Business News

PIPELINE EXTENSION TO DELIVER RUSSIAN GAS TO UK

BP has held preliminary talks with the Russian government and stakeholders in the Nordstream pipeline about extending the line to deliver gas to the UK.

The pipeline currently runs under the Baltic Sea, delivering Russia's huge reserves of gas into Germany. BP said any potential extension to the pipeline was unlikely to be agreed before next summer.

As North Sea production falls away, the UK has begun to import more gas from overseas, mainly from Norway and Qatar

  

MICROSOFT DEVELOPING RIVAL FOR GOOGLE’S PROJECT GLASS

Work on digital glasses that overlay information on top of the user's view of the world has been carried out by Microsoft.

A patent applied for by the US tech firm describes how the eyewear could be used to bring up statistics over a wearer's view of a baseball game or details of characters in a play. The newly-released document was filed in May 2011 and is highly detailed.

If a product comes to market it could challenge Google's Project Glass. Google is planning to deliver its augmented reality glasses to developers early next year and then follow with a release to consumers in 2014.

TOUCH DESKS TO INCREASE PUPIL ATTAINMENT

Interactive hi-tech desks could help boost the maths skills of primary school pupils, researchers have said.  The multi-touch, multi-user interactive 'smart' desks were designed, built and tested by Durham University.

The desks help children work together without any one individual dominating, the three-year project involving 400 children aged eight to 10 suggests.

Researchers said high costs mean the desks are "some way off" being a regular feature in schools.

However, they said they have already found a number of ways of reducing the cost of the technology.

NEW BANK OF ENGLAND GOVERNOR TO BE ANNOUNCED

The new governor of the Bank of England will be announced to Parliament later by the Chancellor, George Osborne. Current governor Sir Mervyn King steps down from the post next June.

A number of candidates, including deputy governor Paul Tucker and FSA chairman Lord Turner, have been linked with the job - seen as one of the most important positions in the UK economy.

The new governor will serve a fixed term of eight years and will hold new regulatory powers over banks. Other candidates are reported to include Sir John Vickers, who led the government's recent review into breaking up the banks, and Santander bank's UK chairman Lord Burns.

Sources: BBC News