Scientists have found a way to create diamonds in a lab December 1, 2015 A discovery by scientists in the US could make it possible to create diamonds under simple lab conditions. The team from North Carolina State University developed a new kind of carbon structure, called Q-carbon, which is fundamentally different from all other solid forms of the material. When Q-carbon is treated with laser pulses followed by [...]
Why does the UK have a productivity puzzle? The skills gap is one factor – but there are many more issues at play here December 1, 2015 Classical economic theory talks about three “factors of production”, land, labour and capital – the ingredients required to produce things. In a speech last month Ben Broadbent, deputy governor for monetary policy at the Bank of England, correctly identified changes to the labour market as one of the causes of weakness in productivity growth [...]
Eurozone unemployment in October fell to its lowest in three years. December 1, 2015 The rate of unemployment across the Eurozone has fallen to 10.7 per cent, falling for a second consecutive month to its lowest in three years. That beat expectations of 10.8 per cent for October, the latest official statistics reveal. The number of jobless fell by 13,000 putting the total number out of work at 17.24m across [...]
Pound dips as UK manufacturing stalls in November, missing expectations December 1, 2015 The pound dipped to as low as €1.4236 this morning, after figures showed the UK's manufacturing sector stalled in November. The CIPS/Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 52.7 in November, from 55.2 the month below. Although it was above the 50 mark which denotes expansion, the figure was still well below consensus of 53.6. However, [...]
The nightmare before Christmas: Ofcom says fairy lights could interfere with your wifi December 1, 2015 Next time your internet connection isn't working, blame your fairy lights, which Ofcom has warned can interfere with the wifi signal. Ofcom released its telecoms and wireless network report today, which suggests wireless broadband may be slower than it should be in nearly six million UK homes, thanks to poor set-up and inference from household objects including lamps, microwaves, baby [...]
EU referendum: British commissioner Jonathan Hill could be harming the UK just at the crucial pre-Brexit moment December 1, 2015 While David Cameron recently released his unambitious ideas for renegotiating the terms of the British membership in the EU, British commissioner Jonathan Hill seems keener to focus on building an ever-closer banking union. Although he is aware of Germany’s fundamental opposition to mutualising deposit insurance, he strongly advocates a project which will fuel the revolt of German depositors against [...]
Christmas shopping 2015 dates: Thought Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppingeddon was over? Think again. Here comes Giving Tuesday, Small Business Saturday, Manic Monday and more December 1, 2015 If you thought shoppinggeddon – that is, Black Friday and Cyber Monday – were over, think again. December is, understandably, the biggest time of the year for retailers as shoppers hit the high-street (and websites), but what's next after the deals day (or weekend ,or even fortnight for some shops) comes to a close? Here's our round [...]
Forget the Shard – Saudi Arabia’s kilometre-tall Kingdom Tower is closer to becoming the world’s tallest tower as it launches £1.4bn fund December 1, 2015 The kilometre-tall Kingdom Tower in Jeddah has come a step closer to completion, after the company behind it announced the launch of a 8.4 billion Saudi riyal (£1.4bn) fund to complete the project. Once the building is complete – which could be as early as 2017 – it will be the first building to stretch to one kilometre [...]
Parents will spend hundreds on gadgets for kids this Christmas December 1, 2015 It's not just adults eyeing up the latest gadget for their Christmas stocking. Parents will splash out £225 on buying tablets, games consoles and smartphones for their kids at this time of year, on average, with Apple and Samsung topping Santa's list. More than a quarter are budgeting even more to shower the latest technology on their kids, a whopping [...]
Office Christmas parties: UK businesses to splash out £1bn on 2015’s Christmas bash December 1, 2015 December is upon us, and even the biggest grinches among us are beginning to feel the Christmas spirit. Offices are getting in on the holiday fun, with the Christmas party season just around the corner. UK businesses are set to spend nearly £1bn on staff parties this year, fresh research from Eventbrite has found. The [...]