From the pursuit of happiness to the EU referendum: Here’s what got us talking this week
It was week in which we discovered people leave taxidermy foxes in black cabs. Facebook turned 12 (and oh, how it's changed…). And The One Where Joey Presents Top Gear suddenly became a possibility…
1. Everyone started thinking about happiness
First, a study showed when you're happiest in life – then, one showed us where the happiest people live.
Does your team seem down in the dumps? Perhaps some new employee perks are needed – take inspiration from our list of the world's best. We also put together a list of 28 brilliantly difficult-to-translate foreign terms to use when praising your team – for when you just can't find the right word…
2. … but bankers weren't happy at all
Bank share prices spent the week in decidedly wobbly territory, with Credit Suisse becoming the latest lender to post very disappointing results. It's not the only one, though – banks' share prices have plummeted across the board this year.
The poor figures led to bonuses at Credit Suisse being cut. Hardly surprising, then, that data from Emolument showed while bankers' bonuses are up this year, they're not happy at all.
3. Stelios launched his latest bargain basement offering
Yep, with all items priced at 25p as an "introductory offer", EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou's EasyFoodstore arrived in north-west London with a bang.
Fast forward a couple of days, though, and the shop abruptly closed. No prizes for guessing why…
4. We all kept talking about house prices
As April's stamp duty hike on buy-to-let properties draws nearer, one organisation has warned a rash of buy-to-let homes could be about to come onto the market as landlords throw up their hands in frustration.
Meanwhile, a survey warned the average house price in more than half of London's neighbourhoods is half a million pounds or above – while another suggested growth is picking up.
But one small voice suggested prices may fall. You never know…
5. The PM got his deal. Sort of.
The Prime Minister negotiated a deal on the UK's relationship with the EU (the full text of which is here). The deal went down like a lead balloon among many, including Boris Johnson, who was far from impressed. Is there a chance the PM could ever back the Leave campaign? This columnist is awaiting David Cameron's "Love Actually" moment…
Ps. If you were worried about this weekend's Tube strike, worry no more: it was called off this evening. Have a great weekend.
Leisurely reads
Rees-Mogg on the PM, the EU and gruel
Thin gruel is hardly an appealing image, yet that’s how Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg first described David Cameron’s proposed EU reforms. Read more.
Map of the week
Great reads from elsewhere
What would Donald Trump be like if he actually cared about voters' views? Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri imagines a different world.
George Soros isn't the only one to have warned that the world is on the brink of another downturn. Will we end up in recession? The New York Times explains how it will come about.
Uber was treated to a radical rebranding this week. Wired has the inside story of how it came about.