Why is vintage audio equipment booming?
Alex Tadross Alex Tadross sells cassette tapes and players Mars Tapes in Manchester is the last shop in the UK that just sells music on cassette tapes in the UK, according to co-owner Alex Tadross. Business is booming: “When the Oasis tour was announced we sold out of pretty much anything Oasis. Everything flew out,” […]
Vietnamese tycoon in race to raise $9bn to avoid execution
Getty Images Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan is in a race for her life. On Tuesday, the 68-year-old will hear the verdict in her appeal against the death sentence handed down on her in April for masterminding the world’s biggest bank fraud. It was a rare and shocking verdict – she is one of […]
The toys and games that saved lockdown
Getty Images Swingball has been one of the biggest sellers Stuck at home, irritable, and a little bit bored during lockdown – and that’s just the parents. Many have felt the need to buy big Lego sets and 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles to keep themselves entertained. Their children, on the other hand, have had a whale […]
UAE names oil chief to lead COP28 talks
Getty Images Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company The head of one of the world’s biggest oil companies has been named to lead the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai, later this year. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is currently the chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National […]
Turkey farms want end to Christmas staff shortage
BBC Kate and David Postance say there’s a shortage of staff, not turkeys Turkey farms and poultry processors say a long-term fix is needed to workforce shortages which could have threatened people’s Christmas dinners. Many rely on non-UK staff but availability has been hit by Brexit and the pandemic. Getting college students involved could be […]
Fishing firms hold London protest over disruption
Lorry drivers have been holding up the traffic in Westminster. Boris Johnson has pledged £23m to help businesses affected by Brexit delays amid protests by fishing firms. Demonstrations took place outside government departments in central London by exporters who are warning their livelihoods are under threat. Exports of fresh fish and seafood have been severely […]
Public vote to decide Oxford word of the year for first time
BBC The Oxford word of the year is to be decided by the public for the first time. The options for 2022 are metaverse, #IStandWith and the phrase goblin mode. They were chosen by a team of lexicographers from Oxford University Press – the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary – who felt they were […]
40 lorries a day to receive Irish Sea border checks
PA Media Staff in the Department for Agriculture will be responsible for carrying out lorry checks About 40 lorries a day will be subject to new Irish Sea border checks when they enter Northern Ireland from Great Britain, NI’s chief vet has said. Robert Huey’s staff in the Department for Agriculture will be responsible for […]
India workers face painful exit from the US
Photo courtesy Surbhi Gupta “It felt like a break-up,” says former Meta engineer Surbhi Gupta Layoffs across the tech industry, including at firms like Twitter, Meta and Amazon, have affected a significant number of Indians working in the US who are on visas like the H-1B. California-based journalist Savita Patel speaks to workers who are […]
‘We went from 30 customers to one in 18 hours’
Louise Parkinson Louise Parkinson has been living off her savings for months Liam and Louise Parkinson’s cleaning business was just a few weeks old when the coronavirus outbreak forced them to stop working. The husband-and-wife team based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, launched their company Abode and Beyond in January and soon began hiring extra staff to […]