Image copyright Getty Images Retail sales in the UK in December fell more than expected as consumers brought forward their Christmas shopping to November, the Office for National Statistics said. Sales volumes fell by 0.9%, more than the 0.8% forecast by economists. It comes after the surprise 1.4% rise in November when Black Friday discounting …
Image copyright Getty Images Nissan and Mitsubishi have said Carlos Ghosn received “improper payments” totalling €7.8m ($8.9m; £6.9m) from a joint venture between the carmakers. The claim follows a joint investigation by the companies into misconduct carried out by Mr Ghosn. Mr Ghosn, former chairman of both firms, has been detained since November on charges …
Image copyright Getty Images Ryanair has cut its profit forecast blaming lower-than-expected air fares. The airline’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said Ryanair could not rule out even lower fares, which are expected to fall 7% this winter. He said the low fares were already causing problems for rivals, including Flybe which was rescued last week. …
Image copyright James Tobin Image caption James Tobin performing as Nat West, his Irish Dancing drag queen persona At 3pm most days, James Tobin puts on a shirt and tie and goes to work running educational workshops. In the evening he puts on a wig and fishnets and becomes a drag queen. At the weekends, …
Corn Flakes are the world’s most popular breakfast food. But did you know they were invented by a penny-pinching American doctor who thought they’d be the cure for sex mania? Aaron Heslehurst explains how they came to be a million dollar idea. Video producer: Jeremy Howell Source by [author_name]
Image copyright Getty Images Germany is considering ways to block Huawei from its next generation mobile phone network, according to reports. Berlin is exploring stricter security requirements which may prevent Huawei products being used in its 5G network. Many countries have pushed against the involvement of the Chinese technology firm in their 5G networks over …
Image copyright Getty Images The “Blue Whale challenge” was reported to be an online “suicide game” aimed at teenagers which set 50 tasks over 50 days. The challenge was alleged to be linked to numerous deaths around the world. But little about the “game” was quite as it seemed. The first tasks were fairly innocuous: …
Image copyright DMU/Redpix.co.uk A university is switching off all its social media channels for a few days as an example to encourage its students to try their own “digital detox”. De Montfort University, in Leicester, wants to highlight how “unrestrained social media use” can be harmful to the mental health of young people. The university …
Image copyright Gina Martin Image caption Gina Martin celebrated with her lawyer Ryan Whelan A woman who launched a campaign against upskirting after being targeted at a festival 18 months ago has said “we did it!” after legislation was passed to make it a crime in England and Wales. The new legislation, approved in the …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The cities of the future will be informed by data as much as by design Simulation software that can create accurate “digital twins” of entire cities is enabling planners, designers and engineers to improve their designs and measure the effect changes will have on the lives of citizens. Cities …