Michael Browne

The coalition government has unveiled plans to increase protection for holidaymakers. The proposals follow a lengthy consultation which was started by the previous government in 2009.

When doing business in a foreign country it is always vital to understand differences in culture. This helps to avoid misunderstandings and allows development of positive and long-lasting business relationships. Knowing the differences in business etiquette between British and Japanese culture could be what lands you a lucrative contract or a lucrative new job.

The Home Office has announced another measure designed to speed up the criminal justice process. This year police forces are going to be given equipment in the police station, which they can use to test motorists for the presence of drugs.

Motorists can face an allegation of speeding in three different ways by virtue of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Firstly, temporary speed restrictions can be imposed with regard to road works and contravention of the temporary speed restriction is an offence. Secondly, contravention of a speed limit relating to a motorway is an offence. Thirdly, apart from motorway speeding offences, any motorist who contravenes a speed limit commits an offence.

It is difficult to think of many things that have 'enjoyed' such a consistently poor reputation amongst Britain's drivers as speed cameras since their introduction. They appear to be universally maligned by drivers, frustrated at what they see as being devices to raise revenue rather than save lives and reduce the number of casualties on our roads.

Salespeople have been applying psychology to sales techniques throughout history. From creating attractive window displays and special offers, to developing sophisticated customer relationship management systems to track consumer behaviour, sales people have constantly refined their techniques to match the changing consumer market.

When learning the art of effective business negotiation, there are various techniques and approaches you can take to improve your negotiation effectiveness. One of the crucial elements is learning to read body language and the non-verbal communication clues that the other person is giving to you when discussing business. It's estimated that over 70% of communication is non-verbal and can be picked up by accurately reading body language if you know what you are doing.

No-one knows exactly how many words there are in the English language, but it could be as many as 200,000. Not surprisingly there are many whose meanings are somewhat lost. Try slipping some of these into your everyday conversation. People will either be hugely impressed, or think you've gone ever so slightly mad!

There are some well known text book reasons why learning another language is good for you. It's a real asset when you're travelling. Being able to string together just a few words in a foreign language can score huge points with the locals. And in today's global village, mastery of a foreign language may prove a real boost to your career, even when speaking another language isn't necessarily a key part of your role. But there are some benefits of being multi-lingual you might not have thought of

Scuba diving has become increasingly popular over the last decade, with thousands of people now listing it as one of their favourite hobbies. But what can you buy someone who loves to scuba dive? Well, you need look no further for the answer.