Web Only: the best of the blogs
The five must-read blogs from today, including why High Speed Two is "effectively dead". 1. Will Europe let the Greek political centre fall? With three days of campaigning left, what's important in the...
View ArticleA patronising letter and a few calls to Vince don’t augur a Lib-Lab pact
The Lib Dems don’t want redemption on Labour’s terms.The Lib-Lab pact, like moustaches and flared trousers, is something that seemed obvious in the late 1970s and never entirely went away. For a...
View ArticleLeader: Gay marriage and the clash of fundamental values
The value of marriage would be increased, not diminished, through its extension to same-sex couples.Contrary to reports, gay marriage is one policy on which David Cameron has not changed course. There...
View ArticleLeveson inquiry: 10 key questions for David Cameron
On Andy Coulson, the BSkyB bid and the Murdochs. Ahead of David Cameron's appearance at the Leveson inquiry tomorrow, here are 10 questions the PM needs to answer. 1. What questions did you ask Andy...
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Chart of the day: Live long
The ONS today released its latest set of statistics (pdf) on life expectancy in England for the period 2007 to 2009. The local authority with the lowest life expectancy is Manchester for men and...
View ArticleWhere will Salmond's hacking claim end up?
Scottish First Minister alleges that the Observer hacked into his back account.The most notable moment in Alex Salmond's testimony to the Leveson inquiry was his allegation that the Observer illegally...
View ArticleWincanton's annual loss quadruples
After a tough year, the supply chain company looks to the UK and Ireland.The British supply chain solutions provider Wincanton has posted a loss of £102.4m for the year ended 31 March 2012 – a...
View ArticleMorning Call: pick of the papers
The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers. 1. The road to Damascus may well run through Moscow (Guardian) The killing of civilians is horrendous, but direct military intervention is...
View ArticleMulberry's annual pre-tax profit soars 54 per cent
A sharp jump for the leather goods maker as it continues its expansion.Despite ongoing uncertainty in the markets and shaky consumer confidence across the globe, the British leather goods maker...
View ArticleHow Cameron changed his tune on child poverty
In a 2006 speech, the Prime Minister praised the concept of relative poverty. "I want this message to go out loud and clear: the Conservative Party recognises, will measure and will act on relative...
View ArticleIf we want a new economy what we measure matters
Is a good country a rich one, or a happy one?As the economic crisis deepens into a global recession, all eyes are glued to GDP figures. This is understandable. GDP measures economic activity and...
View ArticleBanks: worth robbing? The numbers crunched.
Turns out robbery is a modest career.Knowing how tough times are, economists have kindly conducted an investigation into whether or not it's worth robbing a bank. They find that, statistically, it's...
View ArticleNokia to cut up to 10,000 jobs
As losses deepen, the phone company launches the next phase of its cost-cutting programme.Nokia continues to suffer as it cedes market share to competitors such as Apple and Google. The Finnish...
View ArticleRomney has much to gain from a deal with Ron Paul
Paul could aid Romney's attempt to win over sceptical conservatives. We have now entered the stage of the presidential election season in which reporters are getting bored. They have started playing a...
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Spanish ten-year bonds hit 7 per cent
Level seen as psychologically importantSpanish ten-year bond yields have just gone above 7 per cent, a level often touted as psychologically important. The news follows last night's double downgrade of...
View ArticleRay Bradbury goes to the movies
Jack Arnold's adaptation of It Came From Outer Space is a classic.A decade prior to his close encounter with Steven Spielberg, veteran new waver François Truffaut flirted with science-fictional...
View ArticleAustralian electronics retailer institutes "Internet Explorer tax"
Using IE7 will cost you 6.8 per cent more.An Australian electronics retailer has decided to start charging customers who still use Internet Explorer 7, the five-year-old browser that is the default on...
View ArticleGod's Peculiar People
British identity is much less linked to religion than it used to be - where does this leave the established church?What does it mean to be British? For most of the 18th and 19th centuries - even to...
View ArticleRebekah Brooks's text to David Cameron
"Let's discuss over country supper soon ... professionally we are in this together."Here's the full version of Rebekah Brooks's cringe-making text to David Cameron, which has just been revealed during...
View ArticleNokia to lose 10,000 staff
Shares fall 8 per cent.The phone maker announced it would cut 10,000 jobs as sales fell amid "competitive industry dynamics". Nokia has faced tough competition from Apple and phones using Google's...
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