Syria: UK “letting down” allies over airstrikes warns Sir Nicholas Houghton November 8, 2015 Britain's top military commander has warned that the UK is "letting down" its allies by not participating in airstrikes against Islamic State (Isil) militants in Syria. Speaking on Sky News, chief of the defence staff, general Sir Nicholas Houghton said that the UK's policy of restricting RAF air strikes to Iraq "makes no sense" given Isil has [...]
Play your own Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland November 6, 2015 Thronies, as they call themselves, have known for an age that the city of Belfast, and Northern Ireland in general, is the place to spot Game of Thrones film locations. Now even casual viewers (and readers) are following in the footsteps of the mythological characters, with popularity soaring for these epic, windswept landscapes. Based on [...]
Remembrance Sunday 2014: Where to see the Tower of London’s poppies installation commemorating the WWI centenary November 6, 2015 With five days left of the stunning display of 888,246 ceramic poppies in remembrance of those who lost their lives serving in the First World War, London Mayor Boris Johnson and political party leaders have backed calls from the public for the exhibition to be extended. READ: Part of Tower of London poppy display to stay [...]
Christmas adverts 2015: It’s not just about John Lewis – here are all the other adverts including Marks & Spencer, Burberry, Waitrose, TK Maxx, Curry’s PC World, Argos – but nothing from Tesco yet November 6, 2015 Yes, yes, we know, there's a mournful man on the moon and a girl with a telescope and the whole of the UK is crying. But Christmas is not just about the John Lewis advert. There are some other retailers with festive ads of their own to share. Here's the best Christmas adverts the UK [...]
Sky Sports to offer extended Premier League highlights on demand next season November 6, 2015 Sky will offer football fans the chance to catch up with extended highlights of Premier League games throughout the week with a new on demand package. The broadcaster has secured the rights to "near-live extended highlights" from the Premier League to 2019, having already snapped up the live and online categories. Extended highlights of all 212 [...]
Vocalink is reportedly in talks to merge with rival Sia November 5, 2015 Payments infrastructure company Vocalink is reportedly in talks for a £2bn merger with Italian counterpart Sia. According to Sky News the discussions are said to be at a preliminary stage, and could take several months before an agreement is reached. Vocalink declined to comment. VocaLink runs the Faster Payments Service and BACs which handle trillions [...]
Collins Word of the Year 2015: Binge-watch beats clean-eating, manspreading and dadbod November 5, 2015 If you decided to binge on box-sets rather than food this year, you might have inadvertently helped determine the Collins Word of the Year. Binge-watching has been named the word for 2015 after lexicographers saw a 200 per cent increase in its usage, which describes watching "a large number of television programmes (especially all the [...]
How do fireworks work? The science behind why they explode, how they make shapes and get their colours November 4, 2015 Remember remember the fifth of November… that's today, and once again people will gather across the capital to watch fireworks displays in celebration of Bonfire Night. But while we stand around and enjoy the event, the inquisitive among us might take a step back and wonder how on earth a mini, hand-sized rocket can turn [...]
Central banks and quantitative easing: Await the festive fireworks November 3, 2015 Halloween is over and winter is fast approaching. The nights are drawing in and the weather is getting colder. In the UK this week, the streets and skies will also be alight with firework displays for Bonfire Night. Next week, India will be doing something similar for its Deepavali celebrations. But this year, the real [...]
Visa Inc share price down as it agrees to buy former subsidiary Visa Europe for €21.2bn November 2, 2015 Visa Inc announced this morning it has reached a deal to buy its former subsidiary Visa Europe for as much as €21.2bn (£15bn). The consolidation of Visa Europe's 500 million card accounts, worth more than €1.5 trillion, will create a single global payments company. The upfront payment comprises of €11.5bn in cash and €5bn-worth of preferred stock (which pays fixed dividends, taking [...]