Who won the 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics? Japanese trio recognised for invention of blue light LED October 7, 2014 Three Japanese physicists have won the 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics, it was announced this morning. Professors Hiroshi Amano, Isamu Akasaki, and Shuji Nakamura invented the first blue light LED in the early 1990s. They did this by combining green and red LEDs with blue light. The breakthrough was significant because it paved [...]
Ebola outbreak reaches Europe: Four people monitored in Spain October 7, 2014 Last night, it was confirmed that a nurse in Spain had contracted Ebola. She tested positive for the disease after treating a repatriated missionary from Sierra Leone in a Madrid hospital, marking the first case of someone becoming infected with Ebola outside of the African continent. Now, three more people are being monitored [...]
2014 Nobel Prize winner John O’Keefe: UK needs more immigrants to boost science October 7, 2014 Yesterday, John O'Keefe became joint winner of the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine followng his contribution to the discovery of the brain's “inner GPS” system. The US-born 75-year-old is currently a researcher at University College London, and at a press conference following the prize-giving he said his career had really taken off in [...]
City banker pleads guilty to Libor fraud in first rate manipulation investigation UK conviction October 7, 2014 A senior banker at a British bank has pleaded guilty to charges in relation to the rigging of the Libor interbank lending rate. The unnamed banker, who is currently on bail, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud as part of the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) investigation into alleged Libor rate manipulation. A [...]
Two Ryanair planes clip wings after collision at Dublin Airport causing flight delays October 7, 2014 Two Ryanair planes have clipped each other while on the runways at Dublin Airport this morning, prompting an investigation by local authorities. The incident, which was tweeted about by at least one of the passengers, doesn't appear to have been too serious: minor delays have been reported but there is no suggestion of any [...]
London Underground staff plan 48hr Tube strike from October 14 October 7, 2014 Londoners are set for further Tube chaos next week with London Underground workers due to go on strike for 48 hours over staff cuts and ticket office closures. The strike, which will be held between 9:00pm next Tuesday and 8:59pm on Thursday, coincides with nationwide industrial action from council workers. The Rail, Maritime and Transport [...]
UK industrial production flat, as shares fall across Europe on German data October 7, 2014 After industrial production tumbled in Germany, the data was flat for the UK. Month-on-month figures showed a rise of 0.1 per cent, down from 0.5 per cent in July. Earlier this morning Germany had reported the biggest month-on-month drop in output since January 2009. Taken as a whole, it hasn't been a bad year for [...]
Carillon share price up as it becomes first UK company to be supported by Direct Lending Facility October 7, 2014 Shares in Carillion went up by 0.6 per cent to £3.14 in trading this morning, after the construction giant became the first firm to be supported by UK Export Finance’s Direct Lending Facility (DLF). Yesterday, the Wolverhampton-based company agreed to a major contract with Dubai World Trade Centre after securing government-backed loans worth £75m. [...]
Samsung share price up despite profits at three-year low October 7, 2014 Samsung has warned that its quarterly profit for the three months to September was at a three-year low, resulting in the electronics giant's first annual fall since 2011. Ahead of the release of its full financial results later this month, the South Korean company said its operating profit during the period declined by 60 [...]
German industrial production suffers biggest drop since January 2009 October 7, 2014 The latest industrial production figures came out for Germany this morning, and they aren't pretty. Not since January 2009 has the Eurozone powerhouse suffered like this: a four per cent drop month on month and a 2.8 per cent drop year on year. Both measures were rising last month. Expectations for the month-on-month data were [...]