Rush for safe havens as euro fears rise

US benchmark borrowing costs plunged to levels last seen in 1946 and those for Germany and the UK hit all-time lows as investors took fright at what they see as a disjointed policy response to the debt crisis in Spain and Italy. In a striking sign of the flight to haven assets, German two-year bond yields fell to zero for the first time, below the equivalent rate for Japan, meaning investors are willing to lend to Berlin for no return. US 10-year yields fell as low as 1.62 per cent, a level last reached in March 1946, according to Global Financial...

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Euro break-up 'could wipe 50pc off London house prices'

Property prices in the capital’s most sought-after postcodes have been driven up by investors moving funds out of assets held in euros to buy into what is seen as a “safe haven” alternative. Foreign money seeking a refuge from the wider economic turmoil accounted for 60pc of acquisitions of prime central London property between 2007 and 2011, according to a report by Fathom Consulting for Development Securities. If the shared currency broke up completely, London property would initially be boosted by the continued flight towards a safe haven, the...

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Leveson - The Hunt is on

Up until now, Lord Justice Leveson has only held the future of the British press in his hands. Today, despite all his protests to the contrary, his inquiry may determine the fate of the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt. The judge insists that it is not his job to put any minister in the dock and that he certainly will not be giving his verdict on whether there have been any breaches of the ministerial code. Nevertheless, the prime minister has made it clear that he sees today's hearing as the moment when Mr Hunt must defend his much criticised...

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Coulson on Sheridan perjury charge

David Cameron's former communications chief Andy Coulson has been charged over allegations he committed perjury during the trial of former MSP Tommy Sheridan. The 44-year-old was detained for questioning at Govan police station in Glasgow by officers from Strathclyde Police. More than six hours later, the force confirmed he had been arrested and charged with perjury. A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal which will decide if Coulson is to face court proceedings. The former News of the World editor gave evidence at Sheridan's perjury trial...

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Julian Assange's fight to evade extradition to Sweden appears doomed despite stay of execution

Julian Assange's fight to evade extradition to Sweden appeared doomed today though he was given a stay of execution by the highest court in the land. His celebrity-endorsed legal battle trundled on without him as the self-proclaimed champion of truth and transparency remained stuck in London's notorious traffic, undoubtedly disappointing his legion of fans. While vastly diminished in number from the early days of the furore surrounding the WikiLeaks founder, they were as vociferous as ever, penned in outside the Supreme Court yesterday, carrying...

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FORMER Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson has been arrested on suspicion of committing perjury during the Tommy Sheridan trial

Andy Coulson has been arrested on suspicion of perjury. Picture: GettyFORMER Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson has been arrested on suspicion of committing perjury during the Tommy Sheridan trial at the High Court in Glasgow, the Crown Office said today. The 44-year-old was detained in London this morning by officers from Strathclyde Police. Coulson gave evidence in Mr Sheridan’s perjury trial at the High Court in Glasgow...

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Former News of the World Editor arrested in dawn raid on his London home

 PR man: Andy Coulson was held today by Strathclyde Police,David Cameron’s former No 10 spin doctor Andy Coulson was arrested today on suspicion of committing perjury.Mr Coulson, 44, was detained at his home in Dulwich at 6.30am by seven officers from Strathclyde police and taken to Glasgow where he will be questioned.The case centres on claims that he misled a court about his knowledge of phone-hacking during a criminal trial in Glasgow. The...

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3D Printing Revolution Could Re-Shape World

Advances in 3D printing technology could revolutionise the way we produce goods and repatriate manufacturing jobs to the UK. Additive manufacturing, as the process is technically known, works by building up solid objects layer by wafer-thin layer, in much the same way as a conventional 2D inkjet printer. The object is scanned, or designed on computer modelling software, then sliced up, like a loaf of bread, into thousands of tiny layers, which can then be printed out to form a solid three-dimensional product. If the last industrial revolution brought...

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Times are desperate in Spain. The Sun is setting on expats' Costa dreams

 It was sundowner time at the Cantina tapas bar in the picturesque village of Frigiliana, a few miles inland from the Costa del Sol town of Nerja. Inside, local men were watching bullfighting on television and smoking cigars in quiet contravention of the smoking ban. Outside, expatriate Britons were discussing the vagaries of living in Spain while downing glasses of tinto de verano, the popular summer drink of red wine and lemonade. Mark Jones, who runs his own gardening and pool maintenance company, had spent two days queuing at the local...

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EU cookie implementation deadline is today

A year after its implementation in May 2011, the European Commission's Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive will finally start to be enforced as of tonight, meaning visitors to websites are required to be informed of, and given choice over, the site's intentions to store their data in cookies. Though there has been fierce opposition to the directive, some companies, such as the BBC, Channel 4 and the Guardian, have now begun implementing measures that range from multiple user choices in the level of information shared with the site,...

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Google plans to warn more than half a million users of a computer infection that may knock their computers off the Internet this summer.

Unknown to most of them, their problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users. But that system will be shut down July 9 -- killing connections for those people.The FBI has run an impressive campaign for months, encouraging people to visit a website that will inform them whether they're infected and explain...

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Lacambra hand-makes leather products with an emphasis on clean lines, simplistic design and customizable options

Founded less than a year ago, Spain-based Lacambra hand-makes leather products with an emphasis on clean lines, simplistic design and customizable options. While the range of bags, backpacks and cases seems basic at first look, their thoughtful designs reveal a myriad of smart features upon closer inspection. Plus, each product is available in multiple colors with the option for mixing and matching both inside and out, or adding a custom...

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Google completed its $12.5 billion acquisition of phone maker Motorola

Google completed its $12.5 billion acquisition of phone maker Motorola - and immediately appointed a senior Google exec as CEO.Google is widely expected to use the acquisition to produce further phones and tablets running its Android software - including Google-branded rivals to Apple's iPad.Dennis Woodside, previously president of Google's Americas region, is Motorola's new CEO. It is Google's largest acquisition ever, and pushes it deeper...

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World's tallest broadcasting tower Tokyo Skytree opens

Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest broadcasting tower at 634m, has opened to the public. The tower, which took three-and-a-half years to build, stands about twice the height of Tokyo Tower, the city's landmark tower since the 1960s. The main attractions of the needle-shaped structure are two observation decks at 350m and 450m above ground. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai remains the tallest building structure in the world at 828m. The Skytree, also double the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, offers broadcasting services across the Tokyo area....

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Japanese man chops off realtor’s arm

A Japanese man has been arrested after lopping off the arm of the president of a real estate company with a samurai sword. He also attacked two other employees, leaving them with serious stomach wounds. Hifumi Kuwada was charged on Saturday over the attempted murder of Katsumi Jitskata, the president of Daikyo Home, and two workers with a 70cm blade. Employees Hiroshi Jitsukata, Kiyoshi Sato are currently being treated in hospital for severe stomach lacerations. Kawada has pleaded guilty to the charges. He reportedly smuggled the samurai into the...

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Hats made by Stephen Jones on view at the Bowes Museum

One of British Fashion’s best loved characters, whose client list boasts style icons such as French First Lady Carla Bruni alongside pop divas Madonna and Kylie Minogue, is exhibiting a selection of his stunning creations at The Bowes Museum this summer. Milliner Stephen Jones, whom Italian Vogue’s Anna Piaggi describes as ‘the maker of the most beautiful hats in the world’, has worked with some of the world’s most prominent fashion houses and designers during his illustrious career, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Dior,...

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The Beatles' Abbey Road rare backwards photo up for auction at Bloomsbury in London Iain MacMillan, Abbey Road,

The Beatles' Abbey Road rare backwards photo up for auction at Bloomsbury in London Iain MacMillan, Abbey Road, 1969. Signed chromogenic print, printed later, editioned 1/25 in the margin. Estimate: £7,000-9,000. LONDON.- Bloomsbury Auctions, London announced its May 22nd Photographs and Photobooks sale. It will encompass a range of photographs dating from the 1850s to the present day. Nineteenth century highlights from the auction include a group of eight rare and early salt prints (from albumen on glass negatives) of Rome by Eugène Constant (£8,000...

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YIBD “Project R6” is an urban boutique residence for short-term business people, young urban professionals, and foreign residents.

© LuxigonArchitect: REXLocation: Seoul, KoreaBuilt Area: 115,500 sqm (1,240,000 sqf)Completion year: 2016Program: 47,800 sqm of luxury housing for short-term residents, 27,000 sqm of retail, and 929 parking stallsRenderings: Luxigon and Rex    YIBD “Project R6” is an urban boutique residence for short-term business people, young urban professionals, and foreign residents. Due to...

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asymmetrical lounge chair and swivel table are integrated for 'moment', a seating design by amsterdam-based feiz studio

'moment' by feiz design for offecctan asymmetrical lounge chair and swivel table are integrated for 'moment', a seating design by amsterdam-based feiz studio for swedish furniture company offecct. 'noticing that we rarely 'just sit', we started to reflect on all the activities we do while sitting: all the moments that we read, we drink a cup of coffee, we work, we engage in conversation… 'moment' was born out of these situations.'...

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