British astronaut Tim Peake to control a UK-based rover from outer space April 29, 2016 British astronaut Tim Peake will control a UK-based rover as he orbits the earth from the International Space Station. The live space-to-ground test today involves Peake — who is located hundreds of miles away — operating the rover nicknamed "Bridget" in a specially built "Mars yard" at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The experiment will help researchers learn more about the [...]
Eurozone grows by 0.6 per cent in first quarter – faster than US and UK April 29, 2016 The Eurozone expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2016, even as the single currency bloc fell back into deflation, allaying fears of secular stagnation across the continent. GDP grew by 0.6 per cent in the first three months of the year – faster than both the United States and the United Kingdom which [...]
BT has hiked prices for thousands of TV, phone and broadband customers April 29, 2016 If you're a BT customer, get ready to sweat a bit as you open that bill. The company has hiked prices for thousands of customers – while promising its users that service is about to improve. The telecoms giant said line rental and the cost of its BT Sport package will both rise by £1, while the [...]
Bank of England: Yes, there was a mortgage stampede in March April 29, 2016 The final – and perhaps most definitive – proof that mortgage lending surged in March has been published by the Bank of England this morning, showing just how much tax changes distorted the property market. After a string of industry reports said that investors and landlords rushed to snap up houses before the three per cent [...]
Industry veteran Tom Albanese says the only way is up for metal prices April 29, 2016 Mining industry veteran Tom Albanese has said that the worst is over for metal markets which have been ripsawed by excess supply coupled with waning demand. Albanese, who is chief executive of Vedanta and former boss of Rio Tinto, said on a conference call today: "I believe with what we’ve witnessed early in 2016 will be the [...]
EU referendum: John Major tells Brexiteers to “go to North Korea” if they want “undiluted sovereignty” April 29, 2016 Former Prime Minister John Major has suggested people in favour of leaving the European Union should "go to North Korea" if they want "undiluted sovereignty". In a move that seems almost calculated to wind up half the country, the man who led the country during much of the 1990s told Radio 4's Today Programme dismissed [...]
Want to work in the tech sector? These are the UK’s highest-paying tech firms April 29, 2016 Thinking of going into finance? The tech sector just might pay better, if new research is anything to go by. It turns out that not only do tech giants such as Apple, Amazon and Google offer great benefits – free lunches, flexible holiday allowances, egg freezing – but the salaries they pay rival anything a bank can throw [...]
Venezuela orders two-day working week as energy crisis bites April 29, 2016 Venezuela has given public sector workers a two-day working week as its government fights to weather a worsening power crisis. Britain was forced to introduce a three-day week to combat energy shortages during the 1970s. A coal miners' strike followed the first oil crisis when an Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) embargo sent prices soaring. Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, said on [...]
Facing the prospect of working beyond 65? Good news – it could save your life April 29, 2016 Good news for those facing the prospect of working beyond the age of 65: it may save your life. New research has found healthy adults who retired one year after the age of 65 had an 11 per cent lower risk of death from all causes. Participants in the study who categorised themselves as unhealthy were [...]
Former Financial Times owner Pearson reports sales fall in first quarter as it seeks 4,000 job cuts April 29, 2016 Education company Pearson's share price was down slightly this morning after it reported a four per cent fall in sales in the first quarter of 2016. The figures Pearson, which sold the Financial Times and Economist last year, reported its revenue had fallen nine per cent year on year during the period. The company said [...]