Half of Brits still planning to visit family over Christmas despite Omicron concerns December 17, 2021 Despite concerns over the latest Covid variant Omicron, almost half of Brits have stated they will go ahead with their plans to visit family and friends over the festive period. Data gathered by independent watchdog Transport Focus over the course of the first two weekends of December has shown that 46.5 per cent of out [...]
Bloomsbury buys academic publisher ABC-CLIO for $22.9m December 16, 2021 Bloomsbury announced this morning it has acquired US academic publisher ABC-CLIO for $22.9m (£17.3m), pushing shares up 5.72 per cent to 351p. Out of the total deal, $22.3m were given in cash on completion, leaving $0.6m to be paid post completion. The purchase is expected to strengthen Bloomsbury’s academic reach, especially in North America. “ABC-CLIO [...]
Get into the festive spirit at El Palace, Barcelona December 15, 2021 THE WEEKEND: Escape December drudgery and head off for a festive city break to kickstart that long-neglected Christmas spirit. Skip the traditional packed Christmas markets of Northern Europe and look south to Spain instead, where Barcelona piles on dazzling decorations, twinkling city-wide lights and chocolate-box markets to tick off the present shopping. It’s also much [...]
Christmas wine for your dry bird: How to pick the perfect festive bottle December 15, 2021 It is the festive season, and we will soon be shoving turkeys into ovens to feed the masses, but turkey is a notoriously dry bird and calls for the right wine to help wet our whistles. Though traditionalists may feel the classic Bordeaux is always acceptable beware of drying tannins. A wiser choice if you [...]
Xmas Drinks 2021: The spirits you need on your cabinet over the holidays December 15, 2021 The Botanist Islay Dry Gin is ideal for seasonal cocktails. Made by the experimental Scotch whisky-makers at Bruichladdich, using a rare, salvaged Lomond still, the Botanist combines nine traditional gin botanicals with a further twenty-two ingredients foraged from the island. The resulting spirit is incredibly smooth, enlivened by citrus, mint, and harmonious floral flavours, that make [...]
Hollywood Bowl brings home profits despite Covid closures December 15, 2021 Bowling operator Hollywood Bowl managed to bring home profits despite Covid restrictions halting business for the better part of the year. The company’s shares have gone down 0.87 per cent, to 227.50p. In its final results for the year ended 30 September, Hollywood Bowl registered a 0.9 per cent increase in its operating profit margin, [...]
Things between Zurich and Greggs heat up as insurer insists on slicing bakery’s £100m covid claim to £2.5m December 14, 2021 Zurich Insurance has retaliated in a London court against a claim by bakery chain Greggs for between £50m to £100m in payouts for Covid-19 related losses, according to reports. The insurance giant told the court that its business interruption cover went up to £2.5m for a single event, according to Legal 360, which first reported [...]
Vodafone to auction the world’s first ever text message as an NFT for refugee charity December 14, 2021 Vodafone announced today that it will auction an NFT of the world’s first ever SMS text message – which read ‘Merry Christmas’, and was sent on the network in December 1992.
It’s behind you! Pantomimes and musicals forced to cancel after Covid-19 outbreaks threatens the industry once again December 14, 2021 Ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks across the UK looks to threaten theatres once again, as shows begin to cancel shows just before Christmas.
Sally Rooney and Kazuo Ishiguro among the most sold books of 2021, Amazon reveals December 14, 2021 Sally Rooney’s new novel ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ and Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Klara and the Sun’ feature among the 10 most sold books of 2021. According to an analysis carried out by Amazon, Rooney and Ishiguro feature alongside 2020 award-winning books such as Delia Owen’s ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ as well as Matt Haig’s ‘The [...]