Christmas Day online shopping will peak at this surprisingly late time for the post-millennial “Generation Z” December 25, 2016 Most people will be aiming to put their feet up after Christmas lunch today and zone out in front of the TV – but there's one group of people who will be driving a late-night shopping boom this evening. Not content with their new stash of presents, "Generation Z", the post-millennial cohort who were born in [...]
The City could soon get a £5m “ring of steel” to protect it from vehicle-based terror December 24, 2016 A £5m "ring of steel" surrounding London's Square Mile could be installed to protect the City from terrorist attacks. Measures including manned checkpoints, rising steel bollards and crash-proof barricades has been proposed by the City of London Corporation on the advice of Mi5 and counter-terrorism police. The proposed security ring will surround Liverpool Street, the [...]
Last minute shopping on Christmas Eve? You’re one of 5m people attacking the aisles December 24, 2016 Making a last-gasp dash to the shops this Christmas Eve? Still panicked you haven't got the presents your family wanted? Don't beat yourself up, but do expect a bit of a squeeze in the shops, as there's nearly 5m others doing exactly the same, according to new research from TSX-listed loyalty marketing analytics company Aimia. They found [...]
Londoners face Christmas travel headache as Paddington closes, Moorgate experiences disruption and M1 shuts down December 24, 2016 Engineering works on railways across the country have left passengers facing disruption, with London one of the most badly affected areas. There are no trains to and from Paddington until next Thursday to make way for Crossrail work, while severe disruption is expected between Finsbury Park and Moorgate until lunchtime at the earliest due to an electricity fault. A number of [...]
Restaurants stand to gain £70m as more Brits than ever ditch Christmas turkey December 24, 2016 More Brits will ditch the kitchen and eat out this Christmas than ever before, new research suggests. Pubs, restaurants and bars across the country are set to gain upwards of £70m on Christmas day spending, research from Worldpay found. Pubs, which alone stand to make £7m on the 25th, will be 30 per cent busier than average across [...]
Theresa May uses Christmas message to call for post-Brexit unity December 24, 2016 Theresa May has used her first Christmas message as Prime Minister to call on Britain to come together as it negotiates its exit from the European Union. In a speech that drew on her Christian faith, May said the country was faced with an "historic opportunity" thanks to Brexit and asked people to think of persecuted Christians around the [...]
Bitcoin price surges past $900 mark for first time since December 2013 December 23, 2016 The Bitcoin price has been given a boost of Christmas cheer today after blasting through the $900 barrier after rising more than $100 in the last two days. The price of a single Bitcoin has risen more than 14 per cent in the last three days and only surged past $800 on Wednesday. Yesterday, its market capitalisation smashed [...]
Beat the January rail price hike: 10 ways to find cheaper train tickets December 23, 2016 Imagine the scene: It's 2 January, you're feeling a bit bloated and jaded after a week of Christmas excesses. You turn up to the rail station with a heavy heart as the reality of work sets in. The queues to renew your season ticket are horrendous and in the line of morose commuters you can [...]
Oil prices: Brent crude slips below $55 a barrel as stronger dollar and expected Libya output increase weigh on market December 23, 2016 There's been little Christmas cheer for oil today, with Brent crude has slipping below $55 a barrel after a stronger US dollar and higher estimated oil output from Libya weighed on the market. The global benchmark has slipped 0.54 per cent to $54.74 a barrel, while US sweet crude is down 0.59 per cent to $52.64. [...]
Britain’s third quarter GDP growth revised: Financial services provide better than expected growth December 23, 2016 Britain's third quarter growth has been revised up – but in an official shake-up of the figures year-on-year growth has fallen. The UK's GDP growth in the third quarter had previously been reported as 0.5 per cent but today updated statistics revised this up to 0.6 per cent. However, the official statistics for the first [...]