Russell Brand wins award for making no sense while Boris Johnson snatches first place for clarity December 3, 2014 Poor Russell Brand can't seem to catch a break these days, with opinion polls showing him to be more unpopular than Jeremy Clarkson and column inches being devoted to his poor reaction to tough questions. If things weren't bad enough for the self-styled revolutionary, he's just been named the winner of the Plain English Campaign's [...]
Here is everything we know about the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine December 3, 2014 Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has confirmed there has been an accident at one of the country’s major nuclear power plants today. The reactor affected is Zaporizhia NPP – the largest power plant in Europe, which is in the South East of the country. “I know that an accident has occurred at the Zaporizhia NPP,” Yatsenyuk said. Ukraine’s energy [...]
Just Eat shares plummets as founding shareholders sell 7.7 per cent stake December 3, 2014 Takeaway site Just Eat became the biggest faller on the FTSE 250 this morning, after its founding shareholders sold a 7.7 per cent stake in the company. Shares fell 8.64 per cent to 309p in mid-morning trading as it emerged shareholders including Index Ventures, SM Trust and Vitruvian Partners sold off part of their share [...]
Osborne gets last minute economic boost: UK service sector growth surges again while Europe hits 11-month low in latest PMI December 3, 2014 The UK’s service sector surged ahead of expectations in November as growth hit an 11-month low in the Eurozone, telling two very different stories of economic activity. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) came in at 58.6 for November, ahead of the 56.5 expected and 56.2 in October, in another boost for the UK economy [...]
These charts sum up everything you need to know about the 2014 Autumn Statement December 3, 2014 It’s Autumn Statement day and George Osborne’s speech will likely focus on the UK having a fast growing economy and falling unemployment rate. Coming from the other side of the Commons will be assertions that there is a cost of living crisis and that expenditure is still too high. What is the truth? Here are [...]
Autumn Statement 2014 drinking game (use Tennant’s, tea or tequila) December 3, 2014 Are you thirsty for tax policies? Comforted by a large cup of hot pension news? Or fizzing over with anticipation for more infrastructure funding? This is the game for you. When you hear the Autumn Statement buzzword – take the correct number of sips. Hard working families 1 sip Long-term economic plan 1 [...]
Italian bond yields just dipped below two per cent for the first time ever December 3, 2014 Yields on Italian 10-year bonds have fell to 1.997 per cent this morning, the first time they've ever dropped below two per cent. The fall suggests investor confidence in the country – which in August fell into its third recession since 2008 – is beginning to strengthen. The drop came on the back of figures [...]
Nigel Farage’s confusion on sex education is just the latest in a series of Ukip policy flip-flops December 3, 2014 Ukip has once again had to clarify party policy after Nigel Farage appeared to disown the position held by his deputy Paul Nuttall that sex education should be scrapped for primary school children. Speaking in an ITV debate with young voters, the Ukip leader said: I have never advocated that policy … I know there [...]
Singapore stock exchange hit by 3.5 hour delay after computer glitch – and the regulator isn’t happy December 3, 2014 Traders in Singapore were treated to a lie in, of sorts, after the Singapore Exchange (SGX) delayed trading due to a computer glitch. The index opened at 12.30pm local time, three and a half hours later than the usual 9am start, after a delay caused by updates to the exchange’s computer system made over the [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: Lord Heseltine calls for minimum wage hike December 3, 2014 Former Tory deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine has called for a hike in minimum wages, saying there is no argument for the government to keep wages low. At an event held by Management Today magazine at Claridge's on the eve of George Osborne's Autumn Statement, Heseltine said the "great thing about being a government adviser, rather [...]