Russian rouble falls to 18-year low against the dollar January 20, 2016 The Russian rouble has fallen to its lowest value against the dollar since its 1998 redenomination. The rouble has lost around 57 per cent of its dollar value since mid-2014, when oil prices began to decline sharply. Swings in the rouble have closely tracked movements in oil prices over the last two years. Crude oil [...]
Uber rule changes: Transport for London to shake up private hire vehicle regulation – but it won’t insist on the five minute wait time January 20, 2016 Transport for London has revealed its plans to shake up private hire vehicles – including Uber – which would include formal English language requirements for drivers – but it won't insist on the controversial five-minute wait time. Other proposals include the introduction of guaranteed fare estimates for customers ahead of their journey, the provision of driver and vehicle details [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Why Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith may struggle to emulate Boris Johnson by defying polls to win City Hall January 20, 2016 A Tory candidate for London mayor that isn’t beloved by the wider Conservative party is down in the polls to a strong Labour candidate, but has Australian election strategist Lynton Crosby on board. It’s just over 100 days until the election and all signs point to a Labour win. Starting to sound familiar? The year [...]
Beckett report: Labour failed to overcome the “myth” and convince voters it could be trusted on the economy January 20, 2016 The day after her report into Labour's defeat at last year's election was published, Dame Margaret Beckett has said the party has been "honest" in facing up to what went wrong. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Beckett said the single biggest problem Labour faced was that it couldn't overcome the perception it couldn't be trusted on the economy. She said it had Labour failed to [...]
Apple iOS versus Google Play Store: Here’s the winner in each country according to downloads and revenue in 2015 January 20, 2016 In the ongoing battle of Apple versus Google, there's a surprising winner across the world – both of them. More people are downloading apps from Google's Play Store than Apple in most major countries. Only three of the top 20 countries – Britain, Canada and Japan – buck this trend, with iOS more popular than Google Play in [...]
Former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna slams train group service as a “complete and utter rip off” January 20, 2016 Former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna got to his feet in the House of Commons last night to lament the cost of travelling on Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), branding the service a "rip off". Speaking the MPs, Umunna said that the cost of travelling on the train to and from "my constituency on Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs [...]
UK unemployment drops to its lowest rate for over a decade, but earnings growth hits nine-month low January 20, 2016 Pay growth has fallen to a nine-month low, according to figures published this morning. Average weekly earnings not including bonuses rose 1.9 per cent in the three months to November compared with the same period last year, the Office for National Statistics said. It marks a slowdown from two per cent in the three months to October. [...]
Swiss Market Index plummets, down 3.5 per cent mid-morning January 20, 2016 The Swiss Market Index (SMI) fell dramatically this morning, down 3.5 per cent by mid-morning to 7,938.86, from a previous close of 8,223.76. Particularly poor performers included Zurich Insurance Group, which fell 8.4 per cent, offshore drilling company Transocean, which dropped 5.4 per cent, and Credit Suisse Group, which tumbled 4.8 per cent. Zurich's announcement [...]
How much does being President of the United States age you? Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush’s aging rates compared January 20, 2016 How much does being leader of the free world age you? Quite a lot, as it turns out. (especially if you get caught fondling the intern) The internet has been buzzing over the difference in Barack Obama’s appearance at his first and last State of the Union speech, a mere seven years apart, with recent [...]
Oil prices: Glencore chairman Tony Hayward and UBS chairman Alex Weber warn oil to stay lower for longer as WTI slides towards $27 January 20, 2016 Market mavens beat the "lower even for longer" drum on oil prices during an annual meeting of global political and business elites, as US crude careered towards $27 per barrel. Brent crude, the global benchmark, shed 2.89 per cent to $27.93 per barrel today. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, the US benchmark, slumped 3.4 per cent [...]