No, really: Ann Summers launches Isis lingerie range (well, kind of) August 22, 2014 In what may be the poorest timing in recent retail history, Ann Summers has been forced to deny supporting terrorism after it launched a range of lingerie named "Isis". The range, which appeared in shop windows this week, includes a £26 plunge bra and a £45 babydoll, both in monochrome colours. Obviously, the range isn't named [...]
Ex-MEP who called for caps on bonuses, slammed for taking London Stock Exchange job August 22, 2014 Former Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles has been chastised by Sven Giegold, a German Green, for taking a job at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) after calling for caps on bonuses in the financial industry. Giegold, who had spearheaded the campaign for a cap on bankers' bonuses, which was introduced last year, used to Twitter [...]
Space economy takes off: Mining asteroids becomes easier with legal bill August 22, 2014 The space economy has reached a watershed moment. A new legal bill in the US, called the Asteroids Act, would allow companies to mine asteroids for precious resources which they could call their own. Asteroids are host to a whole range of materials that are important for sustaining lives and lifestyles, from the essentials [...]
MPs spent more than 115 days tweeting last year – but who sent the most? August 22, 2014 Our publicly elected leaders have spent more than 115 days tweeting in the last year – a total of 2,774 hours – with nearly three-quarters of all MPs now on the social media platform. A report published by Westminster Public Affairs shows that parliamentarians sent a total of 718,431 Tweets for the 12 months [...]
Fed’s Janet Yellen hints at an early rate rise August 22, 2014 New US Fed chief Janet Yellen raised the prospect of an earlier-than-expected rise in interest rates during her first address to the audience of central bank chiefs at the Kansas City Fed's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday. Yellen, who started her job in February this year, studiously avoided making any commitments to new [...]
Janet Yellen’s Jackson Hole speech: Full text August 22, 2014 Janet Yellen opened the Kansas City Fed's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday for the first time since she was installed as chair of the US Fed. Her speech, on the subject of "labour market dynamics and monetary policy", called for "pragmatic" policy, and said there was "no simple recipe" to help the [...]
Ukraine crisis deepens as 100 Russian lorries begin “direct invasion” August 22, 2014 The head of Ukraine's security service Valentyn Nalyvaichenko has said the unauthorised crossing of 100 Russian lorries into Ukrainian territory is tantamount to a "direct invasion", adding it was "under the cynical guise of the Red Cross – these are military vehicles". According to the Red Cross, the lorries crossed the border on Friday without [...]
Venezuela plans to fingerprint shoppers to stop food shortages August 22, 2014 The President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, has announced plans for a major mandatory fingerprinting system to combat the increasingly dire food shortages and rampant smuggling afflicting the Latin American state. He said the fingerprinting system would be similar to the one the country uses for voting and was intended to stop Venezuelans buying too much [...]
Is there a cure for Ebola? These companies are trying to beat the virus August 22, 2014 There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment available for the deadly Ebola virus, but a handful of companies are racing to create a cure for the disease as it spreads across West Africa at an unprecedented rate. Until now, the main barrier to developing an effective treatment has been a lack of potential [...]
Doctor Who: The Tardis has landed in Parliament Square August 22, 2014 The Tardis has landed in London, and it looks like the arrival was a bit bumpy. Ahead of the hotly anticipated new series of Doctor Who which is hitting TV screens tomorrow night- as if the fact needs any promotion at all- the BBC staged the mock crash-landing in Parliament Square with new Doctor Peter [...]