London-based AI and emerging technology festival bags HSBC as lead sponsor January 25, 2019 An upcoming London-based festival of artificial intelligence, blockchain and emerging technologies has named global banking giant HSBC as its lead sponsor. CogX 2019, which takes place at the start of London Tech Week from 10-12 June, will also move to King’s Cross this year, and will feature 500 speakers, 300 startups and more than 15,000 [...]
The US government shutdown drags on, but London never closes for business January 24, 2019 As the longest government shutdown in US history rumbles on – sparked by Donald Trump’s insistence to build a border wall that Democrats in Congress have refused to grant funding for – Wall Street and Silicon Valley have been left in serious IPO limbo. Staff at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have not worked [...]
Commuter chaos: Black cabs hold up Tottenham Court Road during rush hour for a third day January 23, 2019 Black cab drivers have launched a third day of protests during London's evening rush hour, gathering on Tottenham Court Road and halting traffic. The week-long demonstration, organised by the Independent Taxi Alliance (ITA), is in protest over plans to restrict access to the route as part of a £35m transformation project. The blockade is scheduled to [...]
Santander closures: 14 London branches to be shut down January 23, 2019 Santander has announced that 14 London stores will be shuttered as part of the bank's plan to close a total of 140 branches across the UK. Three branches will be closed in the Square Mile, with the Gracechurch Street, Leather Lane and Ludgate Circus banks facing closure this year. Read more: Santander cuts 140 branches – putting 1,270 [...]
DEBATE: Should we welcome proposals for the so-called Tulip Tower in the City? January 23, 2019 Should we welcome proposals for the so-called Tulip Tower in the City? David Buik, market commentator at Core Spreads, says YES. Sir Norman Foster’s first commercial building in the UK was the Sainsbury Centre of Visual Arts in Norwich, completed in 1974. Now that same architect has designed the Tulip Tower, to be erected and built (subject [...]
London startup supporter Tech Hub grabs new Shoreditch venue in City expansion January 23, 2019 Europe’s longest-running tech workspace and startup support organisation Tech Hub has made a fresh commitment to London, revealing a £2.2m investment in a brand new home in Shoreditch. Launched in 2010 with Google as a founding sponsor, Tech Hub will move its 400 resident companies from its current spaces in London’s Silicon Roundabout and in [...]
Snow hits London as commuters battle through the elements and temperatures plummet January 22, 2019 Commuters were forced to battle through snow on their way home this evening as temperatures plunged across London. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for ice overnight into tomorrow morning as snow hit the capital. Temperatures dropped as low as 0.7C but could be set to hit -2C tomorrow. Commuters fought through the [...]
Crime in the Square Mile hits a three-year high January 22, 2019 Reported crimes in the Square Mile hit the highest level in three years during November, as the City of London police grapples with budget cuts against a worsening national backdrop. There were 799 crimes reported to the City of London police during November according to official statistics, well above the monthly average of 620 since [...]
Blue Monday is behind us, and managers must learn there’s more to employee wellbeing than office pets January 22, 2019 Well done, everyone. The UK has survived yet another Blue Monday – allegedly the most depressing day of the year, according to a holiday company that came up with the idea in 2005. To mark the occasion, journalists across the UK were bombarded with pitches about Blue Monday and how to stay happy, upbeat, and [...]
Freelancers are being exploited by businesses that fail to pay their invoices – this damaging culture must change January 22, 2019 There's no such thing as a free lunch – a popular phrase favoured among politicians and business leaders that is used to describe how everything has a cost. Economies are systems of exchange. Whether payment is obvious or more concealed, we know that what we receive requires recompense. Yet when freelancers are involved, we think [...]