The European Space Agency has launched the first part of its mission to find gravitational waves in space December 3, 2015 The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched its Lisa Pathfinder Mission, with the hope it could help prove a fundamental aspect of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. At just after 4am UK time, the spacecraft took off from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana aboard a Vega rocket, and it is now heading towards the sun. The ESA [...]
It’s official: Watching lots of TV really does make you stupid December 3, 2015 Sitting in front of the TV for hours on end really does impair your mental ability, according to a new study in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. By studying the link between TV-watching and cognitive functioning in Americans, researchers from the Universities of California and San Francisco found that on average, the more TV people watched, [...]
Barclays is selling its Italian retail banks to Mediobanca’s CheBanca! business December 3, 2015 Barclays is about to offload its Italian retail banking operations, the company announced today. It will sell its network of branches, amounting to 89 in total, to CheBanca! – a unit of Italian investment firm Mediobanca. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of next year, and is part of Barclays' [...]
China ramps up investment in Africa in return for greater access to commodities December 3, 2015 China and South Africa have entered into a series of business deals amounting to $6.5bn (£4.4bn), which will result in huge infrastructure projects taking place in South Africa. Yesterday, 26 deals were signed between the nations, with one of the biggest single deals involving South Africa's national rail operator, which received $2.5bn in investment. South [...]
It’s official – men are less likely to seek medical treatment or GP appointments December 2, 2015 When it comes to looking up medical treatments or trying to book a GP appointment, women are much more proactive than men. According to a UK study by medical search engine WhatClinic.com, just one in three people who search online for ways to treat health problems are male, while just 35 per cent of searches for [...]
Scientists find genes that pave way for better health in old age December 2, 2015 For decades, the science world has been trying to unravel the genetic secrets of ageing. Now, researchers in Switzerland have taken a major step forward. They have discovered that just 30 genes, present in a wide range of species, play a key role in the ageing process, and they believe these could be manipulated in [...]
Greene King share price jumps as profits rise and Spirit integration takes place “ahead of plan” December 2, 2015 Brewery Greene King had a strong six months to mid-October, after successfully integrating its latest purchase into the business. The figures During the 24 weeks to 18 October, Greene King's pre-tax profit rose by 46.9 per cent to £121.3m, driven mostly by its acquisition of pub group Spirit Pub Company for £774m in July. It [...]
Bank of China smacked with daily contempt fines in the US December 2, 2015 The Bank of China is facing a daily fine of $50,000 (£33,191) from the US, unless it complies with a court request to hand over the details of customers who have been accused of selling fake luxury products. The fine follows a court ruling made in Manhattan yesterday, in which District Judge Richard Sullivan said the bank [...]
Where can you set up a business quickly? These are the top countries for getting start-ups off the the ground December 1, 2015 Entrepreneurs looking to set up a new business as quickly as possible will have most luck in New Zealand or Macedonia, figures from Approved Index show. By studying 2015 World Bank data to find out how long it takes to legally launch a new company in each country, they found that only in these two [...]
