Russia wants to destabilise Interpol, warns Putin critic Bill Browder November 19, 2018 Bill Browder, the US-born investor and Putin critic, struck back today against new allegations made against him by Russia, accusing the country of attempting to use its international influence to destabilise Interpol. Prosecutors in Moscow claimed Browder's fund shareholders used illegal profits made in the country to fund donations to the Democratic Party, and claimed he may [...]
Theresa May wants UK to be out of EU transition period before general election in 2022 November 19, 2018 Theresa May has reaffirmed her commitment to taking the UK out of the EU transition period in time for the next scheduled general election in 2022. Delivering a keynote speech at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), May hinted that she would not let the transition period extend until the end of 2022. The pound slipped [...]
Lexus and IBM debut the world’s first TV advert entirely scripted by artificial intelligence November 19, 2018 Luxury carmaker Lexus has teamed up with IBM's Watson and several London agencies to make the world's first car advertisement entirely scripted by artificial intelligence. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, who is known for films such as The Last King of Scotland and this year's Whitney Houston biopic, the advert was created to showcase Lexus' [...]
Caffeine kick gets greener as Nespresso makes pods from sustainable aluminium November 19, 2018 Breakfast drinks will cause slightly less environmental damage after Nespresso teamed up with Rio Tinto to make its coffee pods from ethical aluminium. The two companies are working to ensure that 100 per cent of the metal in Nespresso’s popular pods are sustainably sourced by 2020. By then every pod that goes into a morning [...]
Renault shares plummet as chairman Carlos Ghosn arrested after financial misconduct investigation November 19, 2018 Shares in Renault plunged 10 per cent this morning as the car manufacturer's chairman and chief executive was arrested on suspicion of under-reporting his salary. Carlos Ghosn, who is also chairman of car manufacturer Nissan, is being investigated by Japanese authorities and has been arrested by prosecutors, according to Reuters. In a statement Nissan said [...]
Crunch time: Edible insects hit supermarket shelves as UK goes nuts for bugs November 19, 2018 Roasted crickets hit supermarket shelves yesterday as Sainsbury’s became the first UK retailer to stock edible insects. The supermarket chain has launched a range of barbecue-flavoured crunchy roasted crickets, which are described as “crunchy in texture with a rich smoky flavour”. The crickets cost £1.50 per packet and are available in 250 Sainsbury’s stores across the [...]
Flower in the City: The Tulip could be the tallest tower in the Square Mile November 19, 2018 New proposals to build the tallest ever tower in the Square Mile were revealed this morning, as City planners prepare to open their doors to a fresh wave of skyscrapers that could transform London’s skyline. Developers have submitted plans to build a dramatic 305-metre viewing attraction dubbed ‘The Tulip’, which would be built alongside The [...]
Dropping ‘mansize’ from Kleenex boxes is a good move, but won’t solve gender inequality November 19, 2018 Last month, Kleenex finally scrapped the use of the word “mansize” from its branding after 60 years on the shelves. The decision sees the world-famous tissue brand become the latest in a long line of well-known names to distance itself from gender-specific marketing. In recent decades, Yorkie’s “it’s not for girls”, Snickers’ “get some nuts”, [...]
Thank God it’s Black Friday – why retailers need price transparency to make a success of the festive season November 19, 2018 During the early days of what quickly became known as the “retail apocalypse” back in 2010, a commentator or retailer would come out in the press and say that all the doom and gloom was overstated. The sector, they’d argue, was merely riding out a bumpy stretch of road, and would undoubtedly emerge on the [...]
Beware office banter – you don’t know who you might offend November 19, 2018 Late last month, Topshop owner Sir Philip Green rejected allegations that he had engaged in unlawful racist or sexist behaviour, saying that as far as he was concerned there had been some banter, but that this had never been offensive. At this stage, it is not possible to say whether there is any truth at [...]