Royal Dutch Shell wins legal battle in India over tax payments November 19, 2014 Royal Dutch Shell has won a billion-pound court battle over the underpricing of its shares. The Indian branch of the oil giant was accused of selling its stock for a lower-than-usual amount to its parent firm, and the country's authorities demanded it pay them tax on the interest they would have earned if the [...]
Brian Cox and Lord Rees back Kickstarter campaign to help Brits get to the moon – for just £50 November 19, 2014 Astronaut Neil Armstrong made a giant leap for mankind when he became the first person to walk on the moon in 1969. But now, a mere 45 years later, Brits could be about to head en masse to the earth's only natural satellite. In fact, as long as a scientist-backed crowd-funding mission is [...]
Royal Mail share price falls as profits drop after struggles with competition November 19, 2014 This isn't what Royal Mail shareholders wanted to hear in the run-up to its busiest month: shares fell 7.3 per cent in the early afternoon as the 500-year-old postal service said its delivery operations faced "stiff competition" in the first half of the financial year. For the six months to 28 September, pre-tax profit [...]
Is a space war about to take off? Experts say mysterious Object 2014-28E could be a satellite-killer launched by Russian military November 18, 2014 A strange vehicle floating above our atmosphere could be Russia's first piece of space weaponry launched since the end of the Cold War. Called Object 2014-28E, it has been making unusual movements towards other Russian space vehicles over the past few weeks, and last night it was spotted moving over Guatemala. It is [...]
MPs tell HRMC to speed up tax avoidance investigations after Liberty scheme failures November 18, 2014 MPs have criticised HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for being “unacceptably slow” at taking action against tax avoidance in the UK. The public accounts committee said the government department for tax collection had failed to look into the taxes of many of those involved in the "Liberty" scheme within the given time period of [...]
AstraZeneca sets out plans to reach annual revenue of over $45bn by 2023 November 18, 2014 Having beaten off Pfizer's advances, AstraZeneca is doing a good job proving it can thrive on its own. The pharmaceutical giant said today that it expects to deliver annual revenues of $45bn by 2023, with a focus on long-term growth and innovation. Through its investment in research and development, it is accelerating programs and [...]
Windowless cockpits and virtual reality: The flying doughnut isn’t Airbus’ wackiest patent November 17, 2014 Airbus has a long and varied history of weird and wacky patents (more on which later), but this takes the biscuit. Er, doughnut. The aircraft manufacturer has filed a patent application for flying doughnuts – because apparently, aircraft cabins shaped like the snack are excellent at containing the stresses of pressurised cabins. The [...]
The UK’s first “natural, chemical-free swimming pool” is being built at King’s Cross November 17, 2014 Set in the unlikely surroundings of a regeneration site behind King’s Cross station, the UK's first “natural”, chemical-free swimming pool will soon be opened up to the public. Designed by Austrian Company Biotop, the pool will be an art installation in Cubbit Park, ten minutes' walk from King's Cross Station. It has [...]
Yorkshire duck farm bird flu outbreak: How is the disease transmitted and can it affect humans? November 17, 2014 A case of bird flu has been confirmed at a duck breeding farm in East Yorkshire. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it occurred in the village of Nafferton, and that an exclusion zone had been set up around the farm to prevent further transmission. It added that 6,000 ducks [...]
Talk Talk share price rises on broadband deal with Telefónica UK November 17, 2014 Shares in TalkTalk rose 0.9 per cent to £2.92 in morning trading, after the company confirmed a new network deal with O2 owner Telefónica UK. The multi-year contract will involve Telefónica UK providing TalkTalk with access to its 2G, 3G and 4G services in the UK, as part of a plan to build a bundled [...]
