BBC Trust on the cusp of first female chair August 31, 2014 The BBC Trust is set to gain its first female chair in the form of Rona Fairhead the ex-chief of the Financial Times Group. On Saturday culture secretary Sajid Javid announced Fairhead was the preferred candidate to replace Lord Patten, who stepped down in May. Fairhead, 53 and graduate of Harvard Business School would be [...]
Ukip set for a landslide victory in Clacton after Carswell defection August 31, 2014 David Cameron is facing a major defeat in the Clacton by-election after polling for the Mail on Sunday revealed Ukip were set to win the seat with 64 per cent of vote. The by-election was triggered after the prominent Conservative MP Douglas Carswell switched parties and decided to put himself at the mercy of constituents [...]
EU vows to hit Russia with fresh sanctions ‘within a week’ August 31, 2014 The European Union has threatened Russia with a new round of sanctions if it fails to reverse its latest intervention in Ukraine. Tensions in the region have dramatically escalated in the last week, with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko saying his country was "close to a point of no return – full scale-war" with Russia. Poroshenko [...]
Manchester United suffer third-worst start in Premier League era – but should fans be worried? August 30, 2014 After drawing a blank in a stalemate against Burnley this afternoon, Manchester United have recorded their worst start to a league campaign in seven seasons and their third-worst start in the Premier League era. With three games gone, Louis van Gaal’s side have just two points to their name, with today’s 0-0 draw at [...]
MSN messenger shuts down for good as China-based users encouraged to move to Skype August 30, 2014 MSN messenger is no more. The instant messaging service is being switched off in China next month, marking the end of its 15 year lifespan. For most users, the platform died last year when Microsoft decided to switch users over to Skype, yet it has – until now – continued to operate in China. On [...]
MSN messenger shuts down for good as Chinese users encouraged to move to Skype August 30, 2014 MSN messenger is no more. The instant messaging service is being switched off in China next month, marking an end of its 15 year lifespan. For most users, the platform died last year when Microsoft decided to switch users over to Skype, yet it has continued to operate in China – until now that is. [...]
Alibaba to set IPO wheels in motion as soon as 8 September August 30, 2014 Alibaba's initial public offering to investors could be just over a week away, with the Chinese ecommerce giant expected to launch its IPO as early as the week of 8 September. In what many are predicting will be the largest IPO in history, Alibaba could raise over $20bn (£120bn) when it lists on the New York [...]
Vice Media to sell 10 per cent stake to A&E networks for $250m August 30, 2014 Vice Media has revealed they are nearing the sale of a 10 per cent stake to A&E Networks, after a period of negotiating with various suitors. A&E Networks is jointly owned by the Walt Disney and Hearst Corporation, and will invest $250m (£150m) in Vice, valuing the growing international media company at $2.5bn. Vice has [...]
Putin compares Kiev to the Nazis, Ukraine seeks Nato membership August 30, 2014 Ukraine has pleaded for full membership in Nato, signalling a desire for increased Western military protection from Russian aggression. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk told government yesterday that his cabinet would "bring before parliament a law to scrap the non-aligned status of the Ukrainian state and establish a course towards membership of Nato." Nato membership would [...]
Rouble falls again as Nato accuses Russia of a “blatant violation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty August 30, 2014 The rouble continued to drop today as tensions in Ukraine continued. The currency fell 0.98 per cent against the euro and as much as 0.4 per cent against the dollar, a record intraday low, as Moscow's equities index, the Micex, fell 1.62 per cent. The losses came as Nato accused Russia of a "blatant violation" [...]