Rosetta arrives at its destination in “sexiest, most fantastic mission ever” August 7, 2014 The thought of travelling four billion miles in ten years might make you feel dizzy, but it's exactly what the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta space probe has managed to do in what has been described as the “sexiest, most fantastic mission ever”. Rosetta, which was first launched in 2005, has been hurtling towards [...]
Edward Snowden granted another three years of residency by Russia August 7, 2014 US whistleblower and fugitive Edward Snowden has been given an extra three years of residency in Russia, according to his lawyer Anatoly Kurcherena. On 31 May last year, Snowden fled from the US after leaking information about the surveillance and phone-tapping activities of the National Security Agency, of which he was an employee at [...]
Ebola spreads outside Africa: Suspected victim dies in Saudi Arabia August 7, 2014 A suspected Ebola victim has died at a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 40-year-old man suffered from a heart attack after showing Ebola-like symptoms, according to the county's health ministry. He had recently returned from a work trip in Sierra Leone, one of the four countries afflicted with the current epidemic. [...]
Russia retaliates against West with ban on food imports August 7, 2014 Russia is imposing a “full embargo” on food imports from some Western countries, in what is seen as a retaliation against the West's increasing sanctions against Russia. The news was announced by Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev during a televised speech to the government. He listed fish, meat, milk and other dairy products [...]
Lloyds accused of withholding information during HBOS takeover August 6, 2014 Investors have filed a lawsuit against Lloyds Banking Group, which they say withheld important information during its takeover of HSBC in 2008. The claimants, who own a 25 per cent stake in the bank, allege that the true financial health of HBOS was hidden from them during the government-backed takeover at the height of [...]
If a monkey takes a selfie, who owns the copyright? Photographer threatens Wikipedia with legal action August 6, 2014 If a monkey takes a photograph of itself using someone else's camera, who owns the image? The monkey, or the person whose camera was used? Lawyers may be about to face this unusual conundrum, following a disagreement between Wikipedia and British nature photographer David Slater over the ownership of a selfie taken by a [...]
Russia imposes retaliatory sanctions August 6, 2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown signs of retaliation against the West by imposing sanctions on some imports to the country. In a decree issued today, he ordered that certain agricultural and food imports should be banned from countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia since the Ukraine crisis began. Citing the country's [...]
FTSE 100 tumbles to lowest point since April August 6, 2014 The FTSE 100 fell to its lowest point since 17 April today, closing at 6,636.2 – 46.3 points lower than yesterday. This decline of 0.7 per cent follows disappointing economic data for the UK and the rest of Europe: two areas from where British blue chips get around half of their sales. Figures [...]
Eurozone on track for growth: Service sector PMI at 38-month high August 5, 2014 There are hopes that the Eurozone may be on track for growth, after July's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) showed that activity in the region's service sector had reached a 38-month high. The figures, published by Markit, also showed that Eurozone business expanded at the second-fastest pace in three years as a buoyant service industry [...]
Baroness Warsi resigns over Gaza conflict August 5, 2014 Foreign Office minister Baroness Warsi has resigned from the cabinet because she can no longer support the government's position on Gaza. She made the announcement via a tweet posted today at 9.10am. It said: “With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer [...]
