Six Nations matches a lifeline for Cardiff, say pubs
BBC Rugby fans gathered in Cardiff ahead of the Wales v Scotland game Six Nations games in Cardiff will be a “commercial lifeline” for the city’s Covid-hit pubs, bars and restaurants. Wales welcomed Scotland on Saturday, the first of three home games, each thought to attract about £20m. The game was Wales’ first at the […]
Up against it, and ain’t that the truth
PA When up against it, politicians customarily essay a range of responses. They may resort to rhetoric, soaring or otherwise. They may rely upon sardonic irony. If really pushed, they may fall back upon frankness. Yes, they may tell the truth. In his Budget today, Philip Hammond relied upon all three. Strategy One, oratory. At […]
Covid curb fears and emergency funding row
Possible restrictions before Christmas cast gloom on some of Monday’s front pages. The i reports “Christmas restrictions hanging in the balance” and says the UK health secretary refuses to rule out tougher measures to halt the transmission of Covid-19. In Scotland, it reports Nicola Sturgeon’s doubts over “extra cash” announced by the Chancellor. The Scottish […]
Police Scotland to train 500 new Taser officers
PA A police officer demonstrates a Taser Police Scotland will increase its Taser capability by 500 officers after a sharp rise in the number of assaults. So far this year, 969 officers have been assaulted – an increase of nearly 27% on the 764 recorded in 2016. The plans, which will be put to the […]
M&S warns of ‘gathering storm’ as shoppers squeezed
Getty Images Marks and Spencer has warned of a “gathering storm” of higher costs for retailers and pressure on household budgets as it reported a fall in profits for the first half of the year. The High Street giant said trading would become “more challenging” after it revealed its profits dropped by 24%. It said […]
Aberdeen film fans ‘heartbroken’ at Belmont Filmhouse closure
BBC Aygul Salehova is a film student who just arrived from Azerbaijan The closure of Aberdeen’s Belmont Filmhouse – a venue seen as important for those with sensory impairments as well as film students – has been described as “devastating”. The parent charity that runs it, as well as the Edinburgh International Film Festival and […]
Flour mills working ’round the clock’ to meet demand
Getty Images Flour has been in short supply in supermarkets With the nation confined to their homes amid the coronavirus lockdown, a rise in home baking appears to be contributing to shortages of flour on supermarket shelves. Grocery sales of flour were up 92% in the four weeks to 22 March compared to the same […]
Tesla set to raise $1.8bn in bond offering
Reuters Tesla expects to raise nearly $1.8bn (£1.4bn) by selling “junk” bonds to private investors – even more than the electric car-maker aimed for when it announced the offering this month. The firm said the money will keep its balance sheet steady as it ramps up manufacturing of its newest car. Tesla aims to make […]
Online Safety Bill to return as soon as possible
Getty Images The Online Safety Bill aims to protect children from harmful content The Online Safety Bill will return to Parliament “quickly”, Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has said. “We want it in law as soon as possible to protect children when they’re accessing content online,” she said. The bill requires technology companies to protect their […]
The maths problem that could bring the world to a halt
Getty Images You might not realise it, but many of the services we now take for granted rely upon solving dynamic resource allocation (Credit: Getty Images) Our hectic, on-demand lifestyles rely upon allocating finite sets of resources to constantly changing numbers of people. As this task grows ever harder, it will require solutions to a […]