The march of time: How war led to some of horology’s finest innovations, from diving watches to the chronograph November 2, 2017 Halfway through Pulp Fiction, with typically unnerving intensity – not to mention outrageous casual racism – Christopher Walken’s Captain Koons coaxes a young Butch Coolidge from his TV cartoons and presents him with ‘The Gold Watch’. This time-piece, he explains, was so important to his father that, while detained in a Vietnamese prisoner of war [...]
It’s official: The 25 millionth truck just went through the Eurotunnel March 17, 2017 It won't be long before one truck for every two Britons will have passed under the English Channel, figures from the Eurotunnel indicated today. Eurotunnel said at 3am today the 25 millionth lorry used the Le Shuttle Freight service since it commenced in July 1994. Read more: Eurotunnel smashes traffic record as it posts revenue growth The [...]
FTSE 100 history: how the index has changed over 33 years July 3, 2017 The FTSE 100 index has just seen one of its quarterly changes with security firm G4S and real estate investment trust Segro promoted to the top 100. Although perhaps small in themselves, these regular events have changed the face of the UK’s leading index since it was formed in 1984. For the many investors whose [...]
Now you can use Apple Pay in Ireland – just swipe your iPhone March 7, 2017 iPhone owners in Ireland rejoice – you can now get on board with Apple Pay and just swipe your phone (or Apple Watch) to make a purchase. The tech giant has launched the payment service in its sixth market in Europe, supporting Irish banking customers with Ulster Bank and KBC as well as Boon, an app [...]
There will no tension, only productivity, between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes in 2017, says team boss Toto Wolff February 8, 2017 Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and new team-mate Valtteri Bottas have the necessary chemistry to form a highly successful pairing during 2017. Former Williams driver Bottas is set for his maiden campaign with Mercedes having replaced Nico Rosberg, who retired in December a matter of days after sealing his first [...]
Betting: Tottenham to keep title push alive against Everton March 2, 2017 As the Premier League campaign heads towards its home straight, both Tottenham and Everton have plenty to play for, as they meet at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs are Chelsea’s closest title challengers, sitting 10 points behind the Blues, but will want to keep pace should the Blues slip up. Last weekend’s thumping [...]
Investment Association to shake up UK Equity Income sector after too many funds given the boot yield requirements April 18, 2016 The Investment Association (IA) is to reconsider one of the more problematic requirements of its UK Equity Income sector after too many funds were found to be failing to meet the mark. The IA is running a consultation into its yield rules, which currently require funds to achieve an average yield of no less than 10 per cent above the FTSE [...]
Laws against sexist dress codes and discrimination aren’t being properly enforced, warn MPs January 25, 2017 The government needs to crack down on sexist dress codes – which are still widespread in UK workplaces – a group of MPs has warned. Two Commons' committees have called for a review of current equality legislation after gathering evidence of sexist instructions issued to a raft of female employees, but not to their male [...]
Why Monte dei Paschi shares might get kicked from the blue-chip index tomorrow February 8, 2017 Monte dei Paschi di Siena's management board need to decide tomorrow whether it is going to reinstate its shares in the near future, or risk being kicked from Milan's blue-chip index. Shares in the troubled Italian lender have been suspended for trading since last December, when a private sector rescue plan, designed to pump €5bn (£4.3bn) into the [...]
The London underground: How the underground music zines of the 1960s helped to define the counterculture | City A.M. October 4, 2017 Although I grew up in London with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Joan Bakewell, the day I discovered the underground press, to use the vernacular of the day, “blew my mind”. Since 1975, I’ve collected printed materials associated with the British underground press, an anarchic phenomenon that provides a fascinating alternative history of the [...]