The Financial Times is being subsumed into a new division by its parent company, Pearson.

As part of the organisation's restructure, the FT Group will disappear and the newspaper will become part of a unit called "professional". Its chief executive will be John Ridding, who is currently CEO of the FT group.

Professional will also include Pearson's global English learning business and its electronic testing business. It is hard to see what these three very different types of business have to do with each other.

However, it is suggested that the rationale for yoking the language-teaching with the publishing of the paper is that adults learning English in foreign countries are considered to be the kind of people likely to read the FT. Maybe.

The other intriguing aspect is whether the FT's financial results will be split out from the other parts of the new division. I understand that Pearson has yet to decide on that issue.

A spokesman explained that there were still many details to be worked out. The company is expected to make that clear before the restructure is implemented on 1 January 2014. Its first results will therefore be published the following July.

But he said that for 2013 - which will include the full-year 2013 results to be announced around the end of February 2014 - the report will be made under the existing structure, in which the FT Group is reported separately.

The appointment of Ridding as CEO, giving him greater responsibility for a larger business unit, is certainly a feather in his cap. He only took charge of the FT Group earlier this year after becoming chief executive of the Financial Times itself in 2006.

Prior to that, he had several senior editorial posts at the FT, with spells as its deputy editor and publisher of its Asian outlet.

Under the new Pearson structure, the company will be organised around three global lines of business - school, higher education and professional - and three geographic market categories - north America, growth and core.

Genevieve Shore, currently Pearson's chief technology officer, will take on a new role as chief product and marketing officer. Will Ethridge, CEO of Pearson North America, will step down from his role.

John Fallon, Pearson's chief executive, said: "This new organisation structure flows directly from the strategy that we set out earlier this year. It is designed to make Pearson more digital, more services-oriented, more focused on emerging economies and more accountable for learning outcomes.

"This is a significant change in the way we run the company that will take time and sustained commitment, but it is one we must make to be able to accelerate the execution of our global education strategy."

Comment: This move, as with any move involving the Financial Times, is bound to set off yet more rumours about the paper being sold. I think it does the opposite. It suggests that Pearson is as committed to the FT as it has been for many years past.

That won't stop the gossip of course. But really, isn't it about time that people realised the pink paper (salmon in the US) is not for sale?

Communication Workers Union members vote nine-to-one in favour of full-day strike on Tuesday after late May bank holiday

Post Office workers have announced their fifth strike since Easter as they warned bosses not to "plough blindly ahead" with deeply unpopular plans to close 70 big high street branches.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said bosses had failed to listen to their concerns about the plans to franchise out 70 of the Post Office's 370 "crown" branches to retailers and the union had "little choice" but to walk out again on Tuesday 28 May.

Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the CWU, said there was "massive public opposition" to the closure plans that will "rip the heart out" of the Post Office network.

"There is growing unrest within the Post Office and it's time that management responded to workers' concerns," he said. "They cannot continue to plough blindly ahead with deeply unpopular and unnecessary plans."

Ward said workers had been touched by the "fantastic support from customers, politicians and local communities".

"We're fighting to protect Post Office jobs and services, which are clearly valued," he said.

The union's 4,000 crown post office members voted nine-to-one in favour of the full-day strike the day after the second May bank holiday. Staff have already held four strikes against the franchising plan since Easter Saturday, including one on the Tuesday after the first May bank holiday.

The Post Office, which is state-owned and receiving £1.3bn of taxpayer subsidy, said franchising out 70 of the crown branches was essential to securing the future of the service.

Kevin Gilliland, the Post Office's sales director, has said the crown network of the biggest post offices across the country is "losing £40m a year of public money" and "must change the way they operate to ensure long term viability".

The CWU claims up to 800 Post Office jobs will be affected and staff are likely to receive inferior pay, pension and working conditions if they are transferred to retailers' books.

The Post Office said it had offered crown network staff an "extremely fair" £3,400 staged payment in recompense. The payment is worth about one sixth of an average Post Office employee's annual salary.

The union said it had managed to secure a £100 payment for staff at its last meeting with management, but "no progress was made on bigger issues" of branch closures and a pay deal.

Crown post offices represent just 3% of the nationwide network of 11,800 branches, but are generally the largest offices and handle 20% of all transactions and 40% of financial services sales, a key growth area for the Post Office.

Six years ago 85 crown outlets were closed in the Post Office's last turnaround plan and 70 were moved into WH Smith stores.

The Post Office has already received 150 expressions of interest from retailers keen to run post office services in their stores. Subject to a public consultation the crown branches will be transferred to the winning retailers before April 2015.

The Post Office was, along with Royal Mail, part of the General Post Office until that was abolished in 1969. The Post Office became independent of Royal Mail, which the government is planning to privatise amid protests by workers, in April last year.

SPRINGFIELD  — Springfield police are investigating the city's second homicide in two nights.

Detective Capt. Thomas Trites tells The Republican that a man shot at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday has died.

The victim of that shooting was killed in the same Forest Park neighborhood as another man was fatally shot on Tuesday night. Police say the death of 30-year-old Fabian Pacheco in his apartment appears to be drug related.

BAALBEK, Lebanon: Seventy-five fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah have been killed in Syria since they first became involved in the country’s war months ago, a source close to the Shiite militant...

Tottenham Hotspurs winger Gareth Bale has reportedly dropped hints that he will continue at the club for the next season under a new contract as he vowed to lead Spurs back into the Champions League next season.

read more

Police say young child at nursery in Worcestershire told parents of incident alleged to have taken place last week

Five men have been arrested over an allegation of a child being sexually assaulted at a day nursery.

West Mercia police said officers detained the men after a very young child told their family about an incident reported to have happened last week.

The incident is said to have taken place at one of the premises of Bright Eyes Nurseries and officers have been searching three branches run by the operator in Bromsgrove, Redditch and Droitwich, all in Worcestershire. Three other properties have also been searched.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell, of West Mercia police, said: "A young child has made a disclosure that we are taking extremely seriously. We are also treating it as sensitively as possible due to the nature of the offence and the very young age of the child involved.

"Our primary concern is their welfare as well as that of the other children who attend the nurseries. We are working with our partner agencies in the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board as part of our response.

"The investigation is at its early stages and five men have been arrested as we endeavour to identify the person responsible for the assault. We fully understand how concerning this disclosure will be to those people whose children attend Bright Eyes Nurseries, as well as the wider community.

"All parents and carers who have visited the nurseries today were given a letter explaining, as far as possible, the reasons for our activities, while police staff are available to discuss any immediate worries they may have."

The five men are in police custody awaiting questioning. Ofsted inspectors rated each of the three nursery premises' early years provision as good in their most recent visits. Nobody from the nursery was available to comment.

MANILA: Dan Brown’s description of Manila as “the gates of hell” in the American novelist’s latest book has not gone down well with officials in the Philippine capital....

Any.DO is one of our favorite to-do apps. It's powerful, flexible, and it looks great, too. However, tracking your to-dos isn't the only thing Any.Do is good at. Here are some features that you may not use or know about, and how they can help you get and stay organized.

Read more...

Communication Workers Union members vote nine-to-one in favour of full-day strike on Tuesday after late May bank holiday

Post Office workers have announced their fifth strike since Easter as they warned bosses not to "plough blindly ahead" with deeply unpopular plans to close 70 big high street branches.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said bosses had failed to listen to their concerns about the plans to franchise out 70 of the Post Office's 370 "crown" branches to retailers and the union had "little choice" but to walk out again on Tuesday 28 May.

Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the CWU, said there was "massive public opposition" to the closure plans that will "rip the heart out" of the Post Office network.

"There is growing unrest within the Post Office and it's time that management responded to workers' concerns," he said. "They cannot continue to plough blindly ahead with deeply unpopular and unnecessary plans."

Ward said workers had been touched by the "fantastic support from customers, politicians and local communities".

"We're fighting to protect Post Office jobs and services, which are clearly valued," he said.

The union's 4,000 crown post office members voted nine-to-one in favour of the full-day strike the day after the second May bank holiday. Staff have already held four strikes against the franchising plan since Easter Saturday, including one on the Tuesday after the first May bank holiday.

The Post Office, which is state-owned and receiving £1.3bn of taxpayer subsidy, said franchising out 70 of the crown branches was essential to securing the future of the service.

Kevin Gilliland, the Post Office's sales director, has said the crown network of the biggest post offices across the country is "losing £40m a year of public money" and "must change the way they operate to ensure long term viability".

The CWU claims up to 800 Post Office jobs will be affected and staff are likely to receive inferior pay, pension and working conditions if they are transferred to retailers' books.

The Post Office said it had offered crown network staff an "extremely fair" £3,400 staged payment in recompense. The payment is worth about one sixth of an average Post Office employee's annual salary.

The union said it had managed to secure a £100 payment for staff at its last meeting with management, but "no progress was made on bigger issues" of branch closures and a pay deal.

Crown post offices represent just 3% of the nationwide network of 11,800 branches, but are generally the largest offices and handle 20% of all transactions and 40% of financial services sales, a key growth area for the Post Office.

Six years ago 85 crown outlets were closed in the Post Office's last turnaround plan and 70 were moved into WH Smith stores.

The Post Office has already received 150 expressions of interest from retailers keen to run post office services in their stores. Subject to a public consultation the crown branches will be transferred to the winning retailers before April 2015.

The Post Office was, along with Royal Mail, part of the General Post Office until that was abolished in 1969. The Post Office became independent of Royal Mail, which the government is planning to privatise amid protests by workers, in April last year.

WORCESTER — UMass Memorial Medical Center and the union representing 1,100 nurses have reached a tentative contract agreement that staves off a scheduled strike.

The deal reached Wednesday with nurses at the hospital's University Campus means nurses will not strike on Thursday, as had been planned.

The hospital and nurses agreed to a three-year contract that includes limits on the number of patients assigned to one nurse during a shift. Nurses had complained that staffing levels were unsafe.

Egypt's central bank kept the price of the country's currency steady against the dollar at a special $800 million foreign exchange auction on Wednesday, called to help importers pay for wheat, meat, cooking oil and other essential imports.

It did not say how much currency it actually sold.

Egypt has used up its foreign currency reserves, reducing them to critical levels to support the pound in the wake of the 2011 popular uprising that chased away tourists and investors - and the foreign currency they brought with them.

read more

On a recent trip to London, my 9-year-old, Violet, wanted to visit the places that composed what she referred to as “the real Harry Potter.” It turns out there is a whole industry —bus tours, cab tours, boat tours—of visiting hallowed spots in London that are featured in the books and movies and devoted to pilgrims like her, and these pilgrims are not all, or even mostly, 9 years old.

LONDON: A brave scout leader who may have prevented further violence has emerged as an unlikely hero in the apparent terror attack that left one man dead on the streets of London.
Ingrid...

There’s no two ways about it--your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life.  And it will be immortalized in photos forever.  Obviously you want to look your absolute best for the big day, so I thought I would pass along some wedding related tips for all the brides and grooms to be out there.

Bank Alkhair, a Bahrain-headquartered Islamic wholesale bank, has announced the successful closure of the first tranche of a $750 million sukuk programme by Saudi Arabia's Dar Al Arkan real estate development company.

Bank Alkhair jointly led the sukuk programme, which is based on the Islamic wakala structure.

The programme was for funding of Dar Al Arkan's current and upcoming development projects.

The bank also acted as the Sharia adviser.

The first issue, a benchmark sized, five-year, Regulation S issue (Reg S), was offered on May 20.

read more

Net migration decreased by extra 10,000 people to 153,000 in year to September compared with previous quarter, says ONS

Net migration to Britain has shrunk by a further 10,000 people to 153,000 in the 12 months to September 2012 compared with the previous quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The drop in the politically sensitive figure has largely been driven by a further fall in the number of overseas students coming to Britain and a decline in the numbers coming under the family reunion route largely to join spouses.

The latest net migration figures – which estimate those coming to live in Britain for more than 12 months minus those leaving to live overseas for more than 12 months – is 10,000 below the previous quarter's figure of 163,000. It is down by one third, or 89,000, on the previous year's figure of 242,000 recorded in the 12 months to September 2011.

The continuing fall represents significant progress for the home secretary, Theresa May, towards meeting the Conservatives' target of reducing net migration to below 100,000 by the time of the next general election in 2015.

The ONS said the reduction in net migration was caused by an 81,000 fall in the number of migrants coming to Britain in the year to September 2012. Immigration numbers fell from 581,000 to 500,000 over the same period. The numbers leaving the country to live overseas also rose slightly from 339,000 the previous year to 347,000.

The official statisticians say the main reason for the decline in immigration was that 56,000 fewer overseas students came to study in Britain during the period. There was also a "significant decrease" in the numbers coming to live for family reasons – down from 80,000 to 62,000.

Official figures for sponsored student visa applications show that the downward trend is likely to have continued in the six months between September and March. The latest visa figures for March show a 10% reduction compared with the previous year. So far the fall in student visa applications has been concentrated in further education (down 46%), English language schools (down 46%) and independent schools (down 7%). University visa applications are up by 5%.

The official statisticians say that there has been no significant change in the numbers who arrived or left Britain for work-related reasons. The number of British citizens moving overseas rose slightly from 142,000 to 153,000, while those fell slightly from 81,000 to 79,000.

The immigration minister, Mark Harper, said net migration was now at its lowest level for a decade and claimed it was evidence that the government was continuing to bring immigration back under control.

"Today's statistics show another significant fall in net migration – down by more than a third since June 2010. This has been driven in the most recent period by a decline in the number of people coming to the UK, as stated by the independent Office for National Statistics.

"The figures show we have cut out abuse while encouraging the brightest and best migrants who contribute to economic growth, with a 5% increase in the number of sponsored student visa applications for our world-class universities, and a 5% increase in the number of visas issued to skilled workers."

He added: "Looking forward, our immigration bill will reduce the pull factors to this country and make it easier to remove people with no right to be here."

But Sarah Mulley, a migration expert at the Institute of Public Policy Research, said the decline in international student numbers came at considerable economic cost to the UK at a time when the country could ill afford.

"In any case, falling student numbers will not help the government meet its target in the medium term. Because most students stay in the UK only for a short time, reduced immigration now will mean reduced emigration in the future, which by 2015 could partially reverse the falls in net migration we are seeing now," she said.

James Pitman of Study Group UK, which represents private higher and further education (FE) colleges, said: "The modest increase in university sponsored visas may give the illusion that all is well, but it simply reflects applications from non-EU students who have been in the country for years already, taking GCSEs and A-levels in preparation for higher education study.

"Today's international further education and English language students are tomorrow's university students and drops of almost half in visa applications here is real cause for concern. Even conservative estimates suggest 40% of international students arrive at universities through FE and independent pathway routes. This supply is being slowly strangled and is a catastrophe waiting to happen for UK higher education."

Crude oil prices fell below $100 for the first time since mid-2012 in April on seasonal factors and softening market fundamentals. This was followed by a small rebound in early May, according to NBK’s latest Economic Update.

NBK said crude oil prices dropped significantly through April, taking them to their 10-month lows. The price of Kuwait Export Crude (KEC) fell below $95 per barrel (pb) in mid-April, while Brent crude fell to $96. In both cases, this was the first spell below $100 since last July, and at least $11 below their March averages.

read more

Astronomers have seen it coming. Starting this summer--possibly this month--a large cloud of gas and dust and perhaps a star will begin to ricochet through the dead center of the Milky Way galaxy, the home of a supermassive black hole. The ensuing celestial fireworks should reveal much about the mysterious central core of the galaxy, a region kept shrouded in darkness by dust and distance.

In wake of Woolwich attack, Labour peers Lord West and Lord Reid lead calls for Nick Clegg to end resistance and revive bill

Political pressure is mounting to revive the communications data bill in the wake of the Woolwich attack, with Labour peers Lord West and Lord Reid leading calls for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats to drop their opposition to the legislation. West said Clegg was putting the country at risk.

Clegg hailed a major political victory when he prevented the draft bill being allowed into the Queen's speech. The home secretary Theresa May had hoped she had changed the bill sufficiently from its original format to win Clegg's support, and even when the bill did not feature in the Queen's speech, she refused to accept that the bill had been killed off.

Reid, the former Labour ex-home secretary, said such measures were "essential" to combating terrorism, warning it could otherwise take "some huge tragedy" to show the decision was wrong.

Lord Carlile, a Liberal Democrat and a former government reviewer of counter-terrorism, also reiterated his call for the bill to be revived.

He said on BBC's Newsnight on Wednesday: "We have to learn proportionate lessons from what has occurred. We mustn't rush to judgment. But we must ensure that the police and the security services have for the future the tools they need which will enable them to prevent this kind of attack taking place.

"I hope that this will give the government pause for thought about their abandonment for example of the communications data bill and possibly pause for thought about converting control orders into what are now called TPIMs, with a diluted set of powers.

Lord West, the former security adviser to Gordon Brown and first sea lord, said: "The communications data bill is absolutely crucial. We may find the information we need on these mobiles is not there. It was meant to be in the Queen's speech. David Cameron and the home secretary both quite rightly wanted it, but the deputy prime ministers said no and that is putting the country at risk.

"They need to look again at the bill which has a lot of changes to stop it being a snoopers' charter. This ability is something that exists now, and will disappear. I have no doubt that if it goes we will be more at risk so the deputy prime minister is I believe putting the country at risk."

There was no immediate response from the Liberal Democrats, but Clegg's officials had previously said they were willing to look at some residual changes to make sure all mobiles were linked to IP addresses. It was not clear whether this required primary legislation.

Currently, police can identify who has made a telephone call or sent an SMS text message, and when and where. However, they cannot do the same for email, internet telephony, instant messaging or other internet-based services as communications service providers don't retain all of the relevant data.

Notes attached to the Queen's speech hinted that the security services still had ambitions to extend the willingness of the Liberal Democrats to link mobiles to internet providers. The notes said: "When communicating over the internet, people are allocated an IP address. However, these addresses are generally shared between a number of people.

"In order to know who has actually sent an email or made a Skype call, the police need to know who used a certain IP address at a given point in time. Without this, if a suspect used the internet to communicate instead of making a phone call, it may not be possible for the police to identify them."

The government said it is looking at ways of addressing this issue with service providers and that this may involve new legislation.

Warmer weather = weekend getaways.  (And this weekend we've got a long one--woo hoo!)  Wherever you're headed, you've got to pack a bag.  Here are 10 fabulous ways to tote your stuff outa town...

The World Bank has proposed a $150 million loan for Jordan to help it with the cost of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria, Jordanian and World Bank board sources said on Wednesday.

"The (World Bank) board should act on it in June," one source told Reuters. "Pressure on Jordan is increasing and the loan should help ease the economic burden."

read more

Net migration decreased by extra 10,000 people to 153,000 in year to September compared with previous quarter, says ONS

Net migration to Britain has shrunk by a further 10,000 people to 153,000 in the 12 months to September 2012 compared with the previous quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The drop in the politically sensitive figure has largely been driven by a further fall in the number of overseas students coming to Britain and a decline in the numbers coming under the family reunion route largely to join spouses.

The latest net migration figures – which estimate those coming to live in Britain for more than 12 months minus those leaving to live overseas for more than 12 months – is 10,000 below the previous quarter's figure of 163,000. It is down by one third, or 89,000, on the previous year's figure of 242,000 recorded in the 12 months to September 2011.

The continuing fall represents significant progress for the home secretary, Theresa May, towards meeting the Conservatives' target of reducing net migration to below 100,000 by the time of the next general election in 2015.

The ONS said the reduction in net migration was caused by an 81,000 fall in the number of migrants coming to Britain in the year to September 2012. Immigration numbers fell from 581,000 to 500,000 over the same period. The numbers leaving the country to live overseas also rose slightly from 339,000 the previous year to 347,000.

The official statisticians say the main reason for the decline in immigration was that 56,000 fewer overseas students came to study in Britain during the period. There was also a "significant decrease" in the numbers coming to live for family reasons – down from 80,000 to 62,000.

Official figures for sponsored student visa applications show that the downward trend is likely to have continued in the six months between September and March. The latest visa figures for March show a 10% reduction compared with the previous year. So far the fall in student visa applications has been concentrated in further education (down 46%), English language schools (down 46%) and independent schools (down 7%). University visa applications are up by 5%.

The official statisticians say that there has been no significant change in the numbers who arrived or left Britain for work-related reasons. The number of British citizens moving overseas rose slightly from 142,000 to 153,000, while those fell slightly from 81,000 to 79,000.

The immigration minister, Mark Harper, said net migration was now at its lowest level for a decade and claimed it was evidence that the government was continuing to bring immigration back under control.

"Today's statistics show another significant fall in net migration – down by more than a third since June 2010. This has been driven in the most recent period by a decline in the number of people coming to the UK, as stated by the independent Office for National Statistics.

"The figures show we have cut out abuse while encouraging the brightest and best migrants who contribute to economic growth, with a 5% increase in the number of sponsored student visa applications for our world-class universities, and a 5% increase in the number of visas issued to skilled workers."

He added: "Looking forward, our immigration bill will reduce the pull factors to this country and make it easier to remove people with no right to be here."

But Sarah Mulley, a migration expert at the Institute of Public Policy Research, said the decline in international student numbers came at considerable economic cost to the UK at a time when the country could ill afford.

"In any case, falling student numbers will not help the government meet its target in the medium term. Because most students stay in the UK only for a short time, reduced immigration now will mean reduced emigration in the future, which by 2015 could partially reverse the falls in net migration we are seeing now," she said.

James Pitman of Study Group UK, which represents private higher and further education (FE) colleges, said: "The modest increase in university sponsored visas may give the illusion that all is well, but it simply reflects applications from non-EU students who have been in the country for years already, taking GCSEs and A-levels in preparation for higher education study.

"Today's international further education and English language students are tomorrow's university students and drops of almost half in visa applications here is real cause for concern. Even conservative estimates suggest 40% of international students arrive at universities through FE and independent pathway routes. This supply is being slowly strangled and is a catastrophe waiting to happen for UK higher education."

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