MPs demand probe into market manipulation July 2, 2014 Share traders routinely fiddle prices at the end of each day’s trading to boost bonuses and profits, influential MPs claimed yesterday, demanding a full probe from the City watchdog. The probe could set the scene for a scandal far larger than Libor manipulation, as stocks are held widely by the general public and in pension [...]
$16,000: The amount it costs to get one person into the Chinese army July 2, 2014 Joining the army isn't a cheap matter in China. Limited spots and high demand mean that Chinese families end up forking out $16,000 for one child to pass the army entrance exam. China has the world's largest army, but it also has the world's biggest population, and young people from across the 31 municipalities have [...]
“Facebook rape” is now a crime in Ireland July 2, 2014 Ireland's first case establishing so-called Facebook rape, or “frape”, as a crime has taken place in Dublin's central criminal court. The act involves posting updates from someone else's account without their permission. The case involved a man using a woman's mobile phone to access her Facebook account, publishing sexually offensive status updates from it. A [...]
Blog post criticising former Merrill Lynch boss is “forgotten” by Google July 2, 2014 This morning, BBC journalist Robert Peston received a “notice of removal” from Google, informing him that an article he had published in 2007 about former Merrill Lynch boss Stan O'Neal would no longer be shown in European Google search results. Titled “Merrill's Mess”, the piece describes how O'Neal was forced to leave the investment bank [...]
Is this the most secure smartphone in the world? July 2, 2014 The answer that question is: probably. The Blackphone has been designed first and foremost to protect the owner's privacy as data security becomes increasingly important to consumers amid NSA spying revelations and data hacking concerns. Priced at $629, the smartphone runs ProvatOS, an Android-based operating system and has features which optimises the phone's security. These include a [...]
Dust clouds, star trails and meteor races: Astronomy Photographer of the Year award shortlist July 2, 2014 The Royal Observatory has revealed its shortlist of candidates for the 2014 Astronomy Photographer of the Year award. The selected photographs are not limited to celestial sights on our planet: they also include images from across our Solar System, galaxy and even further afield. From a rare daytime scene of Jupiter moments before its astronomical [...]
Rise in London house prices leads to increased affairs, says report July 2, 2014 Research has suggested that more couples than ever are being forced to continue living together even after they have split up, leading to an increase in affairs. A survey by the UK's largest and longest running dating site for married people, IllicitEncounters.com, has shown that over 42,000 married couples living in London have been put [...]
Job openings rise by 25 pc, but salaries stagnant July 2, 2014 The last six months may have seen a significant rise in the number of jobs created, if figures from job site Reed are anything to go by. Reed is reporting a 25 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of vacancies across its platform in the six months to 30 June. The increase in jobs [...]
First Direct makes high street debut July 2, 2014 The bank known for eschewing branches is making its first foray into a physical presence on the high street. After 25 years with online and telephone-only services, First Direct will appear in real life for the first time at 12 station locations including Clapham, Raynes Park and Vauxhall with branded cash machines. First Direct says the [...]
Unite urges Miliband to offer EU referendum July 2, 2014 The Unite union has called on the Labour party to offer an In-out referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. The for a vote on EU membership from Labour's biggest union backer will not come as welcome news to Ed Miliband, who has ruled out the possibility of an EU vote unless there is [...]