Chancellor George Osborne told to “sit down man” by speaker John Bercow July 21, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne was already looking at a fairly stressful day, given he's being grilled by the Treasury Select Committee about the Budget and the spending review he announced earlier in the day. Read more: Chancellor George Osborne defends bank surcharge as he faces Treasury Select Committee What he probably didn't expect was to be [...]
International bookings for flights to Greece are beginning to rebound July 21, 2015 Here's an encouraging sign that Greece may be temporarily out of the quagmire: bookings for international flights to Greece have rebounded in the last week, having fallen in the first two weeks of July. Data by ForwardKeys published today showed that, while the number of bookings was 44 per cent lower than last year in [...]
Know-it-alls know the least when it comes to spotting fake terms July 21, 2015 Pre-rated stocks, fixed-rate deduction, annualised credit – all of these are completely made up financial terms, but if you consider yourself an expert you'd probably be easily tricked into thinking they were real, according to new research published in the journal Psychological Science. Read more: One in 10 parents think their children are "too clever" [...]
London’s newest bridge from Nine Elms to Pimlico – in pictures July 21, 2015 New pictures have been revealed showing designs for what may become London's newest Bridge connecting Nine Elms and Pimlico. The four designs have been shortlisted by Wandsworth council after an international search which more than 70 teams entered. (Design and Engineering Robin Snell & Partners, Sven Ole Hansen ApS, Aarsleff and ÅF Lighting) The detailed designs will be [...]
Storyline app: Shark Tank entrepreneur Mark Cuban wants to reinvent Twitter and give users “social media zero” July 21, 2015 People think Twitter has a problem. Whether it's the "sloppy" handling of chief executive Dick Costolo's exit or slowing growth in the number of users and a lack of product innovation – everyone has an opinion. Now there's one person who's decided to put his money where his mouth is and take some action. The [...]
Does size matter? English devolution may not lead to productivity gains, admits Treasury secretary Lord Jim O’Neill July 21, 2015 One of George Osborne's most senior Treasury colleagues has admitted that when it comes to solving the productivity puzzle, English devolution is little more than a punt. Commercial secretary to the Treasury Jim O'Neill, who heads up the City Growth Commission, has been tasked with replicating London's economic success in other cities throughout the UK. The group [...]
Government spending review: More public land to be sold off for homes as George Osborne seeks £20bn in savings July 21, 2015 Remember, remember 25 November: that's when the government will publish its spending review, setting out exactly how it will cut £20bn to eradicate the country's deficit over the next five years. And it looks like that a pretty major literal land-grab will be taking place. The chief secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands [...]
London in the Sky: Have a Michelin-starred dinner while dangling 25 metres above St Katharine Docks July 21, 2015 Here's a restaurant that takes the concept of a "pop-up" rather literally: tickets have gone on sale for a "dining experience" which gives diners the chance to have a Michelin-starred dinner cooked for them – while dangling 25m above the capital. Those with weak stomachs need not apply… London in the Sky offers breakfast, lunch, [...]
Treasury to cut Bank of England monetary policy committee meetings from 12 to eight July 21, 2015 If you've been getting fed up with months of MPC updates with no change – and let's face it, after six years of the same update, who isn't – then there's some good news. The number of monetary policy committee meetings is about to be reduced to just eight per year, down from 12. This [...]
No, Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett did not just buy a Greek island for €15m July 21, 2015 Investing in Greece might seem like a bit of a risk right now, but what about Greek islands? Rumours have been sprouting that various celebrities – ranging from the likes of A-list couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and fellow actor Johnny Depp to the Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett – have been snapping [...]