Saudi prosecutor demands death penalty for five suspects in Khashoggi case, reports state news agency January 3, 2019 A prosecutor in Saudi Arabia has called for the death penalty for five of the 11 suspects held in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October. The demand came during the first court hearing over the Washington Post journalist’s murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year, according to state-run Saudi [...]
Drones, cybercrime, AR, and robots – the tech trends to watch out for in 2019 January 3, 2019 It is finally 2019, and I can’t wait to see what surprises the technology industry has in store for us. What should we keep our eyes peeled for over the next 12 months? To whet your appetite about the future, I asked the experts for their predictions for the top tech trends of this year. Devious [...]
Army withdraws anti-drone equipment from Gatwick following Christmas travel chaos January 3, 2019 Military equipment installed at Gatwick to stop drones disrupting flights has now been removed, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today. The army was deployed to the airport shortly before Christmas to help bring an end to the saga that affected roughly 1,000 flights. Israeli-developed systems designed to jam drone signals were reportedly among the military-grade [...]
UK construction sector slows to three-month low January 3, 2019 Growth in the UK construction sector eased to its slowest rate in three months in December but business optimism has sharply risen. Construction firms noted a disappointing end to 2018 with business activity growth slowing down, according to the closely-followed IHS Markit/ CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) figures. PMI fell to 52.8, down from 53.4 [...]
Shares up after construction firm Costain’s order book hits a record £4.2bn January 3, 2019 Shares in Costain are up more than five per cent after the construction and engineering company announced today that it finished the year with a record-breaking order book of £4.2bn. In a trading update the firm, which is a major supplier to Network Rail and Highways England, said it had an order book of £4.2bn, up from [...]
Next defies Christmas fears with online sales boost but outlook remains cautious amid Brexit uncertainty January 3, 2019 Next has opened the crucial post-Christmas trading update season by reducing its full-year profit expectations, but defied investor worries by increasing sales. The retailer said full-price sales for the festive period were up 1.5 per cent between 28 October and 29 December, in line with its expectations. Next reported a 14.9 per cent increase in online [...]
DNO extends Faroe hostile takeover offer amid valuation spat January 3, 2019 Norwegian oil firm DNO has extended its cash offer for Faroe Petroleum amid a bitter dispute over the company’s valuation. DNO will extend its offer of 152p per share after Faroe yesterday resisted the hostile bid, which it said “substantially undervalues” the business. The company today increased its holding in Faroe to 30 per cent, [...]
David Davis: May should postpone parliament’s Brexit vote again to stoke no deal fears January 3, 2019 Former Brexit secretary David Davis believes Theresa May should delay parliament’s vote on her Brexit deal for a second time in order to push Britain closer to a no-deal scenario, and to pile pressure onto MPs and the EU. Parliament was originally due to vote on May’s deal on 11 December, but the Prime Minister [...]
DEBATE: Will this year be as politically tumultuous as the last? January 3, 2019 Will this year be as politically tumultuous as the last? Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies and author of The Great Acceleration, says YES. Sorry to puncture the New Year cheer, but the turmoil of 2018 wasn’t a one-off – in fact, it’s the new normal. The parliamentary situation, with the Tories supported [...]
Resilience, risk, and regulatory changes: What lies ahead for the UK finance sector January 3, 2019 As we look ahead to 2019, the banking industry could be excused for trying to catch its breath. A decade on from the financial crisis, the path forward still remains fraught with difficulties. Return on equity remains stubbornly low across the board, while cost-income ratios remain high. This year will clearly be defined through the [...]