UK household saving nears record low, hits lowest point since start of economic downturn July 3, 2015 UK workers are splurging over 95 per cent of what they earn, as household savings fell back to the lowest point since the start of the economic downturn during the first quarter, official figures published today showed. Household savings have been on a downward trend, but hit a low of 4.9 per cent in the [...]
Facebook battles YouTube by rolling out video ads July 3, 2015 Facebook is taking on YouTube, as the platform is set to start paying video creators for uploading clips, through a share of the ad revenue. Facebook has been getting serious about video for some time, and is now launching a curated feed of “suggested videos”, where clips will play interspersed with adverts. Creators of popular [...]
Uber suspends services in France following authorities’ crackdown on controversial Uber Pop July 3, 2015 Uber has suspended its Uber Pop services in France, a week after French authorities began cracking down on the company's cab service. Thibaud Simphal, head of Uber France, has announced that the controversial service will be suspended starting 8pm tonight, Le Figaro reports. The company says the move was made in a “spirit of appeasement” [...]
UK start-ups beat the US for diversity as founders are five times more likely to be female July 3, 2015 The UK's tech hub may have fewer "unicorns" than its American counterpart – but at least we're doing better at one thing. Start-up founders in the UK are five times more likely to be female compared to the US, a new study from startup accelerator Wayra shows. They’re also ten times more likely to have a minority [...]
Reddit moderators close AMA and other popular subreddits after dismissal of key employee July 3, 2015 Reddit, the self-styled “front page of the internet” is in chaos that has left many of its most popular communities locked down. A growing number of subreddits, with millions of subscribers, have been left inaccessible as the communities’ moderators protest against the administration’s alleged abrupt dismissal of a key employee. Late last night, news broke [...]
Think tank: Fossil heavy FTSE 100 exposes investors to risks July 2, 2015 The high level of fossil fuel companies on the FTSE 100 index is exposing investors to unacceptable risks, warns the think tank Bright Blue. The centre-right think tank released a report calling for more open disclosure of the risks associated with the index. Dependency on resources companies is cited as a main concern. Just over [...]
OECD: The more immigrants there are in an area, the better integrated they are July 2, 2015 As the UK prepares to vote over its membership of the European Union, immigration has become an increasingly potent issue. Read more: Ukip mapped: Nigel Farage most popular in areas with the fewest immigrants But although polls have shown migration to be one of voters’ main concerns, an OECD report on migration published today suggests that although immigration [...]
Swedish Riksbank cuts interest rates again to -0.35pc to stop krona strengthening July 2, 2015 Sweden has cut its interest rates again, from -0.25 per cent to -0.35 per cent. The Riksbank acted to weaken the Swedish krona, citing worries about the situation in Greece as well as economic uncertainty as explanations. The Eurozone economy is strengthening, but the past days’ events in Greece have created a good deal of uncertainty. [...]
Which is the world’s happiest country? Denmark, Iceland and Sweden top the list but the UK is above average – while Greece and Hungary come out bottom July 2, 2015 Britons are happier with their lives than Greeks or Hungarians, but not nearly as cheery as Danes. An ONS report on national wellbeing asked respondents how happy they were with their lives. On average, UK adults gave their lives a 6.8 out of 10 rating – just above the OECD average. Nordic countries ranked top alongside [...]
Study: Men overestimate their maths skills – which may explain the gender gap in STEM July 2, 2015 Men outnumber women significantly in technological professions, with giants like Apple and Google reporting that fewer than two in 10 tech employees are women. This isn’t because men are just better at maths and science, though. Instead, a new study suggests that it may be because men think they’re better than they really are. American researchers [...]
