How you doing? The labour market may be stumbling, but not for everybody April 20, 2016 Economic data out this morning showed that the unemployment rate across the country was 5.1 per cent, wages grew by 1.8 per cent over the year and the number of people in work reached a new record high. But those are generalisations – the picture differs markedly across sections of the economy. So who has [...]
Over-35s are the new binge drinkers and have discovered “prinking” according to Sheffield University research April 20, 2016 Over-35s are the new binge drinkers and are rampant pre-drinkers ("prinkers") before big nights out, new research shows. The study, published in the journal Addiction, found 30-somethings regularly reach the recommended weekly alcohol limit of 14 units on a single night out and are "loading" drinks before and after visits to pubs, restaurants and clubs [...]
Conor McGregor retirement: Dana White confirms UFC 200 will not feature Irish fighter April 20, 2016 Has Conor McGregor fought his last fight? It certainly looks that way after the UFC followed up a tweet from the Irish fighter signalling his retirement by withdrawing him from its main event this summer. McGregor was lined up for a rematch against American Nate Diaz, who defeated him at UFC 196 last month, at [...]
Barclays wants young people to learn real life skills, so it’s putting them in a virtual reality box in lieu of work experience April 20, 2016 You simply can't underestimate the importance of work experience. Most employers will tell you that a short internship in a real life office does far more than a university course in preparing you for the working world. Keen to show young people what a real workspace is like, Barclays has launched a virtual reality "LifeSkills Pod" for students at Lister [...]
Meet your Leap 100 advisory board for 2016 April 20, 2016 Twenty-two entrepreneurs from last year’s Leap 100 have become advisers to this year’s programme. There is little chance of these founders slowing down to retire in the Cotswolds any time soon, but we managed to pin them down long enough for them to nominate their peers and upcoming entrepreneurs that they think should make up this year’s Leap 100 [...]
The Woodford review: Fine dining hits TOWIE country April 19, 2016 Food | ★★★★☆ Value | ★★★☆☆ Atmosphere | ★★★★★ 159 High Rd, London E18 2PA Tel: 020 8504 5952 I’m going to open a restaurant. It’s going to be just outside the North Circular – not technically in Essex, but close enough that people from central London will sneer – in a former nightclub that was shut down [...]
Enlarged Amryt Pharma joins Aim after reverse takeover of Fastnet April 19, 2016 Amryt Pharma, a specialty drugs company focusing on orphan diseases, is listing on the London Stock Exchange this morning after a reverse takeover of Fastnet Equity. The group raised £10m through fundraising for the acquisition, and will appear under the ticker symbol AIM:AMYT. It is simultaneously listing on the Irish Stock Exchange as AYP. On [...]
Don’t fear falling tech firm valuations: This isn’t a repeat of the dot-com bust April 19, 2016 Is tech overvalued? Are we heading for another painful bust? If you only read the headlines and looked at the numbers, you might believe that. After reaching record levels, some tech startup valuations are falling. And with global economic conditions looking gloomy again, those valuations might drop further. Together with my partner Steve Schlenker, I [...]
Challenger banks: More than just a fancy app? April 19, 2016 It was hard to go a week last year without hearing another story about a startup threatening the existence of the banks. Challenger banks in particular popped up left, right and centre, looking to take a swipe at the established players. Many of them are mobile-only banks, allowing customers to carry out traditional banking tasks via [...]
Danny Willett Effect in evidence as Andrew Johnston leads English charge in wake of Masters with Spanish Open victory April 18, 2016 Nothing breeds success quite like success, and it is no coincidence that two Englishmen challenged for the week’s main titles on both sides of the Atlantic just days after Danny Willett’s Masters victory. Seeing a contemporary like Willett, 28, winning at Augusta last week, the likes of Andrew Johnston, just one year his junior, will [...]