The Standard

How do you cope with workplace stress, and what can companies do to help employees?Professor Sir Cary Cooper is the founding director of workplace wellness specialist RobertsonCooper and 50th Anniversary Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at the University of Manchester.Cary’s appearing at the Watercooler event at London Olympia on May 25th and 26th. For more info and free tickets  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been 35 years since Terry Waite was kidnapped while trying to negotiate the release of British hostages in Lebanon.In this special edition of the Leader he joins psychologist Dr Wolfgang Seidl to talk about how he coped in solitary confinement.They also discuss the pandemic, workplace wellbeing and the power of a simple gesture.Mr Waite and Dr Seidl are appearing the Watercooler event in association with the Evening Standard on May 25th. It’s being held at the Olympia London, for details on other speakers and how to get free tickets click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We might be one step closer to cannabis becoming legal in London. Whilst on his trip in the US, the Mayor of London has said he is appointing a drugs tsar to explore the potential benefits of legalising marijuana. Sadiq Khan has asked Lord Falconer, formerly Lord Chancellor in Tony Blair’s government and a current member of Labour’s shadow cabinet, to lead the review.Our City Hall Editor, Ross Lydall, has been following Sadiq Khan on his American tour and was there as he made the announcement from a cannabis factory in Los Angeles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s that time of the year again, where acts from all over the continent - and elsewhere in some cases - compete in Eurovison. The competition always gets political but this time around there’s a clear favourite that everyone can get on board with, Ukraine.Now, the UK hasn’t got the best track record in the competition. Despite last year’s entry James Newman’s best efforts, we finished dead last and with no points. But, could this year be different? The man hoping to change our luck is none other than TikTok star Sam Ryder with ‘Space Man’.We speak to the Evening Standard’s Jochan Embley about Eurovision politics, the competition’s rise in popularity and whether or not the UK can avoid ‘nul points’ this time around. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Queen’s speech… but with someone very important missing. It was the first time her majesty had missed the State Opening of Parliament for 59 years, following a decision taken by the monarch and her doctors. The Prince of Wales read on her behalf, resulting in a historical moment that gave us a taste of what the future might look like.The speech outlined 38 Bills, including seven measures scrapping EU regulation – covering areas from data reform to gene-editing to financial services.We speak to the Evening Standard’s Royal Editor Robert Jobson about the significance of this moment and the paper’s West End Final writer Jack Kessler about the political implications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week our City Hall Editor, Ross Lydall, is following the Mayor of London on his tour of the US. Sadiq Khan is on a mission to bang the drum for our incredible city in an attempt to attract more tourists from across the pond following the pandemic. Today Mr Khan launches London’s biggest-ever tourism campaign in Times Square – a £10million promotions package with £7m targeting international visitors and £3m the domestic market. He’ll also meet a series of VIPs in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hollywood.The Evening Standard has been granted exclusive access behind the scenes during this epic five-day trip and Ross Lydall takes The Leader along for the ride… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you create an icon? In this episode, we talk to David Abrahamovitch, CEO of Grind, the coffee company behind those now famous pink tins and pods that are popping up in kitchens everywhere.Listen to the full episode here.We talk about:•How the company turned the pandemic into an opportunity•Why they chose pink for a beverage more often packaged in brown tones•Advice on how to use crowdfunding to get secure money for your business•The future of Grind and its international expansionDavid’s also appearing at the Evening Standard’s SME EXPO, where he’ll be talking about crowdfunding. The event’s being held at Olympia London on May 25th and 26th, for more info – and free tickets – head to the website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something unusual happened across London in the early hours of Friday.Three of the capital’s flagship, long-held Conservative councils were seized by Labour in the UK local elections.Wandsworth went red for the first time in 44 years and so did Barnet - but the biggest shock was the flagship council of Westminster, which is under new management as Labour took control after the Conservatives ruled since 1964.Although Sir Keir Starmer’s party failed to make larger gains outside of the capital, the Liberal Democrats also enjoyed a strong night.Now there remains a single blue redoubt in the centre of the capital and that’s Kensington & Chelsea, while the Tories also held Bexley, Hillingdon and many commuter belt councils neighbouring the outer boroughs.So what does it mean for services and council tax in the likes of Wandsworth, always trumpeting its status as the council with England’s lowest rates.To examine what all this means for the country’s political map - and the prime minister's future - we’re joined by the Standard’s deputy political editor, David Bond, who's been on the election trail speaking to voters in Wandsworth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shell has announced a shock jump in its profits - nearly triple what it was last year, which has sparked calls for a windfall tax on oil and gas giants to help families struggling with the cost-of-living squeeze.The Standard reports on Thursday how Royal Dutch Shell published underlying profits of $9.1 billion (£7.2 billion) for the first financial quarter of this year.The biggest shock is the size of the profits, which are up 43 per cent thanks to soaring oil and gas prices.Now, there are calls for a one-off tax on the likes of BP and Shell, suggesting a windfall payment could bring in £9 billion for the Treasury’s covid-ravaged coffers and help households .It comes after BP announced another huge earnings jump to $6.2 billion.Back in February, both BP and Shell were among multinational companies exiting the Russian market.But is there a moral argument that some corporations could still be war profiteering as a knock-on effect of the invasion of Ukraine?It comes as the Bank of England raises interest rates and warns of a recession.To examine today’s developments, by the Evening Standard’s City Editor, Oscar Williams-Grut. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The long-awaited £19 billion Elizabeth Line will start running through central London later this month.Despite falling years behind schedule and going billions of pounds over budget, Transport for London says Crossrail will add 10 per cent capacity to the capital’s travel network.But the newly-opened central section of the line will close on Sundays for several months to allow further testing and upgrades, except for the jubilee bank holiday weekend.Construction of Crossrail began on May 15, 2009, when then Prime Minister Gordon Brown and then mayor Boris Johnson oversaw the start of piling work at Canary Wharf station.To find out more about the significance of TfL’s announcement about the opening, we’re joined by the Evening Standard’s City Hall Editor, Ross Lydall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.