will definitely be more convenient. Things to keep in mind before registering a claim:1-One should read the policy document carefully before filing a claim. If the policy is not available, one can check it on the website of the insurance company.2-For any question or doubt, one must contact the customer support team of the company and get clarifications.3-Also, it must be seen, especially in the case of damages, if the cost of repairs is not too much, a claim must not be filed as that will affect the no claim bonus in the next policy year. No claim bonus is a discount provided to the customer if he has no claims in the policy year.The claim process for each insurance varies a little. Let us discuss each one as follows:Claim Registration for Damage to Own Car1-When there is a damage to your own car, the first and the essential thing to do is to fill in the claim form of the insurance company, and submit it along with all the required documents. You must inform the insurance company before you send the car for repairs to the garage or the workshop. The forms are easily available at all offices of the insurance companies and also on their website.2-A surveyor is sent by the insurance company to assess the loss and the damages. Once the survey is complete, a report is submitted by the surveyor to the insurer.3-If the extent of damage is a lot and urgent action is needed, it is tried that the surveyor reaches the spot of an accident at the earliest.4-As per the report of the surveyor, you can make arrangements for your car repairs.5-Once the repair work is complete, you will need to collect all bills and other necessary documents from the garage and send them to the surveyor, who will then submit a report with an assessment to the insurance company.6-If all documents are submitted as per the requirements and the report of the surveyor is fine, you will get a reimbursement of your expenses.One essential thing to be kept in mind here is that you should be careful to submit all the documents as soon as you get the car after repairs, as most insurance companies will not accept them later.Claim Registration for a Third Party ClaimIf you receive a legal notice from a third party for a claim, you must first inform your insurer and then proceed to reply to the notice. You also must take care and speak to the insurer before you give a commitment for out of court settlement or for a financial settlement. 1-The insurance company will require a copy of the notice, which must be duly submitted.2-You will also need to submit a copy of your driving license, RC book of the car and the First Information Report.3-After verification, the insurer will assess the accident and if they are satisfied, they will help you by appointing a lawyer.4-If as per the decision of the court, you will be required to pay the third party for the damages, the amount will be directly paid by the insurance company.It is essential to know the process to file a claim as if it is done right the first time, there will be no hassles later on.

The author writes about diverse topics in the field of finance and has built his expertise around the

car insurance

domain. He diligntly stays up-to-date with the latest

financial developments in India

and abroad.

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com}

Briton to fly hang glider across the UK

Posted on March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 by

Friday, September 2, 2005

A man from North London is currently training for an attempt at flying a hang glider across the UK from land’s End to John O’Groats.

Shola Ogunlokun a 41 year old married father of 3 who had never flown a hangglider before taking up this challenge said yesterday “I aim to fulfill a dream offlying, use the challenge as an opportunity to meet the people of Britain andencourage people of similar ethnic backgrounds as me to pursue their dreams”.

Shola is on stage 2 of a 3 stage training programme, and has flown a glider offa 2000ft mountain on completion of stage 1 of his training. He is currentlylooking for sponsors and in talks with a TV production about making adocumentary of his attempt.

The flight attempt is currently planned for around Autumn next year, should takebetween 5-7 days, and Shola would like to spend the night of each flight at thehome of a local in the town he lands. If successful, Shola will be the firstperson to have flown a hang glider across the UK over this distance.

Shola has an online diary charting his progress at http://mbchallenge.blogspot.comFor further details, or to contact Shola, please visit his website:http://www.meet-britain.org.uk

Google News seeks patent for search system that returns ‘quality’ links

Posted on March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 by

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Google News submitted patent applications both in the United States and world-wide in September 2003 for a system of ranking search returns. The patent protection filings seek to control Google’s approach that filters headlines through a complicated algorithm, including the quality of the news organization. How much of this system is currently in use by the search engine giant is unknown.

Primitive search engines are expected to organically evaluate links based on how closely the keywords typed in the search field match an object link, and how many other links are attached to the object. Then a measure of relevance is calculated before returning a reply.

It seems some measure of the work being done at Google is a reaction to search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns which can, if done effectively, skew results to certain domains. A challenge for Google is to develop its technology to nullify efforts on the dark side of SEO and link-spamming.

What also seems to be coming out from this, according to research from the Internet Search Engine Database, is that Google does indeed have a ‘sandbox’ where domains are evaluated first by a human factor before being released into its algorithms.

In its first ever Securities and Exchange Commission filing since the company went public last year, Google indicated that it intends to spend US$500 million on technology development, more than double the $177 million it spent two years ago.

The language used in the lengthy patent application itself is difficult to understand. An excellent article titled “Google United – Google Patent Examined” found below, describes some of the nuts and bolts of Google’s techniques.

Fire burns at Barangaroo construction site, Sydney, Australia

Posted on March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 by

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

A large fire has started at the Barangaroo construction site overlooking Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The construction company said fire broke out at about 2:10pm local time (0310 UTC) and appeared to have been caused by a welding accident in the basement of a building.

All site workers were evacuated without injury, according to Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Ian Krimmer. Large clouds of smoke were continuing to pour out of the building, casting a thick pall of smoke over the city skyline. Some nearby buildings have also been evacuated, including the KPMG building and offices of the Macquarie Bank.

Firefighters reported concern about a tower crane overhanging the building basement site. There were fears that the crane could buckle due to the heat and collapse. Firefighters were working to keep the base of the crane cool, and the stability of the structure was being monitored with lasers.

The Western Distributor motorway was closed to traffic, and Sydney Harbour Bridge partly closed. There had been major disruptions in traffic and multiple roads in the Sydney CBD (Central Business District) were gridlocked. People catching buses were advised to expect long delays.

New ‘Star Wars’ film to be released in August

Posted on March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 by

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

George Lucas has announced that there will be one last Star Wars movie to end the saga, but it won’t have any actors visible.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated film is scheduled to be released into theaters on August 15 of this year.

“I felt there were a lot more ‘Star Wars’ stories left to tell. I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward,” said Lucas in a statement to the media.

Lucas says that although the film is animated, people can expect the same kind of galactic space battles and action that all the other Star Wars films have. The approximate running time of the film is 100 minutes.

The film is produced by Warner Brothers and Lucasfilm LTD. The new movie is also set to continue as an animated, 30 minute “mini-movie” series this autumn. The show can be seen on the Cartoon Network.

GAO reveals $1.6 billion spent on public relations by the Bush administration in 2003-2005

Posted on March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 by

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

A new 154-page Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says seven federal departments together spent US$1.6 billion on 343 contracts with public relations firms, advertising agencies, and media organizations, as well as individuals involved in such activities.

Congressional Democrats requested the report after several incidents surfaced in which journalists or commentators were paid to promote the Bush administrations programs, but did not disclose the financing, so called payola. In one case, Armstrong Williams was paid $186,000 for promotions of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind law. The administrations position was that an agencies’ mission includes spreading information about federal programs.

At that time, the GAO had independent objections to the ready-to-air news stories the administration’s provided to TV stations in order to promote it policies. The administration claimed the burden of disclosure falls to the TV stations.

Congress has now inserted a provision into an annual spending bill requiring federal agencies to include “a clear notification” within the text or audio of a prepackaged news story that it was prepared or paid for by the government.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) said “Careful oversight of this spending is essential given the track record of the Bush administration, which has used taxpayer dollars to fund covert propaganda within the United States.”

The seven agencies covered by the report are Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.

Guide To Writing A Small Business Plan

Posted on March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 by

Here’s An Opinion On:

By Adriana Noton

A small business plan details business ideas of an individual. It can be useful in many ways as intended by the planner whose goal may either be externally or internally focused. External parties who may have interest in the plan include the government agencies, lenders, banks, customers and investors. Internally, the plan describes internal operations not in the interest of outside stakeholders.

Business plans may be developed for both new and already established ventures. They outline fresh ideas in a move to seek financing or even to lay down the strategies to start the ventures. For established enterprises, it entails review of old plans or developing new ones. With the world constantly changing with time and technology, such plans will involve decision to introduce new products, acquisition of new markets, and many more.

There are some predetermined formats of presenting the document in a systematic and orderly manner. The actual presentation of the plan greatly defines you to the audience. If presented to investors when seeking funding, the manner you have laid down the plan in writing can describe what kind of a person you are. The presentation should win the audience whether in written, oral or visual formats.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7MdzGIQFE[/youtube]

Also, there are some specific contents which should be covered in the document. Remember, it should be comprehensive enough to cover every aspect of the establishment in detail. A vision statement is one of the definitive clauses which concern the business. It should be short and precise in outlining the general purpose and goal of the venture.

A description of your products and services must appear on the document. It has to be convincing as to why customer would buy whatever it is that you are selling. Bring out the unique characteristics of your product which offer you a competitive advantage over other producers of the same. Information relevant to such as product patents and copyright for artistic ideas should be clearly outlined.

A section covering your marketing strategies should be included in the document. Tactics to be employed to win customers are clearly defined in this section. Talk about advertisement and promotion strategies you intend to put in use to make sure you stay ahead of the competition. Make sure to talk about realistic and do-able things.

The market analysis section requires that you specify your target customers for your product and services. Prior market testing and research can be used to obtain such data. Employ statistic techniques to estimate the market share you predict to gain once you join the industry. This gives you the surety that you will manage to sell your product.

Developing a realistic small business plan provides ease of execution. It guides the process preventing omissions which may occur. It is also a very effective time saving tool. If you lack the knowledge regarding the procedure, you can find advisers to help you. The internet has several websites discussing the ways to approach this activity. Careful consideration of the discussed points will definitely bear fruits

About the Author: Global Financial institution offering commercial and personal banking services including

Online banking

Credit card

, loans and more.

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