Britain’s public parks risk falling into neglect as budget cuts persist, MPs warn February 11, 2017 Britain's public parks are at a "tipping point" of falling into neglect as budgets are hit by major cuts, a report by MPs today warned. Parks face temporary or permanent closures, the removal of play equipment, and more rats and weeds due to a lack of funds. The UK's more than 27,000 green spaces have seen cuts of [...]
Ford gears up for a major AI investment to boost its self-driving car offerings February 11, 2017 Ford is spending big to up its game in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. The US carmaker said it will invest $1bn (£800m) over the next five years in Argo AI, an AI software and robotics technology startup, to support its autonomous vehicle development. Pittsburgh-based Argo AI, which was founded by former Google and Uber leaders, will work to develop a [...]
More like dandruff: These are the best tweets about London’s snow flurries February 11, 2017 Last night, the Met Office warned the City could get as much as an inch of snow during the evening rush hour. However, things weren't quite that drastic on the ground. Some Londoners questioned whether what fell from the sky could actually be classed as snow at all. Snowing in a half hearted can't be bothered to [...]
It’s not over: Donald Trump is preparing a new travel ban February 11, 2017 Donald Trump last night said he's considering signing a new executive order banning travel from people of certain countries. The news comes a day after a US federal appeals court upheld a decision to suspended the US President's controversial ban. After angrily tweeting that the ruling put US national security at risk, Trump announced he was mulling a "brand new [...]
Agencies need to clean up their acts: Indiscriminate use of programmatic trading is crushing trust in advertising February 11, 2017 Reports showing that advertisers have been unwittingly funding illegal terror groups through an indiscriminate distribution of their online ads confirms something that many already suspected. The relationship between advertisers, agents and online publishers is in urgent need of a re-boot, where transparency and full disclosure make the kind of worrying aberrations reported in The Times [...]
Nine ways Donald Trump has already fallen out with American voters February 10, 2017 As the latest batch of polling results are released, Donald Trump finds himself increasingly at odds with both Republican and Democrat voters, it turns out. It's well known Trump’s approval ratings are the worst of any new President – but new figures suggest they have continued to slide since he took office on 20 January. According [...]
Walt Disney has snapped up a fresh stake in its struggling Euro Disney firm and eyes full control February 10, 2017 Walt Disney has raised its stake in its embattled Euro Disney firm and is now seeking to take full control through a deal with a Saudi billionaire. The American media giant today said it will acquire most of Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding's stake in the company, taking its holdings to 85.7 per cent [...]
Punch Taverns shareholders seal the deal on Heineken’s £403m takeover offer February 10, 2017 Punch Taverns shareholders today voted to approve Heineken's 180p-per-share takeover offer, totaling £403m. The offer was made by Vine Acquisitions, the vehicle Heineken shares with partner Patron Capital. On the news of the decision, Patron said: "We are delighted that an overwhelming majority of shareholders are in support of the acquisition and look forward to progressing towards completion of [...]
Copper prices soar to a new high on talks of a force majeure at BHP Billiton’s Escondida mine February 10, 2017 After substantial gains yesterday, London Metal Exchange copper prices have today jumped to their highest level since June 2015. Benchmark copper has risen 4.5 per cent to a session high of $6,083 a tonne. The surge came as news emerged that BHP Billiton is declaring a force majeure on shipments from its Escondida mine in Chile, which is [...]
London and the South East could get an inch of snow during evening rush hour tonight February 10, 2017 Brace yourselves: London could get as much as an inch of snow during evening rush hour tonight, after the Met Office issued a yellow warning for London and the South East. This morning it said showers in and around the capital could bring accumulations of 2cm-3cm, and warned commuters to brace themselves for disruption to [...]