Novak Djokovic played some superb tennis to defeat Andy Murray in the Australian Open Tennis Final in Melbourne. On a stifling hot evening the Serbian won in straight sets, 6-4 6-2 6-3 to claim the second Grand Slam title of his career.
It was the perfect end to a near perfect week for third seed Djokovic, who lost only one set throughout the tournament. The set dropped was a tie break in the second round against Ivan Dodig of Croatia.
The straight sets victory in the semi final against Roger Federer really …

The standard rate of VAT has risen from 17.5% to 20% in the UK as the government looks to cut the deficit from the recession.
Business groups have warned that retailers will be hit hardest by the rise, while opponents of the rise have said the poorest will be the hardest hit.
The coalition government says the increase is essential to assist in bringing down the UK’s high budget deficit.
Chancellor George Osborne said the shift was more “progressive” than a hike in income tax or National Insurance.
Items which have no VAT are …

The England cricket team have retained the Ashes in Melbourne for the first time in 24 years and with a match to spare – after winning the fourth test.
England made sure the Ashes would be coming back to England after they completed a 157 run victory in Melbourne. This was England’s biggest win against Australia since 1956.
This victory was assured after the Australian team were bowled out for 258 and are now 2-1 up with only the (last) Sydney Test remaining.
Ryan Harris being injured and unable to bat meant England …

More heavy snowfall across the whole of the UK has brought travel disruption with many roads gridlocked and trains and flights delayed or cancelled.
Thousands of people have been left stranded at Heathrow and Gatwick with many flights getting cancelled. BA has advised all its passengers booked on flights affected not to travel to Heathrow, and warned of major disruption at all London airports.
The roads too are causing chaos with many traffic delays caused by the snow as drivers are left in standstill traffic due to road accidents or road closures, …

Almost two million of us will have lost or will lose unemployment benefits by the end of the year. It could be a dark holiday season for many. One union electrician told a reporter that he’s not looking forward to Christmas. He can’t afford a tree or gifts for his family in Northeastern Ohio.
When Rockefeller Center had its tree lighting a few days ago, around forty New Yorkers who were out of work, marched in protest. The organizer was bitter about families losing their only source …

PM David Cameron has condemned tuition fee protesters after yesterday’s (9th December 2010) violence where the Prince of Wales and Camilla’s car was attacked.
The couples car was damaged while on its way to the royal variety performance as protesters cracked windows and threw paint on the Rolls-Royce after it became separated from its police escort.
Prime minister, David Cameron, has condemned the violence as “unacceptable”. “It is shocking and regrettable that the car carrying the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall was caught up and attacked in the violence.”

They …

Job markets are brightening a little for 2011.  About 3% more jobs are opening up and the consulting and financial sectors may provide the most jobs.  Joe Light reported that if employers could feel better regarding taxes, political strategies and health care costs, they would consider hiring more.
Their concerns aren’t totally focused on the economy at this stage, so that’s a good start to recovery.  Concern over other restrictions to their business growth remains.
How should graduates into the job market look at opportunities available in 2011?  Business owners need to …

With levels of unemployment in the UK gradually starting to improve, now could be the time for anyone in search of a career change to make their next move. The question is, which career path do you follow?
Throughout the recession, it has been evident that demand for IT qualifications remains high. IT recruitment firm CWJobs indicated just recently that the number of vacancies in the sector increased by four per cent between the fourth quarter of 2009 and first three months of this year. The company took this as a …

CPP, a life assistance company, has carried out an experiment to test how secure the UK’s wireless networks. Ethical hackers were hired to see just how easy it would be for them to get into various networks. It was found that shockingly, it took just 5 seconds to get into some home networks.
There were 40,000 networks identified and more than 20,000 of those were not adequately protected. In fact, many of them did not even have a password to protect them. The hackers spent around half an hour in each …