From Uber and the Night Tube to Megabrew and Amazon Fresh: Here’s what got us talking this week
It was a week in which an eagle gave us a glimpse of its view of London. We learned how much fare dodgers are getting away with (and where are the stations giving them a free ride). And we discovered that, while spiralising is in, sexy pants are definitely out.
Here's what got us talking this week
1) Rise and shine, sleepyhead
You've no excuse for having a weekend lie-in. It turns out you don't need those eight hours in bed after all…
2) That's assuming you're not suffering from the night before
We learned that hangovers aren't just unpleasant, they're costing us money. Several hundred billion, in fact.
3) TfL got scrappy
Unions said the Night Tube could not launch in 2015, having been derailed by talks yet again. Transport for London was caught on the backfoot, but came back fighting, promising to cut the unions out as it seeks to reach an agreement with Tube staff.
Meanwhile, TfL is still playing piggy in the middle over the Uber row after the High Court ruled that the taxi app is legal. The judgement has so far been welcomed by the transport group, but the consultation continues. But, as Boris Johnson put it, the toothpaste is well and truly out of the tube.
4) We ignored the advice and mixed our drinks
Or rather SABMiller and InBev did. That means there's now a chance your favourite craft beer is made by the combined megabrewer and that the single company spans much of the globe. Here's everything you need to know about the deal.
5) Amazon Fresh could be an Ocado-killer
Stealthily launched in London and Birmingham under the Amazon Prime Now banner, kitchen essentials like milk will be delivered to people's door within the hour. As this chart shows, when it comes to comparable goods, Amazon has the edge.
6) And one last thing… It's Walk London this weekend, a free initiative to encourage city slickers to get out and about and there are some cracking routes available for free. Here are some of our favourites
Leisurely reads
Staying agile in the face of changing circumstances is critical to staying ahead in the twenty-first century economy
All good things come in small packages
When Napoleon first called Britain a nation of shopkeepers, he almost certainly didn’t mean it as a compliment. Nevertheless, in typically British fashion, we took that insult and turned it into something to be proud of. It’s a mark of our enduring entrepreneurial spirit in business.
Meanwhile, this week's divorce ruling could pave the way for more unhappy couples to renegotiate their settlements and is expected to act as a deterrent for sneaky spouses hoping to squirrel away assets.
Charts of the week
Prepare to lose hours of your life
Great reads from elsewhere
One man's life-long search to uncover the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing which killed his brother turned up evidence never before uncovered by the authorities which investigated the attack. It brought him almost face to face with the ghost-like figure he believes to be responsible in a real-life story that reads like a Hollywood script.
Violence is a fact of life in many parts of the world. This interactive article from Bloomberg details the world's most ungovernable places.
