“I resign”: Russian prime minister Medvedev’s Twitter account hacked August 14, 2014 “I resign. I am ashamed for the actions of the government. I’m sorry,” Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev tweeted earlier today. Or so hackers would have us believe. The Russian leader's Twitter account appeared to have been successfully targeted, publishing a series of tweets this morning criticising president Vladimir Putin, retweeting opposition journalists and [...]
Brits are travelling more but spending less – while the UK attracts more overseas visitors August 14, 2014 Brits are travelling more but spending less while they are abroad, as tourists coming to the UK are flashing more of their own cash. The number of overseas visitors coming to the UK in June rose 10 per cent year-on-year to 3.2 million, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics this morning. They spent [...]
Premier League games to stay on TalkSport until 2019 August 14, 2014 TalkSport has extended its international broadcast deal with the Premier League to 2019. The radio station, owned by Belfast-based UTV media, will broadcast Premier League games to audiences in the UK and abroad for the next five years. A previous deal between the two parties had been due to expire at the end of [...]
No Eurozone GDP growth in second quarter after France and Germany disappoint August 14, 2014 There was zero GDP growth for the Eurozone in the second quarter of 2014, according to figures released today. The seasonally adjusted figures for GDP growth in the 18-country bloc grew by 0.2 per cent in the first quarter, and economists had predicted a similar level of growth in the second quarter. The result [...]
City board members’ minutes receive Art Attack treatment at Royal Academy August 14, 2014 Some of the City’s biggest board names gathered last night in what looked like a scene from Art Attack. Think tank Board Intelligence’s “The Board is Dead, Long Live the Board” at the Royal Academy of Arts saw ideas from board members about how things could be done differently (gathered from a series of previous [...]
Syria chemical weapons: Last of sarin gas destroyed August 14, 2014 All of Syria's precursor materials for the production of sarin gas have been destroyed, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The international watchdog announced yesterday that 580 tonnes of chemicals had been removed from Syria and destroyed aboard an American ship called the MV Cape Ray. The vessel, [...]
Uber banned in Berlin in latest taxi app crackdown August 14, 2014 Uber has been banned in Berlin, according to a press release from the State Office for Public Order of affairs. The press release, issued on Wednesday, said the app-enabled service was in violation of the Passenger Transport Act. The headline of the press release was titled "prohibition order to protect the public". The company has [...]
When will UK interest rates rise? Not anytime soon according to MPC member David Miles August 14, 2014 Don't expect the Bank of England (BoE) to be raising interest rate anytime soon. That is the message from monetary policy committee (MPC) member David Miles this morning. Miles said that a subdued outlook on inflation means the BoE will not be pushed into increasing the interest rate, which has been held at 0.5 [...]
Richard Branson’s PM Chequers boast sparks awkward Twitter questions August 14, 2014 Richard Branson’s latest blog has been conjuring some awkward questions on Twitter. The entrepreneur wrote about relationship between business and politics before stating, “Dined at Chequers with 9 of last 10 Prime Ministers. Won’t reveal who didn’t invite me – was it something I said?!” Impressive, you might say. But Michael Jary, partner at OC&C [...]
Flybe pilot lands flight one-handed after artificial arm “detached” August 14, 2014 A pilot lost control of a passenger plane after his artificial arm became detached while attempting to land, a new investigation has found. The pilot was landing the Flybe plane, which was carrying 47 passengers and four crew from Birmingham to Belfast, during windy conditions at night. Although he checked that his [...]