Standard Life sells Canadian business to Manulife Financial for £2.2bn September 3, 2014 Insurance company Standard Life has sold its Canadian business to a subsidiary of Manulife Financial for 4bn Canadian dollars (£2.2bn). The sale, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015, spans all areas of business from savings and retirement to investment management. According to Manulife Financial, the deal is expected [...]
Ebola diagnosis sped up with Japan’s 30-minute “sampler” test September 3, 2014 Scientists in Japan have developed a test for Ebola which is much faster than any current diagnosis methods. Researchers at Nagasaki University worked alongside Eiken Chemical Co to develop the new testing method, which they say uses cheaper and faster technology than anything available already. As a result, they claim it can be [...]
Twitter paying out $140 to people who report bugs September 3, 2014 Micro-blogging service Twitter has launched HackerOne – a program that will pay at least $140 to security researchers every time they report a bug or vulnerability in their system. The purpose, Twitter says, is “to recognize their efforts and the important role they play in keeping Twitter safe for everyone." The rewards will [...]
Armed men occupy offices of leading Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk September 3, 2014 "Armed men" have occupied the offices of Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk, according to a news story posted to the club's official website. The story claims that Shakhtar offices in Donetsk have been occupied and requests all official correspondence be redirected to an alternative address in the city. The club states that "circumstances of [...]
LVMH share price out on top as Hermes “handbag war” comes to an end September 3, 2014 Handbag makers LVMH and Hermes have been taking each other to court for four years. Their feud began in 2012 after it was disclosed that LVMH, whose handbag brands include Louis Vuitton, Dior and Givenchy, had built up a 17 per cent stake in Hermes and proceeded to purchase further shares. It made [...]
Mayweather vs Pacquiao: Could the $300m dream fight could take place in 2015? September 3, 2014 Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao is the dream fight boxing fans have been waiting for, and it could finally become a reality as soon as 2015. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has revealed that he is “very optimistic” that a salivating face-off between the two boxing superstars could be arranged but says that it “has [...]
An independent Scotland would lose its young workers to the rest of the UK September 3, 2014 If Scotland votes in favour of independence on 18 September, young workers are the most likely group to pack up and leave the country, according to a report published in the journal Population, Space and Place. Called Forecasting Scottish Migration in the Context of the 2014 Constitutional Change Debate, it looks at how internal [...]
Which European countries would be hardest hit by a Russian gas embargo? September 3, 2014 With relations between Europe and Russia at their worst point since the fall of the Berlin wall, the Institute of Energy Economics (EWI) has taken it upon itself to examine what would happen to various European nations if Russia imposed a gas export embargo in November 2014. The good news for the UK is that [...]
Goodbye, productivity puzzle? Revised ONS figures show we’re more productive than we thought September 3, 2014 The "productivity puzzle" just got less puzzling, after the Office for National statistics published changes to the way it measures GDP – and the gap between output and productivity turned out to be narrower than we thought. Productivity, which is a measure of the goods and services produced per worker per hour, is a [...]
PMQs: David Cameron hijacked by ‘Yes’ poster as he hits out at Scottish Independence campaign September 3, 2014 David Cameron was interrupted by an SNP member waving a 'Yes' poster as he attempted to derail arguments for Scottish independence at Prime Minister's Questions today. The Prime Minister had an unusually easy time of it at the pre-lunch session, with many in the House of Commons asking questions that allowed him to go over well-worn [...]