Tag: <span>uk</span>

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We pretty much know that the term Breakdown Cover is used in the UK, but of course the Americans who normally do things bigger than anyone else also offer this insurance policy sometimes as a roadside assistance policy and are often have a general name as an auto club.

But even though the services on paper resemble breakdown cover operations here in the UK, in reality the service could be in a league of its own. Foe example, anyone with experience of driving down the huge interstates in the USA, will immediate see the difference in size of vehicles compared to back here in the UK.

It is not an uncommon site to see a huge camper vehicle towing a small car behind it. In the UK, this size of vehicle would be the equivalent of a goods trailer, where a heavy goods license would be required to drive it. This difference in size means having training in helping vehicles of this size and also having the mechanical power to recover vehicles of this size in the form of a flat bed lorry and possible heavy crane lifting equipment.

The difference in landscape and distance between some towns can also be a huge challenge. It is fair to say that it is unlikely to have that many camper vehicles touring though the center of New York, but as you move to other states with huge distance between the living and long straight open roads, you are more likely to see the larger vehicles. RV’s or recreation Vehicles have until recently, been very popular. Compared to the four by four vehicles we have here in the UK, many are much larger and would struggle to be towed by the transit van that a typical breakdown cover company may send out here in the UK.

In the UK we talk about a recovery service that would return your vehicle to anywhere on the mainland, but in the USA these distances could be huge so premiums like this are not as cheap as the UK, if you can get them at all. Even with many internal flights, many Americans do go on long road trips, so needing to recover a vehicle for one side of the country to the other is not unheard of.

So very often the breakdown cover clubs often only work State to State, using garages within that specific area, which would cover most day to day commuting and yearly mileage. Sometimes the term used is Auto Warranty, covering not just the emergency breakdown of a vehicle but the parts on the vehicle also. These functions tend to be separated in the UK, having breakdown cover companies dealing with any recovery of the vehicle and registered car dealers sorting out the mechanical replacement of any large parts.

It must also be said that it is expected that cars in certain USA states would cover higher miles than in the UK also. With the exception of countryside living, most UK residents have access to public transport for shopping, getting kids to school etc. The modern city or residential area in the States tends to need a car as a necessity rather than a luxury of convenience.

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Source by Buz Seoman

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The nation known as the United Kingdom was born of conquest. Norman invaders consolidated their control of England from 1066. Wales was united with England in 1536, and both were joined with Scotland in 1707. In 1800, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed. Ireland continued to be restive, and by 1922 only the six northern counties remained in the UK.

The mild maritime climate and extensive lowlands give the United Kingdom an excellent agricultural base. The country was richly endowed with minerals, but most of these have been exhausted except for coal (much of which is now regarded as un-economic) and North Sea oil and gas.

It was the 16th century maritime power that put England on the world map as a trading and colonial power; cities such as London, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester quickly grew in importance. This wealth, and that derived from agricultural improvements in the 17th and 18th centuries, paved the way for the Industrial Revolution that took place in the late 18th amd 19th centuries.

Iron and steel, engineering good, textiles, ceramics and much more made the UK the “workshop of the world”. Cities such as Sheffield, Glasgow and Belfast grew at a truly astonishing pace, to leave a serious 20th century problem of urban improvement and renewal.

Since the mid-1940s, the United Kingdom has increasingly experienced difficulty in adjusting to the loss of empire and its diminished world role. The capital city, London, remains remains as one of the world’s leading financial centres (the second biggest after New York) and modern manufacturing has expanded at a rapid rate, especially in southern England. The rich national heritage, culture and beautiful landscape attracts a large amount of visitors from across the globe.

The United Kingdom’s economy is the sixth largest in the world today. The service sector makes up roughly around 73% of gross domestic product. Typical popular industries within the UK service sector include telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, waste disposal, education, public health, legal services, tourism, cheap UK car rental and real estate.

UK Key Figures

• Area: 241,752 square kilometres / 93,341 square miles
• Capital City: London
• State Memberberships: CE, COMM, EBRD, ECE, EU, G7, NATO, OECD
• Population: 58,395,000 (growth rate 0.3%)
• Life Expectancy: 74 (male), 79 (female)
• Languages: English, Welsh
• Adult Literacy Rate: 99%
• Currency: Pound Sterling (£)
• GNP: 1,069,457 (US million $)
• GNP per Head: 18,410 (US million $).

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Source by Kerry L Thompson

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United Kingdom is the best place to start a new business. There is always scope for a bigger market and success here. The regulation process is simpler and entrepreneurship is encouraged by the government and the banks. But to start any business venture you must give sufficient time in doing the perfect homework and preparing for the project. Learn a much as you possibly can about the issues that might be important you for the business set up. The first thin that you require to do business in this country is to possess a valid address in the country. Address proof is essential before registration. The registration process itself is the second most important thing that is to be done for your business. Registration can be done in the Companies House or online. But the registration process will not be complete if you do not fill the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association forms. The Form 10 is important because it will specify the details of the organization like names of the secretaries, officers, directors, investors etc. of the company.

Law here specifies that the incumbent company must have at least one secretary and director. One person can look into both the aspects but you will require a second director then. You must also mention the liabilities of the company and the type of the company that you have planned to form. It can be a sole owner company or partnership firm or a limited company. The agreements have to be signed by each and every person of the company. A solicitor should be present when the form is signed. The next step is to register with the Inland Revenue and you will be liable to Class 2 NI Contribution of 2.05 pounds per week. No company will have to pay VAT unless they complete one year in business.

Often people do not understand the details of the laws and the regulation. They might take help of the authorized registration agents. Most offer complete online services so that you can complete the whole process from the start to the end with utmost urgency and comfort. They also take care of all the documentation and the legal angle of the matter. For example, at the time of the registration a person receives various documents like Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Association, Memorandum, First minutes, Share certificate and Combined Register. The agents will make sure that you do not miss out on any particular detail or document that might cause problem later.

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Source by Michael Novik

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With all the fuss surrounding Amazon’s new wireless reading device price, it probably slipped  by a large number of people but it was revealed that finally, people this side of the water can now buy an eBook reader with UK supported wireless connectivity.

The announcement, from Amazon Kindle, delivered to the press earlier this week seemed to center on the discounted price of the US Kindle, reduced from $299 down to $259. To readers residing in the UK and Europe, the best part of Amazon’s announcement was the fact that a new model was being introduce to the Kindle stable.

One of the biggest moans regarding the Kindle has always been the fact that outside of the US it’s main feature, wireless connectivity, was useless. The US model was only able use the Sprint networks 3G data delivery service rendering it useless on this side of the drink. Well that’s all changed with Amazon’s new wireless reading device.

The new device has the same top notch specification and solid build quality as the Kindle2 which has been on sale in the US since February, but in addition it will now have support for both US and International wireless, perfect for transatlantic travelers but far more importantly, perfect for all of us in western Europe looking to purchase an affordable wireless reading device.

It seems that, unlike the US Kindle, Amazon’s new wireless reading device will not be tied to one service but will instead be able to interchange between different networks, just as long as you can receive the same 3G signal used by all new smart phones then you can connect wirelessly with no need for internet hot spots. It will enable users to access the Kindle-Store that now holds in excess of 350,000 electronic books including top new releases priced at under $10, all available for instant download. You can also subscribe to top selling world wide newspapers and magazines to read on the device, and access the internet to visit top blogs.

Amazon’s new wireless reading device will be supported in over 100 countries and retail at $279. As with the US model, there will be no monthly or annual service charges, Amazon will pick up the tab through sales of ebooks and subscription made from their Kindle-Store. So now you are don’t just have to buy an eBook reader, take a look at Amazon’s new wireless reading device an eBook reader with UK wireless connectivity just what UK buyers have been waiting for.

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Source by Noel K. Swinton

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Guess who’s been hailed as the newest PR person for Indo-UK tourism: Shilpa Shetty’s impact on INDO-UK tourism

Now knowing Bollywood film actress Shilpa Shetty’s career was already on the back-burner, her entry into the British television show was no debacle as it was made out to by the lady and her tear-streaked face confirming and denying (in true filmy fashion, some would say) the effect of a co-contestant’s supposedly racist remarks. The image conscious UK government was quick to rise to their defence and that of Shilpa’s honor to be fair, issuing statements for not standing by any such cultural issues perpetrators like Jane Goody (the baddie in the show, accused of making unkindly remarks on Ms. Shetty) and rendered their full cooperation in tailing the story via their own substantially roused media counterparts. However, the good news for Indian tourism is that post-the Big Brother TV show publicity, renewed interest in India’s spirituality and level of tolerance (we did issue an invitation to Jane Goody to cleanse her impure and overly aggressive thoughts by visiting Indian spa’s etc!) have done the rounds for great marketing and the impact on Indo-UK tourism is all hunky-dory- at least on political say-so.

The event that sparked off the debate on the Indo-UK tourism sector being affected by Shilpa Shetty’s appearance on the Big Brother TV show was the instance of a ‘not-so-nice-name-calling’ by a fellow contestant, which comprised allegedly racist remarks. India however, put up a brave front and made a public statement in January that the allegations of racist attacks on actor Shilpa Shetty in a British television show would not impact ties between the two countries, including the Indo-UK tourism sector, which stands to gain a lot by way of India having taken such a generous stand and once again emerging as the land of immense spirituality and magnitude of emotions.

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Source by Manoj Gursahani

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You will be surprised to know that the amount of valuable things left in the car has increased to such a level that the insurance claims have made a jump!

If recent reports of the Zurich Car Insurance are to be taken into consideration, cars in UK are great hunting grounds for thieves. The amount of valuables left behind in the cars means that more and more criminals are finding it a great haunt. This has resulted in increasing car premiums for the users.

The plethora of things in the cars, right from DVD players to satellite navigation systems, makes the car a haven for the criminals. In fact, many miscreants prefer breaking into a car than into a home! This makes a cheap car insurance UK a must for every individual living in the UK.

In fact, the most susceptible individuals are the youngsters. They are the ones who need cheap car insurance UK the most. They top the list when it comes to leaving behind important things in the car. The youngsters leave behind goods averaging £200 in worth in their cars! Since the car insurance rates are generally higher for the youngsters because of their tendency to meet with accidents, they require cheap car insurance UK more than any other age group.

The rising numbers of thefts from the cars is an ominous sign. In the recent past, an average of one out of ten individuals has been victims of theft. This has led to a rise in the demand for car insurance.

Cheap car insurance UK is a very important thing for all car users in the country. Considering the amount of thefts, it is a necessity to insure your car. The individuals who often leave behind important and valuable things in their cars need the insurances badly. However, as Roy Seeds, the head of motor underwriting in Zurich Insurance implores car users to be a little more careful and not leave behind important valuables in the cars.

In order to find the best cheap car insurance UK has on offer, you must do a search online, compare the rates and then opt for the one that suits you best.

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Source by Robert Mcleary

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At the 2006 Paris Motor Show, Volvo unveiled their smallest car to date – the three-door, four-seater hatchback C30. The vehicle also became one of the reasons for Volvo’s reentry to the 2007 Montreal Auto Show. Currently, the C30 is about to be launched in the United Kingdom and Volvo is about to commence their biggest ad campaign in more than ten years.

The Volvo C30 is aimed at the younger generation of car buyers and the said ad campaign will be aimed at the mentioned age bracket. The C30 needs all the push it can give especially since it is going up against popular brands such as Alfa Romeo, Audi and Volkswagen.

The ad campaign is now seen as one of the most radical steps that Volvo has taken in recent memory. With a national advertising campaign, it seems that Volvo has pulled all the stops to give the C30 significant boost going into the UK car market. Volvo will us the “What do you think?” tagline in their ad campaign which will cover television, print, outdoor, and digital mediums. The ad campaign will be launched on May 4 and is primarily aimed to gauge the opinion of the motoring public concerning the Volvo C30.

The first 18 days of the ad campaign will see Volvo covering different mediums in order to promote the C30. After that initial salvo, Volvo will then start to design the four and a half months of advertising the special model features found on the Volvo C30. At these ad campaigns, one of the attributes of the C30 that will be highlighted is its fuel efficiency. This is, of course, aimed at car buyers who are concerned about the increasing threat of global warming. Its small size, while giving the C30 good fuel economy also allows the vehicle to navigate around urban areas.

Anita Fox, the head of marketing communications for Volvo UK touts the C30 launch as the boldest advertising endeavor ever taken by Volvo. “The C30 launch heralds Volvo’s most radical marketing campaign ever. It had been designed to captivate a much younger, marketing savvy, target audience, and breakout of the traditional Volvo values that are not relevant to this audience,” says Fox.

The ad campaign when launched can be likened to a Volvo clutch when engaged for it then unleashes the power of the engine. The same can be said for the ad campaign which when launched will unleash the advertising power of Volvo. The ad campaign will begin with 10 second television ads, then a longer 20 second ads will be shown all over UK. During the same time, Volvo will also use colored print ads will be posted on selected daily, weekly, and monthly publication. Outdoor posters will also be used by Volvo in the promotion of the C30. All of these will encourage consumers to visit Volvo’s Freewill website where they will be invited to post their comments on the C30.

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Source by Glady Reign

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Urban music in the UK has become more popular in the past year, bigger than ever before thanks to number 1 hits from UK R&B, Hip-Hop & Grime artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Leona Lewis, Estelle and M.I.A; as well as top-10-charting artists like Lemar, Craig David, Taio Cruz, Wiley and Tinchy Stryder. UK hip-hop may not be globally as popular as it’s American counterpart and probably never will be, but over here in the UK we have some exceptionally good rappers who do make good quality, lyrically-rich music.

Just as Americans created hip-hop and rap, London-based MC’s created their own genre of fast-paced mc’ing, called it “Grime” music and have never looked back since. The genre has grown ahead of UK hip-hop in terms of popularity with the younger generation because it was created by London’s younger generation, and Grime music is now widely recognised and being accepted worldwide as it is a fresh, new sound. Grime artists are now regularly being nominated for music awards in the UK and the States. USA’s very own BET Awards nominated 4 grime artists and only 1 hip-hop artist in the Best UK Hip-Hop category at its’ 2008 award ceremony in Atlanta. That one hip-hop artist (South London’s “Giggs”) did however win the award and breathed a new lease of life into UK hip-hop. If you don’t know who Giggs is, he’s the rapper who took a Dr Dre beat (“here we go” by Stat Quo), freestyled on it and made the song the UK’s biggest hip-hop record of 2008, to the point that hardly anybody in the UK even knows the original version! No offence my American pals.

Taking no credit away from The U.S, it’s a fact that if your music can break America, it will become popular over the entire western world. A contributing factor to the success of UK’s urban artists that they have been accepted in America. Such is the appreciation of UK urban music in the U.S that 4 of the biggest American rappers (Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I.) sampled a female British artist’s voice for the chorus on their monster hit “Swagger Like Us”. This sampling sent M.I.A’s “Paper Planes” single to the top of the U.S charts.

The UK’s very own R&B diva Leona Lewis’ single “Run” has become the fastest-selling digital single of all time in the UK. Whereas Leona Lewis was nominated in several categories in the 2009 Grammy Awards, unfortunately not winning in any category, other female singers from the UK such as Estelle, Duffy and Adele took home a Grammy award each at the ceremony in Los Angeles, proving that the UK’s urban artists have finally gained star-status.

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Source by Mason Ifejika

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It’s time to break out the wellies and raincoats. For those keeping track of the torrential downpour we suffered over New Year’s Eve, 2012 came fantastically close to being the wettest UK year in recorded history. Unfortunately it was beat out by 2000, with around 1337.3mm of rain. Considering the drought measures put in place earlier in 2012, the fact we only came 6.6mm short of the wettest UK year in history was surprising, to say the least. Though they seem like a distant memory now, the south of England experienced hosepipe and sprinkler bans from 5th April, with groundwater levels far below their usual amounts.

In the countryside floods arrived in full force. Public events have been cancelled, Cheltenham racecourse had to cancel their New Year’s racing events because parts of the course were residing comfortably underwater. Throughout the country drivers can see horses and cows paddling around in the flooded plains, trying to find the odd mound of greenery to feed from in overwhelming fields of water.

The soggy state of 2012 has created dire results for British farmers, who are currently clamouring for the right to grow GM foods to combat the diseases the weather brings. Blight is a disease affecting the foliage and tubers potatoes and tomatoes, two of the most widely farmed products in the UK. It’s caused by an organism similar to a fungus, rotting the plants and rendering them inedible. The affliction spreads rapidly in wet weather and wreaked severe damage on local farmers’ profits over the latter half of the year. Attempts to recover are slow, and experts suspect the pattern of heavy rainfall and flooding may continue, though hopefully not reaching recent levels for a good long time. Worried farmers anticipating future floods have called for more use of GM crops, grown with specific weather resistant traits, combatting the risks our extreme weather carries.

Of course, moving out of the countryside isn’t enough to escape the floods. Where a few towns in the south experienced heavy snow for a brief time, for most of the country precipitation came in the form of non-stop rain. It progressed beyond mere inconvenience when 265 flood warnings were issued throughout the UK, announcing flooding as predicted, and a further 288 alerts were issued to inform communities of possible flooding. By New Year’s over eight thousand homes had been severely damaged by flooding. For a time some York streets were flooded to waist level, and many more homes in Cornwall have been evacuated in response to the constantly rising water levels.

With any luck we’ll see a brief return of the previous year’s February droughts, and enjoy a much needed respite from the rain. Until then, however, it’s all we can do to increase flood measures and make sure our rain wear and roofs don’t sport any leaks. Flood measures are estimated to have saved almost 200,000 homes from floods this year, and hopefully this number will increase with new precautions built in 2013.

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Source by Alan Cray

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Companies are formed in the United Kingdom by preparing Form 10, Form 12, the memorandum of association and articles of association and sending them to Companies House, with the prescribed fee, which is presently set at £20.00, however an express registration service costs £50.00.

Form 10 is made available by Companies House – in the UK, this is the trading name of the Register of Companies (“the Registrar”) – to nominate the first directors of the company, in addition to the first registered address of the company in England, Scotland or Wales. The directors must provide their home address, occupation,, date of birth and the other companies in which they have been a director over the last five years.

Form 12 is simply a statutory declaration that the legal requirements to form a company have been complied with, and must be signed by a solicitor or the person or one of the first directors of the company, and witnessed by a commissioner of oaths or solicitor.

There are four basic types of companies that may be formed in under UK law:

• Private companies, limited by shares

The main features of companies limited by shares are that shareholders’ liability is limited to the amount that they must pay for their shares. These are the popular form of company for this reason. Shares may be issued without a requirement for immediate payment for the shares, however like other companies, the company may issue ‘calls’, which are demands issued by the company to the shareholders for payment. In the event that the shareholder does not pay the call, the shares may be forfeited to the company.

Private companies limited by shares may have 1 subscriber.

• Private companies, limited by guarantee

Shareholders’ liability is capped not limited in the same way for companies limited by guarantee. When a shareholder purchases shares in a company limited by guarantee, the shareholder must agree to contribute to the company’s assets in the event of a winding up. This limit, or guarantee may be as little as £1..00.

Private companies limited by shares may have 1 subscriber.

• Private unlimited

Unlike the other forms of companies, shareholders’ liability in the event of a winding up is unlimited, which makes a shareholding in unlimited company the rough equivalent to trading as a partnership or sole trader, where personal liability is also unlimited.

Private companies limited by shares must have 2 subscribers.

• Public limited

Public companies differ from the types of private companies listed above in that the shares of the company may be offered to the public at large. Nevertheless, shareholders’ liability is restricted in the same way as that which applies to private companies – the shareholders’ liability is restricted to the sum they are obliged to pay for their shares.

Private companies limited by shares must have 2 subscribers.

Registered Office

The purpose of the registered address is for statutory notices to be sent by the Registrar and correspondence by the public. In the event that a company does not respond to correspondence from the Registrar, it will eventually be struck off the Register of Companies, as the address is not effective.

Directors

For private entities, a director may also be the secretary provided there is another director. Undischarged bankrupts and those disqualified by the court from holding office are prohibited from accepting appointments as directors unless special permission has been granted. Minors may be appointed in special circumstances. The Act provides that the age of statutory senility for directors of public companies reaching the age of 70. A general meeting may be convened however to reappoint the director.

Memorandum of Association

The memorandum of association defines the corporate powers of the company. They govern the powers of the company, and is one of the two documents comprising the constitution. That is, what is has the power to do, and what it does not. These provisions of the memorandum are the ‘objects’ of the company. When a company purports to exercise a power that it does not have, it is said to be acting ultra vires. The memorandum must specify the authorised capital of the company, that is the number and class of shares that it may issue; the registered office.

Articles of Association

The articles of a company govern the relationship between the company, the directors, and the shareholders. These are the key relationships within the company and the articles serve to regulate the internal affairs of the company between these capacities. It is the articles of association that are referred to when seeking to determine the powers of the company, shareholders or directors.

The articles for instance may dictate that the company must have a minimum number of directors.

Shareholders’ Agreements are contracts between the shareholders of a company to regulate the conduct of the shareholders as between one another, and may impose obligations and duties over and above that existing in the articles of association.

The Role of the Company Secretary

The company secretary is the chief administrative officer, and has the power to bind the company in respect to its administrative affairs. The secretary’s responsibilities are defined by their contract of service to the company and the articles of association, and includes the keeping of minutes, maintaining the statutory registers and preparing notifications to shareholders, amongst many other responsibilities.

The Register of Companies

Companies House maintains a register of all the companies existing in the United Kingdom. The Register is public and available to be searched by members of the public. The activities of the company must be reported to the Registrar so that the Register is kept current. the Registrar provides forms to do this, such as appointments of directors and the company secretary (Form 288a), resignations of directors and the company secretary (Form 288b), changes to the company name, changes to the registered address (Form 287), returns of allotments of shares (ie, when shares are issued to shareholders) (Form 88(2)), and increases in share capital (Form 123).

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Source by L Ellis