Government publishes steel requirements between now and 2020 in a bid to boost domestic industry December 13, 2016 The government has published details of its plan to use 3m tonnes of steel in infrastructure projects by 2020 in a bid to give beleaguered domestic steelmakers a better chance of winning government contracts. The amount of steel required across 18 central government infrastructure projects, including HS2, the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant and upgrading [...]
EastEnders, Holby City and Cold Feet heading to America as BBC and ITV launch new Netflix-style platform December 13, 2016 BBC and ITV have teamed up to step onto the turf of Netflix, announcing the launch of a new on-demand TV service. BritBox will initially target the United States, taking the likes of EastEnders, Cold Feet and Holby City across the pond. Read more: BBC World Service launches 11 new language services with government funding [...]
Waymo: Full speed ahead as Google spins off self-driving car business December 13, 2016 Google is stepping up a gear with its self-driving car project, spinning it out into a separate business it will call Waymo. It will now come out of the shadows at what is known as Google X's "moonshiots" and under the umbrella of parent company Alphabet. "It's an indication of the maturity of our technology. We can [...]
Medical manufacturer SMC buys designer of an ultra-portable allergy treatment December 13, 2016 SMC has acquired the Cambridge-based designer of an ultra-portable adrenaline injector for allergy sufferers. The global medical manufacturer bought Oval Medical Technologies Ltd. for an undisclosed amount. Oval has developed a small autoinjector, which initial testing indicates is much easier to use than alternatives. Those who are allergic to nuts, bee stings, and other causes of [...]
Can Ofcom force through Openreach split? BT trustees believe it could bust pension scheme December 13, 2016 A BT Openreach separation could tip the telecoms giant's pension scheme into insolvency leaving a £10bn black hole, its pension trustees fear. Trustees voiced concerns in a redacted note responding to Ofcom’s proposals to legally separate the company that runs Britain’s telecoms infrastructure from the wider BT group. Because, according to the trustees’ note, a [...]
British Gas is blaming ultra high definition 4K TVs for adding £82m to energy bills by 2019 December 13, 2016 They may be turning into a must-have item, but energy inefficient 4K TVs are set to add £82m to UK consumers’ electricity bills by 2019, British Gas has warned. The ultra high definition (HD) TV sets have this year single-handedly caused the first rise in household energy bills from watching TV since 2011, preliminary findings [...]
A ray of hope? The Aslef union says it will hold talks with Southern at Acas tomorrow December 13, 2016 The Aslef union has said it is meeting Southern management at conciliation service Acas tomorrow for talks aimed at ending the rail franchise's strikes. The union's announcement comes after its boss insisted this morning it had not been invited to talks – although transport secretary Chris Grayling said he had written to the union to invite [...]
More pressure on Fox-Sky deal as pensions lobby group wades in December 13, 2016 Rupert Murdoch’s proposed Sky takeover came under further scrutiny today as a pensions lobby group stressed the need for an appropriate premium to be paid for the business. Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is expected to make a firm £10.75-per-share cash bid for the 61 per cent of Sky it does not already own before the end [...]
Daily flights from London Gatwick to Hong Kong announced by Cathay Pacific December 13, 2016 London Gatwick airport has received a boost with the news that there will now be daily flights to and from Hong Kong, as the route launched in September records “strengthening demand”. Cathay Pacific will expand its timetable of flights at Gatwick from four times a week to a daily timetable, with six direct flights between [...]
Lloyd’s of London says insurers will need to be picky in 2017, after underwriting turns a loss in 2016 December 13, 2016 Lloyd's of London has today cautioned that insurers will need to choose what risks they take on in 2017 carefully, after underwriters found themselves in the red in 2016. Writing in the Lloyd's annual email to the market, chairman John Nelson and chief executive Inga Beale warned the failure for underwriting to make an aggregate profit this year was [...]