“Wish we could say more”: Apple sends out event invite – could it be to do with the iPhone 6…? August 28, 2014 If you received one of these, you know you're in Apple's in-crowd – this afternoon mysterious invitations landed in the inboxes of Silicon Valley's digirati. What could it possibly be? Judging by previous rumours, it's either: a) the iPhone 6 launch; or, er, b) the iPhone 6 launch. Although there's a (slim) chance it might [...]
Strictly Come Dancing vs The X Factor – who wins in the battle of the ratings (and how have they fared in the past five years)? August 28, 2014 The launch of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing will go head-to-head with an audition episode of ITV's The X Factor next month – but which show is mostly likely to win the ratings war? A few years ago, the smart money would have been on the Simon Cowell behemoth, which at one point looked like [...]
David Cameron warns of “further consequences” if Russia continues to invade Ukraine August 28, 2014 David Cameron has said he is "extremely concerned" by evidence Vladimir Putin has launched a full-blown invasion in eastern Ukraine, warning there will be "further consequences" if Russia doesn't pull them out. In a statement this afternoon, the Prime Minister said the Russian president was "completely disregarding" the sovereignty of its neighbour. The international community [...]
More tube strikes on the way? RMT announces overtime ban for next week August 28, 2014 The Rail, Maritime and Transport workers' union has made the latest move in its conflict with London Underground (LU) and Mayor Boris Johnson. On Wednesday, RMT staff will be instructed not to work any overtime and not to participate in development courses. The union blamed the action on LU's failure to engage over plans to close ticket [...]
London restaurant Chilango raises tasty £2.2 million with crowdfunded burrito bond August 28, 2014 London burrito restaurant Chilango has raised a tasty sum through its so-called “burrito bond”, which it funded through crowd funding platform CrowdCube. The Mexican food chain raised £2.2m, more than double the amount it was aiming for with the retail bond. Almost 750 investors bought into the four-year mini-bond, which offers a fixed-rate of eight [...]
Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael says he would join “Team Scotland” August 28, 2014 Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael has caused an uproar among “no” campaigners by saying he would be prepared to join Alex Salmond's team in the event of independence, according to the FT. The UK's cabinet minister for Scotland said if Scots vote “yes” on 18 September, he would be willing to negotiate the terms of [...]
Return of the ash cloud? The Icelandic met office has outlined three scenarios for the Bárðarbunga volcano August 28, 2014 Grumbling Icelandic volcano Bárðarbunga has had the airline industry on tenterhooks since mid-August as it continues to hint at a possible eruption. Now it looks like it might be getting ready to blow, after "cauldrons" of water began to appear on the ice sheet above it. The volcano, pronounced "Bowr-tha-boon-ga", is below the 500m-thick Vatnajökull [...]
German bonds hit record low as tensions between Ukraine and Russia simmer August 28, 2014 Investors piled into "safe haven" assets this morning, pushing the German 10-year bond yields to a record low after Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko cancelled a trip to Turkey citing "Russian troop deployments". In a televised statement, Poroshenko said his "place is in Ukraine", adding that he was calling a meeting of the security council "due [...]
GSK Ebola vaccine to be tested in UK August 28, 2014 An international consortium is fast-tracking an Ebola vaccine under development by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and GlaxoSmithKline, with human trials set to begin in the UK as early as September. The move follows a declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a public [...]
Watch: Tory MP Douglas Carswell defects to Ukip raising possibility of party’s first Commons seat August 28, 2014 Senior Tory backbencher and MP for Clacton Douglas Carswell has become the first Conservative MP to defect to Nigel Farage's UK Independence Party in six years, coming ahead of next year's general election. Carswell, who has been MP for the Essex constituency since 2005, announced he was jumping ship today, saying David Cameron and senior [...]