How common are hurricanes in the UK? Ex-Hurricane Joaquin will miss UK but give Spain some rain October 7, 2015 Everyone’s been talking about Hurricane Joaquin, but when it’s the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Igor in 2010 – and now moving briskly towards Europe – you can probably see why. It was at its peak last Saturday when winds reached 155mph (just 2mph short of being a Category 5 hurricane) – unleashing itself on the [...]
Israel rockets into first place in race to complete first ever private mission to the moon October 7, 2015 A team of Israeli scientists has accelerated into first place in the race to send a privately-funded space mission to the moon. Calling themselves SpaceIL, they have just signed an official launch contract with the organisers of Google's Lunar X Prize competition to send a rocket to the moon before the end of 2017. The [...]
Will eSports be the next phenomenon to tax gambling regulators? October 7, 2015 From relative anonymity less than a few years ago, eSports has seen an explosion in popularity, fuelled by our seemingly insatiable appetite to be entertained. From community-based amateur game-playing to competitive tournaments, eSports encompasses casual leisure users through to professional video game players. Ever since the first games consoles, we have seen the production [...]
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015 goes to three geneticists who could transform cancer treatment October 7, 2015 Three geneticists whose discoveries could transform cancer treatment have been awarded this year's Nobel Prize for chemistry. Thomas Lindhal from Sweden, Paul Modrich from the US and Aziz Sancar from Turkey made findings that shed light on how the body repairs genetic damage and keeps DNA healthy. Read more: Nobel Prize for medicine: These discoveries shaped [...]
London’s economic growth in 2015 far outstrips the rest of the country, RBS figures show October 7, 2015 London's economy is outstripping the rest of the country, growing 3.3 per cent year on year, compared with a national average of 2.5 per cent, according to RBS’ regional growth figures out today. London’s economic growth was boosted by its burgeoning professional, scientific and technical services industries. The City and the West End, unsurprisingly, were [...]
Microsoft mega launch: Where to watch the live-stream as three new Lumia phones, Surface Pro 4 tablet and new Microsoft Band to launch – plus more details on Windows 10 October 6, 2015 Microsoft is planning a raft of announcements today in what it describes as “our next chapter”. “We have some exciting news to share about Windows 10 devices,” the group has said. The firm is live-streaming the event from 10am EDT (4pm in the UK) and users will be able to watch it here. As [...]
Scientists bring quantum computers a step closer to reality October 6, 2015 For years scientists have known the merits of quantum computing, but increasingly the business world has shown interest and is now eagerly awaiting its introduction into the mainstream. Once it's fully developed, it's hoped the technology will perform a far wider range of calculations than any computers already available, and running at speeds we [...]
Digital Effectiveness Index 2015: These are the world’s most digitally effective countries October 6, 2015 The UK has come fifth in a ranking that looks at how well companies are using digital technologies. The Digital Effectiveness Index (DEI) measures the success of companies at implementing digital initiatives, and how much this boosts their revenue and profit growth. In first and second place, with scores of 6.8 and 6.6 respectively, were the [...]
Sir Philip Green-backed flash sales website MySale buys three online retail firms in Australia October 6, 2015 Flash sales website MySale said yesterday it has bought three retail sites in Australia from Grays eCommerce group for AU$5.2m (£2.4m). The UK-listed company, which is backed by Sir Philip Green, said the deal was a great opportunity to grow its customer base in Australia, where MySale first launched in 2007. The three sites – [...]
Lack of super-fast broadband is holding back London businesses October 6, 2015 Tens of thousands of small businesses in London are being held back by “painfully slow” internet access. Despite London’s position as Europe’s leading tech city, Westminster City Council said less than half the borough, 47 per cent, has access to super-fast broadband. The problem is worse for SMEs, which account for 65 per cent of [...]