Tay, Microsoft’s racist chatbot, made a tired and emotional return last night March 31, 2016 The robots are already turning against humanity – although for now, they're sticking to causing red faces. Tay, an artificial intelligence chatbot on Twitter which Microsoft was forced to shut down last week after it started, among other things, spouting racist diatribes and denying the holocaust, made an ignominious return last night. After a silence lasting almost a week, [...]
Boeing to cut thousands of jobs in the US March 30, 2016 Aircraft maker Boeing is planning to cut up to 10 per cent of its workforce as competition in the industry heats up. In a statement today, the company will cut as many as 4,000 jobs by the middle of this year, all of which will go through attrition, leaving open positions unfilled, and voluntary redundancies. Most [...]
Soz, Osborne: Buy to let stamp duty changes aren’t putting many potential landlords off March 30, 2016 The best laid plans, and all that. It seems George Osborne's attempts to put potential landlords off sinking their cash into buy-to-let properties may not be having quite the desired effect – after new research suggested not many have given up on their plans to buy rental properties. The research, by the Nottingham Building Society, [...]
Bring me sunshine: FTSE 100 starts the day on a springlike note as miners bounce back March 30, 2016 Markets were clearly taking note of the weather this morning, with the FTSE 100 jumping almost 1.3 per cent to 6,183.8 points in the first minutes of trading. The market was pushed higher miners, who swung back from yesterday's losses to lead the FTSE. Anglo American rose 7.9 per cent to 516.4p, while BHP Billiton [...]
National Savings & Investments is messing with Premium Bond prize odds again – and it’s blaming the Treasury March 29, 2016 Three short years after the Premium Bonds prize fund was cut, get ready to do some more heavy fist-shaking: National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has decided to change the odds again – and it's blaming the Treasury. Is there any end to the wrath George Osborne is to endure? In a statement today, NS&I said new requirements for net [...]
“How would you get an elephant in a fridge?”: These are the 10 toughest questions asked at job interviews – including questions from Topshop, Network Rail and EY March 29, 2016 Job interviews are galling at the best of times – but imagine being asked how to squeeze an elephant into a fridge, or how many people named Gary were born in 2013. That's what candidates at, respectively, Gemalto and BT were faced with, according to jobs marketplace Glassdoor, which has put together the 10 toughest [...]
What Storm Katie? FTSE 100 opens higher as insurers Prudential, RSA and Standard Life rise March 29, 2016 The FTSE 100 was 0.5 per cent higher in mid-morning, at 6,136.6 points, as insurers led the index higher – despite the UK taking a battering from Storm Katie over the weekend. Prudential led the risers, up 2.3 per cent at 1,305p – while RSA Insurance rose 1.9 per cent to 476p, and Standard Life was up [...]
UK entrepreneurs top 100: From Richard Branson to Edwina Dunn, these are the most influential business founders in the UK on social media March 25, 2016 Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or have spent years building a business, you could do worse than to hear the stories of those who've been through it all before. So we've put together a list of the UK's best and brightest at building businesses to get you inspired – from those who are near the [...]
Oxford Cambridge boat race 2016 route: Where to watch in London, what time it starts – and the best pubs along the River Thames March 24, 2016 Not only is it a long Bank Holiday weekend, it's that time of year when Oxford and Cambridge go head to head on the waters of the Thames – yep, it's boat race time. The 162nd race will pit the two rival universities against each other, with Oxford chasing Cambridge's 81 wins versus Oxford's 79 in the men's event. [...]
Mipim: Former England football captain Rio Ferdinand and housing minister Brandon Lewis team up to build thousands of affordable homes through new charity Legacy March 17, 2016 Property and football joined teams in Cannes today as former England captain Rio Ferdinand and housing minister Brandon Lewis launched a new scheme to build create thousands of affordable homes across the country. The ex-Manchester defender and fellow football stars Mark Noble and Bobby Zamora have clubbed together to set up Legacy, a charity designed [...]
