Retail sales suggest UK economic growth to slow in the third quarter September 17, 2015 UK retail sales inched up in August – having dipped a month earlier – but a lack of strength is leading analysts to warn that UK growth is hitting a "soft patch" in the third quarter. Retail sales grew by just 0.2 per cent on a monthly basis, in line with expectations, according to the [...]
Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw cleared of wrongdoing in cash-for-access scandal September 17, 2015 The two ex-foreign secretaries stepped down after a cash-for-access scandal uncovered by an undercover TV investigation, but always denied any wrongdoing. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has now found that neither broke any Commons rules. Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Labour MP Jack Straw were caught on camera by an investigation by Channel [...]
Google’s wearables push “Project Aura” could mean Google Glass is making a comeback September 17, 2015 Poor, embattled Google Glass. Google tried everything, even teaming up with couture designer Diane von Furstenburg, but despite its best efforts nothing seemed able to shake customers’ feeling that the headgear made you look, well, like a bit of an idiot. A far cry from the massive hype surrounding its unveiling in 2012, a hefty [...]
International Democracy Day: Eric X Li, Paul Krugman and Richard Dearlove debate the future of the West, but is democracy the best guarantor of human rights? September 17, 2015 Delegates from the worlds of politics, business, media, civil society, and academia considered burning issues on the universality of democracy, challenges of poverty, religious extremism and the digital age. The “West” accounts for only 12 per cent of the world but consumes 60 per cent of resources and seeks to export its value-systems against increasingly [...]
EU migrant crisis: Visa Europe donates £1m to child refugee crisis appeal as Save the Children thanks business donations September 17, 2015 Visa Europe has donated £1m to the appeal which is raising money to help child refugees in Europe as the situation reaches crisis point. The financial services company has dug deep to donate to Save the Children's Child Refugee Crisis Appeal, saying the situation needed an exceptional response. “Visa Europe has a longstanding track record of [...]
Most girls think STEM subjects are too difficult for them to learn September 17, 2015 Why are there fewer women in science, technology, maths and engineering careers than men? It could be because girls decide at a young age that they're not capable of doing them, according to new research by Accenture. By carrying out a survey on girls aged 12 in the UK, they found that 60 per [...]
London FinTech investment in 2015 has already surpassed last year’s total… and it’s only September September 17, 2015 The cash being pumped into London's financial technology businesses has already surpassed the entire amount invested 2014 as the capital cements its status as the FinTech capital of the world. It's been the most successful year yet for FinTech, netting $554m (£357m) of venture capital investment so far this year, compared to total investment of [...]
The end of email is near – but we’re not quite there yet September 17, 2015 We wake up with email, use it throughout the day and check it again just before bed. Some of us even keep up-to-date with our inboxes in the bathroom. It's no wonder – our email addresses are so easily shareable and sending a message is free, so it becomes the default means of communication [...]
Amazon challenges Apple TV with Fire TV update that can stream 4K video September 17, 2015 Amazon has unveiled an update to its popular media streaming box Fire TV, capable of streaming ultra high definition content. With the launch, Amazon is clearly taking a swing at Apple, as the online retail giant’s announcement comes a mere week after Apple presented a new Apple TV update. But in the UK, Amazon may [...]
Scottish independence revisited: Scots may be more sympathetic, but the SNP don’t seem confident about a second referendum September 17, 2015 The victory speech that Alex Salmond would have made if Scotland had voted ‘Yes’ to independence last year was released yesterday. As well as providing an insight into how the early days of a newly independent country would have felt, it allowed a timely opportunity to consider whether we are any closer to a [...]