Business

Image copyright Reuters In our series of letters from African writers, journalist-turned-barrister Brian Hungwe says the need for cash has not been eased by the release of new Zimbabwean dollar notes over the last week. In Zimbabwe, cash is king. You need notes in your hand to avoid paying a premium for goods. This has […]

Image copyright Planet Labs Inc Image caption Construction at Shanxi coal power plant was stopped in July 2017 but resumed in March 2019 While the rest of the world has cut coal-based electricity over the past 18 months, China has added enough to power 31 million homes. That’s according to a study that says China

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Boris Johnson says workers will not have to pay National Insurance until they earn £12,000 if the Conservatives are elected to power. Answering questions in Teesside, the prime minister promised his party would ensure “low tax for working people”. The current threshold sees workers paying National Insurance contributions once they earn

Image copyright Getty Images An animal charity says House of Fraser is “painfully out of touch”, after it started selling fur products. The company, taken over by Sports Direct CEO Mike Ashley last year, said in a statement in 2017 that it had a “strict no-fur policy”. There was backlash online and outside shops on

Image copyright Softbank Softbank, the Japanese firm behind WeWork and Uber, has launched an automated vacuum cleaner for the office in the US. The self-powered machine, dubbed The Whiz, is offered as a subscription service for $499 (£381) a month. It has been developed by Softbank’s US robotics arm and Hong Kong-based firm Intelligent Cleaning

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Thousands of British betting terminals have already been loaded with the new software Every gambling machine in the UK’s betting shops is being updated with software designed to detect and prevent problematic behaviour in players. The system locks gamblers out of machines for 30 seconds if erratic or excessive

BT has said it will not work with a skills training firm while the Duke of York remains its patron as the fallout from his BBC interview continues. Several universities, businesses and charities are also reconsidering their connections to Prince Andrew and he has cancelled a public appearance. It follows the duke telling Newsnight he

Image caption Professor Yue is working on next generation computer chips On a university campus on the outskirts of Hong Kong a group of engineers are designing computer chips they hope will be used in the next generation of Chinese made smart phones. Patrick Yue leans back in his chair in a coffee shop on

Image copyright Aston Martin Lagonda Image caption A “female advisory board” has been involved in the development of the new SUV Aston Martin has launched its first Wales-made car, which it hopes will deliver a sales boost after posting losses of £13.5m in the three months to September. The Welsh Government pledged millions of pounds

Image copyright PA Media Image caption One of the products flagged up by Which? on Amazon that appeared to have been declared unsafe by the EU Which? says that Amazon and eBay have failed to stop toys from being listed for sale which appear to have been declared unsafe by the EU. The consumer group