North West music gigs help deliver £696m tourism boost to region
PA Media Sir Elton performed at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium before his final concert in Stockholm Performances from stars including Sir Elton John, Stormzy and Dua Lipa helped boost music tourism by £696m in the North West last year, UK Music said. The resurgence of live music in 2022 brought 1.9 million music tourists to the […]
More flights cancelled by Virgin, Ryanair and others
Getty Images Travel restrictions and a slump in demand due to the coronavirus have forced airlines to cancel most flights and temporarily reduce staff. Virgin Atlantic will cut four-fifths of its flights and has asked staff to take eight weeks of unpaid leave. Ryanair and EasyJet are grounding most of their fleets, while BA owner […]
McDonald’s hit by data breach in Taiwan and South Korea
Getty Images McDonald’s is the latest big company to be hit by a data breach that has exposed customers’ details. The world’s biggest burger chain said cyber attackers had accessed a “small number” of files on customers in South Korea and Taiwan. The breach included e-mail, delivery addresses and phone numbers – but not payment […]
Denmark shaken by cull of millions of mink
Reuters There was shock last week when Denmark decided to cull all its mink – up to 17 million animals – because of the spread of coronavirus. That national cull has turned into a political outcry, now that the prime minister has admitted the plan was rushed and had no legal basis. Danish authorities worry […]
Thousands apply for fruit and veg grower jobs
PA Media Record numbers of people in the UK are looking for farming jobs, according to figures released by job search engines. Totaljobs says it has seen 50,000 searches for farming jobs in the past week alone. Steve Warnham of Totaljobs said workers “who have been temporarily displaced due to Covid-19 are now looking for […]
When Pepsi was swapped for Soviet warships
Szu Ping Chan Business reporter Getty Images To break into the Soviet Union, Pepsi swapped its soft drink for vodka and even warships Bartering is one of the oldest ways of doing business in the world. The exchange of goods and services predates the use of money and is believed to have developed in the […]
‘One in seven’ shops lies vacant
Getty Images One in seven shops in Scotland is currently empty and no longer trading, according to new industry figures. The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) found that the shop vacancy rate rose by 0.4% to a six-year high of 14.4% in the fourth quarter of 2020. Scotland now has the fifth highest proportion of retail […]
When the tourists don’t turn up
Douglas Fraser Business and economy editor, Scotland This should be the start of the main tourist season, but next-to-nothing is moving, and it’s unclear when it will pick up again The mood of those who run businesses is said to be turning to ‘despondency, anger and frustration’ as they realise government support measures aren’t going […]
A mission to the Pacific plastic patch
Dr Charlotte Brassey Science writer Mission to the plastic patch: On board with Capt Charles Moore and his team A mariner who has spent years travelling “hundreds of thousands of nautical miles” to measure the impact of plastic waste in the ocean has estimated that a “raft” of plastic debris spanning more than 965,000 square […]
Ford’s Merseyside investment to secure 500 UK jobs
Ford Europe Ford is to invest £230m in its Halewood plant on Merseyside to make electric car parts, helping safeguard 500 jobs. The investment will mean the plant will run for many years longer, said Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe. There had been speculation about the future of the Halewood factory complex as Ford […]