RBS is closing 162 branches resulting in 800 job losses as more customers opt for mobile banking May 1, 2018 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is closing 162 branches and cutting nearly 800 jobs after a review of its network in England and Wales, noting that an increasing number of customers were using branches less often and using mobile banking. It said the branch closures will result in 792 roles being made redundant and [...]
Markets brace for the latest Bank of England interest rate decision May 1, 2018 Following a decade without so much as a hint of a rate rise, expectations are high for the UK’s second increase in just seven months. Most economists expect the Bank of England to raise the base rate to 0.75 per cent this month, up from the current 0.5 per cent. The UK’s economic picture is [...]
Buoyed by Sainsbury’s and BP gains, London’s FTSE 100 continues its rallying march May 1, 2018 The FTSE 100 is continuing its strong performance today, inching past yesterday’s 7545 highs to 7549 and extending its 10 per cent late-March reversal into May. The slip in sterling as well as a drop in UK manufacturing activity have helped buoy the London market, as have Sainsbury’s shares which have continued to rally in [...]
From good broadband to multiple bathrooms: 20 features that could sell your home in the UK May 1, 2018 Spring seems to have finally arrived in London, and with the weather warming up, so too is selling season. As Londoners consider the best way to sell their homes, insurance comparison website Gocompare Home Insurance has compiled a list that shows the top 20 features for UK home-buyers, including things like good broadband and more [...]
From huskies to supercars, the wilderness of Finland is transformed into a billionaires’ playground by McLaren May 1, 2018 I’ve been promised 567 horsepower, but first I get to experience the propulsion of seven huskies. I’m scrambling through the forests of northern Finland, hanging onto a rickety two-man sled, zipped up against the Arctic cold. I eventually arrive at McLaren’s kota, a traditional wooden hut 2,000 miles as the crow flies but more realistically [...]
The knives were out for Baselworld, but nothing could detract from the scintillating creativity on show May 1, 2018 The rickety tram ride from Basel’s Old Town to Messeplatz, or ‘Exhibition Square’, is a curious tableau. Medieval quaintness and winding streets quickly yield to the mighty Rhine, with the chimneys of Big Pharma spiking its banks in the distance. Over the river, the urbanity picks up again, but with city-limits mundanity and red-light seediness. [...]
What’s ticking? News from the bleeding edge of haute horologie, from Tom Hardy at Bremont to the new Panerai boutique May 1, 2018 Breitling drops its wings The professional pilot’s favourite watchmaker is undergoing a sky-to-ground shake-up right now, at the experienced hands of ex-IWC CEO, Georges Kern. For a start, he’s shifting the venerable chronograph brand’s main focus away from the air, controversially dropping the wings logo from all dials and ranking ‘land’ and ‘sea’ sectors equally. [...]
Local elections: Third councillor defects to centrist party Renew ahead of 3rd May polling day May 1, 2018 A third councillor has defected to the nascent centrist party Renew ahead of this week’s local elections. John Ferrett, a Labour veteran of 27 years in Portsmouth City Council, quit his party in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. It follows similar moves by Labour’s Judi Sutherland in Durham’s Barnard Castle last autumn, and former Conservative [...]
The Wine connoisseur: How to avoid wine pairing disasters May 1, 2018 I have been surrounded by wine my entire life, from my mum’s collection of rarities to my uncle’s home-brewed sparkling. Growing up in Italy, there was wine in nearly every recipe and a bottle on every table. But that doesn’t mean pairing wine with food comes naturally – it’s a process of trial and error [...]
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum to leave Facebook May 1, 2018 WhatsApp boss Jan Koum has left the messaging app over alleged clashes with parent company Facebook. Koum wrote on Facebook that it was time to “move on” adding that he was planning on moving outside of technology for a bit. “It’s been almost a decade since Brian [Acton] and I started WhatsApp, and it’s been [...]