Atom Bank raising £75m before launch April 8, 2015 Atom Bank is raising £75m from investors as it prepares to gain its full licence and launch this year. The Durham-based challenger bank plans to be the first fully digital lender, operating predominantly via mobile apps. The licensing process runs in two stages, allowing banks to gain partial authorisation, helping it to hire more staff [...]
FTSE 100 slides despite BG rise on Shell deal – London Report April 8, 2015 OIL AND gas stocks dominated trade in a falling UK stock market yesterday, driven by a £47bn bid by Royal Dutch Shell for energy firm BG Group. Shares in BG jumped 26.6 per cent to hit their highest level since September when the stock was tracking a falling oil price. The two listings for Royal [...]
The basel curveball April 8, 2015 Smartwatches were inevitable; it’s Patek’s pilot watch that surprised EVERY year at the Baselworld trade fair, there is something – usually controversial – on everyone’s lips. The fact it was Patek Philippe this March is controversy enough, before you even consider the watch in question. For while Patek is far from predictable, this ultra-classical grande [...]
Bafta TV awards 2015: Benedict Cumberbatch wins third leading actor nomination for Sherlock April 8, 2015 Benedict Cumberbatch received his sixth Leading Actor nomination at the Bafta Television Awards today, the third for his starring role in Sherlock. Other BBC dramas Happy Valley and The Missing also featured prominently in Bafta's nominations, with both receiving nods in the best drama series and leading actress and actor categories for Sarah Lancashire and [...]
Market info company ADVFN seeks to fend off activist investor April 7, 2015 FINANCIAL market information firm ADVFN is trying to fend off an activist investor, which it said is attempting a hostile take-over. Last month, ADVFN revealed it had a requisition for a general meeting in which the investor would seek to appoint an entire new board. The requisition was made by Sweet Sky and Shellhouse, which [...]
Advfn seeks to fend off “sinister” activist investor April 7, 2015 Financial market information specialist Advfn is looking to fend off an activist investor, which it claims has used a “sinister and opaque operation” to attempt a hostile take-over. Last month Advfn revealed it had received communication regarding a requisition for a general meeting in which the investor would seek to remove all directors and appoint [...]
Lunar eclipse 2015: Watch the blood moon on Saturday as the shortest one of the century appears in the sky April 4, 2015 Fresh from the stunning spectacle of a solar eclipse, sky-watchers will be treated to another display from the natural world as the shortest lunar eclipse of the century draws near. Also known as a blood moon, Saturday's full moon will turn red as it moves into the shadow cast by the sun shining on Earth. [...]
Funding Circle’s new funding round will value the London FinTech startup at $1bn April 2, 2015 Funding Circle is on the verge of closing a new round of funding which would value the London FinTech startup at more than $1bn (£674m) and see it join just a handful of UK tech companies with billion-dollar valuations. The peer-to-peer lender could close funding of more than £50m within weeks, including backing from Blackrock and [...]
Review: Fast & Furious 7 is still one hell of a ride April 1, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★★★☆ Fast & Furious 7 – or as the Japanese call it, Wild Speed: Sky Mission – is quite possibly the dumbest movie of the year so far. But it’s also an absolute blast. All the expected elements are here in furious abundance: cars, family, bromance, explosions, criminality, loyalty and [...]
When it’s April Fools’ Day, science has no limit: Here are the most ridiculous discoveries ever made up April 1, 2015 Who said scientists don't have a sense of humour? Here are some of the most ridiculous April Fools' Day discoveries ever made up in the field of science. The Loch Ness monster really does exist – but it's now dead In 1972, a team of eight scientists from Yorkshire's Flamingo Park Zoo made a finding [...]