Eurovision Song Contest 2015: Secretly, these countries are probably hoping they lose May 23, 2015 The Eurovision Song Contest is getting more and more expensive, despite Europe's decline into austerity. The annual tradition blossomed in the 60's, at a time when things looked brighter for Europe and there was a stronger sense of solidarity. But now the event is more lavish and over-the-top than ever, and each year the winning [...]
Eurovision Song Contest 2015: Three charts showing what would happen if winning gave you lots of power May 20, 2015 At 8pm on Saturday night, music fans from across the continent will turn on their TVs and tune into the annual Eurovision Song Contest. As usual, the event promises to fill our screens with crazy costumes, emotional love ballads and over-enthusiastic presenters covered in glitter. But it's not just a contest for raw musical [...]
Parliament returns: Six MPs business needs to know about May 18, 2015 Parliament meets today for the first time since the Conservatives swept to a shock victory in the General Election. Over the next few days the key focus will be chancellor George Osborne's pledge to deliver a new budget "for working people" before the summer recess. But who has the fate of British business in their [...]
Cranes, planes, urns and eight ice-hocky goals: Six times Vladimir Putin has played the all-Russian action hero May 17, 2015 Vladimir Putin is the king (or perhaps tsar) of the publicity stunt. Not content with annexing such macho activities as hunting on horseback, fishing, and archaeology Putin took to the ice to score a devastating eight goals in an ice hockey match involving ex-NHL legends. Putin was, of course, on the winning side in the [...]
George Osborne gives Goldman Sachs alum Jim O’Neill top Treasury job May 14, 2015 Former Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill has been given a peerage and a top job in George Osborne’s treasury. The chancellor of the exchequer tweeted yesterday afternoon: “I am delighted to confirm Jim O’Neill as the new commercial secretary to the treasury to make devolution and the Northern Powerhouse happen.” https://twitter.com/George_Osborne/status/598855150640472064 Lord O’Neill, [...]
Two Russian military jets spotted heading towards UK airspace May 14, 2015 Two Russian military planes were spotted heading towards UK airspace earlier today, but were escorted away by RAF Typhoon fighter jets. "At no time did the Russian military aircraft cross into UK sovereign airspace,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the BBC. He added that their presence was not considered a threat. [...]
Centrica almost triples UK gas supply volume May 13, 2015 THE UK’s dependency on gas from Russia just increased, after Centrica signed a deal with state-owned giant Gazprom to ramp up the amount of energy it buys from the firm. Centrica has increased the volume of gas it is buying from Norway’s Statoil as well. Centrica, which owns British Gas, first struck a deal with [...]
UK to get more gas from a Russian firm as Centrica extends deals with Gazprom May 13, 2015 The UK's dependency on gas from Russian firms just increased, after Centrica signed a deal with state energy giant Gazprom – as well as Norwegian rival Statoil – to ramp up the amount of gas it buys from the companies. Centrica, which owns British Gas, said it had extended its contracts with Statoil and Gazprom [...]
ITE Group share price jumps as it shakes off Russia woes May 11, 2015 A sign of the times? Exhibitions and conferences business ITE Group, whose largest market is Russia and Ukraine, says it's back on form. The figures Alright, so the company's pre-tax profits fell 3.9 per cent to £17.5m in the six months to the end of March, while revenues dropped from £71.2m in 2014 to £56.1m. And net debt rose to [...]
Timeline to a Greek tragedy: How Syriza has fared in its first 100 days May 7, 2015 As one country goes to the polls to decide who will lead it for the next five years, another is taking a moment to reflect on the ramifications of its own choices: Syriza, the leftist party voted in during a snap election in January, celebrates its 100th day in power today. Given the party was [...]