There’s no such thing as ‘non-academic’ says this one MP January 6, 2014 Education and childcare minister Liz Truss has challenged the idea of a 'non-academic' child, asking: "What does 'non-academic' even mean?" Echoing the idea put forward by Matthew Syed in his book Bounce, she said that the idea of natural talent determining ability is limiting, and that Britain is losing out to other countries that care [...]
Regulators confirm enforcement probes into Co-op Bank January 6, 2014 The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have confirmed that they're undertaking an enforcement investigation in relation to the Co-operative Bank. The PRA says it will consider the role of former senior managers, whilst the FCA says that the decisions and events leading up to June 2013 will be looked at. Co-op [...]
Google’s plan to take Android to the open road January 6, 2014 Google has announced a new partnership with car manufacturers Honda, Hyundai and Audi to customise its operating system for their vehicles. The Android system would allow apps and music from Android devices to be integrated with onboard car systems. This would be powered by Nvidia chips, for its multimedia platforms. The move could spell an [...]
TfL is asking for views on upping the congestion charge January 6, 2014 Transport for London (TfL) has hatched a new plan to raise funds, announcing today that it'd like Londoners' views on some changes to the congestion charge – which it's intending to increase. The daily charge, which has been £10 since 2011, will be upped to £11.50 with the new proposals. The increase will raise around [...]
Bitcoin bounces back above $1,000 after this new endorsement January 6, 2014 Bitcoin has bounced back across the $1,000 (£610) mark in the wake of the announcement that social game company Zynga would accept the virtual currency for some of its services. Players of games such as FarmVille 2 and CastleVille will now be able to use Bitpay, a Bitcoin payment provider to make in-game purchases. Zynga [...]
German inflation accelerates slightly in December January 6, 2014 German inflation accelerated marginally in December, increasing 1.4 per cent from a year earlier, according to a flash estimate released by the national statistics agency. Europe's largest economy is, however, still falling short of the European Central Bank's target of two per cent inflation, while other countries in the euro area continue to struggle with [...]
China gives private banks pilot the thumbs up January 6, 2014 A pilot scheme to create three to five private banks has been approved by China's banking regulator, in a bid to up financial support for struggling smaller firms, reports Reuters. The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) said it would maintain "prudential regulatory standards" when approving private banks. The first would, it said, be set up [...]
Here’s Nissan’s new London cab January 6, 2014 There's a new London black cab in the works. Japanese car maker Nissan has today unveiled its new version of the iconic vehicle, which is expected to go on sale in December. The company said the new taxi will sport a 1.6l petrol engine, making it cleaner than the current diesel model. It'll also be [...]
Here’s why Osborne thinks 2014 is “the year of hard truths” January 6, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne has spoken today on the economic choice Britain has this year. Difficult decisions are needed in 2014, he said, with more cuts (£25bn after the next election) and repairs. He added that working through the plan to deliver economy success is "a choice for the British people". Speaking at manufacturing company Sertec [...]
2014: The return of the gold bulls January 6, 2014 Gold analysts are at their most bullish for over a year, according to Bloomberg News. Of the 21 analysts surveyed, 15 expected gold to rise this week, two were bearish and four were neutral. This represents the highest number of bulls seen in the survey since December 2012. The survey follows a Capital Economics note [...]