London pipped by New York as top destination for business trips December 20, 2018 London is the world's second most popular business destination but is facing stiff competition from Paris. The capital was once top of the rankings, but was overtaken by New York four years ago. This year, 10 per cent more business travellers booked flights to New York than London, flight data from Egencia shows. But London could be [...]
Snapchat filter brings Big Ben back to life for Christmas December 20, 2018 Snapchat today unveiled a new filter that will bring Big Ben back to life for Westminster visitors over the Christmas period. The iconic clock tower is currently undergoing repair work and the Great Bell, known as Big Ben, has been silent since August last year. But the photo app will now strip away the scaffolding, [...]
Black Friday promotions drive unexpected retail boost in November December 20, 2018 Retail sales enjoyed stronger-than-expected growth in November as shoppers cashed in on Black Friday promotions. Sales over the month increased by 1.4 per cent compared to the same period last year, far higher than the 0.3 per cent forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. But over the three months to November sales rose by [...]
For Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, 2018 was the year when trust in the tech giants evaporated December 20, 2018 The Faangs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google-owner Alphabet) have been the darlings of the stock market for years. These tech giants have helped to change how we shop, communicate, work – even how we watch movies. But as they have grown in size, fears have also grown, especially about what they may do with so [...]
Kier leads the FTSE’s morning fallers after investors shun call for cash December 20, 2018 Shares in outsourcing group Kier fell by almost 15 per cent as markets opened this morning, after the firm revealed that investors only bought 38 per cent of the new shares it had issued as part of a fundraising effort. Kier announced last month that it would turn to the market in a heavily-discounted share [...]
Stagecoach to sell off struggling US division for $271m after heavy losses December 20, 2018 Stagecoach has agreed to sell its struggling US division to a private equity firm for $271m (£214m) to focus on its UK bus and rail operations. The firm, which runs Megabus, has operated bus and coach services in North America for 20 years but the company reported a pre-tax loss of £22.6m in the six months [...]
A second referendum wouldn’t be undemocratic… but it would be disastrous December 20, 2018 As a Dutch Anglophile and a committed European, my natural sympathies lie with those currently aiming to preserve the ties that bind the UK to the European Union. What the massive street protests and the passionate people’s vote campaign make clear is that many Brits are as attached to their newly-won European rights as they [...]
DEBATE: With student debt now blowing a hole in the government’s budget, should tuition fees be cut? December 20, 2018 With student debt now blowing a hole in the government’s budget, should tuition fees be cut? Iain Mansfield, a former senior civil servant, says YES. This week’s decision to reclassify student loans has exposed the myth that tuition fees were the only way of making mass higher education affordable – they were never affordable, just off [...]
Forget Brexit, the government must get cracking on Britain’s industrial strategy December 20, 2018 Given the breakneck speed at which news on UK politics has been moving in December, it’s understandable that the first anniversary of the launch of the government’s industrial strategy went largely unnoticed. But in the face of uncertainty over Britain’s international future, it is all the more important that the government makes progress on delivering [...]
Dear Santa, all we want for Christmas is more freedom – sincerely, the economy December 20, 2018 What does the economy want for Christmas? The answer is what it always wants, but rarely gets: more economic freedom. Economic freedom is actually two presents, not one. To make this Christmas one to remember, the economy wants to unwrap both public and private sector freedom. Public sector freedom comes in the form of a [...]