English Wine Producers says homegrown industry is set for an “exceptional” harvest this year October 13, 2016 The UK's wine makers are gearing up for an "exceptional", high-quality vintage this year, according to an industry body. Harvests at some homegrown vineyards began in mid-September, though the main bulk of the grapes will be harvested now and over the next fortnight. English Wine Producers, the marketing body representing the English and Welsh wine [...]
Former Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Guterres elected by UN general assembly as new secretary-general October 13, 2016 Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres has been elected as the new United Nations secretary-general by the UN General Assembly. The decision was widely expected, after none of the five UN Security Council veto powers — China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US — voted against him in a secret ballot last week. Guterres, a former [...]
The government is seeking closer ties with business to battle cyber threat October 13, 2016 UK authorities are ramping up efforts to help British business fight the ever-growing threat of cybercrime. The government will seek greater engagement with chief executives and board level executives on cyber security to push it higher up the corporate agenda. The newly opened National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in London, part of multi-billion pound government plans to invest [...]
Picks of the day: The three stories to read today October 13, 2016 It feels like the day is dragging, and you're probably running out of things to talk about with your colleagues, but there’s no need to fret. We’ve put together the most interesting stories people are talking about today in bite-sized form, just to make your life that bit easier. ‘Delay Repay 15’ Here’s some good [...]
Will the pound’s weakness continue to drive the FTSE 100? October 13, 2016 The relationship between the weak pound and a strong stock market is showing signs of fraying, analysts pointed out today, as the FTSE 100 dives even as the pound remains under pressure. Sterling has been through the ringer this week, swinging up and down on the slightest whisper of Brexit news, although today's trading has been slightly calmer, with [...]
Brexit uncertainty and looming US election stifling cross-border M&A October 13, 2016 Global cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity continued to be stifled by uncertainty around events such as Brexit and the US presidential election in the last quarter, a new report has found. Law firm Baker & McKenzie tracked 1,275 cross-border deals worth $373bn (£305bn), down 22 per cent in volume of deals and five per cent [...]
Luton Airport hits the 14 million passenger mark October 13, 2016 Luton Airport has reached another milestone – 14 million passengers have flown through the airport in the past 12 months. September marked its 30th consecutive month of passenger growth. There was a 15.6 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. In total a record 1.4m passengers chose to fly from London Luton Airport (LLA) [...]
Amazon wants to bag 120,000 temporary workers for Christmas October 13, 2016 E-commerce giant Amazon is looking for more than 120,000 workers in the United States to tide it over during the busy Christmas period. Thousands of the temporary workers will be kept on beyond the holiday season, Amazon said. The announcement from Amazon comes shortly after it said it would be opening a new warehouse in [...]
The “forgotten middle” is essential for creating Britain’s truly digital workforce October 13, 2016 The pace of innovation in technology is as exciting as it can be daunting. While the "digital native" generation seems to have little trouble keeping up with new tech developments, a lack of investment in digital skills is fostering a society of "digital consumers" rather than "digital creators". Last week, secretary for culture, media and sport Karen Bradley [...]
British Property Federation calls on chancellor Philip Hammond to bolster the build to rent sector October 13, 2016 The property industry is calling on chancellor Philip Hammond to focus on the build to rent sector and cut new stamp duty taxes. According to the British Property Federation (BPF), the number of properties in the build to rent sector has jumped 200 per cent over the past year, delivering 67,000 homes. Read more: This [...]