Feeling groggy? You could be suffering from “sleep drunkenness” September 29, 2014 Late nights, early mornings, and little sleep in between – a trio of events City workers are well-acquainted with. But a sleepless night hits some harder than others, and if you ever wake up not knowing where you are, have trouble talking, or feel irrational anger towards others, then you may in fact be [...]
George Osborne would cap family benefits at £23,000 to tackle “culture of welfare dependency” September 29, 2014 The Conservatives would freeze working age benefits for the next two years if the party secures the public vote next year, chancellor George Osborne has said. Speaking today at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, he warned of a growing “culture of welfare dependency” among young people, which the state could no longer fund. [...]
Conservative Party Conference: White Dee on benefits, the common touch and why she might vote Ukip September 29, 2014 After the defection of two MPs to Ukip, the Tory party has really been hoping for some popular support. But if they were looking for it in the form of Benefits Street star White Dee – whose real name is Deirdre Kelly – they might be disappointed. White Dee, who has also appeared [...]
Rate-rigging scandal: Lloyds share price slides as it sacks eight people and holds back £3m of bonuses September 29, 2014 Having paid out £226m to US and UK authorities for various cases of rate-rigging back in July, Lloyds Banking Group has now turned its attentions to its own staff, firing eight and holding back £3m of bonuses. Shares in the bank fell 0.5 per cent in early afternoon trading after it said it "has taken [...]
International Coffee Day 2014: Six reasons coffee is good for your health September 29, 2014 It's International Coffee Day (or #InternationalCoffeeDay if that's the way you swing) – the annual occasion on which we all raise a mug to our morning cup of joe. But is this a marketing ploy dreamed up by Starbucks and its international coffee corporation chums (er, a bit, obviously) – or does it have a [...]
Hong Kong protests: Best Instagram photos of “Occupy Central” as China blocks social media site September 29, 2014 As Hong Kong's streets have been subsumed by pro-democracy protestors, reports suggest that popular photo sharing app Instagram has been blocked in China. Photos of the protests have proliferated the social media service under the #OccupyCentral or #umbrellarevolution hashtag. Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents have taken to the city centre in recent days [...]
Hong Kong protests: Drone footage captures astonishing scale of “Occupy Central” protests September 29, 2014 Hong Kong’s streets are overflowing with protestors. As tens of thousands of people have taken to the city, drone footage released by a Hong Kong tabloid-style newspaper has captured the massive scale of the pro-democracy demonstrations known as "Occupy Central". In the four-minute video, posted by newspaper Apple Daily, roads in Hong Kong [...]
Mortgage lending falls in August for the third month in a row September 29, 2014 The number of mortgages approved fell to 64,212 in August, down from 66,100 in July, data published by the Bank of England this morning showed. The figure fell below analysts' expectations of 65,000, suggesting the housing market is cooling faster than thought. Does this mean Bank of England governor Mark Carney's Mortgage Market Review is [...]
SSE share price scarred by fire at Ferrybridge September 29, 2014 Shares in SSE fell 0.4 per cent to 1,516 pence this morning, following news that two units in its Ferrybridge power station are still out of action. A fire broke out at the Yorkshire-based power plant on 31 July, damaging units three and four. In a statement released earlier today, SSE confirmed that it [...]
Aldi UK profits jump nearly 66 per cent September 29, 2014 Group turnover at budget supermarket Aldi rocketed more than 35 per cent in the UK and Ireland during 2013, while pre-tax profits soared by nearly two-thirds, it said today. Sales at the discount grocer rose to £5.27bn for the year to December 31, 2013, up from £3.89bn the preceding year. Pre-tax profits, meanwhile, jumped [...]