UK’s trade deficit widens to record £27.9bn as business with Russia reaches historic low August 13, 2022 New data showed this morning that UK’s trade deficit in goods and services widens again in Q2 to a record £27.9bn. Moreover, monthly imports from Russia dropped to meagre £33m, the lowest since records began and down from over £1.8bn in both January and February of this year. Also during Q2, imports increased by £14.3bn [...]
Commuter numbers into City of London nearly double with Wednesdays and Thursdays busiest August 12, 2022 Commuter numbers into the City of London have nearly doubled since last year and the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in England, according to new data from mobile operator O2. The network said the data – which it gathered based on connections to O2 mobile masts in major commuter, hospitality and retail hubs – had found [...]
UK economy shrinks by 0.6 per cent as Britain heads for winter recession August 12, 2022 The UK economy contracted by 0.6 in June and shrank 0.1 per cent between April and June, compared to growth of 0.8 per cent in the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics said this morning. Commenting on the gross domestic product (GDP) figures that showed a 0.1 per cent contraction in the second [...]
Anxious East Africa holds its breath: Still no election winner while fraud claims start to fly August 12, 2022 NAIROBI – East Africa is holding its breath this Friday morning as Tuesday’s cliffhanger elections in regional powerhouse Kenya still has not produced a clear presidential winner. While vote counting in the country is reaching its final stages, in an extremely close race between the two main candidates, confusion is growing as a range of [...]
Exclusive: Bank of England is ‘taking money from homeowners to curb inflation’ August 11, 2022 HOUSE prices will soon start to “flatline” following years of double digit rises, a leading property association claims this morning. Property values have continued to soar over the past two years in most regions of the UK – often defying predictions by economists who are convinced a crash is on the horizon. The National Association [...]
100,000 rebel Brits pledge non-payment of energy bills by cancelling their direct debits August 11, 2022 Over a hundred thousand people will soon have added their name to a pledge to cancel their direct debits for gas and electricity on 1 October if the government fails to adequately address the crisis of sky rocketing energy bills. The live tally of number of pledges can be viewed at dontpay.uk – currently at [...]
Sunak or Truss should have ‘backbone’ to strike free movement deal with EU, says Ryanair chief August 11, 2022 The next prime minister should have the “backbone” to secure a deal with the European Union to open up the free movement of labour, Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary said this morning. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think the first thing they should do to boost the British economy is prioritise a [...]
Era of 10 euro budget tickets is officially over, says Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary August 11, 2022 Ryanair’s chief said this morning that the airline’s trademark 10 euro fares will not be seen for a “number of years” due to soaring fuel prices. In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Michael O’Leary said he expected Ryanair’s average fare to rise by about 10 euros over the next five years, from [...]
Tense Kenya still waits for new president after cliffhanger election: Ruto and Raila in neck and neck race August 11, 2022 NAIROBI – Millions of Kenyans are nervously awaiting the results of Tuesday’s presidential election, as day three of vote counting across the country gets underway. Since Tuesday evening an extremely close race has unfolded between the two main candidates for the presidency. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is backed by the outgoing president and seen [...]
The over-hyped madness of the metaverse and the forgotten value of video August 11, 2022 The metaverse and Virtual Reality have had the weight of a number of large big technology companies behind it in the last year, spearheaded by the likes of Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft. Not only did the industry see its proliferation increase substantially over the pandemic, but the hype has yet to deter, particularly with speculation [...]
