Women in tech: Four charts which show the lack of diversity at eight top tech companies August 13, 2014 Apple is the latest high-profile tech company to release data on its employees' gender and ethnicity and it’s not a great outlook when it comes to showing diversity in the tech industry. Chief executive Tim Cook has said he’s “not satisfied” with the numbers. He’s not the only one who should be feeling that way, [...]
Male mutant flies could save the world’s crops through mating August 13, 2014 It might sound like science-fiction, but it's a real technique undergoing development. Male flies are being genetically modified by biotechnology company Oxitec to kill off their own population through mating. The Mediterranean fruit fly is currently an agricultural pest worldwide, infesting over 200 different types of crop. But by inserting a gene into [...]
Bring back hanging! Capital punishment still supported 50 years after Britain’s last execution August 13, 2014 On the 50th anniversary of the last state execution in Britain, a YouGov poll has found that 45 per cent of people would bring it back – with UKIP supporters the most enthusiastic. Although the average number of those in favour of state execution has fallen since 2010, when it was 51 per cent, nearly [...]
David Cameron: UK “will play role” in Yazidi rescue mission August 13, 2014 David Cameron has confirmed that Britain will "play a role" in an international mission to rescue stranded Yazidis in Iraq, after chairing a Cobra emergency meeting this afternoon. The Prime Minister, who had cut short a holiday in Portugal to chair the meeting, said that "detailed plans" were in place to help the [...]
Uber vs Lyft: Battle over false order claims escalates August 13, 2014 The bitter battle between ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft has been driven to new levels of intensity with both sides accusing the other of foul play. The gloves came off last week when San Francisco start-up Lyft, famous for its eccentric pink moustaches on car bonnets and recommendation that passengers greet their driver with a [...]
France to arm Iraq’s Kurds against Islamic State militant group August 13, 2014 France has announced that it is delivering weapons to the Kurds in Iraq, in order to help them fend off the Islamic State (IS) militant group that has taken control of much of the north of the country. A statement issued earlier today by the office of French President Francois Hollande said that the [...]
US retail and food sales edge up August 13, 2014 Retail and food sales reached $439.8bn (£263m) in the US last month, a marginal uptick of 0.5 per cent on June, and 3.7 per cent higher than July 2013. Health and personal care stores recorded the biggest annual rise, with July's sales up 7.3 per cent on last year, and 0.4 per cent on [...]
Watch: Jack Reacher author Lee Child on the Amazon row August 13, 2014 Jack Reacher author Lee Child appeared on Newsnight yesterday to explain why he and hundreds of other authors have spoken out against Amazon. The etail giant is in a stand-off over pricing with publishing group Hachette, which has the rights to authors as varied as JK Rowling (post-Harry Potter), Stephenie Meyer of Twilight fame, crime [...]
The French property market continues in vogue August 13, 2014 With images of the crystal clear sea and glamour of the Cote d’Azur, the South of France is everything one looks for in a luxury escape. But securing a slice of heaven on the exclusive French coast no longer needs to be a distant dream. The strength of the sterling means that turning a short [...]
Eurozone recovery clouded by poor industrial output August 13, 2014 The Eurozone's industrial output for June fell behind economists' expectations, placing a cloud over hopes of an economic recovery for the single currency. Eurostat's industrial production data, released earlier today, shows how the volume of production from industries such as factories and manufacturing has been changing month-on-month and year-on-year. In the single currency [...]