Manawatu standard

The initial public offering for Match Group, the parent company of the popular mobile dating app Tinder, went live on Thursday morning as the company seemed to disown the app's co-founder in the wake of what media outlets are calling a "bizarre" and "unflattering" interview ahead of the plan to go public. The London-based Evening Standard on Wednesday published a profile of Sean Rad, Tinder's 29-year-old co-founder and chief executive officer. During his conversation with the reporter, Rad provided false information about Tinder, stressed that he has slept with 20 women and confused the definition of a sexual term. Match Group, which is owned by media and Internet company IAC, quickly filed a document with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to correct some of Rad's comments and clarify that he wasn't speaking on behalf of the company. "The article was not approved or condoned by, and the content of the article was not reviewed by, the company or any of its … [Read more...] about Company Distances Itself From Tinder CEO Sean Rad After Controversial Comments

Rail passengers faced five times as many severely disrupted days this winter as in the same period last year, figures show, with flooding and adverse weather blamed for the increase in cancellations. There were 21 severely disrupted days – defined as a day on which the cancellations score is five per cent or more – between October and December, compared to four in the same period the previous year. Flooding and other bad weather in the north-west and the Midlands was largely responsible, according to the latest figures published by the Office for Rail and Road. Overall, the number of services running on time rose slightly on the same period last year, reaching 86.9 per cent, but it has fallen over a five-year spell. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, wrote on Twitter that Britain's train companies still had "plenty more to do". "Last year I asked for trains to be regarded as 'on time' only when they arrive to the minute (not five or 10 mins late as per previous measure)," … [Read more...] about Big rise in winter rail disruption blamed on floods and bad weather

Andrew Bailey has raised ministers' eyebrows for warning of "apocalyptic" food shortages as record wage growth raises fears that a dangerous inflationary spiral is taking hold in the economy. Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, expressed “surprise” at the Bank of England Governor's comments about rising costs caused by the war in Ukraine blocking exports of wheat and cooking oils. “I was surprised to see that particular turn of phrase, I have to say,” Mr Lewis told BBC Breakfast. “But the Bank of England is independent, they will have their view of their assessment, their economic view of where things are and where things are going.” It came as new data from the Office for National Statistics showed pay packets jumped almost 10pc in March, helping workers keep up with the cost of living, but also risking making inflation worse. In February, Mr Bailey urged workers not to ask for a big pay rise this year , warning that "moderation" of wage rises was needed to … [Read more...] about Record wage growth sparks inflation fears as minister expresses ‘surprise’ at Bailey food warning

Boris Johnson has given the green light for a high speed rail project connecting London to northern England, saying he would take a firmer grip on a project that is behind schedule and running billions of pounds over budget. HS2, the high speed line will slash journey times and add capacity to Britain's crowded network, allowing the UK to catch up with countries like France and Spain which have extensive high-speed rail. But out of date and spiraling over budget, the HS2 project (High Speed 2) has been slammed in an unpublished Government report that warns costs could continue to rise another 20pc. While the first phase of construction has only just begun, the project is already far above its original budget of £34bn. With the line not expected to begin operations until at least 2028, there are fears the new service will be out of date by the time it is ultimately deployed. There are already new technologies being developed that could supplant parts of HS2 or provide … [Read more...] about Here are five new high speed rail technologies that make Britain’s HS2 seem outdated already

Train companies face the risk of transport chaos as they required to maintain the two metre social distancing in carriages but without any guidance yet on how to achieve it. Train services are due to increase to 70 per cent of capacity from next Monday, May 18th, as part of the first phase of easing Britain out of the coronavirus lockdown although there are fears that mixed messaging over the weekend could lead to a sharp increase in passengers today (Mon). Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, acknowledged that maintaining the two metre distance in carriages will slash the numbers of passengers by as much as 90 per cent, meaning only one in 10 will be able to travel in trains compared with before the pandemic. The Government has promised guidance this week on how the social distancing could be achieved but has yet to publish leaving train companies in the dark. “We are going to rely on the public to do the right thing and stay at home unless they have to travel,” said a train … [Read more...] about Train companies face struggle to introduce social distancing in carriages without clear guidance

New hydrogen-powered trains are being trialled on British rail lines for the first time, and the Government has said they could be carrying passengers by 2023. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was aboard a low-carbon HydroFLEX train for its inaugural journey on Tuesday, along lines between Long Marston, in Warwickshire and Evesham. It is hoped the new technology will allow ministers to start retrofitting old diesel trains from 2023 to make them more eco-friendly and decarbonise non-electrified lines. Alongside the new train trials, the Government also unveiled a host of other hydrogen projects, including funding for 19 hydrogen-powered refuse trucks in Glasgow as well as for research into cleaner mass hydrogen production. In an exclusive oped for the Telegraph , Mr Shapps said Britain’s role in developing clean hydrogen technologies could help put it at the forefront of new industrial ‘green revolution’. He said: “While Britain’s pioneering role in the industrial … [Read more...] about Hydrogen-powered trains could be carrying UK passengers by 2023

Kumail Nanjiani has opened up about his discomfort with the focus on the physical transformation he underwent to prepare for his role in Marvel ’s Eternals . In December 2019, the actor shared shirtless photos of his muscular physique on Instagram , where he explained that he had “never thought” he’d be “one of those people who would post a thirsty shirtless,” but that he had worked “way too hard for way too long” to not show off his results. In the caption, Nanjiani had explained that he’d decided to “transform” how he looked after learning that he had gotten the role in the Marvel superhero movie, before thanking his team of nutritionists and personal trainers who helped him. However, in a new interview with GQ , the Silicon Valley star revealed that, in the year and a half since he shared the photos, he has grown “uncomfortable” talking about his body. “I’ve found out over the last year and a half, since I did that picture, that I am very uncomfortable … [Read more...] about Kumail Nanjiani says he is ‘very uncomfortable’ talking about his body since viral shirtless photos

Match.com has apologized after London Underground commuters complained about an advertisement that implied that ginger hair and freckles are "imperfections." On Twitter, many users lashed out against the advert - which they saw on their underground commute - with one woman criticizing the poster for " judging people on skin pigmentation." An Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) spokesman tells Newsweek that they have received around a dozen complaints so far about the advert. "The general nature of the complaints is that Match.com ad disparages people with ginger hair/freckles. We're currently carefully assessing the complaints to establish if there appear to be any grounds for action. It's important to stress, however, that we haven't launched an investigation," he says. "Companies who advertize in huge campaigns have a responsibility not to create or infer one appearance is superior to another," one commuter Lucy Grace tells Newsweek . "By labelling naturally … [Read more...] about Dating site Match.com criticized for ‘imperfect’ redhead ad

Liz Truss outlines 'necessity to act' on Northern Ireland protocol Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Leave campaigner and GB News presenter Darren Grimes took to Twitter to comment on the scrapping of the deal, something which would allow the Government to take back control of the UK’s borders, allow Northern Ireland to produce goods to UK standards and keep the country's taxes in line with the rest of the UK. The comments come as Foreign Secretary announced a new Bill that would make some changes to the deal, without scrapping it altogether. Related articles Douglas Murray says hated Brexit deal proves the EU wants to punish UK Boris … [Read more...] about ‘Now’s the time!’ Tearing up hated EU deal is the only way to complete Brexit

M&S boss outlines issues facing trade with Northern Ireland Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The protocol was put in place following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU , and was created to stop a hard border splitting the island of Ireland. Designed to keep Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market, UK ministers have raised complaints that EU checks on goods travelling across the Irish Sea has sparked delays, disruptions, and tensions. Related articles Consumers face 'energy bill SHOCK' in direct debit payments Dad cleared of murder charges after death of burglar at his home M&S chief Archie Norman called the protocol … [Read more...] about M&S boss claims Brexit row has cost retailer £30million and fumes at ‘documents in Latin’