A new infographic has been created by CurrencyFair looking at the world of alternative finance to unveil historical innovations in making payments. From crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, online payment, cryptocurrency, contactless payments and the bitcoin system, most of us have heard of alternative methods of finance, but might not have a good idea what they actually are and how they function. This infographic explains some of the popular methods of payments, and also a brief history of each.

By Anna Power  TLE Film Editor  @TLE_Film  The British Independent Film Awards are upon us and we're livestreaming them here from 8pm tonight! It's been an outstanding year for British and Irish Independent Film from giants like Mike Leigh's Mr Turner and The Imitation Game, to Abrahamson's Frank and McDonagh's Calvary and first time feature director Yann Demange's '71 to name a few. We hope you'll join us and the dazzling array of talent from the best of British film...

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel    What do you do when your highly complex, specific skillset is no longer needed? As the heyday of British manufacturing disappears far into the distance, it’s a question many are left facing. The answer in Kevin Macdonald’s claustrophobic submarine thriller is not likely to bring much comfort either. Black Sea opens with Jude Law’s Robinson receiving his marching orders from Agora, the heartless employer that offers a derisory parting package before telling him to clear...

By Emma Siverthorn  @HouseOf_Gazelle From its opaque start through to its ambiguous denouncement Robin Campillo's Eastern Boys is a brilliantly complex exploration of power dynamics. In the opening scenes, the Eastern Boys, (hailing from the Ukraine, Russia and Romania), roam the Gare Du Nord, their purpose and intention unclear but their sense of pack protection obvious. Yet as the film progresses this sense of immigrant solidarity quickly darkens and shifts to something more akin to captivity than camaraderie. The leader...

By James Mackney  @JimMackney Open Bethlehem is as much Leila Sansour’s film as it is Bethlehem’s. It chronicles Leila’s mission to ensure that Bethlehem is a free and open city and not one at the whim of Israeli pressure. Leila herself left Palestine and Bethlehem at age 18 and returned several years later to film this documentary however the documentary states that her family is depleting around her. They are feeling the pressures of the regime that is keeping Palestine...

DOES TRAVEL BROADEN THE MIND? NOT ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH By Neil Kook 60% admit that a “gap year” did NOT broaden their mind 29% are sick of their friends travelling “stories” 14% admit travelling made it harder to get a job in the UK  Travel broadens the mind, according to the age-old-adage. However, new research from student shipping specialist, 1StopShip, reveals a gap-year could in fact harm your employment prospects, and in some cases, lose you friends! The study questioned...

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas By Neil Kook.  • Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman • Six Senses Ninh Van Bay and Con Dao, Vietnam • Six Senses Laamu, Maldives • Six Senses Yao Noi & Samui, Thailand • The luxury hotel and wellness brand known for its spectacular locations and award-winning spas is set to double in size in the next three years. 2015 resort openings are set for the Seychelles, Chengdu, China and Douro Valley, Portugal. Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas are discovered in some of the world’s...

By Corrina Antrobus  @corrinacorrina There are twists in Foxcatcher that go beyond what we know of the true story of Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz and his relationship with millionaire coach John du Pont. Steve Carell with a huge prosthetic nose puppeteering Channing Tatum in a leotard and a face like a rucksack, sounds like a recipe for a naff comedy. However Foxcatcher, directed by Bennett Miller, is a tender, rich and incredibly sad drama with a throbbing sinister vein. If...

Sport News 24/7 By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic There’s nothing quite like the wrath of a disgruntled Leeds United fan.  Involuntarily tied to a club that has been perpetually targeted by the media, the rozzers and by any other fan in the country that doesn’t carry the burden of the white rose on their chest, they are the oppressed, persecuted and maltreated victims of a game that has seldom been fair to them.  There’s not enough Tetley’s...