Civils in the news today - Monday 6 April 2009

…Mr Darling is expected to use his April 22 Budget to admit the recession is much worse than he forecast, predicting the economy will shrink by at least 3% in 2009 and that the deficit will top 10% of national income - Financial Times

The number of pupils studying new-style diploma qualifications will more than triple to 40,000 in September, ministers will say today. The courses, which combine work-based training and academic study, will be offered in almost every area of England, claims Jim Knight, the schools minister - Daily Telegraph

Concerns about the financial health of BAA persuaded the Government to hire Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to conduct a review of the airport operator’s prospects last September. At a meeting with the Department of Transport on September 24, Merrill Lynch was asked to “look at the robustness of BAA’s finances”, a DfT spokesman said. Notes from the meeting reportedly show that BAA was “surprised and concerned” by the decision and that Merrill Lynch was also instructed to look at BAA’s Spanish owner Ferrovial - Daily Telegraph

The worst of the recession is yet to come for many UK companies, Ernst & Young warns in a gloomy report today. The accountancy company says that as the downturn persists more businesses further down the supply chain will be hit - Daily Telegraph

National Grid, the owner of Britain’s electricity transmission network, hopes to grab more than $100 million (£67 million) of the billions of dollars in stimulus funds set aside by President Obama for green energy projects. The company os working with the Massachusetts state government on a bid for $57 million in funding to help it to pay for a smart grid pilot launched last week - The Times

Britain’s water companies, who are preparing to hand over their next five year investment plans to the industry regulator tomorrow, are “pouring £1million down the drain every day”, according to KPMG. The professional services company said that its analysis of the water industry revealed inefficiencies in the supply chain that could total more than £2 billion over the next five years - The Times

The River Thames could be returned to its glory days under a plan by the Mayor of London to promote it as an integral transport link, The Times has learnt. Boris Johnson will announce today the integration of river services into the wider transport network, enabling Oyster cards, a form of electronic ticketing, to be used for the first time - The Times

Business leaders have delivered a surprise attack on the government’s environmental policy, arguing that ministers are not doing enough to cut global warming emissions or make sure the UK does not run out of power. The CBI says billions of pounds of necessary investment will move to the US and China unless the government takes “urgent action”. It comes amid widespread disappointment that the G20 heads of state failed to come up with any real push on green issues as part of a £743bn financial aid package for the global economy - The Guardian

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