Reach for the Isle of Skye for a bracing winter weekend away December 21, 2014 The island off the west coast of Scotland has a rugged charm during the colder months – and the food is first class. My heart is yearning to thee, O Skye! Dearest of Islands! There first the sunshine gladdened my eye, On the sea sparkling”. So wrote Scottish poet Alexander Nicolson about the largest [...]
Records tumble as Wasps enjoy home comforts December 21, 2014 WASPS fly-half Andy Goode hailed the perfect start to life in Coventry as records tumbled during his side’s bonus-point 48-16 victory over London Irish at yesterday’s Ricoh Arena curtain-raiser. Goode set a new Premiership record by scoring 33 points – the 34-year-old successfully kicked eight penalties and two conversions to add to a second-half touchdown [...]
Premier League auction turns heat up on Sky December 17, 2014 Sky’s reliance on Premier League football rights was highlighted again yesterday after a leading broker reiterated its “sell” rating on the company by reminding investors about the significance of the sporting contract to the company’s future. Broker Liberum Capital published fresh research identifying the auction for the Premier League’s viewing rights – which began last [...]
The best player in Premier League history? The stats suggest Arsenal icon Thierry Henry December 16, 2014 Did the Premier League’s greatest ever player retire from football today? Thierry Henry announced this morning that he would be hanging up his boots for a place in the Sky Sports studio, whose pundits he left lost for words on so many occasions during his Arsenal days. There was a jaw-dropping turn [...]
BT to buy EE in £12.5bn deal December 15, 2014 BT is set to buy mobile phone group EE for £12.5bn, last night announcing it is in exclusive talks with the UK’s biggest mobile phone network. The deal shocked investors, who mostly expected it to choose the cheaper O2 network, which would cost it roughly £10bn and bring almost as many customers. O2 is [...]
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 [...]