Where is Ebola worst in West Africa? Liberia to experience surge in cases September 9, 2014 The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts there will be a huge rise in Ebola cases in Liberia. It said the disease is spreading “exponentially” in the country, and that thousands of people will become infected there over the next three weeks. Conventional methods to control the outbreak were "not having an adequate impact", [...]
In pictures: Supermoon rises over London for the last time in 2014 September 9, 2014 Last night was the last time in 2014's we'll see a "supermoon" – the time when the moon is at the closest point in its orbit to the earth. At 1.38am UK time, the moon was 222,698 miles from earth – that's 30,000 miles closer than usual, making it 30 per cent brighter and 14 [...]
BBC Trust candidate Fairhead quizzed over HSBC money laundering scandal September 9, 2014 Rona Fairhead, the preferred candidate for chairmanship of the BBC Trust, faced a grilling by MPs this morning, including questions over her role during the HSBC Mexico money laundering scandal and her Pearson pay off. Fairhead was the chair of HSBC's risk committee at the time of the case, which resulted in the bank [...]
Scottish independence: David Cameron will miss PMQs to support the No campaign September 9, 2014 The main party leaders have announced they will skip the weekly joust of Prime Minister's Questions. Instead, David Cameron and Ed Miliband will head to Scotland to try to save the floundering Better Together campaign. They will also be joined by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. In a joint statement from all three, they [...]
How do Islamic bonds work without interest? By generating profit September 9, 2014 Goldman Sachs announced last week that it is planning to issue its first Islamic bond, and has already set the ball rolling by meeting potential backers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. With a wealth of potential investors to tap into in the Middle East, it is no surprise that Goldman has taken [...]
So much for talk of a 2014 rate hike: Mark Carney says he “expects spring 2015 interest rate rise” at TUC speech September 9, 2014 Mark Carney has all but ruled out an interest rate hike this year. In a speech to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) this morning, the Bank of England governor said inflation lower than the Bank's two per cent target, slack in the labour market and downward pressure from strong sterling mean the current inflation environment [...]
Independent Scotland “will have to re-apply for Nato membership” – and will have a £500m defence shortfall September 9, 2014 As the debate over Scottish independence rages and the latest polls show the two sides neck and neck, Scotland's future place in world affairs is becoming an increasingly popular talking point. The most recent comment on the issue has come from a Nato official, who told Reuters Scotland will have to reapply for its membership [...]
Hungry for a sweet property deal? Lord Sugar puts City of London property on market September 9, 2014 Hungry for a sweet property deal? Lord Sugar has fired the starting gun on bids to lease his 40,000 sq ft property The Sugar Building and he is open for tempting offers from a single occupier. Looking at the accompanying image, the building is still under wraps – but interested parties should get [...]
Amazon slashes the price of its Fire smartphone to 99 cents – weeks before its UK launch September 9, 2014 Amazon has slashed the price of its less-than-popular smartphone to 99 cents just a month and a bit after it launched in the US, and weeks before its UK launch. Alas, the deal (99 cents with a two-year contract from AT&T) is only available in the US, but still – it suggests quite how disappointing [...]
Mark Carney to discuss wages in speech at Trades Union Congress September 9, 2014 Mark Carney will discuss his plans for real wages in an address to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) later today. The prospect of an interest rate rise continues to shadow the governor, and members of the TUC are expected to tell Carney to reject a hike until real wages show signs of strengthening. The Canadian [...]