Wax-jacket maker Barbour facing four week strike action in Newcastle December 31, 2014 Wax-jacket maker Barbour, the upmarket brand beloved by City types, could be faced with four weeks of industrial action as it enters into the New Year. Employees at the company's warehouse in Gateshead, Newcastle will walkout over plans to introduce new shift patterns. The strike, which is scheduled to start on 5 January, comes after [...]
Oil price will rise in 2015 and there will be no UK shale gas revolution, says Cebr Energy December 31, 2014 This year has been a roller coaster for the world of energy. The American shale gas revolution led to falling prices and reshoring of industry while the price oil has plunged below $60 per barrel. The fall in the price of oil has been cheered by industry and consumers while countries such as Russia and [...]
New year’s resolutions to make you think more like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg December 31, 2014 As if running a $221bn (£142bn) company isn't enough, Mark Zuckerberg is known for his commitment to keeping new year's resolutions. Every year, the Facebook founder sets himself a new challenge – a process which, he told an audience last week, forces him to "do other things outside of [work]". But Zuckerberg doesn't just go for [...]
Eight of Britain’s most endangered professions: Scissor-makers, denim manufacturers and beer barrel crafters December 31, 2014 Britain's fast-dying craft industry risks taking a whole number of valuable and interesting skills with it, according to the Heritage Crafts Association. This is because the skills needed to produce beautifully intricate crafted goods rests in the hands of an ageing population and could be extinct in the next five years. In conjunction with the [...]
FTSE 100 closes 0.3 per cent up (but fell 2.7 per cent in 2014) December 31, 2014 The FTSE 100 ended the year at 6,566.09 points, 0.3 per cent higher than yesterday's close, as trading ended early on New Year's Eve. However, the index was 2.7 per cent down on the beginning of the year, as equities were rocked by headwinds from global markets. Alastair McCraig, a market analyst at IG, pointed [...]
How to get the cheapest possible Uber fare and avoid surge pricing on New Year’s Eve, by Travis Kalanick December 31, 2014 New Year's Eve means only one thing: it's going to be impossible to get a taxi. Never fear, though: 2014 was the year Uber went from small fry to mainstream, meaning London's streets will have more cabs than ever, all eager to whisk you to your next party. The only problem is, because Uber operates [...]
Uber suspends UberPop taxi app service in Spain after court injunction December 31, 2014 Taxi app company Uber has suspended its UberPop service in Spain after a court ruling banning the ride-sharing app was confirmed. UberPop is a ridesharing service and platform connecting private car owners with passengers who also have the option to split the fare. UberPop mirrors UberX in the US. Uber has been operating in Spain [...]
ECB official Peter Praet hints at quantitative easing amid falling oil prices December 31, 2014 The European Central Bank's (ECB) chief economist has hinted quantitative easing could be on the way, as plunging oil prices threaten to derail price expectations in the embattled eurozone. Peter Praet told German Newspaper Boersen-Zeitung the glut in global oil supply meant inflation rates were likely to remain negative throughout "a substantial part of 2015", something [...]
Tony Blair on Ed Miliband criticism: “I was misinterpreted” December 31, 2014 Much sackcloth-and-ashing afoot this morning, after Tony Blair insisted comments in which he appeared to say Ed Miliband could not win the election were "misinterpreted". His denial, on Twitter, came a day after the publication of an interview in The Economist, in which Blair was quoted as saying Miliband had swung too far to the right [...]
Swanky modern apartment or lovely old bulding? Brits’ dream homes revealed December 31, 2014 As anyone who's ever sat at a British dinner table can attest, we're a nation of property obsessives. But what kind of homes do we prefer? YouGov has investigated Brits' attitudes to interior design. Are we a nation desperate for the swanky high rise apartment, or do our hearts yearn for the traditional period features [...]