News | Furthr - Part 2

And now he’s dead: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

January 23, 2015

The price of oil has surged following the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. As investors waited to see if the Saudis would maintain production levels following the King’s passing, Brent crude jumped 87 cents, or 1.79%, to $49.39 a barrel, while US oil rose by as much as 3.1% in New York after the Saudi royal court announced the death. Oil prices have more than halved since last summer.

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Deal of the day: Hutchison Whampoa owner of Three mobile network looks to buy O2 for £10bn

January 23, 2015

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The richest man in Asia is in talks to buy Britain’s second-largest mobile provider O2 for up to £10.25bn ($15.4bn) from Spain’s Telefonica. Li Ka-shing’s (geddit?) firm Hutchison Whampoa already owns the Three mobile network, and combining it with O2 would create the UK’s biggest mobile group. Competition regulators are bound to scrutinise the bid, which has been rumoured for weeks.

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What they earn: Apple’s Tim Cook now makes £2m a year

January 23, 2015

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Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook’s salary was increased by nearly 43% in February last year, says the BBC. The tech giant announced that Cook’s salary rose to $2m (£1.3m) from $1.4m. His total remuneration more than doubled to $9.2m in 2014. It was his first salary increase since November 2011. In November, Apple was worth more than $700bn after its stock hit an all-time high of $119.75.

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China humiliates deadbeats with a widescreen “wall of shame” and eight more must-read stories

January 23, 2015

Climate change denial should disqualify politicians from holding office. There is simply no reason to trust them with power.
Ukraine is a bigger problem than Russia. The West should resolve the crisis in Ukraine before addressing relations with Russia.
Gentrification isn’t a bad thing. It doesn’t actually hurt long-term residents when rents rise.
Germany isn’t turning back to xenophobia. Anti-foreigner sentiment is at historic lows (paywall).
Schools have a right to know students’ Facebook passwords. At least according to one US judge’s ruling in a bullying case.
Squids use their camouflage to socialize. The giant humboldt squid quickly changes color to communicatewith fellow cephalopods.
Not every Indian outfit is a sari. It’s just a much easier word to master than “lehenga” or “salwar kameez.”
A measles outbreak began in Disneyland. And it’s thanks to people who don’t believe in vaccinations.
Chinese towns are creating walls of shame. If you fail to pay your fines in Changsha, your face be displayed on a huge public screen.

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Disruptive technology is killing the American dream and seven more must-read stories

January 21, 2015

Obama’s State of the Union was one for the ladies. New policies could help many women re-enter the workforce.
It’s great to see men worry about balding. It’s a rare display of male insecurity.
Disruptive technology is killing the American dream. The next round of workplace automation will hollow out the middle class.
China needs to stop harassing foreign companies. Premier Li Keqiang could use his visit to Davos to offer some reassurance.
Facebook knows when you break your resolutions. This is the week it tends to detect people giving up on the gym.
India’s tigers are multiplying. The population rose by 30% between 2010 and 2014.
In the Central African Republic, a grenade is cheaper than a can of Coke. The weapons sell for a dollar or less.
Buying a patent can spring you from prison in China. There’s a legal loophole that reduces inventors’ sentences.

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Lowflation is a good thing, says Osbourne

January 14, 2015

The low inflation rate should not be feared, George Osborne will say today. In a speech later, the chancellor will say: “We should not confuse this welcome news with the threat of damaging deflation that we see in the eurozone.” Yesterday, official figures showed the UK inflation rate had fallen to 0.5% in December – its lowest rate since May 2000.

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Google is the new Microsoft and six more must-see, must-read stories

January 13, 2015

There are 12 Hasselblad cameras on the moon. Astronauts had to offload weight when they stocked up on moon rocks.
The artisanal movement has gone too far. An Icelandic beer is flavored with smoked whale testicles.
US Central Command uses Pinterest. It was spared when ISIL hackers broke into its Twitter and YouTube accounts.
A Saudi Arabian cleric deemed snowmen un-Islamic. A rare snowstorm has raised a religious question.
Angela Merkel was photoshopped out of France’s unity march. An ultra-orthodox Israeli publication erased all women present.
Google is the new Microsoft. It doesn’t innovate, and without some serious acquisitions, it’ll lose dominance.
We are the last generation that can do something about climate change. So says UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

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The Charlie Hebdo attack was an al-Qaeda PR coup and eight more must-see and must read stories

January 8, 2015

The right to blaspheme religion must be protected. And one cannot defend the right without defending the practice.
The Charlie Hebdo attack was an al-Qaeda PR coup. The group is competing with the Islamic State for attention.
Don’t blame the West, or Islam, for the Charlie Hebdo atrocity.Blame the “ideology that has sought to achieve power through terrorfor decades.”
Lawmakers can’t control oil prices. Forget the impact of Keystone XL or OPEC—prices are being driven by supply and demand.
Filipino police will wear diapers during the pope’s visit. They can’t run to the bathroom during the 24-hour event.
Fidgeting is cold, hard proof of lying. Scientists say $12,000 motion capture suits are the new polygraph.
Cars don’t need to be “warmed up” in the cold. Idling does nothing for your car, and causes huge greenhouse gas emissions.
A Turkish politician was suspended for having locals carry him around. He asked them to help him keep his shoes clean.
Endurance sports fans are paying to be tear gassed. Tough Mudder, an adult obstacle course, is adding to its list of grueling challenges.

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Hargreaves Lansdown stockbroker axed after tweeting: “Think I just hit a cyclist. But I’m late for work so had to drive off lol”

January 6, 2015

A stockbroker has been sacked and forced to make a grovelling apology after tweeting: “Think I just hit a cyclist. But Im late for work so had to drive off lol.”

The apparent boast by Rayhan Qadar – which police are investigating – was made on his Twitter account under the name of “Ray Pew” at 8.30am on Monday.

Police were alerted and outraged Twitter users blasted the graduate, who works at financial firm Hargreaves Lansdown.

But despite apologising for the “bad joke” bosses sacked him over the “unacceptable” message.

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Hedge Fund manager allegedly shot by son over $200

January 6, 2015

The 30-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed his hedge fund manager father Sunday afternoon reportedly did so after an argument over a small cut in his monthly allowance. The New York Post reports that Thomas Gilbert Jr. murdered his father Thomas Gillbert Sr. after learning that his allowance had been reduced by $200; the New York Daily News puts the number at $100.

From the New York Post:

“[Gilbert Sr.] was cutting his allowance. He had been giving him $2,400 a month for rent and $600 for spending money, and he was cutting that to $400 a month for spending money,” a source said about Thomas Gilbert Sr., founder of the Wainscott Capital hedge fund.

“They had argued about it before.”

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