An independent Scotland would lose its young workers to the rest of the UK September 3, 2014 If Scotland votes in favour of independence on 18 September, young workers are the most likely group to pack up and leave the country, according to a report published in the journal Population, Space and Place. Called Forecasting Scottish Migration in the Context of the 2014 Constitutional Change Debate, it looks at how internal [...]
Which European countries would be hardest hit by a Russian gas embargo? September 3, 2014 With relations between Europe and Russia at their worst point since the fall of the Berlin wall, the Institute of Energy Economics (EWI) has taken it upon itself to examine what would happen to various European nations if Russia imposed a gas export embargo in November 2014. The good news for the UK is that [...]
Goodbye, productivity puzzle? Revised ONS figures show we’re more productive than we thought September 3, 2014 The "productivity puzzle" just got less puzzling, after the Office for National statistics published changes to the way it measures GDP – and the gap between output and productivity turned out to be narrower than we thought. Productivity, which is a measure of the goods and services produced per worker per hour, is a [...]
PMQs: David Cameron hijacked by ‘Yes’ poster as he hits out at Scottish Independence campaign September 3, 2014 David Cameron was interrupted by an SNP member waving a 'Yes' poster as he attempted to derail arguments for Scottish independence at Prime Minister's Questions today. The Prime Minister had an unusually easy time of it at the pre-lunch session, with many in the House of Commons asking questions that allowed him to go over well-worn [...]
Arsenal’s English core: Gunners have three times as many England players as Chelsea, but who is the most represented club in Roy Hodgson’s squad? September 3, 2014 After Arsenal’s deadline day dash to sign Danny Welbeck from Manchester United for £16m, Arsene Wenger’s squad now has a strong domestic core running through it. Just under nine years ago Wenger named the first ever 16 man Premier League squad not to feature an Englishman, yet he could now feasibly pick six English [...]
IFA 2014: Samsung unveils new curved screen Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Note 4, Gear S smartwatch and virtual reality headset Gear VR September 3, 2014 Samsung has unveiled four new devices, including two Galaxy Notes, a smartwatch and a virtual reality headset. The Korean manufacturer has pipped rival Apple to the post with a big launch event at tech conference IFA in Berlin today. Two new “phablet” devices- larger than a smartphone, but not quite a tablet- in the Galaxy [...]
Super skinny North London house goes on to auction with a £235,000 price tag September 3, 2014 It may seem like a home for the super-svelte, but you'll need a fat wallet if you want to buy this seven-foot wide home near Turnpike Lane station in North London – it's being put up for auction with a guide price of £235,000. Here's the skinny: the two-storey, two-bedroom home on St Anns Road [...]
Kremlin quashes “permanent” ceasefire claim as blasts heard in Ukraine September 3, 2014 In this morning's newsletter we noted our scepticism at the use of the word “permanent” when it came to the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Sadly, within two hours of the announcement from Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, it turns out that phrase has indeed met with some stumbling blocks. Although Poroshenko's Tweet has not [...]
Scottish independence: That WEF report could boost Salmond’s plans to keep the pound September 3, 2014 Most of the UK media attention given to the new World Economic Forum (WEF) rankings has been focused on Britain edging up one place to take spot number nine for global competitiveness. However, there may be more to glean from the WEF's report than the UK's marginal improvement in competitiveness. Specifically, the WEF's rankings on [...]
Killik investment chief Paul Kavanagh announces departure September 3, 2014 City stockbroker and wealth manager Killik announced a major departure this morning as partner Paul Kavanagh is set to leave at the end of this year with two colleagues to set up his own company. Kavanagh, chief investment officer at Killik and chairman of Killik & Co's capital division, will leave the company on [...]