MPs spent more than 115 days tweeting last year – but who sent the most? August 22, 2014 Our publicly elected leaders have spent more than 115 days tweeting in the last year – a total of 2,774 hours – with nearly three-quarters of all MPs now on the social media platform. A report published by Westminster Public Affairs shows that parliamentarians sent a total of 718,431 Tweets for the 12 months [...]
How the US is changing the shape of British TV – key deals August 22, 2014 Last night Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham blasted the US for buying up British TV companies while arrogantly lecturing them on what they should be doing. “In recent years we’ve seen a parade of Americans standing up here at the MacTaggart telling us how things ought to be done. But, how do you [...]
Brits account for a quarter of “suicide tourists” August 21, 2014 Brits accounted for nearly a quarter of assisted deaths in Switzerland in the last four years, with the total number of what academics have dubbed “suicide tourists” doubling in that time. According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, 126 UK citizens travelled to Switzerland to receive assistance while taking their [...]
Retail sales are up, according to the ONS (but not everyone agrees) August 21, 2014 Retail sales rose 2.6 per cent year on year in July, according to the Office for National Statistics – in contrast to the British Retail Consortium figures that claimed retail sales had fallen 0.3 per cent in the same month. The ONS – whose figures are consistently at odds with those provided by the [...]
MPC vote split: What does that mean for future interest rate rises? August 20, 2014 Today it was revealed that the monetary policy committee's (MPC) vote on whether to raise interest rates last month was split for the first time in three years, with two dissenters in the ranks arguing a "rapid fall in unemployment alongside survey evidence of tightening in the labour market created a prospect that wage growth [...]
Carillion and Balfour Beatty – what you need to know August 20, 2014 This morning – a day ahead of the “put up or shut up” deadline – construction firm Balfour Beatty rejected a third bid from Carillion, despite the offer being increased by 15.5 per cent to £2.08bn. The revised deal also offered Balfour shareholders 58.27 per cent of the combined company, up from 56.5 per cent [...]
Carillion and the Balfour Beatty bid – the story in numbers August 20, 2014 This morning Balfour Beatty rejected Carillion's bid for a third time. We break down the story in numbers £3bn – the total value of a combined business should the merger go ahead. 5pm – the “put up or shut up” deadline tomorrow (21 August) for Carillion's final offering. 3 – the number [...]
Greggs share price dips after ‘scum’ logo hack August 19, 2014 Pasty purveyor Greggs came in for a social media battering today after it emerged that someone had messed with the baker's logo. People Googling to look for the business – which now claims to have more UK outlets than McDonalds – found its strapline suddenly claimed it had been “providing shit to scum for [...]
Greggs share price dips after ‘scum’ logo hack August 19, 2014 Pastie purveyor Greggs came in for a social media battering today after it emerged that some wag had messed with the baker's logo. People Googling to look for the business found it strapline suddenly claimed it had been “providing shit to scum for over 70 years”. Twitter was immediately all over it, with Greggs' [...]
Ferguson riots: Is it business as usual for local companies? August 19, 2014 The St Louis suburb of Ferguson is now in its 10th day of violence following the police shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown, with the US government deploying the national guard and imposing a curfew on residents. Last night President Obama dispatched attorney general Eric Holder to monitor events and establish whether national guard [...]
