http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/All the latest contracting news and information can be found at Tarpon UK.(c) 2008, Tarpon Enterprise Ltd. All rights reserved.5The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) also known as Agency Workers’ Directive (AWD) is due to come into force on 1st October 2011. The legislation refers to the agency worker being entitled after 12 weeks in post to the same basic working and employment conditions as he or she would have received for doing the same job had he or she would have been recruited directly by the end user.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Protection-guaranteed-with-the-AWR-/Tue, 24 May 2011 17:52:00 GMTIf you are looking to find the best umbrella company - this will depend on many factors such as their service and compliance.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Which-is-the-best-umbrella-company/Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:17:00 GMTContractor umbrella companies operate online so it is imperative that appropriate documents are requested before contractors commit to signing up.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Umbrella-company-checklist-for-contractors/Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:33:00 GMTFacebook looks likely to cave into pressure from users and simplify its privacy settings in the near future. It follows criticisms of its privacy policy from US senators, the European Union and civil liberty groups. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Facebook-considering-uturn-on-privacy/Wed, 19 May 2010 15:45:00 GMTVideo sharing website YouTube now gets more than two billion hits daily. That's nearly double the number of people who tune into the US's three prime time TV stations combined, its owners Google have said. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/YouTube-celebrates-its-5th-Birthday-/Tue, 18 May 2010 14:37:00 GMTIn less than 18 months there will be no more big blocks of net addresses to give out, estimates suggest. Predictions name 9 September 2011 as the date on which the last of those tranches is released for net firms and others to use. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Internet-fast-approaching-addressing-limit/Tue, 11 May 2010 11:55:00 GMTSage Group announced an 11 per cent rise in underlying first-half pre-tax profits today as several of Britain’s leading technology companies reported improved results. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/IT-sector-shows-promise-for-contractors/Wed, 05 May 2010 11:16:00 GMTJust four weeks after release Apple has announced it has sold one million iPads. Helped by a massive amount of hype ahead of launch day on 3 April this latest set of figures mean it's selling faster than the iPhone did when it was released. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Apple-sell-1-million-iPads-in-a-month/Tue, 04 May 2010 16:56:00 GMTZeus, a virus that steals online banking details from infected computer users, is more powerful than ever, warns a web security company. Trusteer says it has spotted the Trojan virus in one of every 3,000 of the 5.5m computers it monitors in the US and UK. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Zeus-banking-virus-is-back/Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:23:00 GMTApple is to delay the international release of its touchscreen tablet computer, the iPad, by one month. It will now launch the device around the world, including the UK, at the end of May, and will begin accepting pre-orders on 10 May. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Apple-iPads-international-release-delayed/Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:42:00 GMTTwitter has said it will allow advertising on its site for the first time. The social networking site said advertisers would be able to buy "Promoted Tweets" that will appear on Twitter's search results pages. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Twitter-to-allow-advertising/Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:24:00 GMTThe broadband tax has been scrapped in the last-minute scramble to rush key legislation through before Parliament is dissolved next week. The tax was a key part of Labour's strategy to ensure all parts of the country get super-fast broadband. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Superfast-broadband-tax-scrapped/Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:48:00 GMTSony has said it will disable a feature on its PlayStation 3 (PS3) console in a move some consider to be a pre-emptive strike to guard against games piracy. The firm said that an update to be released on 1 April will prevent people using a function that allows them to install alternative operating systems. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Sony-to-disable-PlayStation-3-feature/Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:46:00 GMTThe Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced as part of the 2010 budget, that the HMRC will be increasing penalties for individuals who fail to pay taxes due on offshore income or gains, with penalties of up to 200% of tax for deliberate and concealed tax evasion. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-to-clamp-down-on-tax-avoidance-schemes/Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:17:00 GMTA search engine is being created to help historians find useful sources. The Connected History project will link up currently separate databases of source materials. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Historians-get-their-own-search-engine/Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:04:00 GMTA report from a group of peers has claimed that the UK is "reasonably well placed" to cope with a large-scale cyber attack. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/UK-reasonably-well-placed-for-cyber-attack/Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:16:00 GMTFacebook says it is "aggressively disabling" applications that claim to allow users to see who is viewing their profile. It has also confirmed that the programmes do not work and won't allow access to private information. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Facebook-removing-stalker-applications/Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:59:00 GMTHard drives are about to undergo one of the biggest format shifts in 30 years. By early 2011 all hard drives will use an "advanced format" that changes how they go about saving the data people store on them. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Hard-drive-evolution-could-cause-problems-for-XP-users/Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:03:00 GMTThe Bank of England has kept interest rates at a record breaking low of 0.5% for the 12th consecutive month. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Bank-of-England-holds-interest-rates-at-05/Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:21:00 GMTThe UK tax authority's system for dealing with older people's tax arrangements has been described as too complex and leads to many people overpaying tax, MPs have said.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Many-elderly-paying-too-much-tax/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:25:00 GMTThe European Commission is looking into complaints about Google's behaviour, the company has revealed. The complaints were made by UK price comparison site Foundem, French legal search engine ejustice.fr, and Microsoft's Ciao. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Google-facing-a-European-competition-inquiry/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:24:00 GMTA government proposal to charge people with fixed phone lines 50p per month to help fund ultra-fast broadband has been condemned as "unfair" by MPs. The cross-party Business Innovation and Skills Committee said most of those who would pay the tax would not benefit from the faster broadband service. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Broadband-tax-condemned-by-MPs/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:23:00 GMTThousand of rich UK citizens living abroad as tax exiles may find they have to pay backdated UK taxes.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Court-of-Appeal-rules-against-tax-exiles/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:22:00 GMTSeeSaw's online TV service has launched in full for British internet users after less than a month of beta testing on 20,000 users. The service offers viewers the chance to catch up for free on 3,000 hours of archive and recent programmes from the BBC, Channel 4 and Five. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/SeeSaw-internet-TV-service-launches-in-UK/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:21:00 GMTMicrosoft has launched the latest version of its mobile phone operating system, called Windows Phone 7 series. The software has a redesigned user interface and incorporates many Microsoft services such as Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music service. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Microsoft-to-launch-Windows-7-Series-for-mobiles/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:20:00 GMTThe parliamentary body for policing expenses claims, will cost about six times as much to set up as MPs have been ordered to repay. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Policing-MPs-expenses-comes-at-a-cost/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:19:00 GMTGoogle has taken the wraps off its latest social network known as Buzz. The service - integrated directly with its e-mail service Gmail - allows users to post status updates, share content and read and comment on friends' posts. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Google-to-go-up-against-facebook-and-twitter/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:18:00 GMTHand-held devices could soon have pressure-sensitive touch-screens and keys, thanks to a UK firm's material that exploits a quantum physics trick. The technology allows, for example, scrolling down a long list or webpage faster as more pressure is applied. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Quantum-physics-applied-to-mobile-phones/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:17:00 GMTSir Thomas Legg, the man was conducting the review on MPs expenses, says 390 past and present MPs should repay £1.12m of their second home expenses. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Excessive-expenses-claims-to-be-repaid-by-MPs-/Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:16:00 GMTTwo million adults in Britain have lost more than £50 in a scam, almost 10% of adults - more than 4m people - in Britain say they have responded to a scam in their lives, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Scams-affect-one-in-ten-Britons-/Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:01:00 GMTThe High Court have upheld the rule allowing the HMRC to seek £100 million of income taxes from 2,500 users of a tax avoidance scheme.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/HMRC-to-chase-tax-dodgers/Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:51:00 GMTAll eyes in the technology world are on Apple as it prepares to unveil its latest creation, amid a swirl of speculation it is a tablet computer. At 1800 GMT Today the company will hold a news conference in San Francisco to launch the new product. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Apple-to-unveil-new-product/Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:57:00 GMTBritain's longest recession is set to end with the release of figures that show the nation has finally returned to growth. Economists predict that the fourth-quarter GDP data will show the economy is growing for the first time since Britain entered the recession in the second quarter of 2008.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/UK-recession-set-to-end-/Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:17:00 GMTVideo-sharing site YouTube is taking its first steps to branch in to the online movie rental business. The new service will go live tomorrow (22 January), although initially only five films will be available to rent. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/YouTube-set-to-branch-into-movie-rentals/Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:38:00 GMTWork and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper warns unemployment may yet rise The number of people unemployed in the UK has fallen unexpectedly for the first time in 18 months. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Unemployment-falls-to-246m/Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:31:00 GMTThe Tories have upped their campaign to attract young voters by launching a political ad campaign on digital music service Spotify 'Sorry to interrupt your music... but this really is quite important'http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tories-Slam-Brown-In-New-Spotify-Campaign/Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:54:00 GMTThe Information Commissioner's Office will be able to issue fines of up to £500,000 for serious data security breaches, after being approved by Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Data-loss-fines-set-to-be-introduced/Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:52:00 GMTGoogle has threatened to pull its operation out of China claiming cyber spies have penetrated the system. The Internet giant said "highly sophisticated" cyber attacks had been launched to hack into e-mail accounts of human rights activisits in China and around the world.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Google-to-review-business-operations-in-China/Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:24:00 GMTGadget-lovers and industry rivals are gearing up for the unveiling of Google’s first mobile phone even though photos and details of Google's Nexus were leaked before its official launch.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Google-reveal-Nexus-as-rival-to-iPhone-/Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:25:00 GMTThe Office of Fair Trading has said it will abandon its legal action against banks over unauthorised overdraft charges. The OFT lost a test case last month when the Supreme Court ruled banks were entitled to charge for unauthorised overdrafts.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/OFT-drops-action-over-bank-charges/Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:29:00 GMTThe latest of the UK's major phone networks to offer the iPhone to customers is Vodafone and confirms it will start selling the iPhone in the UK on 14 January 2010.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Vodafone-join-the-rest-and-release-the-iPhone-in-January/Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:52:00 GMTSnowfall across particularly the South East England has caused travel chaos and even cut power supplies.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Snow-causes-commercial-standstill/Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:20:00 GMT80 MPs have come forward advising that they want to challenge an auditors request for them to pay back claims dating back over the last five years.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/MPs-to-challenge-auditors-on-expense-claims/Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:16:00 GMTA Facebook application allowing people to be virtual farmers has more users than the whole of Twitter, the social networking website said. FarmVille, which was not developed by Facebook, lists almost 70 million monthly active users.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Facebook-FarmVille-Game-Bigger-Than-Twitter-/Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:15:00 GMTChristmas office parties for some used to be lavish affairs, overflowing with cocktails sausages and free beer, but now people are increasingly being asked to pay their own way or face no festive bash. So are we seeing the death of this yuletide tradition?http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Does-recession-mean-the-end-for-Christmas-parties/Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:18:00 GMTA rogue tweet by his son taught Gordon Brown "a big lesson" about the need for parental supervision, he said as he launched an online safety campaign. Children will be taught how to protect themselves online with the 21st century equivalent of the Green Cross Code's 'Stop, Look, Listen'.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/PM-receives-a-lesson-in-Parental-supervision-/Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:20:00 GMTGordon Brown has insisted claims that he overruled the Chancellor over tougher measures to reduce Britain's ballooning deficit are false.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Brown-denies-rift-with-Darling/Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:49:00 GMTThe release of the highly anticipated pre-Budget report yesterday, meant there were no changes for umbrella companies relief. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/No-change-for-Umbrella-companies-in-Pre-Budget-report-/Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:39:00 GMTThe world's first commercial passenger shuttle has been unveiled by Sir Richard Branson which he hopes will take space tourists into orbit. The Virgin Galactic SpaceshipTwo could be carrying passengers beyond Earth's atmosphere as early as 2011.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Book-a-trip-into-space/Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:56:00 GMTIn a bid to gain wider recognition for the contribution that contractors make to the UK economy - the PCG has announced today as National Freelancers Day.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/What-is-National-Freelancer-Day/Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:22:00 GMTThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revised its predictions for 2010, saying that growth or recovery is expected in the majority of all world regions. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-welcome-growth-prediction-for-2010-/Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:55:00 GMTThe Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) has developed a help button which allows users to contact trained child protection officers, major social networking websites such as facebook, MySpace & MSN Messenger have been criticised for not introducing a help button for children to report concerns about grooming and bullying.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Networking-sites-reported-for-bullying-concerns/Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:30:00 GMTThe US space shuttle Atlantis has blasted off to the International Space Station to deliver spare parts and up to a million microscopic worms. The mission is set to include three spacewalks to store hardware on the outside of the orbiting outpost. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Worms-in-space/Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:09:00 GMTOver a third of all sick leave is taken on a Monday.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Monday-is-the-most-common-sickday/Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:57:00 GMTTalks are continuing between the Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in an attempt to come to an agreement which would see the CWU cancel proposed strikes scheduled for this coming Friday and next Monday.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Talks-continue-with-Royal-Mail/Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:52:00 GMTRoyal Mail has said the backlog of undelivered mail caused by the postal strikes has now risen to 35 million items.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/35-million-items-undelivered-in-postal-strikes/Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:43:00 GMTThe telecoms watchdog Ofcom has been handed a petition with 114,259 signatures on it, demanding for a decrease in rates between different network providers.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Calls-for-mobile-phone-rate-cuts/Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:54:00 GMTiPhone users will soon be able to tune into Spotify's vast music library after Apple gave the green light to the application, reports say. Swedish music site Spotify is said to be "thrilled" by the decision.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Apple-Green-Light-To-Spotify-iPhone-App/Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:16:00 GMTThe internet is due for one of it’s biggest change in it’s 40 year existence.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/The-Net-gets-multilingual/Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:03:00 GMTThe UK economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.4% between July and September, according to official figures, meaning the country is still in recession.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-see-record-recession/Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:50:00 GMTPersonal computers are about to get a makeover with the launch of the latest Windows operating system. Microsoft is hoping the successor to Vista will be more of a hit with users when it launches on 22 October. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Windows-7-coming-to-a-store-near-you/Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:45:00 GMTU2 are set to become the first rock stars to stream an entire gig on YouTube this Sunday. The band will broadcast live from the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California to millions of fans and it is all for free.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Watch-U2-live-on-YouTube/Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:20:00 GMTCyber-criminals are making millions of pounds by convincing computer users to download fake anti-virus software.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Millions-tricked-by-Scareware/Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:34:00 GMTOn the first day, mail centre staff and drivers will strike. The next day it will be delivery and collection staff. Please see below for key information:http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/24hour-nationwide-postal-strikes-starts-on-Thursday-22-October/Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:49:00 GMTThe Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced today that bus and tube fares are set to rise more than inflation in 2010.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/London-public-transport-fares-to-increase-in-2010/Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:56:00 GMTUsers of the new Apple operating system (OS) Snow Leopard are experiencing massive data losses when logging into their machines under a guest account. The fault appears to affect those who had a guest account enabled before upgrading to Snow Leopard. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Apple-OS-causes-Data-losses/Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:57:00 GMTThe search engine giant Google wants more action on freedom of expression after an executive has had to defend the search engine's decision to give in to some censorship requests from governments. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/The-expectations-of-Google-with-censorship/Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:34:00 GMTMicrosoft will issue its biggest ever security update tomorrow.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Microsoft-update/Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:43:00 GMTBT has said that one and a half million more homes will benefit from super-fast broadband by 2012.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Broadband-gets-broader/Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:31:00 GMTEarlier today Royal Mail workers held a vote of whether to vote for or against a national strike. Out of the 80,830 that voted on the action, three out of four who did vote, voted in favour of strike action.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Royal-Mail-vote-yes-to-strike-action/Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:43:00 GMTMicrosoft have said Windows 7, which launches at the end of the month, will succeed where its unpopular predecessor Vista failed. Although nine out of ten computers runs some form of Windows programme, the world's largest software maker has been bruised by the global downturn.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Is-Windows-7-enough-to-revive-Microsoft/Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:07:00 GMTMicrosoft is currently investigating claims that details of Windows Live Hotmail accounts been posted online, which has resulted in many of them being hacked into. The company has confirmed they are following up on a report on technology blog neowin.net which said the details of "over 10,000" accounts had appeared on another website.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Has-your-Hotmail-password-been-Posted-Online/Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:54:00 GMTThe most common technology for watching video on a computer will soon be available for most phones. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Smart-phones-get-Flash/Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:59:00 GMTVodafone are the latest mobile provider to strike a deal to sell iPhones in Britain, from next year Vodafone will be in competition with O2 and Orange. However, they are missing out on the crucial Christmas trading period which will give O2 & Orange the edge. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Vodafone-wins-a-slice-of-Apple/Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:54:00 GMTPhone giant Orange has reached an agreement to sell Apple's popular iPhone in the UK.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Orange-announces-UK-iPhone-deal/Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:26:00 GMTJaguar Land Rover will close one of its plants by c2015. But about 800 new jobs will be created at its Halewood plant on Merseyside, which will start building a new Range Rover.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-at-Jaguar-Landrover-receive-mixed-news/Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:30:00 GMTMore than 130 cities are holding Twestival Local events over the weekend in an attempt to raise $400,000 for charities around the world. The series of fundraising parties have been organised on social networking sites will begin today from London to Alaska.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tweeting-for-charity/Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:18:00 GMTThe South West looks set to earn itself a project which could be predominantly occupied by contractors.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractor-boost-in-the-South-West/Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:46:00 GMTThe Electoral Commission has said it will not be able to police the expected explosion in spoof internet videos at the next general election.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/YouTube-political-spoofs-given-goahead/Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:35:00 GMTUK retail sales were unchanged in August compared with July's figures, casting doubts on the strength of the recovery in consumer spending. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/August-retail-sales-stay-flat/Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:23:00 GMTThe proposed Digital Britain initiative is living in the dark ages, especially if its authors expect UK businesses to believe that a transmission of two megabits per second is "superfast".http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Digital-Britain/Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:00:00 GMTContractor websites report that Microsoft will be providing training and paid apprenticeships in IT through its trading network to 500,000 of the unemployed.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/500000-jobs-to-be-created/Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:48:00 GMTApple boss Steve Jobs returned to the limelight in style at an event to launch new products as he took to the stage for the first time in nearly a year following medical leave.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Jobs-returns-at-Apple/Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:35:00 GMTHM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have seen a growth in various 'Travel and Subsistence Schemes' or 'Mobile Worker Schemes' over the last two years. These schemes involve the supply of temporary workers to end users such as Employment Businesses and umbrella companies. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Revenue--Customs-Brief-5009/Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:45:00 GMTVideo war games could enhance a key element of intelligence that is vital to success in life, an expert has claimed.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Video-strategy-games-can-boost-your-memory/Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:10:00 GMTSpotify, a music streaming service has expanded its service to mobile phones from today.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Spotify-gets-itself-an-App/Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:57:00 GMTMicrosoft has overturned a ban on it selling its flagship Word software, imposed after a patent dispute.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Microsoft-Word-ban-overturned/Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:19:00 GMTAn error from an engineer on Tuesday, caused the majority of 150 million users of Google's G-mail web account to have no access for two hours.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Gmail-blackout-effects-millions/Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:08:00 GMTFacebook and Twitter users could face bigger insurance premiums because they are inadvertently telling 'digital burglars' when to target their homes.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Twitter-and-Facebook-users-face-higher-insurance-premiums-/Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:54:00 GMTOnline banking fraud doubled during 2008 to £52.5 million and according to a leading consumer group the security measures used by some high street banks for online accounting leaves their customers open to fraud.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/How-safe-is-your-online-banking/Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:15:00 GMTApple is investigating reports that some iPhones and iPods explode when exposed to direct sunlight. Several incidents of exploding iPods have been reported across Europe and the US.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/iphone-and-ipods-investigate-explosion/Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:44:00 GMTApproval has been provided by US Justice Department for business software firm Oracle to take over Sun Microsystems , a computer hardware software maker.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Software-firm-Oracle-to-buy-Sun-Microsystems/Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:58:00 GMTSony Entertainment have announced that they are dropping the price of their PS3 games console to £249 in the UK, €299 in Europe and $299 in the United States. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Sony-to-cut-price-of-PS3/Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:00:00 GMTScammers are using Facebook profiles to try to exhort money from users' friends, it has emerged. The fraudsters hack into people's accounts and message their friends posing as the user, who they claim has been "mugged in London".http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Facebook-fraudsters-try-to-exploit-friends/Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:45:00 GMTJapan has come out of recession after its economy grew by 0.9% in the April-to-June quarter. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Is-the-Global-Recession-coming-to-an-end/Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:05:00 GMTThe government is to give plane manufacturer Airbus up to £340m in loans for new projects, which is expected to secure 5,000 jobs, a lot of which will go to freelancing professionals. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractor-favourite-client-gets-340m-loan-from-Government/Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:59:00 GMTThe worlds largest mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia, has agreed to join forces with software giant Microsoft. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Nokia-and-Microsoft-set-to-join-forces/Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:38:00 GMTIndustrial action to dispute pay and job cuts sees up to 25,000 postal workers striking and causing massive disruption to deliveries.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Postal-workers-begin-strike/Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:01:00 GMTGoogle, Facebook, Twitter and a host of other high profile websites have been subject a "massively co-ordinated attack" by hackers. It has been suggested that the strike may have been aimed at a single user, a pro-Georgian blogger known as Cyxymu. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Social-networking-sites-under-attack/Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:08:00 GMTHackers could take over your iPhone, according to security researchers who say Apple is aware of the problem and of the chillingly simple method - a text message containing one square character.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/iPhone-could-be-hacked-by-text-messages/Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:18:00 GMTThe web phone call service Skype may be axed if its owner eBay loses a legal battle with its founders, the parent company has admitted. Internet firm eBay bought the popular service, which allows users to make free calls through their internet connection, for more than £1bn in 2005.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Is-it-the-end-for-Skype/Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:11:00 GMTWars will be fought more often and civilians face extreme danger if the development of killer robots goes unchecked. Professor Noel Sharkey said the technology to create Terminator-style machines already exists and international discussion about its military applications is desperately needed.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Robots-thinking-for-themselves/Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:58:00 GMTJapanese car maker Nissan has unveiled its first electric car, taking it closer to its aim to become the first car firm to mass produce the vehicles. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Nissan-to-create-electric-jobs/Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:18:00 GMTGary McKinnon, a British hacker has lost his High Court bid to avoid extradition to the United States.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/NASA-Hacker-loses-appeal-to-stay-in-UK/Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:53:00 GMTMany dongle users could be incurring high rate charges from their mobile providers, by using more than their download limits.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Dongle-users-could-pay-penalty/Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:14:00 GMTAccording to research by Ofcom, broadband customers are not getting the top download speeds they are paying for. More than half are forking out for packages offering speeds of "up to" 8 megabits per second (Mbps), but research has shown that in reality they only get an average speed of 3.9 Mbps.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-restricted-from-broadband-speeds/Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:08:00 GMTSwedish music streaming service Spotify is aiming to release a mobile application within weeks.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Spotify-launches-mobile-application/Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:37:00 GMTNew swine flu infections in England has doubled in the past week.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Swine-flu-update/Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:50:00 GMTApple have released their latest quartlerly statement and admitted that they can't produce the iphone 3GS quickly enough. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/iPhone-demand-outweighs-supply/Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:05:00 GMTTelecoms giant BT is to cut up to 15,000 jobs after making a £1.3bn loss in the last three months, the company has announced. The cuts over the next year, represent 10% of the company's workforce.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractor-jobs-cut-at-BT/Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:35:00 GMTGoogle has launched an interactive 3D model of the moon to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first lunar spacewalk. The interactive 3D "Moonscape" lets users interactively explore the surface of the Earth's only natural satellite.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Explore-the-moon-In-3D-with-Google-Earth/Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:44:00 GMTExperts say the market for mobile applications, or apps, will become as big as the internet.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Mobile-apps-is-big-business-for-IT-developers/Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:18:00 GMTTwitter is taking legal advice after company documents were hacked and published on the net.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/IT-hackers-hit-Twitter/Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:59:00 GMTMicrosoft's flagship operating system Windows 7,is now available for pre-order in the UK. Initial orders have seen more placed in the opening week than in the entire 17 week pre-order period when Vista was released.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Windows-7-available-to-preorder/Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:15:00 GMTStephen Fry has defended illegal downloading and admitted filesharing a television show starring his former co-star Hugh Laurie. The actor, author and technology blogger criticised the music industry's strategy of prosecuting small scale filesharers.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/TV-celebrity-defends-illegal-downloading/Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:12:00 GMTMicrosoft have announced a free web-based version of its Office software, Office 2010 will include lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote when it arrives next year.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Microsoft-hit-back-at-Google/Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:54:00 GMTResearchers found that poor shielding on keyboard cables means useful data is leaked about each character typed. Power sockets can be used to eavesdrop on what users, such as contractors, type on their laptops or computers.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-confidentiality-through-power-socket-spies-/Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:45:00 GMTOfcom has revealed that there are still significant notspots when it comes to 3G mobile coverage in the UK. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Mobile-notspots-still-an-issue/Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:11:00 GMTGoogle Chrome OS will be aimed initially at small, low-cost netbooks, however the operating system (OS) will eventually be used on personal computers, in a direct challenge to market leader Microsoft and its Windows system.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Google-to-release-a-new-operating-system/Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:15:00 GMTO2 has won an exclusive deal to win right to sell the Palm Pre when it is launched in the UK, which is set for release in the winter holidays. O2 won the exclusive rights to market the iphone when it was launched back in November 2007.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Palm-Pre-signs-up-to-O2/Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:58:00 GMTMost contractors will have to travel to their client’s sites and some even have to make a regular flight making their commute an expensive one. Ryanair passengers could soon fly for free, if they want to stand for their journey.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Free-flights-for-contractors-/Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:37:00 GMTThe Government’s Greening ICT strategy calling for it’s IT to be carbon neutral by 2012, with office carbon emissions down 11.5% by 2011 has gone largely unnoticed by the public sector.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-IT-goals-update/Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:10:00 GMTAccording to Hitwise, Twitter is now the fifth most viewed social networking site in the world with the number of people “Tweeting” increasing by an impressive 93% in 2009.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Twitter-increases-social-networking-rankings/Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:27:00 GMTIf you are on holiday in the EU this year the cost of sending text messages from your mobile has been capped, the maximum a mobile provider can charge for sending a text is now 9.4p, plus sales tax.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Mobile-texts-get-capped-in-the-EU/Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:22:00 GMTMobile phone operator and huge UK contractor consumer Vodafone has declined to comment on a report that it is considering buying T-Mobile UK.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Vodafone-to-bid-for-TMobile/Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:12:00 GMTApple has announced that it has sold over one million iPhone 3GS on the third day after it was launched. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/iPhone-3GS-sales-hit-1-million/Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:35:00 GMTIrish broadcaster Setanta has filed for administration after failing to meet a number of financial obligations to sporting organisations.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Setanta-files-for-administration/Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:32:00 GMTTwitter has distanced itself from State Department revelations that it asked the company to delay maintenance so Iranians could continue to communicate.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Twitter-in-Iran-conspiracy/Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:17:00 GMTWhen the Digital Britain report was outlined by Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw in Parliament, one of the biggest surprises was news of a proposed broadband tax of 50p per month levy for everyone with a fixed telephone line.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Proposed-broadband-tax-brought-into-question/Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:37:00 GMTThe manufacturer of a hydrogen car, the Riversimple, unveiled in London on Tuesday will make its designs available online so the cars can be built and improved locally. The car can go 80km/hr (50mph) and travels 322km (200mi) per re-fuelling, with an efficiency equivalent to 300 miles to the gallon.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Hydrogen-car-to-be-open-source/Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:56:00 GMTThe Digital Britain report has been announced by culture secretary Ben Bradshaw in parliament earlier today, outlining Britains strategic plan for upgrading Britain's technology. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/UK-digital-report/Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:37:00 GMTMicrosoft is poised to start giving away security software. The company is reportedly trialling free anti-virus software internally and said the beta version would be released soon.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/IT-Contractors-to-receive-free-antivirus-/Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:03:00 GMTMillions of mobile phone users could find they are included on a new directory.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Web-service-collects-contractors-numbers/Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:29:00 GMTGlobal Language Monitor (GLM) searches the internet for newly created terms, and once a word or phrase has been used 25,000 times, it recognises it. A US web monitoring firm has declared the millionth English word to be Web 2.0, a term for the latest generation of web products and services.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Millionth-English-word-declared/Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:23:00 GMTThe new and improved iPhone will be available to buy in the UK from 19th June 2009.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/iPhone-3G-to-be-launched-in-UK--US/Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:39:00 GMTThe next generation of Windows will be launched this autumn with a touch sensitive screen which could spell the end of the mouse.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Windows-7-to-replace-Windows-Vista-/Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:05:00 GMTThe Culture Secretary has all but ruled out using a "three strikes" law to tackle persistent net pirates.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-to-investigate-IT-piracy/Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:13:00 GMTUK house prices rose by 2.6% in May compared with April but activity remains low in the market, the rise comes after three successive months of property price falls.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/House-prices-on-the-up/Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:04:00 GMTMicrosoft has unveiled its new control system for the Xbox 360 console, at E3 in Los Angeles. Project Natal is a fully hands free control system that will use face recognition and motion sensors to allow users to play games. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Project-Natal--the-future-of-gaming-is-here/Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:23:00 GMTA new version of Sony's PlayStation Portable games console is expected to be launched at the E3 video games show.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Games-Show-to-launch-new-Sony-Playstation-/Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:20:00 GMTOver 35,000 new cars have been ordered through the UK's scrappage scheme since it was announced in April, government figures show.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Uptake-in-UK-scrappage-scheme-could-lead-to-positive-outcome-for-contractors/Fri, 29 May 2009 11:35:00 GMTDespite Hewlett Packard making significant profits last year, they are going to cut a total of 843 manufacturing jobs at their plant in Erskine near Glasgow. Manufacturing operations in Scotland and Germany will transfer to the Czech Republic. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Profitable-company-making-job-cuts/Thu, 28 May 2009 15:01:00 GMTAround three million homes in the UK have broadband speeds of less than two megabits per second (2Mbps) according to research commissioned by the BBC. It has also been revealed that so called notspots are not limited to rural communities with many in suburban areas, and even streets in major towns.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-in-Broadband-promise/Wed, 27 May 2009 11:51:00 GMTCambridge University researchers have put photos on 16 popular websites, noting the web addresses where the images were stored and deleted them. The team said it was able to find them on seven sites - including Facebook, Flickr, Google's Picasa and Microsoft's Windows Live Spaces, using the direct addresses, even after the photos appeared to have gone. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Facebook-storing-your-deleted-pictures/Fri, 22 May 2009 14:11:00 GMTThe manufacturer of Pringles, Procter & Gamble is being forced to pay £100m in VAT for after losing a battle to prove that it is not a potato crisp.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/HMRC-inspect-snack-manufacturer/Thu, 21 May 2009 12:24:00 GMTTelecoms watchdog Ofcom is to probe mobile termination rates; the fees operators charge for connecting to one another's networks, which it says may lead to cheaper calls for customers.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Cheaper-mobile-calls/Wed, 20 May 2009 15:24:00 GMTFigures released today have shown that inflation in the UK has fallen again, as energy and food prices continue to drop.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/UK-inflation-falls-again/Tue, 19 May 2009 17:20:00 GMTStressed-out Britons have piled on 20 million stone in a year trying to comfort eat their way through the recession, according to report out today.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Credit-Munch-contractors-pack-on-the-pounds/Mon, 18 May 2009 09:30:00 GMTJobseekers are turning to social networking sites to help them find work. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Twitter-offers-contractors-a-new-option/Fri, 15 May 2009 09:23:00 GMTGordon Brown has said proposals from the Commons Members Estimate Committee to make all claims made since 2004 subject to external audit is a start in restoring public confidence.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/MPs-to-pay-back-5-years-of-unjustified-expenses/Wed, 13 May 2009 15:02:00 GMTThe government have announced that national minimum wage is set to rise in the UK as of October this year. Earlier calls by business leaders to freeze the wage in the wake of the economic downturn, have been ignored as increases are set to come in to place across all age groups, benefiting nearly one million people.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Minimum-wage-set-to-increase/Tue, 12 May 2009 14:49:00 GMTThe government is to unveil plans for every home in the UK to be equipped with smart meters by the end of 2020. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Every-home-to-have-a-smart-meter-/Mon, 11 May 2009 08:51:00 GMTToday, Labour MP’s are fretting after full details of their expenses claims were published by the Daily Telegraph. They include a claim for £6.5k made by Gordon Brown to pay his brother for a cleaner for his Westminster flat. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Media-clean-up-with-expenses-claims-/Fri, 08 May 2009 09:44:00 GMTThe Bank of England have announced today, that they are set to inject a further £50bn into the UK economy in an attempt to aid the chances of a speedy recovery.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-to-boost-UK-economy/Thu, 07 May 2009 14:35:00 GMTAnyone over the age of 16 who lives in the City with a valid UK passport will be able to apply for a card from the home office. According to Jaqui Smith, the cards will be available from this autumn.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/ID-cards-to-start-in-Manchester/Wed, 06 May 2009 15:06:00 GMTFollowing the recent publication of the HMRC business plan, it has become clear contractors will become subject to scrutiny being “relentless in persuing those who bend or break the rules”.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/HMRC-to-spend-1-billion-investigating-contractors/Tue, 05 May 2009 17:04:00 GMTA committee of MP's have warned that the effects of the continuing banking crisis will be felt for generations.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Bankers-bear-the-blame/Fri, 01 May 2009 08:58:00 GMTChrysler who have been in last minute talks to restructure the business before a midnight deadline have announced they are to enter bankruptcy protection after failing to persuade a number of hedge funds to write off its debts, President Barack Obama is due to make a statement shortly on the future of the struggling US carmaker. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Chrysler-bankruptcy/Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:11:00 GMTEmployees of LDV vans have been paid up to the end of last week, but the firm could not confirm any further payments. Staff at the struggling van maker have been sent home, after the firm applied to enter administration. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Administration-deadline-for-LDV/Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:38:00 GMTReports from research firm TNS, have shown that Tesco have slightly fallen back in the latest market share reports. In March 2008, Tesco held 30.8% of the market share, but this has slipped to 30.4% one year later.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tesco-losing-market-share/Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:57:00 GMTConcerns about the economic impact of the swine flu outbreak have effected shares in airlines and travel firms, which have fallen sharply around the world. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Airline-performance-hit-by-Swine/Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:23:00 GMTAll the recent exposure over expenses in the government is probably making a lot more sense to contractors and freelancers than most. Now, a frontbench Conservative MP has said it would be wrong if the proposed overhaul of MPs' expenses left members of Parliament worse off. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tories-against-decrease-in-expenses-allowances/Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:42:00 GMTToday, Alistair Darling announced a new top tax rate of 50% for those earning more than £150,000, which will come into effect from next April. The Chancellor unveiled the measure after delivering a stark Budget report on the state of the UK economy. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Budget-unveils-50-top-tax-rate-/Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:40:00 GMTUK inflation measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI), hit their lowest figures since 1960 when figures were released this morning. In February the figure had fallen to zero, but that decrease continued further and stood at -0.4% at the end of March.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/UK-inflation-hits-49-year-low/Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:06:00 GMTChancellor, Alistair Darling is due to announce £15bn in spending cuts over the next few years in Wednesday’s Budget. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Spending-cuts-expected-in-Darlings-budget/Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:41:00 GMTPart of the Government's £250m plan to promote low carbon transport is to offer motorists up to £5,000 in an effort to encourage them to buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Green-cars/Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:10:00 GMTBritain's most senior counter-terrorism officer has resigned following a serious faux pas in allowing top secret documents to be photographed when he arrived at Downing Street yesterday. This meant a planned operation in the north west of England had to be brought forward.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Quick-resignation/Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:27:00 GMTNearly 973,000 complaints have been put on hold by banks across the country, after customers writing to complain that they had been overcharged on their accounts, were told to wait for a decision by the Office of Fair Trading.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Bank-system-backlog/Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:29:00 GMTAny contractors not lucky enough to be with an Employment Benefits Company such as Tarpon would have had a stressful approach to this date, as today marks the start of the new tax year meaning various changes in taxation and benefits are made. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/New-tax-year-brings-rate-changes-/Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:52:00 GMTWorld leaders pledged new spending and tougher financial regulations, in what the US leader called an unprecedented set of actions to ease the crisis. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/The-G20-summit-gives-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:22:00 GMTFor the first time since October 2007, house prices in the UK have risen in March. Nationwide building society is quoted as saying house prices have increased by 0.9% compared with previous months.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Unexpected-rise-in-house-prices/Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:38:00 GMTThe Chairman of The Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Christopher Kelly, has announced that the inquiry into MP's expenses must take place "as soon as possible". http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-expenses-probe/Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:01:00 GMT13 banks signed up to a system where customers can make one off payments up to a maximum value of £10,000 over the telephone or via the internet, for funds to leave their account and arrive at the destination account on the same day.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Getting-paid-early/Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:18:00 GMTThe two phone organisations Vodafone and Telefonica (02’s parent) are to pool their network infrastructures in the UK along with Germany, Spain and the Republic of Ireland. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Vodafone-and-02-merger/Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:31:00 GMTRegus, a firm specialising in letting office space, credits its "recession-busting products" with boosting profits to £149m. It is becoming ever more popular particularly with the contracting staff within companies, where client’s don’t want a property agreement anything longer than ‘very temporary’. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Profits-up-for-Regus-/Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:13:00 GMTUnemployment has soared above the two million mark; new figures out today are expected to show.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Unemployment-set-to-rise-/Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:03:00 GMTThe government have announced today, that they are planning on toughening up laws on the credit card industry in an attempt to stop these companies from offering increased credit amounts, curbing the temptation of customers to get in to debt levels higher than they can afford.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Credit-cards-face-credit-crunch/Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:28:00 GMTWomen who have developed breast cancer after long spells working nights have successfully filed for compensation with the Danish government.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Compensation-for-nightshiftcancer/Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:05:00 GMTFigures released today show the recession cost cutting exercise hitting about one UK company in 10, who are freezing pay for staff, to include contractors.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractor-pay-freezes/Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:57:00 GMTThe Supermarket chain Morrisons has today reported a 7% increase in annual pre-tax profits to £655m.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Morrisons-on-the-up/Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:55:00 GMTJapanese car manufacturer Toyota is cutting pay and production at it's two UK factories, by 10% for a year as it tries to ride out the recession.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/More-job-cuts-in-the-motor-industry/Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:54:00 GMTThe Bank of England have announced, that interest rates on UK bank accounts with instant access, are barely above zero. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Bleak-news-for-savers/Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:13:00 GMTMore than a dozen businesses, which set up repayment plans for people struggling with debt are being legally challenged by The Office of Fair Trading (OFT). http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Debtcom-companies-put-on-the-right-lines/Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:35:00 GMTThe Bank of England has cut interest rates to a new low of 0.5% - and says it will revive the economy by boosting the country’s money supply.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Another-record-breaking-interest-rate-cut/Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:01:00 GMTA sharp drop in advertising revenue has hit Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster. ITV is to cut 600 jobs, slice £65m from its programme budget and look to sell Friends Reunited and Freeview business SDN as it reported an adjusted pre-tax profit fall of 41% in 2008.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Britains-biggest-commercial-broadcaster-announces-600-job-cuts/Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:24:00 GMTNorthern Rock confirmed today that it made a loss of £1.4 bn in 2008, following a series of hefty write offs on its mortgage loans. The majority of these losses amounted on the Together Mortgages, which granted people up to 125% of the value of their homes.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Northern-Rock-writes-off-14bn/Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:24:00 GMTSir Fred Goodwin, ex-RBS chief executive has written to the government to say he will not be giving back his pension, which equates to £16.6m. The PM said he shared public ‘anger’ at the size of the pension and is considering every legal mean to get some of the money back.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Brown-vows-to-claw-back-Goodwin-pension/Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:28:00 GMTEven though most IT workers have seen their pay, project or even their contract cut with almost immediate effect, apparently IT workers occupy some of the least stressful jobs.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/IT-workers-have-the-least-stressful-jobs/Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:15:00 GMTIn his first joint session Congress, US President Barack Obama has warned that the nation faces a "day of reckoning". Stressing the severity of the economic crisis, Mr Obama declared the US would emerge stronger.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/President-confident-of-recession-recovery-/Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:18:00 GMTThe Government has announced that the nationalised bank is to revive its mortgage business with up to £14bn in new loans by 2011.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Northern-Rock-returns/Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:59:00 GMTResults from findings show the recession led to a £7bn fall in the amount of tax paid by individuals and businesses just in January.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-income-slows-/Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:53:00 GMTCigar smoking Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford’s relationship with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has always been and uneasy one. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Stanford-fraud-charge/Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:53:00 GMTIt was announced this morning that UK inflation fell to 3% in January, falling 0.1% from December's figure of 3.1%.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Inflation-falls-again/Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:16:00 GMTCompany share plans, pension schemes, and Childcare schemes are an attractive alternative to savings accounts.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Alternative-saving-plans-for-employees/Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:20:00 GMTShareholders who invested in Northern Rock have lost their legal challenge to the government's plan to compensate them. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Northern-Rock-not-guilty/Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:02:00 GMTUnemployment figures in the UK were released a short time ago, showing a 146,000 increase for the three month period from October to December 08. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Increase-in-UK-unemployment/Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:44:00 GMTThe major UK banks are now deciding how big a bonus they should give their staff and key executives.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Banking-dilema-for-permanent-staff/Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:19:00 GMTLincolnshire's Lindsey Oil Refinery have refused to accept a deal, which had been proposed. There were reports that about half of the disputed 200 jobs would be offered to British workers, but workers have been told it would be less than 25%. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Foreign-worker-row-deal-rejected/Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:19:00 GMTTwenty four hours on from the worst snowfall seen in 18 years in the South East of England, businesses are counting the cost of yesterdays disruptions. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/UK-economy-counts-the-cost-of-snow/Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:25:00 GMTThousands of contractors are unable to travel as London's transport network has been put to a standstill following snow. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Snow-causes-havoc-for-contractors/Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:19:00 GMTThe IT industry is the residence for so many contractors within the UK and with great half-yearly results for one of the country’s biggest clients – it’s welcome news for all of us.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Welcome-news-from-the-IT-Industry/Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:08:00 GMTThe government has outlined plans to boost the digital and communications industries, which contribute more than £50bn a year.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Broadband-in-every-home-by-2012/Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:39:00 GMTAsda is to create 7000 new UK jobs, despite the recession, they are still showing an increase in sales.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/7000-new-UK-jobs/Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:28:00 GMTIt comes hardly as a surprise, but official government figures have confirmed the UK is now in recession for the first time since 1991.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/The-recession-is-here--its-official/Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:45:00 GMTEnergy supply giant British gas announced a 10% price cut on it’s standard gas tariff, the move should save the average customer £84.00 on their energy bill. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Movement-with-gas-bills-/Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:11:00 GMTIT roles in the public sector now pay similar levels to those in the private sectors. However, the gap with the pay difference is still sizeable for full-timers.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Private-or-public-contracting/Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:51:00 GMTA nationwide scheme aimed at preventing vunerable people losing their homes is being extended across England.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Help-is-at-hand-for-struggling-home-owners/Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:20:00 GMTMany contractors with their own limited companies still have to complete their own tax returns this month. If this wasn’t enough work, you now have to make sure you are dealing with the real HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-need-to-beware-of-tax-scam/Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:47:00 GMTThe government have unveiled a new plan to guarantee up to £20 billion worth of loans for small and medium sized businesses, to help them survive through the economic downturn.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-unveil-new-rescue-package/Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:19:00 GMTPeople unemployed for more than six months will be guaranteed more intensive and personalised support to find work as the Government strives to prevent the inevitable surge in unemployment becoming permanent.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/2500-golden-hellos-to-get-unemployed-back-to-work/Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:07:00 GMTNew rules have been approved that will see internet providers keep details of every e-mail sent in the UK. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/UK-email-law-is-branded-an-attack-on-rights-/Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:23:00 GMTThe Bank of England has today voted to reduce interest rates by 0.5 percentage points to 1.5%.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Is-it-time-to-start-spending/Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:25:00 GMTLarge and small companies will have to take that penultimate decision on costs, spending and cut backs and they will be ruthless. For contractors, decisions on contract extensions will be likely to come unexpectedly, the office will reek of rumour and each day will bring fresh news, most of it of the black variety.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Beat-the-Contractor-Crunch/Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:16:00 GMTThe New Year has started poorly for the retail sector as two of the leading brands announced a disappointing start to 2009. Next had announced sales had dropped 7% in the 6 months to Christmas eve, whilst Debenhams said their sales had dropped 3.3% in the last 12 weeks. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/New-Year-agony-for-retailers/Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:05:00 GMTRegulated fares, including annual season tickets, will be going up by an average of 6% - well above the current level of inflation.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/New-year-train-fares-hit-contractors/Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:14:00 GMTContractors that won’t be enjoying their Christmas spending are those that have travelled within Europe’s Eurozone this Christmas holiday.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-no-longer-benefiting-from-the-Pound/Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:23:00 GMTMore bad economic news from the US has sent oil prices falling back below $39 a barrel. But this is good news for contractors who are still able to offset 40p for every mile they travel, even though they are paying upto 40p less for every litre of petrol than they were just 5 months ago.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Petrol-just-keeps-falling-ensuring-contractors-reap-the-benefits/Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:35:00 GMTFollowing yesterday’s news that manufacturers are closing early for the festive break, we now focus on next year with their first two months after opening in 2009 being critical for hundreds of businesses up and down the land.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Telling-times-for-contractors-in-the-automotive-industry/Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:45:00 GMTMore small firms are planning to take an extended Christmas break leaving many UK contractors unpaid.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Smaller-clients-down-tools-for-the-whole-Christmas-period/Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:49:00 GMTGlobal financial crisis, credit crunch, bank bailouts by the government, unemployment at an 11-year high and fears of a deep recession have all been factors as to why the housing market have been hit hard in recent times.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/The-fall-of-the-housing-market/Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:53:00 GMTThe term ‘credit crunch’ we hear everyday. This refers to the sudden scarcity of cheap capital for loans or a sudden increase in the cost of obtaining a loan from the banks and putting a massive dent in the UK economy.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Credit-crunch-are-Tarpon-contractors-affected/Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTIncreasing petrol prices, the hole in the ozone layer and global warming! This is becoming the common topic of discussion, whether at work, home and the houses of parliament. The Government are encouraging more and more for us to use environmentally friendly modes of transport. So why cycle to work?http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Save-tax-by-riding-to-work/Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT20/20 vision: What does this mean? Well, To have 20/20 vision means that when you stand 20 feet away from the chart you can see what the "normal" human being can see. The majority of people in the UK can see what you see at 20 feet - in metric, the standard is 6 meters and it's called 6/6 vision.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tarpon-employees-see-the-benefits-of-eye-care/Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTViral marketing is a popular marketing trend, which facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message. Word of mouth, but electronically! A classic example of this, are the social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace and YouTube to produce increases in brand awareness or promote new products.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tarpon-Ltd-an-umbrella-company-at-the-forefront-of-viral-marketing/Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTIn recent months a number of big British firms have announced they are bringing call centres back to the UK!http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tarpon-review-call-centres-coming-back-to-the-UK/Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMTThere were no big surprises in Alistair Darling's 2008 budget announcement. Be that as it may that much of the budget may appear quite ordinary, there are still many schemes and allowances, which contractors can benefit from.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/The-Budget-08-breakdown/Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMTHM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recently announced that they would be targeting umbrella companies hard and fast if they were not fully compliant with the HMRC!http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/HMRC-issue-a-dispensation-warning-to-all-umbrellas-companies/Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMTRecruitment agencies have an opportunity to win the latest Sony HD camcorder worth £500 by simply uploading a funny video clip. Agencies are free to film whatever takes their fancy; it could be someone in the office rein acting the unforgettable David Brent dance or it could be something whacky and completely off the wall.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Tarpon-gives-recruitment-agencies-an-opportunity-to-win-a-Sony-HD-Camcorder/Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMTDuring the pre-budget statement delivered yesterday (6th Dec), in the House of Commons, it was made clear that the Chancellor of the Exchequer was looking to clamp down on all managed service companies that offer composite schemes. Whilst this is good news for Tarpon and its employees, managed service companies that operate composite schemes were at the brunt of the Chancellor''s attack.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Browns-pre-budget-statement-is-set-to-target-managed-service-companies/Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMTIndependent research commissioned by Prosperity4 has revealed that over half of all UK contractors who independently manage their finances or use accountants, are potentially leaving themselves vulnerable to investigation through misunderstanding the complexities of taxation implications and accountability boundaries...http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Over-50-percent-of-UK-contractors-are-vulnerable-to-tax-investigation/Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMTService companies offering high return, high risk solutions have hit troubled times with some even going into liquidation or administration. As a result, contractors are looking for greater reassurance from those entrusted with their livelihood, more so than ever before...http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Taxation-tide-turns-on-service-management-companies/Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTThe recent landmark ruling allowing HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to investigate Barclay’s offshore customers’ bank accounts is another clear indication of the government’s increasing scrutiny of tax evasion. Officials will now be able to search the records for information on UK-domiciled individuals who have not declared income on money kept in offshore centres such as the Channel Islands. And although Barclays was the bank involved in this case, HMRC is now expected to seek similar rulings concerning other financial institutions. http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Contractors-leave-themselves-open-to-scrutiny/Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTThings in life are rarely simple. When they are, it can be liberating. But when HMRC promise simplicity, it’s only natural to raise a sceptical eyebrow, smile at the irony and wonder how you square a circle...http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/How-will-A-Day-impact-upon-your-retirement-plans/Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMTOn 6 April 2005, the government implemented new tax and NI contribution exemptions to encourage companies to assist their employees with childcare fees.http://www.tarpon-uk.com/contractor-news/articles/Government-introduces-childcare-tax-and-NI-exemptions/Wed, 06 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT