Image copyright Getty Images What is Mike Ashley’s game plan? The founder of Sports Direct seems intent on taking over the UK’s High Streets. This week the businessman, who has a retail empire that spans budget sportswear and luxury fashion, added Evans Cycles to the High Street names in his sprawling and intertwined retail empire. …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Internet cafes are still popular across South East Asia A Malaysian 12-year-old boy who spent almost a year developing a computer game before it was deleted by mistake has been praised for his persistence by a government minister. Muhammad Thaqif was working on his game at an internet cafe, …
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Hate-filled comments seemed to do better online, said Sir Tim Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee is “disappointed” with the current state of his invention and how it allows hate to prosper. In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters, Sir Tim said some sites’ software skewed interactions. He singled out Twitter for …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Blue-collar workers could be offered visas to work in the farming sector Japan’s cabinet has approved draft legislation to loosen the country’s immigration rules. The relaxed laws would create two new visa categories to allow foreigners in sectors with labour shortages to enter the country. Japan has restrictive immigration …
Image copyright Johnny R Russo / Nintendo Mario Segale, the man after whom video game hero Super Mario was named, has died aged 84. Mr Segale was a successful Italian-American property developer from the US state of Washington. In the 1980s, he leased a warehouse to Nintendo of America who decided to name the star …
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Taxpayers have paid over $2bn since 2012 to keep the struggling national carrier in the air South Africa’s state-owned airline should be shut down, the country’s new finance minister has said. “It’s loss-making, we are unlikely to sort out the situation, so my view would be close it down,” Tito …
Image copyright Getty Images Price comparison site Comparethemarket might be keeping the cost of home insurance premiums artificially high, according to the competition watchdog. In a provisional finding, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) accused the company of using contracts with insurers to stop them advertising more cheaply elsewhere. As a result, it said the …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Drilling started at the Lancashire site on 15 October Shale gas has flowed for the first time at the UK’s only fracking site currently in operation, energy firm Cuadrilla says. Operations began at the site in Lancashire last month for the first time since 2011 when it was suspended …
Image copyright PA Image caption The AJ production line in Bridgend Ford closed for five days from 29 October Ford is in talks with a chemical company about using its Bridgend plant to build a new off-road vehicle. Ineos Automotive plans to build a car to replace the Land Rover Defender, which went out of …