Institute for Public Policy Research: Re-draw the UK’s constituency map to get rid of safe seats and boost voter turnout August 26, 2015 Safe parliamentary seats should be scrapped to boost voter turnout, according to a new report out today. In the report, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank argues that the Boundary Commission’s responsibilities should be expanded to “consider the electoral competitiveness of a seat when reviewing constituency boundaries”. The Boundary Commission, which is responsible [...]
India blocks mobile internet for an entire state because of protests August 26, 2015 India blocked mobile internet in the entire state of Gujarat, in response to political protests being organised through Whatsapp, which have turned violent. Some 63m people living in the western state are affected by the blackout, and authorities say internet services will only resume after the protests subside. The protests are led by the state’s [...]
The UK’s gender pay gap is not a moral issue, but a business one August 25, 2015 A survey carried out by the Chartered Management Institute and the pay analysts XPertHR reported a 22 per cent gender pay gap at management level – with women earning far less than their male counterparts. This translates to women working effectively 57 days for free. This is unacceptable, but do the statistics really show a [...]
Black Monday 2015: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz tells baristas to be sensitive to customers worried about the stock market August 25, 2015 Could a cup of joe cure your stock market woes? Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz seems to think so. In a message to the coffee chain’s 190,000 employees yesterday, Schultz asked baristas to be sensitive to customers who might be worried about their portfolios. “Today’s financial market volatility, combined with great political uncertainty both at home and abroad, [...]
Andrew Tyrie asks Mark Carney to clarify Bank of England monetary policy committee conflict of interest rules August 25, 2015 The chairman of an influential parliamentary committee has asked Bank of England governor Mark Carney to reconsider rules surrounding membership of the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC). Andrew Tyrie, who chairs the Treasury Select Committee, wrote to Carney today about the appointment of Gertjan Vlieghe, a senior economist at the hedge fund Brevan Howard, to [...]
Labour leadership race: Acting leader Harriet Harman to meet with candidates amid vote infiltration concerns August 25, 2015 Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has asked to speak to all four leadership candidates amid growing concerns the vote could have been infiltrated by opponents. The private meeting is expected to focus on checking the process to make sure there are no votes made by those who are looking to skew the result. “The meeting [...]
Jeremy Corbyn ‘could sack Bank of England governor Mark Carney’ if he wins labour leadership and makes it to 10 Downing Street August 25, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney could be out of a job if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister, one of Corbyn’s closest advisers has claimed. Tax expert Richard Murphy, who advises the Labour leadership hopeful and is widely credited as the mastermind of so-called Corbynomics, said yesterday that the Bank is beholden to parliament. “Bank of England [...]
UK Immigration Bill: Illegal workers face jail as part of crackdown on rogue migrants and employers August 24, 2015 The Government is raising the stakes in its crackdown on illegal working today, introducing new penalties for employers who give jobs to undocumented migrants. Immigration minister James Brokenshire will say: “Illegal workers will face the prospect of a prison term and rogue employers could have their businesses closed, have their licences removed, or face prosecution [...]
Royal Dutch Shell opens talks with Iran by promising $2bn debt repayment August 24, 2015 Royal Dutch Shell has become the first UK company to take a major step towards reviving its trade relationship with Iran. Read more: If a nuclear deal is reached, Iran will be bursting with investment opportunities – here's what to look out for During a visit to the oil-rich country yesterday, the company's head [...]
Russia has banned Wikipedia today in what activists are calling an attack on open internet August 24, 2015 In yet another blow against open internet in Russia, authorities banned Wikipedia today, ostensibly over drug-related content. Officially, this is about a Wikipedia page essentially explaining how to make charas, a kind of cannabis. Kremlin’s surveillance authority Roskomnadzor has been trying to get the page removed, threatening to ban the whole website unless it complied. [...]