Nine rather disturbing political portraits June 3, 2014 Yesterday, a former Lib Dem spad tweeted a photograph of himself holding a rather interesting painting of Vince Cable. It instantly sparked some debate about whether Cable was readying himself for a Lib Dem take-over with propaganda-style artworks, (he was in China last week after all). As we later found out though, [...]
The GPS luggage tags that could change how you travel June 3, 2014 Flights are notorious when it comes to keeping luggage safe, particularly for those who travel by plane regularly. With passengers understandably going to great lengths to distinguish their belongings – from gaudy stickers, oversized labels and, in some cases, spray paint – a technological step forward seems sensible. That’s the thinking of several leading airlines, [...]
Renewables not fossil fuels are a threat to energy security says new report June 3, 2014 The widespread use of wind and solar energy poses a serious risk to the UK's energy security and could undermine the reliability of the country's energy supply, according to a new report from the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF). The crisis in Ukraine and Crimea has focused the minds of policy makers on energy security. [...]
How England’s World Cup performance hits pub share prices June 3, 2014 Another nugget of research into the impact England’s World Cup performance could have – this time, it's about pubs. Equiniti, the share registration services provider, decided to collate the share price drop the UK’s listed pub chain operators saw at the point England crashed out of previous tournaments. As one might expect, the quicker we've [...]
Domestic acquisitions fall to lowest level since records began June 3, 2014 UK acquisitions of other UK companies worth £1m or more fell sharply in the first three months of this year, according to Office for National Statistics data. Just 26 of these domestic acquisitions took place in the first quarter of the year, down from 59 in the last quarter of 2013. This is the lowest [...]
Eurozone inflation is even weaker than we expected and it’s got the ECB scared June 3, 2014 Today brings the week's most important data point. Annual Eurozone inflation is in – and it's even weaker than economists had forecast. Prices rose by just 0.5 per cent in the year to May, according to Eurostat's flash estimate, far weaker than the 0.6 expected and the 0.7 per cent CPI reported in the year [...]
Apple gives Bitcoin apps new hope June 3, 2014 Apple's latest update to its app store guidelines may have opened the way to allow apps that deal in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Apps for transmitting "approved virtual currencies" may be permitted so long as they do not break any laws. However, the tech giant did not provide any clarification regarding its new rules. The [...]
Construction sector growth slides to October low June 3, 2014 The construction sector is slowing down, but only by a little. A Markit survey has found that the sector is now growing as slowly as it was back in October. The headline purchasing managers' index for the sector has slid from 60.8 to 60, while analysts had expected to see a small increase to 61. [...]
A lorry has broken down in Oxford Circus. It’s carrying this massive octopus June 3, 2014 We can't help but think that there will be some very confused commuters in London this morning. It appears to be made out of polysterene, but do take care folks, these creatures can run on their tentacles, and have nine brains. Oh, and good luck explaining how it made you late to the boss. Unsurprisingly, [...]
World Cup fever is setting in, but investors are getting out of Brazil. Here’s why June 3, 2014 With just over a week until things kick off in Brazil, the host country is no longer a favourite. While still firmly favoured by bookies, Brazil is looking less attractive investors, according to research firm Markit. They say that investors have withdrawn from Brazil exposed funds for nine of the last 12 months, with one [...]