London Stock Exchange becomes takeover target
The London Stock Exchange has become a takeover target after its proposed merger with Canadian rival TMX was ditched. The Toronto-based group indicated it was…
UK factory PMI surges to 16-month high, exports recover
Growth at British factories surged unexpectedly to a 16-month high in October, helped by a recovery in export orders, according to a survey that will…
Europe Calls for Tougher Rules on Global Markets
Sometimes it’s not just what is said that counts, but the way it is said. And if tone is anything to go by, the leaders…
Petrol Politics: How Much Should an Oil Spill Cost?
How serious should the penalties for an oil spill be? In early November, Chevron and its drilling partner Transocean accidentally spilled some 3,000 barrels of…
Betting on Big Solar
It’s good news for solar advocates and bad news for competitors: General Electric is breaking into the solar business in a major way. In April,…
Can Silicon Valley and Detroit Reinvent the Car Business?
In the month of October, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler once again increased their share of cars and light trucks sold in America. In the…
Sheet Metal Worker
Sheet metal workers make sure you stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer by servicing the heating and cooling equipment in buildings….
US and 11 other countries reach landmark Pacific trade pact
Trade ministers from 12 countries announced the largest trade-liberalizing pact in a generation on Monday. In a press conference in Atlanta, trade ministers from the…
The mixed fortunes of a fuel
IN A high-tech world, dirty black lumps of coal might seem like an anachronism. Yet coal is far from a thing of the past. However…
New DNA test for embryos could boost IVF success rates
A test that checks for abnormal amounts of DNA in IVF embryos has raised pregnancy rates at US fertility clinics that have started to offer…
Renewable electricity overtakes coal for first time in UK
Britain generated more of its electricity from renewable sources than from burning coal for the first time in the second quarter of 2015, as more…
Truckers strike four shipping companies at Southern California ports
Tractor-trailer drivers who haul freight from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach went on strike on Monday against four trucking companies, a Teamster…
RHS Sunflower seed giveaway
April 14-20 is National Gardening Week, the RHS’ annual attempt to get us off the sofa and onto the beds with a series of events…
UK construction growth bolsters economic recovery hopes
Britain’s construction industry grew at the fastest pace in nearly a year in February, bolstering expectations that the UK will escape a double dip recession….
‘Stem rust’ fungus threatens global wheat harvest
The world’s leading crop scientists issued a stark warning that a deadly airborne fungus could devastate wheat harvests in poor countries and lead to famines…
Italian vintners forced to harvest crops early due to sultry summer
Italy is set for one of its smallest wine harvests after an arid, torrid summer – and will almost certainly cede its title as the…
Banks fail to meet targets to increase lending to small business
Banks failed to increase lending to small businesses in the first three months of 2010, despite political pressure to free up the credit markets. The…
Tackling the problem of really slow ADSL broadband
As you have discovered, in our new competitive broadband market, the buck frequently doesn’t stop anywhere. Demon is your internet service provider (ISP), but it…
Sri Lanka’s tea growers have gone organic
Until quite recently, Sri Lanka had disappeared from the British tea connoisseur’s map. While European tea lovers have always rated top Ceylon estates highly, here…
Small businesses: the importance of knowing your market
So you’ve had a lightbulb moment and come up with a business idea. Now you need to ask yourself a simple question: “‘Will my idea…
The experts’ step-by-step guide to cyber security
Where does cyber security fall on your to-do list? If it’s not a priority, it should be because 60% of small businesses suffered a breach…
Farmers fall prey to rice rustlers as price of staple crop rockets
Knee-deep in muddy water, her face smeared with sandalwood paste and a broad-brimmed hat for protection against the broiling sun, Samniang Ketia grins broadly at…
United Airlines will honour flight tickets mistakenly sold for $5 to $10
United Airlines will honour plane tickets it mistakenly sold online for between $5 and $10, the company said on Friday. Customers using the airline’s website…
Seven reasons the world’s stock markets are falling
European markets are in panic mode with all major indices down sharply. It follows a widespread sell-off on both sides of the Atlantic on Wednesday….
South Sudan to export coffee for the first time
The world has long been pleading with South Sudan’s feuding leaders to wake up and smell the coffee. The four-year-old country is notorious for conflict…
The European Union needs reforming, not abandoning
Jonathan Freedland (Opinion, 10 October) is right to warn that a “remain” vote in the forthcoming EU referendum is by no means a foregone conclusion,…
Günter Grass: final interview reveals author’s fears of another world war
Germany’s Nobel-winning author Günter Grass said he feared humanity was “sleepwalking” into a world war in the last interview he gave before his death on…
Wall Street still sees itself as its own best client. Can that ever be remedied?
Imagine, if you can, a world in which the big banks subscribe to a code of conduct that includes a pledge that “we seek no…
Car manufacturing hits reverse gear
UK car manufacturing went into reverse in August as factories closed for the summer holidays. A total of 71,065 cars rolled off production lines last…
Modern cargo ships slow to the speed of the sailing clippers
The world’s largest cargo ships are travelling at lower speeds today than sailing clippers such as the Cutty Sark did more than 130 years ago….