Destiny gamers have spent collective 100,000 years playing most-expensive game of all time December 23, 2014 Humanity has been walking and populating this earth for around 200,000 years. It has also spent roughly half that time playing Destiny, the video game released last September. According to the game’s developer Bungie, gamers have collectively spent over 872m hours ridding malignant aliens from the solar system in Destiny’s dense universe. That’s equal [...]
The four most shocking things that happened in 2014 December 23, 2014 1. THE RUSSIA SAGA (Source: Getty) Russia flexed its muscles at the beginning of the year, taking the opportunity during the uprising in Ukraine to plant pro-Putin flags in the Crimea region, triggering a string of catastrophic events to unfold. And it’s likely we’re far from seeing the final act of this epic Russian novel play [...]
Thorntons’ share price collapses 25 per cent following profit warning December 23, 2014 Chocolate maker Thorntons has ended the year on a disappointing note, warning falling sales will hit the company's earnings for the full year. The company's share price slumped a whopping 25 per cent when the market opened. Thorntons announced its UK Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) division had faced "challenges" that hit sales performance in [...]
Come all ye faithful… to watch the big screen at paternoster square December 22, 2014 Choristers were in full voice at St Paul’s cathedral yesterday, ahead of today’s Christmas carol service. The service is free to attend, and will also be relayed live on to a screen in Paternoster Square.
Happy Christmas to all our readers – Editor’s Letter December 22, 2014 So we come to the end of another year, and 2014 has been eventful enough, dominated politically in the UK by the debate over the future of Scotland and elsewhere by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Oil prices have crashed, causing major implications for producers and consumers alike and in some countries interest rates have [...]
Retailers miss out on festive shopping boom December 22, 2014 MANY British retailers have failed to cash in on the Christmas shopping boom, according to research released today, causing the number of struggling businesses in the sector to increase considerably. According to research by specialist professional services group Begbies Traynor – covering 1 October to 17 December – UK retailers are considerably worse off this Christmas [...]
Why Santa should get annuity December 22, 2014 Meanwhile, in other Santa Claus news, thanks to the good folks over at Hargreaves Lansdown, the burning question of whether Santa should get an annuity has been answered. The Bristol-based boffins have delved into the fat man’s vital statistics and come up trumps. But it wasn’t without its challenges. “Mythology tells us Father Christmas [...]
FTSE closes up for a fifth day in spite of volatility in oil firms – London Report December 22, 2014 THE FTSE 100 yesterday held on to gains as its pre-Christmas rally continued for a fifth consecutive trading session. However, oil-related stocks went from being among the best performers in morning trade to among the worst by the close as the oil price again failed to hold on to an early rise. In low trading [...]
Christmas quiz: Test your knowledge December 22, 2014 Deloitte’s chief economist, poses some of the trickiest questions of the year. How many can you get right? Answers are at the bottom. 1 The Louvre is the world’s most popular art gallery, with 9.3m visits in 2013. How many visits did people make to Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida in the same year? a) [...]
Are Christmas presents a waste of money? Don’t listen to the Scrooge economists December 22, 2014 In recent weeks, millions of us have struggled to buy Christmas gifts for friends and family. In many cases, it’s incredibly difficult to work out what someone you rarely see might want or need. Scarred by memories of that awful Christmas jumper, the ghastly socks, or those rubbish “games” sold in male clothing stores, [...]