No, really: Ann Summers launches Isis lingerie range (well, kind of) August 22, 2014 In what may be the poorest timing in recent retail history, Ann Summers has been forced to deny supporting terrorism after it launched a range of lingerie named "Isis". The range, which appeared in shop windows this week, includes a £26 plunge bra and a £45 babydoll, both in monochrome colours. Obviously, the range isn't named [...]
Fed’s Janet Yellen hints at an early rate rise August 22, 2014 New US Fed chief Janet Yellen raised the prospect of an earlier-than-expected rise in interest rates during her first address to the audience of central bank chiefs at the Kansas City Fed's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday. Yellen, who started her job in February this year, studiously avoided making any commitments to new [...]
Janet Yellen’s Jackson Hole speech: Full text August 22, 2014 Janet Yellen opened the Kansas City Fed's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday for the first time since she was installed as chair of the US Fed. Her speech, on the subject of "labour market dynamics and monetary policy", called for "pragmatic" policy, and said there was "no simple recipe" to help the [...]
Why healthcare could be Google Glass’s biggest market August 22, 2014 Google Glass, the wearable tech device, may be an exciting new development – but with a $1,500 price tag (not to mention its less-than-fashionable appearance), its appeal to the consumer market has so far been limited. But during a conference yesterday, the man widely credited with creating the Glass identified what could end up being [...]
1,400 gay couples have married since the law changed August 21, 2014 More than 1,400 same-sex couples have married since the law changed to allow it, official figures published on Thursday showed. While there were fewer than 100 same-sex weddings during March – the law was changed on March 29 – that number rose to 498 by June. Female couples were more likely to get married – [...]
“Today is a miraculous day”: US Ebola doctor treated with ZMapp discharged from hospital August 21, 2014 Two Americans who contracted Ebola while they were working in Liberia have been discharged from a hospital in Atlanta. Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol were among the first human patients treated with ZMapp, an experimental drug made by US-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical. Before it was rushed to Liberia to be used on patients during the latest [...]
Why Quindell’s share price bombed today, even though profits rose threefold August 21, 2014 Over the past few months, insurance outsourcer Quindell – once the darling of the stock market – has been the reluctant protagonist in a soap opera with a plot involving a shadowy organisation run by a mysterious superhero intent waging war on business “bad guys”. Quindell’s woes began in April, when analyst Gotham City [...]
Eurozone manufacturing dips as job creation “stagnates” August 21, 2014 Weak recovery in Europe's manufacturing industry continued in August, data published this morning showed. The Flash Eurozone Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), which measures the strength of the region's manufacturing and services sectors, revealed growth slowed between July and August. The headline Composite Output Index fell to 52.8 (any figure above 50 shows growth) from 53.8 [...]
Carillion calls off Balfour Beatty merger bid August 20, 2014 Building giant Carillion has backed away from its bid for rival Balfour Beatty after three unsuccessful attempts. Ahead of tomorrow's "put up or shut up" 5pm, Carillion this afternoon issued a statement saying it was "no longer proposing a merger". Balfour Beatty shares opened 5.7 per cent lower per cent this morning after its board [...]
Mortgage lending rises 15pc to its highest level since 2008 August 20, 2014 Gross mortgage lending rose to £19.1bn in July, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said today – the highest monthly figure since August 2008, when it stood at £19.3bn. The figure rose 17 per cent from £16.7bn in July 2013, and seven per cent from June's £17.9bn. The number of property transactions also increased, by [...]
