Mario Draghi speech: ECB president hints at use of more unconventional instruments in fight against low inflation September 22, 2014 The euro has fallen against the dollar after a doveish Draghi spoke before the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament. Consumer confidence for the single currency bloc was underwhelming at -11.4, falling short of an already bearish consensus of -10.75. In his speech the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) indicated [...]
Could it happen in London? One chart showing how Uber has impacted San Francisco’s taxi industry September 22, 2014 Beloved by punters, hated by rivals, taxi service app Uber has a knack of dividing opinion. The company has been the subject of an outright ban in Germany (which was later overturned), a gridlock protest from black cabbies in London and vociferous complaining from local taxi drivers in just about every one of the 45 [...]
Former Liverpool suitor joins ex-Manchester United legends by buying 50 per cent of Salford City FC September 22, 2014 Peter Lim, the Singaporean businessman who once tried to buy Liverpool, has agreed to buy a 50 per cent stake in Salford City FC from the “Class of ‘92” group. The “Class of ‘92” – made up of former Manchester United players Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt – [...]
Six charts showing why the UK needs to build more homes September 22, 2014 The housing market is hotly watched recently with prices rising and demand under constant observation. There were 21.9 per cent fewer house completions in England during 2013/14 than there were in 2003/4, while demand for house in London has driven the average price north of £500,000. These are just some of the results of analysis [...]
Opinion poll puts Labour six points ahead of Conservatives as welfare cuts become top of the agenda for voters September 22, 2014 Labour is leading a new opinion poll by six points, taking 33 per cent of the mock vote, after the Conservatives dropped down to take only 27 per cent. Ukip meanwhile rose in favour, and now has a convincing lead over the Liberal Democrats, being backed by 17 per cent of those canvassed by [...]
World Cup 2022: Bookies reckon Qatar’s odds-on to be stripped of the tournament by FIFA September 22, 2014 Bookmaker Coral has made Qatar odds-on to be stripped of the 2022 World Cup by Fifa. The move comes after Fifa executive committee member Theo Zwanziger told German newspaper Bild that he did not think the World Cup would take place in the Gulf state. Coral has issued odds of 1/2 that Qatar will be [...]
Antibiotic resistance: Genome editor could provide the cure September 22, 2014 The threat posed by antibiotic resistance to human health is growing. Every year, more bacterial strains emerge which are able to to resist even the most powerful drugs. At the moment, roughly two million people are infected by drug resistant bacteria in the UK every year, leading to around 23,000 deaths. Traditional methods [...]
The British Museum is going to be digitally recreated in new Microsoft toy Minecraft September 22, 2014 The British Museum will be recreated in the video game Minecraft, whose developer Mojang was bought for £1.5bn by Microsoft. A museum employee took to Reddit to sound out interest from the site’s Minecraft community, and was met with an enthusiastic response. The build forms part of the British Museum’s “Museum of the [...]
Watch: In 1999 Alibaba founder Jack Ma told team to ditch 8-5pm work ethic (and that “the dream of the internet won’t burst”) September 22, 2014 How did ecommerce giant Alibaba go on to have the biggest IPO in history? Well perhaps this video gives us an idea. Back in 1999, Jack Ma told his team to emulate the “hard-working spirit of Silicon Valley” if they wanted Alibaba to suceed. “If we go to work at 8pm and go [...]
Alibaba’s share price slides 3 per cent on second day of trading September 22, 2014 Was Alibaba's IPO too good to be true? Shares in the newly-listed mega-retailer may have surged 38 per cent on their first day of trading on Friday, but investors had clearly calmed down today – its price fell three per cent in early trading. Alibaba listed on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday at [...]