Pi in the sky: Google Cloud sets new Pi record with 31 trillion digits March 14, 2019 A Google employee has set a new record by calculating the value of the number Pi to more than 31 trillion digits. Emma Haruka Iwao, a developer advocate at the tech firm, beat the previous record of 22 trillion, set in 2016. Read more: IBM's Watson supercomputer launches tie-up with Volkswagen's SEAT The calculation, which [...]
Formula One at a crossroads: Successful 2019 is key to keeping motor sport series on track March 13, 2019 In cars. It’s the only way to live, according to Gary Numan, post-punk’s foremost petrolhead. For decades, this attitude has ensured that motorsport, and Formula One in particular, has become a way of life for millions. But as the new season approaches, the sport faces a new wave of challenges and, to paraphrase the Tubeway [...]
Get Your Guide to achieve unicorn status thanks to $50m Temasek backing March 13, 2019 Online travel firm Get Your Guide is set to achieve coveted unicorn status thanks to a $300m (£228m) cash injection from a group of investors, Sky News reported. The Berlin-based travel company is said to be in advanced talks with Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings over a $50m investment that will be announced in [...]
Watchdog bans Sky Bet ad starring Jeff Stelling over sports knowledge claim March 13, 2019 A Sky Bet advert starring football presenter Jeff Stelling has been banned by the industry watchdog over fears it could lead to irresponsible gambling. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the advert implied those with a good knowledge of sports would have more gambling success and gave an exaggerated perception of how much control punters [...]
Four Seasons Health Care ticks on with a £40m injection from H/2 Capital Partners March 12, 2019 One of the UK’s largest care home operators has won an extra £40m funding to help it tick over as the group prepares for a sale. US hedge fund H/2 Capital Partners, a major shareholder in the group, will increase its financing for Four Seasons Health Care from £70m to £110m and extend it until 3 [...]
Interserve’s top shareholder warns administrator against selling off to lenders March 12, 2019 Interserve’s largest shareholder has warned the outsourcer’s would-be administrator against arranging a pre-pack insolvency deal that would hand total control to the firm’s lenders, in the event the firm goes bust on Friday. Coltrane Asset Management, a US hedge fund that holds a 27.7 per cent stake in the outsourcer, has written to EY, which [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Klassical Dream could be made for the Supreme but I’m loving Angels instead March 11, 2019 FINALLY the waiting is over. After what has been a peculiar jumps season weather-wise, the tapes are set to go up for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 1.30pm this afternoon. For the second year running, the Festival is going to start on soft ground following heavy rain in Gloucestershire over the past week [...]
The UK’s competition policy must be fit for a world of tech giants and hidden cartels March 11, 2019 Competition is the oxygen of the capitalist system. From Adam Smith on, there have been warnings of the threats to economic health if competition is restricted by would-be monopolists or cartels. In the UK, the system is policed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). It rarely hits the headlines except for occasional controversial cases like [...]
Leading challenger banks in advanced talks about £1.6bn merger March 9, 2019 OneSavings Bank and Charter Court Financial Services Group are in advanced talks about a merger that would create a lender worth more than £1.6bn Discussions have been ongoing for a number of months between two of Britain's biggest challenger banks and an announcement could confirm a deal within the next fortnight, according to Sky News. Read [...]
LK Bennett collapses into administration March 7, 2019 Upmarket women’s footwear retailer LK Bennett has collapsed into administration, in the latest sign of industry trouble on the high street. Some 500 jobs across 39 stores are now at risk at the high end firm, which has appointed accountancy firm EY as administrators. In a statement this afternoon, EY said: "A sale process for the [...]