William Hague outlines English votes for English laws: Here’s what you need to know December 16, 2014 William Hague has outlined proposals for English votes for English laws (EVEL). Speaking to the House of Commons, Hague revealed his party's plans to put an end to the so-called West Lothian question that has divided opinion across the UK for decades. Under the current system Scottish MPs have the right to vote on issues [...]
Ukip set to land £1.5m of EU cash despite internal concerns December 16, 2014 Ukip is on course to land £1.5m in EU funds thanks to the party's ability to establish pan-European group, BBC's Newsnight has learned. Ukip is the biggest player in the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE) group accounting for 21 of the 27 members. It is routine for the EU to allocate resources to [...]
Here’s why high quality coffee may become a lot cheaper May 21, 2014 Good news is on the horizon for coffee junkies as the price of Arabica beans is set to fall after years of excess production and the widespread eradication of coffee leaf rust, according to Capital Economics. A combination of high stocks, higher production of the cheaper Robusta beans and subdued demand growth will drag prices [...]
Why we won’t know the EU election results until Sunday night May 21, 2014 UK voters go to the polls to elect their EU representatives this Thursday. But we’re just a small part of the process in which 751 members of the European parliament will be chosen to represent over 500m citizens. How are seats allocated? Obviously, there are more MEPs elected than there are member states (751 vs [...]
Bitcoin in China and an episode of The Good Wife. What’s the connection? May 21, 2014 CEOs of some of the world's largest Bitcoin exchanges are meeting in Beijing at the Global Bitcoin Summit to discuss the future of the cryptocurrency. At an off-conference event, digital currency news website Coindesk, interviewed the founders of OKCoin and Huobi. Amid the discussion of China's regulatory clampdown and plans for the future, OKCoin's founder Star [...]
EE reveals 4G signups have overtaken 3G May 21, 2014 Mobile operator EE has signed up 3.6m 4G customers and today said sign ups of its 4G plans have overtaken those of 3G plans for the first time. Chief executive Olaf Swantee marked the occasion by launching a range low cost 4G devices, all named after British birds, that will join its budget £99 Kestrel [...]
EU moves to scrap “best before labels” from food packaging May 21, 2014 The "best-before" label may soon be removed from a host of products in a new drive to tackle food waste from the European Union. The European Commission is set to propose a bill next month removing the label from coffee, rice, dry pasta, hard cheeses, jams and pickles. Abandoning the labels could prevent as much [...]
SSE profits surge despite price rises May 21, 2014 Energy giant SSE has reported a rise in profit before tax of 9.6 per cent to £1.55bn for the year ended 31 March, despite having raised customers' bills by 8.2 per cent during the period. Analysts predicted a nine per cent rise in profits for the last fiscal year. The company also decided to hike [...]
Asian markets fall as Bank of Japan holds back on stimulus May 21, 2014 Asian markets have fallen for the fourth day after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) decided against injecting further monetary stimulus. The BoJ will continue to expand the monetary base by 60 to 70 trillion yen per year. The decision was widely expected. London-based consultancy Capital Economics suggest the BoJ's optimistic tone means the chance of [...]
Thomas Piketty and the great inequality debate: The Ayn Rand response May 20, 2014 After weeks of debates and reviews Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty First Century is still a subject of fierce controversy and currently ranks 17 on the Amazon bestseller list. Piketty's argument that the rate of return on capital in capitalist economies tends to be higher than the growth rate, leading to a concentration of [...]
