The privacy paradox: How we got trapped in a data dystopia February 18, 2020 One of the less encouraging reports to come out of the tech world this month was that Facebook, everyone’s favourite villainous corporation, knew very well about the colossal security flaw that let hackers rob personal data from millions of users long before the breach itself. Facebook employees have said that they felt “guilt” and “hurt” [...]
Working Lunch: Jason Atherton’s Grosvenor Square restaurant The Betterment February 17, 2020 The best places in London to wine and dine your important clients. What is it? The Betterment is not, as the name suggests, an austere Swiss wellness centre, nor is it a cool new cult you can join. It is in fact the latest restaurant by Jason Atherton, who appears to have run out of [...]
Far Away review: Chilling Caryl Churchill drama staged in 45 minutes is a breath of fresh air February 14, 2020 In our current theatrical landscape, where three-hour plays are the norm and two-part, seven-hour epics are the height of sophistication, there’s something thrilling, almost transgressive about the sentence “45 minutes, straight through”. Caryl Churchill’s 2000 play Far Away is a poster-child for short-form story telling, trimming every ounce of fat, wasting not a single word. [...]
Coronavirus: What are the symptoms of Covid-19 and how can I avoid catching it? February 14, 2020 Having originated in China at the beginning of the year, a new coronavirus called Covid-19 has now spread to 24 countries, stoking fears of a pandemic. There have been nine confirmed cases in the UK, five of which were linked to the same person. The UK has raised the risk posed by the illness from [...]
Cabinet reshuffle live: Chancellor resigns over turf war with No 10, as PM shakes up top team February 13, 2020 This is a live blog, please hit refresh to update 6pm – Live blog wrap Well, that’s your lot for today – at least, in terms of this live blog. My colleagues will be picking up on the rest of the appointments this evening and tomorrow. It was quite a day – certainly more of [...]
Barclays boss Jes Staley ‘deeply regrets’ Jeffrey Epstein links February 13, 2020 Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has said he “deeply regrets” his connection with Jeffrey Epstein after it emerged that British regulators are investigating his links with the convicted sex offender. Staley admitted this morning that he maintained contact with with the disgraced financier, who took his own life in a New York jail last year [...]
Sajid Javid resigns as Downing Street turf war erupts February 13, 2020 Chancellor Sajid Javid has resigned as the turf war between the two Downing Street teams erupts, prompting the pound to briefly fall. Javid was thought to be personally safe as part of today’s reshuffle. However this morning he was asked to fire two of his special advisers Mats Persson and Sam Coates. The chancellor refused [...]
Boris Johnson to appoint minister to oversee HS2 as he gives rail link green light February 11, 2020 Boris Johnson has given the go-ahead for the controversial HS2 rail link between London and Birmingham, announcing he will appoint a minister to oversee the project, as he damned the current management. The Prime Minister this afternoon confirmed the government was backing HS2, which is now estimated to cost more than £100bn by completion. Read [...]
European companies could face upsurge in activist raids February 10, 2020 European companies could face an upsurge in activity from activist investors, analysis released today showed. One in 20 European companies with a market capitalisation of over $250m (£193m) have been targeted by activist investors in the past five years. This is half the rate (one in 10) for similar size companies in the US. The [...]
Just Eat bags deal to deliver McDonald’s January 28, 2020 Just Eat today became the second UK delivery firm to partner with McDonald’s after signing a multi-million-pound deal with the fast food chain. The delivery giant, which is set to enter a £6bn merger with Dutch firm Takeaway.com, said the partnership will hit the road later this year. It comes as a blow to rival Uber [...]