How telematics is changing the car insurance world forever January 21, 2014 I have two siblings, a younger sister and an even younger brother. My sister is a self-confessed terrible driver who once managed to write off a car in a 20mph collision outside the Post Office in our local market town. My brother, an engineer, works at Jaguar Landrover. So whose insurance quote is higher? You [...]
Warren Buffett’s $1bn prize and your chances of winning January 21, 2014 Berkshire Hathaway – Warren Buffett's multinational conglomerate – is backing a $1bn prize for the contestant who correctly predicts the winner of every game in the US' National Collegiate Athletics Association’s men’s basketball tournament. The prize, offered by Quicken Loans (the firm founded by mortgage magnate Dan Gilbert), will be paid in 40 annual instalments [...]
Internet speed for commuters to skyrocket after Ofcom decision January 21, 2014 Passengers on boats, planes and trains are set to enjoy broadband speeds 10-times faster than they currently experience following Ofcom's approval of a new satellite-based technology. The new devices called earth stations will be mounted on vehicles and provide internet to passengers by connecting to a geostationary satellite. The telecoms regulator is also making available [...]
IMF makes big boost for UK official January 21, 2014 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast for UK growth this year has been rapidly revised upwards today, from the 1.9 per cent projection in October, to 2.4 per cent. In April last year, the IMF expected growth of only 1.5 per cent for the UK. As widely expected, the Fund is easing off on criticism [...]
40pc of rail passengers are upset by this commuter nightmare January 21, 2014 The state of the toilets on Britain’s railways is the biggest bugbear for passengers, according to the latest national rail passenger survey. The biannual poll, which quizzes thousands of passengers, found that four in ten are dissatisfied with the toilet facilities and just 36 per cent were happy with the loos, down three percentage points [...]
Former Matalan boss Darren Blackhurst decides to B&Q-it January 21, 2014 After a six month silence, the former chief executive of Matalan Darren Blackhurst has popped back over the parapet, this time as commercial director of DIY chain B&Q. The moves marks an unusual step back for Blackhurst, who was a leading contender to replace former Asda chief executive Andy Bond back in 2010 (a role [...]
Could Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom spark an entrepreneur album trend? January 21, 2014 (Kim Dotcom) Kim Dotcom, the founder of the now shut down internet sensation Megaupload, is a fan of an anniversary. The entrepreneur/hacker/DJ, who at 6’7” could himself be described as “mega”, has celebrated the two year anniversary of the day the FBI raided his New Zealand home and closed his file sharing site, by [...]
“Dark forces” blamed for Lloyds’ Co-op Bank fiasco January 21, 2014 A shady conspiracy of politicians stopped Lloyds from selling its 632 branches on a commercial basis, failed bidder Lord Levene (pictured) claimed this morning. The disastrous effort to sell the branches to the Co-op Bank went ahead because of political pressure, not sound business reasoning, he told MPs. Andrew Tyrie, chairing the Treasury Select Committee, [...]
Dubai’s mini-Europe – where it rains and streets are snowy January 21, 2014 Dubai, the desert state where luxury comes as standard and temperatures can easily soar over 40 degrees centigrade, will soon have its first snow-lined streets, in an impressive project called The Heart of Europe. The ambitious – if somewhat zany – Heart of Europe will offer visitors a number of five start luxury hotels, restaurants [...]
Lira just got smashed by Turkey’s central bank January 21, 2014 As widely expected, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey has elected to hold rates. All three main rates have been left held, and that's seen the lira slide against the dollar. CBRT: lets hold rates, TRY will be fine pic.twitter.com/Lr1b38kMPg — econhedge (@econhedge) January 21, 2014 The central bank has been under [...]