Up-up but not away: Branson’s historic Virgin Orbit UK rocket launch ends in failure after anomaly forces return to earth January 10, 2023 An attempt to make British space history by launching a rocket into orbit from UK soil has ended in failure after suffering an “anomaly” during the flight. After taking off from Cornwall, the Virgin Orbit plane flew to 35,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean where it jettisoned the rocket containing nine small satellites towards space. Organisers [...]
Recession fears force UK businesses to park hiring plans January 10, 2023 Recession fears are forcing businesses to mothball hiring plans to keep costs at a minimum, a new survey out today reveals. KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) permanent hiring index stumbled to 44.5 in December from 46.4 in the previous month. The reading has now been below the 50 point mark that separates [...]
The Notebook: Victoria Scholar on defensive plays, BA’s new uniforms and Elon Musk’s fall from fortune January 10, 2023 The Notebook is a new feature for 2023, allowing the City’s biggest names to get a few thoughts off their chest. Today it’s the turn of Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment at interactive investor It has been widely reported that the UK is on the brink of recession while a third of the global economy [...]
Inflation wipes out Christmas sales as Britain stumbles toward recession January 10, 2023 Inflation is forcing Brits to rein in spending to shield their finances, prompting experts today to warn of a rise in high street bankruptcies as the country stumbles into a recession. Retail sales fell in real terms over the Christmas period, when consumers tend to splash the cash on food, new clothes and decorations, according [...]
Explainer-in-brief: What’s happening in the Meghan & Harry free zone January 9, 2023 If you started tuning out of the news in mid-December last year, you would have left as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix series dominated the headlines, strikes caused chaos before Christmas and the NHS struggled under the weight of winter pressures. Turning on the radio this morning, little had changed, with the stateside Royal [...]
City A.M.: Thursday’s the new Friday – so we’re going digital only on Friday January 9, 2023 City A.M. is back on the streets of London today after a Christmas and New Year hiatus – and, responding to the new word of work, will now be a ‘digital-only’ publication on Fridays. Since returning to print in September 2021, City A.M. is back to almost 100% of its pre-pandemic circulation levels across the capital and [...]
Business energy support scheme to be slashed today as Jeremy Hunt warns help can’t last forever January 9, 2023 A new scheme to support businesses with their energy bills will be announced later on Monday, but is expected to be significantly cut after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned existing spending is “unsustainably expensive”. The package will be announced to MPs, with the current cap on the unit cost of electricity and gas for firms set [...]
How a viral TikTok video about Prosecco helped Lidl record its busiest ever sales day January 9, 2023 Emma D’Arcy’s viral TikTok Negroni Sbagliato fad helped budget supermarket Lidl achieve its busiest day of trading in its 28-year history after sales of booze skyrocketed. The discount retailer recorded its busiest day ever on Friday 23rd December following a surge in customers switching over from more expensive rivals. The record trading came as [...]
‘Nobody died’: Embarrassment for Putin as Russia claims missile strikes on Ukrainian base killed 600 January 9, 2023 Ukrainian officials say nobody died in missile attacks Russia claims killed 600 troops. Vladimir Putin’s Russian defence ministry said missiles hit two temporary bases housing 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk in the easter Donetsk region. The strikes were retaliation for Ukraine’s attack in Makiivka, which left at least 89 Russian troops died, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. [...]
‘Divorce Day’: Why cash-strapped couples are looking at putting off their split amid money woes January 9, 2023 Over a third of married couples who had been considering a divorce are now opting to stay in their relationship because of the cost-of-living crisis, according to a survey. The first working Monday of the new year has been dubbed ‘Divorce Day’ by lawyers, but many couples are thinking twice before splitting from their partner [...]