ITV clashes with its satellite and cable rivals over fee demands December 15, 2014 ITV and its cable and satellite rivals clashed yesterday over the commercial public broadcaster’s demand that it should get fees from pay-TV platforms for airing its free channels. The Commercial Broadcasters Association (Coba), representing Sky, Discovery, Disney and other big pay-TV firms, claimed ITV receives a net benefit of at least £87m a year, because [...]
The FTSE 100 slumps to a new yearly low amid crumbling oil prices December 15, 2014 Britain's FTSE 100 closed down again today taking the index to its lowest level this year, as crumbling oil prices and fresh concerns about Russia's economy scared investors. The FTSE 100 shed another 1.9 per cent to close down 117.9 points at 6,182.7 which was its lowest closing level since mid-2013. It fell 6.6 per [...]
In pictures: Geminid meteor shower sends shooting stars over London, Macedonia and the US December 15, 2014 This weekend the night sky was lit up by a meteor show of up to 100 shooting stars an hour. The Geminid meteor shower was seen in both hemispheres, with both professional and amateur astronomers braving freezing temperatures to capture the phenomenon. The best time to see the meteors in London was around midnight, but [...]
Amazon glitch sparks sales bonanza for 1p items December 14, 2014 Customers cheered after a software glitch meant thousands of items from online retailer Amazon's website were on offer for as little as 1p. The glitch, which happened between 7pm and 8pm on Friday, led to hundreds of toys, clothes and home furnishings being sold off at bargain prices. But small businesses have scolded the glitch which [...]
The six most important scientific breakthroughs of 2014 December 14, 2014 From medicine to space exploration and the history of life on Earth, almost every aspect of science has been touched by an important discovery this year. New ways have been developed for treating some of the world's deadliest diseases, while physicists have delved even deeper into the subatomic world to enhance our understanding of [...]
Theatre review: Treasure Island December 12, 2014 Olivier Theatre | ★★★☆☆ The National Theatre employed the services of a “comedy consultant” for its lavish new Treasure Island adaptation. Whatever he did, it didn’t work – the jokes let down an otherwise impressive production that kids will enjoy (if not love) and adults will tolerate. Too often laughs are grasped at clumsily, upsetting the [...]
Which London street is the most expensive to live on? Belgravia beats Kensington and Chelsea December 12, 2014 Grosvenor Crescent, near Buckingham Palace, has been named London's most expensive street to live on, according to new research by Lloyds Bank. Home buyers who want to live in one of the prestigious crescent's white Georgian townhouses will, on average, have to shell out a whopping £16.9m. It's located in high-end Belgravia, one of the wealthiest [...]
UK housing crash, Draghi quitting the ECB or “A-choco-lypse”? Here are Saxo Bank’s bonkers predictions for 2015 December 10, 2014 Could there be a UK housing market meltdown? Could Nigel Farage become deputy prime minister? Or worst of all, will there be an "a-choco-lypse"? These could be some of the most outrageous predictions you'll hear this year – or the best warning you ever had. Saxo Bank has just released its 10 scenarios for 2015 [...]
Prior sets up cycling team December 9, 2014 ENGLAND wicketkeeper Matt Prior has co-founded a new professional cycling team with the expressed aim of competing at UCI Continental level. Prior, who took a break from international duty in the summer to recover from achilles surgery, is the chief executive of One Pro Cycling, which aims to operate a level above UK domestic teams [...]
Sky sells majority stake in Sky Bet for £600m to focus on European TV December 4, 2014 BROADCASTER Sky yesterday sold a controlling stake in its online betting and gaming business Sky Bet to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in a £720m deal. The deal, which comes just weeks after Sky completed the £7bn takeover of its European sister companies Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland, will see Sky receive an initial [...]