Former BBC Trust vice-chair condemns “brutal” government treatment of Rona Fairhead September 14, 2016 The former vice-chair of the BBC Trust has bemoaned the “pretty brutal” treatment of Rona Fairhead after she resigned from her role as chair of the organisation last night. Fairhead has been chair of the regulation body since October 2014. With the Trust due to be scrapped, she was set, with the approval of the previous government under [...]
Uber launches driverless car pilot in Pittsburgh September 14, 2016 Uber users in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania could be in for a surprise today – their car could turn up with no-one in the driver's seat. The tech firm has made self-driving Ubers available for the first time in the US city – although they will come with a safety driver "to make sure the ride goes [...]
Labour has secured a top role in overseeing the Brexit process, with a party MP set to chair a new select committee September 14, 2016 Labour has secured a plum role in the oversight of government Brexit policy, with an MP from Jeremy Corbyn's party set to chair a new select committee on leaving the EU, following an agreement between party whips. Read More: Chuka Umunna to bid for Home Affairs committee leadership The committee will shadow David Davis' new Department [...]
The emperor’s new H2Os: Bottled water will offset slowdown in other areas of Europe’s food and beverage industry, according to Moody’s September 14, 2016 Move over fizzy drinks, there's a new favourite beverage in town – and it's a classic. Fast-growing demand for bottled water will help Europe's food and beverage firms to offset declining growth in sugary drinks sales and other areas, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service. Nestle, Danone and Coca-Cola are some of the [...]
Labour market shows no sign of Brexit uncertainty – yet September 14, 2016 The number of people in work hit a new record high in July, as economy-watchers were left waiting even longer for signs of a post-referendum slowdown. Figures out from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday morning showed the unemployment rate steady at 4.9 per cent, defying concerns that the jobs market could have faltered in [...]
Sadiq Khan calls on Theresa May to axe her school reform plans September 14, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has called on the government to drop plans to open new grammar schools. Speaking in City Hall today, Khan rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's claims that reintroducing the schools, along with the associated testing for students, would raise standards. Instead, he warned the programme would inevitably lead to segregation. Only four per [...]
E-cigarettes: British Medical Journal study links vaping to quitting smoking September 14, 2016 The vaping community has been given another boost after a study published by the prestigious British Medical Journal has said the growth of e-cigarettes in England has been associated with a higher rate of successful attempts to quit smoking. Last year, e-cigarettes may have resulted in around 18,000 people becoming long-term tobacco quitters. "Although these numbers [...]
It turns out the location of craft breweries can predict London’s next house price hotspot September 14, 2016 Craft beer may be a hipster phenomenon, but it's worth paying attention to – if only for the fact it may be able to predict where the capital's next area of house price growth may be. A study by EasyProperty has found prices in the areas around London's 50 "boutique" breweries have bucked the post-Brexit [...]
Home purchase lending fell by 13 per cent in the month following the Brexit vote September 14, 2016 The first figures on mortgage lending to cover the full month since the Brexit vote show that lending to home owners fell 13 per cent month-on-month in July, and 12 per cent year-on-year. According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), the amount of borrowing from first-time buyers has also declined month-on-month and the buy to let market has [...]
Just Eat delivers new chatbot “coach” to advise customers on takeaways September 14, 2016 Takeaway giant Just Eat will launch a Facebook Messenger chatbot food "coach" as part of an ambitious, tech-focused rebrand in which it is attempting to create "the world's greatest food community". Just Eat's chatbot will be on hand to customers to "bring food discovery to life by engaging with customers to coach and inspire their food choices", the company announced [...]