Scottish parliamentary election: Scottish National Party’s support falls as Labour and the Conservatives vie for second place May 5, 2016 A final poll for the Holyrood election shows support for the Scottish National Party (SNP) to have fallen, with a decline in voter satisfaction with its record. The poll by YouGov found the SNP still dominates support, but that the party may now fail to surpass the 2011 landslide victory, when the party won 69 [...]
Uber just increased its policy firepower with former EU competition boss Neelie Kroes among new Global Policy Advisory Group members May 5, 2016 The former Brussels official in charge of competition in Europe for more than a decade is among several high-profile names joining Uber's new team of policy advisors. The transport startup which has faced regulatory hurdles in several cities across the globe, including London, has formed a new board of heavyweights to advise on the matter. The former EU [...]
Megabrew: AB InBev-SABMiller deal bubbles along down under May 5, 2016 The so-called megabrew deal between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller took a step closer to becoming a reality today, after it received a thumbs up from Australia's antitrust watchdog. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said it will not oppose AB InBev's takeover of SABMiller, concluding the proposed £71bn tie-up would be unlikely to result in rocketing [...]
Trinity Mirror share price soars after publisher confirms closure of New Day newspaper May 5, 2016 Shares in Trinity Mirror are currently up more than seven per cent after the publisher confirmed the closure of New Day this morning. The title was launched on 29 February and is to publish its last edition tomorrow after circulation fell below 40,000. City A.M. reported on the closure last night and it was confirmed by [...]
Slimmed down RSA Insurance is looking good May 5, 2016 RSA Insurance Group today reported operating profits rose in the first quarter of 2016, as the company's plans to slim down by disposing of overseas businesses starts to reach its final stages. Shares in the company were trading up two per cent at 478.7p shortly after 10am London time. [stockChart code="RSA" date="2016-05-05 10:16"] The figures Net written [...]
Services PMI comes in at three-year low in April – rounding off hat-trick of weak economic data May 5, 2016 The UK economy could be growing at its slowest pace in three years, according to purchasing managers' index (PMI) data out this week, which has raised serious concerns about the security of the economic recovery. Today it was the turn of services – which makes up four-fifths of the UK economy – to show signs [...]
Good night, New Day: Trinity Mirror confirms closure of title after nine weeks May 5, 2016 Trinity Mirror has today confirmed that it is closing its fledgling title New Day, less than three months after it first launched. In a statement released ahead of its AGM, the publisher remarked that the title's circulation had been "below expectations", despite having built a strong following on Facebook, and it will therefore close on Friday 6 May. [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Everything else you need to know May 5, 2016 London's mayoral election is finally underway after months and months of intense campaigning. And it started terribly. Voters in Barnet have been turned away from polling stations due to incomplete polling lists, leading to speculation the vote could come under a legal challenge. The council has apologised, and is now offering an "emergency proxy vote". [...]
Fearless future: Virtual reality could help cure paranoia May 5, 2016 Using a virtual reality (VR) headset could help cure people's paranoia, Oxford researchers have found. The technology was used in psychological treatment of patients suffering severe paranoia, which affects as much as two per cent of the population in Britain and can leave sufferers unable to leave the house. The research is a significant step [...]
The European Central Bank thinks it still has some bullets left May 5, 2016 The European Central Bank (ECB) has insisted – again – that it stands ready to do whatever it takes to make sure the Eurozone does not slip into a Japan-style spiral of deflation. In its monthly economic bulletin published this morning, the ECB said that its extraordinary monetary policy measures – negative interest rates and [...]