Film Review: Hector and the Search for Happiness August 14, 2014 You’d think a psychiatrist would understand why people are unhappy. As it happens, Hector (played by ubiquitous everyman Simon Pegg) doesn’t even know why he’s unhappy. He lives a seemingly comfortable life with his beautiful and successful (but stubbornly childless, we’re reminded) girlfriend Clara in London. But he feels like a fraud imparting worldly advice [...]
Interest rate rise will be gradual and limited, says Mark Carney August 13, 2014 The Bank of England (BoE) has raised its 2014 growth forecast from 3.4 per cent to 3.5 per cent. However, those hoping for a rapid rise in rates will be disappointed thanks to weaker than expected growth in wages. The Bank now expects earnings to rise by just 1.25 per cent for 2014. [...]
BSkyB shoots for budget viewers with pay-weekly for Sky Sports August 11, 2014 BSKYB looks set to double down on its bid to capitalise on budget TV customers, a strategy that has seen rival TalkTalk soar to record user growth, as the satellite broadcaster begins offering a £10.99 seven day pass for Sky Sports on Thursday for its Now TV video streaming service. The launch comes 18 months [...]
Half of shares in food giant Bakkavor going on sale August 11, 2014 Shareholders in ready meal supplier Bakkavor have hired Barclays to sell down their stakes in the food giant, it emerged yesterday, Almost half of the shares in the firm could be sold as a result. One quarter of the firm is owned by Icelandic lender Arion Banki, which was formed from the wreckage of Kaupthing [...]
Blythe and Swift upstage Wiggins in London-Surrey Classic August 10, 2014 BRITAIN’S Adam Blythe pipped childhood friend Ben Swift to win the RideLondon-Surrey Classic yesterday, as Sir Bradley Wiggins missed out on a capital hat-trick. NFTO’s Blythe and Team Sky’s Swift battled it out over the last 300m of the 200km race, which began in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and passed through Surrey before finishing [...]
Prudential RideLondon 2014 in pictures: Cyclists battle Bertha rainstorm on London streets August 10, 2014 Brave cyclists took to the streets today despite the heavy rainfall, light flooding and thunderstorms caused by storm Bertha in stark contrast to yesterday's sunshine. The second day of the cycling festival hosted the Surrey 100, Handcycle Classic and Surrey Classic races, however organisers were forced to shorten the route through Surrey due to rainfall [...]
Supermoon Sunday: Why the moon will look bigger tonight and why you hear more about giant moons since 2011 August 10, 2014 The moon will look larger when it appears in the sky tonight, creating a so-called supermoon that should wow sky-watchers. The moon will appear at its biggest and brightest than at any other time this year because its oval-shaped orbit brings it to the point closest to earth. Also known as a perigee moon, tonight’s [...]
Spitbank Fort: Welcome to the UK’s craziest hotel August 8, 2014 Spitbank Fort is a granite maritime castle marooned in the home waters of The Solent, one mile out of Portsmouth harbour but a comfortable breast stroke swim from the Isle of Wight. It was built by Prime Minister Palmerston in 1878 to discourage Napoleon III in his ambitions of sailing the French fleet up the [...]
RBS chairman Sir Philip Hampton mulls move to head GlaxoSmithKline August 8, 2014 Sir Philip Hampton could jump ship to leading pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline after six years chairing RBS, it was reported yesterday. Neither is in any rush to replace its chairman – Glaxo’s chair Sir Christopher Gent expects to serve at the firm until the end of next year. He has served at the company for a [...]
Cowes Week Diary: Action switches from sea to sky as regatta reaches a conclusion August 8, 2014 AS THE curtain comes down on another Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week this weekend, I was lucky enough to join the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation on board a racing yacht during the regatta’s Ladies Day yesterday. The weather was glorious. So glorious, in fact, that we didn’t manage to do much racing due to [...]