Facebook’s review of the year: What were the topics we discussed online in 2016? December 8, 2016 What sticks out about 2016 for you? Is it the massive political upheaval? The incredible number of global superstars who passed away? Or Pokemon? In case you need a bit of help recalling the events of what's been a fairly intense 12 months, Facebook has helpfully revealed the topics that got the most attention online [...]
HS1 owners mull over sale of high-speed rail line linking London and the Channel Tunnel December 8, 2016 The owners of HS1, the high-speed railway connecting London to the Channel Tunnel, are considering a possible sale after receiving multiple approaches. Borealis Infrastructure and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan are exploring strategic options, they confirmed today, after "a number of investment inquiries". They said in a statement that a financial adviser will be appointed in due [...]
Gin is 2016’s trendiest drink, with sales growing in the UK and beyond December 8, 2016 There's no arguing that 2016 has left many of us needing a drink at the end of the day, and no one has benefited from that more than the UK's gin industry. British consumers drank 1.12bn gin and tonics in the last year, breaking the sector's £1bn sales mark for the first time ever six months [...]
What can we learn from Theresa May’s Christmas cards? December 8, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May has unveiled the designs of three Christmas cards that she will send this year. All three were drawn by schoolchildren from her constituency of Maidenhead, and chosen personally by the Prime Minister. But with the PM remaining tight-lipped on her Brexit strategy ahead of triggering Article 50 next year, could she be [...]
Ladbrokes and William Hill shares plummet as a cross-party group of MPs criticise addictive gambling machines December 8, 2016 Betting companies' shares have fallen after a group of cross-party MPs released a report criticising fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). Ladbrokes shares toppled to a low of 112.02p in early morning trading before rising slightly to 119p, 6.37 per cent down. The drop follows a sharp increase of more than nine per cent yesterday afternoon. William Hill fell to [...]
Spend $9 billion. Employ 40,000 technologists. What do you get? December 8, 2016 | City Talk Spend $9 billion. Employ 40,000 technologists. Then add one company with one giant vision. Behold JP Morgan Chase, a global tech operations phenomenon. Glasgow is one of its 13 hubs located throughout the world. Watch this short video on why the city was 'stringently selected' from 30 European rival locations. You'll be amazed at what goes on behind closed doors here…
A former French budget minister has been sentenced for three years for tax fraud December 8, 2016 A former French budget minister who led a crackdown on tax evasion has today been jailed for three years for tax fraud. Jerome Cahuzac, who was a cosmetic surgeon before being appointed by President Francois Hollande in 2012, was found guilty of tax fraud and money laundering, after being accused of hiding money in an offshore bank account. [...]
The UK’s facing EU legal action over response to VW emissions scandal – along with six other nations December 8, 2016 The European Union (EU) has opened legal action against seven nations, including the UK, over their response to the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Four – the UK, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain – have been criticised for failing to take action against Volkswagen for cheating emission tests. They were accused of not imposing similar penalties to those faced by VW [...]
The world’s longest rail tunnel will officially open to the public on Sunday December 8, 2016 It's been a long time in the making, but the world's longest and deepest train tunnel will finally open to the public, after getting the go-ahead on commercial use, with full services running from Sunday. The Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland is a 57km line under the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe and as [...]
The euro plummets as the European Central Bank extends its quantitative easing programme, but taper begins December 8, 2016 The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced that it will extend its programme of quantitative easing until the end of 2017, although it will reduce the size of the programme. The euro surged briefly on the extension before plunging to wipe out all of the day's gains and fall by as much as 1.1 per cent. [...]