Google and Sony launch UK viewing platform June 25, 2012 GOOGLE will make its first foray into UK television next month with the launch of its long-awaited interactive TV service that allows viewers to browse the internet, watch films and play with apps. The tech giant, in partnership with Sony, announced yesterday its new internet TV set-top box, priced at £200, will be available from [...]
Sick men of Europe need a nap June 25, 2012 CONTAGION from the Greek economy is known to pose a serious threat to neighbouring Eurozone countries. But now it appears that the struggling state’s ailments are also being caught by people closer to home. The new Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, has been struck down by a problem with his eyes, forcing him to miss this [...]
Uncover sordid Soho with the National Trust June 25, 2012 If you thought the National Trust was all country cottages and stately homes, think again, for the guardian of British heritage has released an app that promises to do for London’s red light district what the Kindle did for soft porn page-turner 50 Shades of Grey. Audio app Soho Stories allows you, O intrepid explorer, [...]
The decade of booming house prices revealed… June 25, 2012 House prices in the UK’s most economically active areas surged upwards by an average of £228 a week according to a recent decade of data released yesterday. Homeowners in parts of the country with a high gross value added (GVA) score – a measure of the local economy – saw their properties rise in value [...]
…but repossessions now hitting the north June 25, 2012 MORTGAGE holders in northern regions are more likely to lose their homes to lenders than people in the south, a group of surveyors said yesterday. Parts of the north east and north west of England have significantly higher rates of repossession, the data from e.surv found, though the group added that banks are trying to [...]
Price pressures taking heavy toll on elderly, groups claim June 25, 2012 INFLATION expectations have fallen again, the latest YouGov report showed yesterday, although separate data showed that price hikes are still taking their toll on the elderly. The median inflation expectation for the year ahead fell to 2.4 per cent, from 2.8 per cent in May and three per cent in April, YouGov found. The results [...]
US homes are snapped up June 25, 2012 NEW HOME sales in the USA shot up sharply according to Commerce Department data published yesterday. Annual house sales were 7.6 per cent up in May compared to April. This came with a surge in the Texas manufacturing outlook survey in which 24 per cent of firms reported improved business activity and 21 per cent [...]
Italy’s MPS in race against time June 25, 2012 Italy’s Banca Montedei Paschi di Siena (MPS) faces a race against time to secure regulators’ support for its €1bn bond sale. It faces a capital shortfall of €3.3bn, of which it has filled roughly two thirds. Italian banks are doing better than those in Spain due to limited retail exposure, but MPS is heavily exposed [...]
Young British families can’t cope June 25, 2012 One in five British families is “unable to cope” according to research published today by the Centre for the Modern Family think-tank. Youngest families are being hit hardest: 3m can’t pay the bills and 1.2m can’t pay the mortgage. Many have been forced to resort to desperate measures – one in eight admits skipping meals, [...]
Irish house price decline halts June 25, 2012 Irish house prices rose in May, though they remained down annually, according to the newest data published yesterday. This is the first increase since 2007, though the magnitude of the rise is tiny, at 0.2 per cent. The arrest in declines is a relief for Irish banks, whose mortgage portfolios were devastated by the bursting [...]
