Wednesday is the day when we’re glummest on Twitter – and work week happiness peaks on a Friday September 23, 2015 Feeling blue today? Wednesday is when we’re feeling most negative, according to analysis of emotions expressed on social media. But don't worry, we'll soon perk right back up again. Work week happiness peaks on a Friday, you’ll be unsurprised to hear – but it can’t come close to the joy we feel when the weekend [...]
Eurozone economy expanding – but “worrying failure of growth” remains September 23, 2015 The Eurozone economy expanded in September, continuing a year of robust growth, according to survey figures released this morning. Markit’s flash purchasing managers’ index (PMI) scored 53.9 for this month, down slightly from August but still above the 50 score that implies no growth and in line with economic growth. France’s economy improved in September, with the [...]
Travel chaos as Southeastern services between London Cannon Street and London Bridge cancelled, delayed and revised September 23, 2015 Commuters, brace yourselves: Southeastern services between Cannon Street and London Bridge are being cancelled, delayed or revised until at least 7pm because of a signalling problem somewhere on the line. The issue surfaced at around 4pm this afternoon, with Southeastern saying it was working with Network Rail to rectify the problem as quickly as possible. [...]
Rise of sex robots: Prepare yourself for the inevitable September 23, 2015 Who’s the sexiest robot you know? Obviously the answer is C-3PO. But think harder. Is there a robot in the world that you could fall in love with? Could you bring a replicant home to meet your parents? What about the robot that runs around screaming “danger Will Robinson”, could he support your family? The [...]
Review: Destiny The Taken King September 23, 2015 Destiny: The Taken King Rating: ★★★★☆ Destiny, the space-based multiplayer shooter that’s acted as a digital narcotic to 20m feverish players, has been easier to cut down on in recent weeks. Most committed Guardians – as players are known – finished the last expansion pack, House of Wolves, months ago, leaving them with the same handful [...]
Game review: FIFA 16 September 23, 2015 EA’s annual FIFA games tend to come in two flavours: the important milestones that introduce a wealth of new gameplay mechanics, and the routine ones that simply tweak a few things here and there and mainly exist to keep the yearly tradition going. FIFA 16 falls squarely in the latter category. On the pitch, not [...]
Blow for George Osborne’s deficit plans as public borrowing climbs in August September 23, 2015 Government borrowing jumped in August, ending a positive run of results for chancellor George Osborne this year. Public sector borrowing excluding state-owned banks was £12.1bn in August, up £1.4bn on the same month last year, according to figures released this morning by the Office for National Statistics. This was the biggest August deficit since 2012. Despite the rise, [...]
EU referendum: Cameron will have “lost his marbles” if he forces pro-EU line on cabinet, says senior Conservative MP Crispin Blunt September 23, 2015 A senior Conservative MP has warned that David Cameron would have "lost his marbles" if he does not let ministers campaign with their conscience. Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairman Crispin Blunt said Prime Minister must not restrict ministers from campaigning for Brexit, despite Cameron's personal belief that the UK should stay in the European Union. Speaking [...]
Hedge fund Marshall Wace lends support to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s economic policy People’s QE September 23, 2015 One of Britain's wealthiest hedge fund managers has leant weight to what's arguably the cornerstone of new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's economic policies – so-called People's QE. People's QE would involve the Bank of England (BoE) investing "in large-scale housing, energy, transport and digital projects". But critics, including Bank of England governor Mark Carney, have [...]
The UK is superbly placed for the scaleup challenge September 23, 2015 UK entrepreneurs have never had it so good. We have a favourable tax regime, stable political system and a culture of innovation. And we’ve come a long way in 30 years, with a litany of success stories inspiring this enterprising generation of young entrepreneurs. There will always be risks on the horizon – as the [...]