How bad will things get? This is the big question on both the public and professionals minds. In the UK we are hearing today that leaflets about Swine Flu are on their way to all homes after news that the spread of symptoms has increased.

Sky News reports that the scale of the outbreak is creating more fear in UK homes, although currently only two Britons are infected.

If the virus continues to spread, then officials have warned that Four in 10 Britons could be infected. What’s your view on the Swine Flu outbreak?

Today we hear that Swine flu symptoms are being shown in twenty-two students that arrived back to New Zealand on Saturday. Tests have been carried out, although the media and news have not been told the results of the tests at the time of writing.

The World Health Organisation has been warning of a possible global epidemic, and it’s this very news that makes the world take notice. This news follows an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and the US.

Families of the students are now waiting for results and advice regarding infection control precautions. They are currently remaining in home isolation. You can read the full details of this news via TVnz.

Kent 2020 Vision ’09, a free event which is being held at the Kent Showground, Detling, on Thursday 2 April from 8am – 5pm, is the largest gathering of business people under one roof which last year welcomed 3,700 visitors throughout the day.

Carole Black, events manager at Business Link, said: “It is very easy to pre-book a place at Kent 2020 and there are many advantages to doing so. Delegates will have fast-track entry on the day and priority parking meaning that within minutes of arriving, they can be meeting some of the 350 exhibitors.”

People who pre-register via www.kent2020.co.uk or by calling 01732 878555 will be able to make use of an interactive booking service enabling them to make advance appointments to meet exhibitors and other delegates.

Carole Black continued: “The system is quick, very easy to use and will go live in mid-March. Visitors are able to post a profile of themselves and their business on www.kent2020.co.uk, view details of exhibitors and other attendees and then use an online interactive diary to make up to 20 appointments. The software automatically manages everyone’s diaries and – for people not meeting on a stand – will allocate a numbered table in the exhibition’s networking zone.”

During the day, delegates can attend free workshops covering topics such as ‘Innovating out of a recession’ and ‘How to access funding for training staff at all levels’. World-class speakers at the event include editor, publisher, broadcaster and business consultant on media matters Andrew Neil and business speaker and writer Geoff Burch, most recently seen on BBC2’s All Over the Shop in which he offers advice to small businesses in trouble.

Free tea and coffee will be available throughout the day thanks to Café Bar and water will be available courtesy of Water for Work.

Every visitor that pre-books a place at Kent 2020 will also be invited to attend a free event on Monday, March 23. The Networking for Recovery and Growth breakfast, which is being held at the Ramada Hotel, near Maidstone, is designed to help delegates and exhibitors get the most out of the networking opportunities available at Kent 2020 ’09.

The event, which takes place between 8am-10am, will see leading speaker James Cruickshank, executive director of Business Network International, talk about how to be a confident and effective networker. Attendees will get the chance to put their networking skills into practice.

For more information or to register for a free place at Kent 2020 Vision ’09, visit www.kent2020.co.uk or call 01732 878555.

Mark Lilliott and Ben Jury were part of a 22-strong team that battled altitude sickness during an arduous ascent of the inactive volcano, which at 19,343ft (5,896m) dominates the skyline at the border of Tanzania and Kenya.

The pair, who work at the bank’s Financial Solutions Centre (FSC) on Church Road, had prepared for the trip with endurance training that included running in the Eastbourne Marathon but admitted the climb was even more difficult than they were expecting.

“It was very tough, mainly because of the altitude involved but also because we were walking seven hours a day straight up,” said Mark Lilliott. “The altitude makes everything harder and a lot of the group suffered with sickness and bad headaches.

“It is also an unusual climb because Kilimanjaro is so close to the Equator which meant we set off in tropical conditions of about 35ºC while it was snowing at the top. On our final night before reaching Uhuru, the summit, the temperature was –13ºC but one of the group took a reading and with the wind chill factor it worked out at about –30.”

Mark, 31, said that while the challenge of climbing the iconic peak had been what initially attracted he and Ben, 32, to the project, a different perspective had been provided by meeting with people with experiences of cerebral palsy.

He added: “Once we started fundraising in earnest outside local supermarkets we came into contact with people with direct connections to cerebral palsy and that really made quite a difference to the way we viewed it. It really hit home and made us determined to reach our fundraising target and to get to the top of Kilimanjaro.”

In total, the group raised more than £75,000 for Scope as a result of the nine-day expedition.

Chris Winning, Managing Partner of the Tunbridge Wells FSC, said: “Congratulations to Mark and Ben for climbing Kilimanjaro and for their fundraising efforts, both of which are great achievements. They’ve probably had enough of climbing for the time being so no doubt they’re glad they can take the lift at work rather than having to tackle the stairs.”

The poll, conducted across the 130 countries in the GetJar network, asked respondents to rank a list of 10 phone features by order of importance including brand, screen size/ resolution, user experience/ phone software, phone memory, quality of camera, price, touch screen, music player, embedded content and overall design/ look and feel. They were also asked to grade each of those features individually on a five-level scale of importance.

When ranking the most important features their new phone must have, brand remains the number one factor for consumers with nearly a third of respondents (28%) placing that at the top of their list of criteria, ahead of user experience (17%). The content that comes with the handset was third with 12% of respondents worldwide saying it is ‘extremely important’ to their choice of new handset ahead of phone memory (8%), price (5%) and design (7%).

“While the phone’s user interface and brand prove to be dominant factors for deciding which handset consumers choose, the big change in consumer preference we see within this survey is the importance they are placing on content,” said Ilja Laurs, founder and CEO of GetJar Networks. “With nearly five years experience distributing mobile applications to consumers around the world, GetJar brings quality content directly to consumers in the easiest and quickest way possible. GetJar generates over 22 million downloads per month, so we know how important content is to consumers, and these poll results indicate that they also want top quality content in place when choosing a new mobile phone.”

Content creating strong international demand - GetJar’s poll showed increased demand for embedded content across all the major international regions but consumers in the US placed it higher on their list of priorities than those in Europe, with 60% of US respondents stating that it was ‘extremely important’ to their choice of handset compared to 47% in Europe.

The findings also indicate that the uptake of new handsets will be faster in Europe with only 25% of those surveyed saying they will not get a new phone this year compared to a massive 40% of US consumers polled.

In Asia, brand was again the key overall factor for phone choice with 28% of consumers saying this was the number one attribute for them. Second was user interface / phone software with 18% and content a strong third with 14%. Price was only cited as the most important factor by 5%.

In India specifically, a massive 60% of respondents considered the phone interface/software to be extremely important to their choice of handset, alongside the quality of the camera (also 60%). When asked about their plans to get a new phone in 2009, 30% said they did not expect to purchase or upgrade in 2009.

As a way of boosting depleted Treasury funds, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling announced in his Pre-Budget Report that from April 6, 2011, those earning £150,000 or more would pay a new income tax rate of 45 per cent coupled with a 0.5 per cent increase in National Insurance Contributions.

As well as this, from April 2010, people with incomes of between £100,000 and £140,000 will have the value of their tax allowance cut and the personal allowances for those with incomes above £140,000 will be completely removed.

Simon Warne, Senior Tax Manager at HCW’s Maidstone office, said: “People may think that the new tax rates are more than two years away but in reality they should start planning now to find the most efficient ways of paying tax under the new rules. The economy has worsened since these new rules were announced at the end of last year, and for many people, particularly those who own or run their own businesses, looking ahead seems less important than concentrating on the here and now. However, the right planning and advice now could make a significant difference later on.”

The changes are likely to see an increase in pension contributions by high earning individuals. The Government has estimated that the new rate of tax will raise an additional estimated £1.6billion in revenue. However, this may well end up being significantly less if, as expected more people choose to top up their pensions as a way of lessening the impact of the 45 per cent band.

There are also many other avenues to explore including salary sacrifice and investment into venture capital trusts (VCT). Giving up some pre-tax earnings in exchange for employee benefits such as pension contribution, childcare vouchers or a bike under the cycle-to-work scheme can reduce income tax liability and prove a more efficient option.

Investments through VCTs in unquoted and AIM-listed businesses attract tax relief at 30 per cent on investments of up to £200,000 as long as they held for five years. Income and gains are also tax-free.

Simon Warne added: “There are many options available including the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Investment Bonds. Charitable donations are also a good vehicle for tax relief as well as helping a good cause and should be considered.

“However, with all these options, to achieve the most efficient tax programme ahead of the 2011 rule change, it’s important that the planning starts now.”

To contact Simon Warne call 01622 767676 or e-mail simon.warne@horwath.co.uk.

This is Obama’s first major victory in Congress thanks to the $787 billion economic stimulus legislation that was just passed. The video below was aired today (Saturday Feb 14, 2009).

Have a watch of the short video and share your view on the speech and the economic stimulus legislation.

Create-a-Quest is a national project linking 16 arts organisations with local primary schools and their Land Securities shopping centre. The project has introduced more than 2,000 children to two or more art forms.

Since September 2008, 60 Year Five children from Drapers Mills have visited their partner arts venue, the Theatre Royal Margate, and participated in acting and puppet making workshops led by creative practitioners who have been introducing them to theatre.

The pupils were encouraged by their head of Year Five, Nutan Saran, and two groups of children prepared their own play based on Greek myth for the project’s finale performance at the Church of St. Mary’s, Marylebone, on Tuesday, February 10.

The finale celebrates the work created by all 42 schools involved in the project from across the UK with exhibitions to look around, performances to watch and workshops to participate in.

Tracie Stevens, marketing manager at Westwood Cross, said: “This is an excellent project introducing young people to the arts and encouraging them to get really involved. I am delighted that Drapers Mills School has been able to take part and work closely with the team from the Theatre Royal to learn more about presentation and drama.

Donal McCabe, Director Corporate Communication, Land Securities said: “Land Securities wants shopping centres to be a partner of the communities they serve, not just a place that happens to be there. Working with Create-a-Quest we aim to help local school children enjoy themselves while learning about both themselves and the arts. ”

Emma Blanksby, The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts, Project Manager of Create-a-Quest said: “The Create-a-Quest finale allows us to celebrate the wonderful work created by all the children involved in the project. It will be an exciting day for all.”

Despite the economic downturn, which Business Link has been monitoring through its South East Business Monitor, there is considerable optimism and resilience among small and medium sized firms in Kent.

Of the 30% of businesses in the county that reported being negatively affected by the downturn, 83% are taking mitigating actions. These include: revising their business plan (36%); streamlining processes to cut costs (36%); and using or investigating different sales channels (34%). However, one in seven small firms affected by the downturn has taken no action at all.

The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), which funds Business Link in the region, is supporting a Business Link advertising campaign to encourage more companies to use the free information, guidance and support service. Real Business Link customers, including Kent-based Victoria Ballard, who runs an educational chart company, are featuring in radio adverts currently airing across the region. They speak from personal experience about how valuable they found Business Link’s guidance and support with running their growing companies.

Business Link’s Bob Jones said: “It’s no surprise that Business Link customers are twice as confident about growing their business than those who haven’t met our experienced team of Business Link Advisers or used the information on our website.

“Since October, Business Link has helped over 3,800 businesses across the South East to review their company operations and devise plans to anticipate and adapt to the changing market. Without independent advice, business owners may not make the best decisions; they may cut costs at the expense of productivity or miss the opportunity of diversifying into a new market or alternative product line.

“The regional advertising campaign, funded by SEEDA, promotes the benefits of taking advice. Business Link Advisers can quickly and effectively provide business owners with the information, support and referrals to other services which will help them to respond effectively to the current economic downturn. I encourage people, including those who haven’t experienced running a business during a recession, to get in contact and access the help available.”

Jeff Alexander, SEEDA Executive Director for Competitiveness & Growth, added: “This research makes it clear that more businesses in the South East need to make use of the fantastic service offered by Business Link. The free expert guidance and support available could make a huge difference in this difficult economic climate. I would urge any business feeling the effects of the downturn and wanting advice on how to grow to get in touch as soon as possible.

“In the last three months almost 4,000 businesses in the South East have received help from Business Link through free ‘Health Checks’ covering such key issues as raising finance and exploiting new market opportunities.”

To book a free business review ‘Health Check’ with a Business Link Adviser, phone 0845 600 9 006 or email info@businesslinksoutheast.co.uk

The “old-school” handsets, available for just $45, connect easily to most mobile phones (some require an adaptor) for a fun and fashionable way to talk – curly cord included. It’s designed for daily use at the office, at home and even when you are on the go.

When receiving incoming calls, your mobile phone will ring as normal. The “YUBZ-ANSWERING” button allows you pick up and hang up any call with one easy touch. Plus, the volume slider lets the user easily adjust the noise level.

In addition to the new colors, YUBZ TALK MOBILE comes in six other eye-catching colors: Lemon Yellow, Florida Orange, Fire Red, Jet Black and Rose Pink, all retailing for $45. A limited edition metallic Rock Gold is available for $50.

To view a list of retailers or to order online, visit yubz.com.