Dust clouds, star trails and meteor races: Astronomy Photographer of the Year award shortlist July 2, 2014 The Royal Observatory has revealed its shortlist of candidates for the 2014 Astronomy Photographer of the Year award. The selected photographs are not limited to celestial sights on our planet: they also include images from across our Solar System, galaxy and even further afield. From a rare daytime scene of Jupiter moments before its astronomical [...]
Rise in London house prices leads to increased affairs, says report July 2, 2014 Research has suggested that more couples than ever are being forced to continue living together even after they have split up, leading to an increase in affairs. A survey by the UK's largest and longest running dating site for married people, IllicitEncounters.com, has shown that over 42,000 married couples living in London have been put [...]
Russian hackers Energetic Bear attack energy companies in the US and Europe July 1, 2014 Energy companies in the US and Europe are being attacked by a group of Russian hackers known as “Energetic Bear”, according to cybersecurity researchers. In an interview with Bloomberg, security firm Symantec said the attackers are aiming at “strategically important” energy companies such as petroleum pipeline operators, grid operators and electricity generation firms. The group, [...]
Tracey Emin’s “My Bed” sold for £2.5m, breaking artist’s record July 1, 2014 The famously messy bed created by contemporary artist Tracey Emin went for over £2.5m at auction today, breaking the artist's record. “My Bed”, which was exhibited at the Tate Gallery in 1999 and was shortlisted for the Turner Prize, sold for the significant sum during the postwar and contemporary auction at Christie's in London. Consisting [...]
UK ramps up robot research with new funding July 1, 2014 The UK robotics industry has secured 150m of funding for the coming year, following yesterday's announcement the Technology Strategy Board is investing £400m in innovation programmes. In a speech today, science minister David Willetts emphasised that robots should not be viewed as a thing of the future. “Today's strategy launch emphasises the fact that they [...]
La Senza goes into administration, putting jobs at risk July 1, 2014 UK lingerie retailer La Senza has gone into administration for the second time in two years, putting 752 jobs at risk. The event comes after Middle Eastern retail investor Alshaya was unable to revive the business, having acquired it in 2012 as it was going through a pre-pack administration deal. Over 1,300 employees lost their [...]
Microsoft attempts to disrupt Middle East cyber crime rings July 1, 2014 Microsoft has launched an attempt to crack down on cyber criminals in the Middle East by disrupting communications channels between hackers and infected PCs. Sanctioned yesterday by a federal court in Nevada, the operation will work by targeting traffic involving malicious software known as Bladabindi and Jenxcus. They are both distributed by developers in Kuwait [...]
Cameron “can do business with Juncker” following EU defeat June 30, 2014 Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he can do business with Jean-Claude Juncker, the newly appointed President of the European Commission. In the run up to last week's election at the European Council meeting, David Cameron had been against the appointment of the ex-Luxembourg Prime Minister, expressing concern that his desire for a closer [...]
Isis reveals European expansion plan under new caliphate June 30, 2014 Today, the extremist group that has taken over large swathes of northern Iraq declared the formation of a caliphate: an Islamic state led by a supreme political and religious leader. It demanded that Muslims around the world swear allegiance to their ruler, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who they claim has ultimate authority over all Muslims. “The [...]
New York court gives green light to fracking bans June 30, 2014 Today, New York's highest court ruled that the state's towns and cities can block hydraulic fracking within their borders. The ruling comes as the energy industry awaits a decision on whether a hold on hydraulic fracking, which has been in place in New York since 2008, will be lifted. Fracking has been important in pushing [...]
