Stories and investigations

Showing 1237 publications

How we used AI to help us find lobbyists at COP

Global Witness December 1, 2024

Every year, Global Witness works with partners in the Keep Big Polluters Out coalition to identify fossil fuel lobbyists who are attending the COP climate talks. For COP29, we pioneered an AI-assisted approach to the process that streamlined and strengthened our analysis.

US new-biz spotlight: Creative activity more than doubles but media slows

Campaign March 12, 2024

The US creative market finished 2023 on a strong note, with new-business billings reaching $3.44bn in November-December, according to Campaign Advertising Intelligence. This is an increase of 130% compared with the same period in 2022, when creative account wins totalled $1.49bn. A big chunk of that growth came from the fast-moving consumer goods sector, for which billings increased from $125.5m in November-December 2022 to $1.41bn in 2023.

Asia-Pacific new-biz spotlight: BMW, Perfetti and Chery Jaguar Land Rover among biggest media moves

Campaign March 6, 2024

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Christmas dinner: How much will it cost this year?

BBC News December 19, 2023

Those tucking into a traditional turkey for Christmas dinner shouldn't have to fork out much more than last year. The price of a supermarket frozen bird has gone up by just 1.2% in a year, while fellow festive favourite the mince pie has risen by 25%. Meanwhile, higher-end potatoes, stuffing mix and Brussels sprouts are cheaper, research for the BBC suggests. Overall, a typical Christmas dinner costs around £32.35 this year, which is a 4.3% increase on £31 last year.

How does your pay compare with other jobs?

BBC News November 3, 2023

The average full-time worker in the UK was earning nearly £35,000 a year in April, official data shows, a rise of 5.8% on the previous year. The size of that rise varies from job to job, with travel agents getting a pay bump of 21%, while sport coaches saw their earnings fall the most. Despite the increases in pay, most workers' wages rose by less than inflation, the rate at which the cost of goods and services rise.

Energy prices: How much will you pay from January?

BBC News November 3, 2023

The typical annual energy bill for a household in England, Wales and Scotland has increased to £1,928 per year for the first three months of 2024, a rise of £94 from November-December 2023. The figure is based on how much energy the typical household uses. However, how much you'll actually end up paying depends on how much you use, where you live, and how you pay.

Travel agents lead pay rise league despite cost of living squeeze

BBC News November 1, 2023

Travel agents recorded the biggest rise in pay last year, up 21% in a year, official data shows, with public relations directors and publicans next on the list. Sports coaches saw the largest fall and, overall, UK workers saw earnings fail to keep pace with rising prices. The average full-time worker's wage was nearly £35,000 in April 2023, an increase of 5.8% on the previous year. But the cost of living grew faster than wages over the same period. That ate into workers' spending power.

Package holidays in Greece, Spain and Turkey soar in price

BBC News June 28, 2023

Nicu Calcea, Colletta Smith & Lucy HookerBBC NewsAll-inclusive package holidays have jumped in price for Mediterranean hotspots including Majorca and Crete. The average price of a week with full food and board in Majorca in Spain is up 21%. Prices for Tenerife have risen more than 22%, figures from TravelSupermarket showed. Crete in Greece is 25% more expensive than last year.

Steaks and coffee protected as shoplifting soars

BBC News May 31, 2023

Steaks are being fitted with security tags and coffee replaced with dummy jars, as supermarkets battle to curb a rise in shoplifting. Some stores are also limiting the number of items on shelves in an attempt to reduce theft. It comes as data analysed by the BBC showed shoplifting offences reached their highest point in four years in March, as the cost of living rises.

Cost of homemade cheese sandwich rises by more than a third

BBC News April 26, 2023

The cost of a homemade cheese sandwich has jumped by over a third in one year, according to research for the BBC. The price of two slices of white bread, a serving of butter and mature cheddar has risen to 40p, up 37% over a year. Prices of sandwich fillings including chicken, eggs and ham at supermarkets have soared, while the cost of bread has also risen, the figures suggest.

Cross-border dealmaking dwindles as Covid-19 hits

Investment Monitor April 16, 2023

Canadian convenience store giant Couche-Tard, better known as the operator of the Circle K chain, was set to buy petrol station operator Caltex Australia in a $5.6bn deal, saying Caltex was "a strong strategic fit for Couche-Tard and an important component of its Asia Pacific expansion strategy". That was until coronavirus happened.

Covid-19 is changing FDI - but is it going to last?

Investment Monitor April 16, 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic has diminished the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) around the world. Now, the virus is set to alter the way in which FDI is thought about in general. In early April, Chinese state-owned venture fund China Reform Holdings attempted to take over Imagination Technologies, a British software and semiconductors technology company.

What is the gender pay gap where you work?

BBC News April 11, 2023

With eight out of ten firms still paying their male employees more than women, little progress has been made in closing the gender pay gap in the UK. Some sectors have shown some improvement since 2017/18 when companies were first required to publish figures. The latest figures show that organisations in the public sector reduced their pay gap from 14.5% in favour of men in 2017 to 8.9% in 2022.

Men still out-earn women in most jobs

BBC News April 4, 2023

Men still earn more than women, according to data gathered by the BBC. Despite a continued push for equality, the difference in wage has remained at 9.4%, the same level as in 2017/18, when figures were first published. The BBC looked at a company's median pay gap - the difference in pay between the middle-ranking woman and the middle-ranking man.

Rent prices: How much have they gone up in your area?

BBC News March 28, 2023

Business reporter, BBC NewsRents for new lets have increased by 11.1% in January 2023 compared to the same month a year before. This figure varies greatly across the UK, with London rents increasing by 15.2%, while those in Northern Ireland increased by 5.7%. Use the tool below to see what the average prices are in your area and how they've increased in the past four years. Your device may not support this visualisation.

Byron Burger chain owner shuts sites and axes jobs

BBC News January 13, 2023

The owner of the Byron Burger chain has said it will close nine restaurants and cut 218 jobs in another restructure of the business. Famously Proper Ltd, which also controls the Mother Clucker fried chicken brand, blamed rising costs and lower consumer spending for the move. It is the third time since 2018 that the company has been significantly downsized.

Cost of living: If no one comes, we close early, says pub

BBC News December 20, 2022

At the Barn Pub near Rugby, the drinks are ready to be served, but unless lots of customers arrive, staff leave early. "If no regulars come in, we close early," the chef says. "It costs to keep this building heated."The Barn Pub is not alone. A survey from the British Beer and Pub Association, seen by the BBC, suggested most pubs are thinking of cutting down trading hours over the winter.

Global new-biz client spotlight: Vodafone win puts telecoms sector at the top in September

Campaign November 17, 2022

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Global new-biz regional analysis: UK takes Europe lead as OMD snaps up British Gas and Virgin Media O2

Campaign November 3, 2022

Trending: Power 100 Campaign for creativity School Reports 2022 The Knowledge Podcasts WPP’s Mediacom and MSix & Partners also win big in the UK Sign in to continue Sign In Email address Password Stay signed in Register Limited free articles a month Free email bulletins Register Now Get 30 days free access to Campaign and recieve: Full access to campaignlive.co.uk Quarterly printed magazine Bulletins, podcasts and member-only content, such as School Reports 2022 Event discounts to Campaign...

Mexico bucks Tequila/mezcal prices trend - exclusive data

Just-Drinks August 31, 2022

The price of a bottle of Tequila/mezcal has broadly risen more slowly than the inflation, except in two markets – one of which is Mexico, exclusive data for Just Drinks suggests. An analysis of more than 1,100 products sold across more than 30 countries shows Mexico and South Africa are the two countries where the price of a bottle of Tequila/mezcal went up faster than inflation between January 2019 and June/July 2022.

Local traffic: How Google Maps harms your neighbourhood

City Monitor / CityMetric July 12, 2022

In 2005, Rebecca was looking for a place to live. She chose a nice street in Bromley, London, just next to the quiet Crystal Palace Park and relatively low on traffic. “It was the wide, avenue-like appearance of the road, with its villas and Victorian houses, that I loved about the road,” she tells City Monitor. These days, however, the road looks less appealing. “I cycled here until around 2013 after which I stopped as the traffic levels exploded,” she says.

Whisk(e)y price rises yet to keep pace with inflation – exclusive data

Just-Drinks July 11, 2022

As distillers have faced rising costs across a range of inputs, the prices paid by global consumers for whisk(e)y have risen – but, largely, not at the same pace as general inflation, exclusive data for Just Drinks suggests. Analysis by research and intelligence group GlobalData of nearly 7,000 products sold in 40 countries show that, in almost all markets, whisk(e)y prices have increased since January 2019.

Big tech watches you as you read the news

Press Gazette March 24, 2021

Our investigation into website tracking software has found that news websites have, on average, 17 third party reader tracking tools – and Google trackers are on nearly all of them. “Big Tech companies insist spying on users, government is inadvertent,” reads an August 2020 headline on The Washington Times website, a conservative daily covering the DC area as well as US national politics.

Citizenship for sale: How investment buys passports

Investment Monitor November 6, 2020

The rise of residence by investmentWhile most countries reserve the right to grant citizenships to anyone in return for contributions to society, culture and the economy, that right is rarely exercised and there are no set conditions an individual needs to meet to be granted citizenship. Many countries provide residence permits in exchange for investments. The OECD identified 100 countries that offer some form of residence by investment for would-be investors.

Heat pumps are on the rise in Europe

Energy Monitor September 23, 2020

Few people in Norway had even heard of heat pumps at the beginning of the millennium. By 2019, some 1.4 million units had been sold in the country, figures from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) show. Norway’s rapid adoption of heat pumps was spurred by a series of cold winters, an increase in electricity prices, grants and bans on old boilers. While heat pumps are yet to become widespread around the world, they offer a series of advantages compared with traditional heating solutions.

Uber and Lyft are cutting even further into the taxi market during the pandemic

City Monitor / CityMetric August 21, 2020

We know what happens when city drivers can't find a street-parking space near their destination: they circle the block until their luck changes. Plenty of research has documented the great toll this takes on traffic congestion and air pollution. The field’s leading scholar, UCLA parking guru Donald Shoup, has found that cruising for parking can account for some 15% of downtown traffic at the lower end of the spectrum, and up to 74% at the extremes.

Billions in revenue lost and jobs cut as planes remain grounded

Airport Technology June 3, 2020

A stunning fact emerged from the UK government this week: over the entire month of April 2020, only 112,300 passengers arrived in the country by air – a 99% decline from the same month in 2019. More than half of those passengers were UK nationals returning home. It is hard to overstate the impact of Covid-19 on the aviation industry in countries like the UK. At one point – on April 14 – just 1,900 passengers landed in the country.

Chart: Global economy to shrink by 1.9% in 2020, with Western Europe down by up to 10%

City Monitor / CityMetric May 20, 2020

The global economy is now expected to shrink by 1.9% in 2020, according to experts from GlobalData. Western Europe and the US are still expected to bear the brunt, with Italy’s GDP forecast to contract by 10% over the year. France’s GDP is predicted to shrink by 8.6%, the UK’s by 8.2%, Spain’s by 7.9% and Germany’s by 6.6%. Those forecasts are slightly worse than GlobalData was forecasting a week ago.

Unemployment claims rise by 69%, highest rate on record

City Monitor / CityMetric May 19, 2020

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits has increased to 2.1 million in April 2020 – up 856,500 in a month, and the highest level since 1996. The figures, released this morning by the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP), shows that the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or searching for work under Universal Credit rules has increased by 69.1% in just one month.

Nearly 40,000 coronavirus deaths in England and Wales, ONS says

City Monitor / CityMetric May 19, 2020

In its 2,500-year history, Naples has witnessed numerous wars, revolutions, natural disasters and invasions. Over the past couple of months, however, Neapolitans experienced something almost entirely new: silence. Italy was the first European country to institute a strict nationwide lockdown to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Number of patients waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test triples

City Monitor / CityMetric May 14, 2020

The number of people waiting six or more weeks for a diagnostic test in England almost tripled in March 2020 alone as Covid-19 saw hospital postpone “non-urgent” treatment. New figures from NHS England show that, by the end of March, 85,446 patients had been waiting six or more weeks for diagnostic tests and procedures – up from 29,832 in February and 26,483 in March 2019.

England and Wales have passed deaths peak, ONS figures show

City Monitor / CityMetric May 12, 2020

Great news, commuters: the UK government has released its guidance for how to use public transport safely in the age of covid-19. As is often the way with official government documents, the guidance is much shorter than it looks: it frequently repeats itself, as it offers basically the same set of suggestions for when using each different mode of transport. Much of the advice for how to behave in a taxi, it turns out, can also apply on a train.

US now double the deaths of UK, Spain and France combined

City Monitor / CityMetric May 12, 2020

The number of Covid-19 cases continues to fall with the number of deaths seeing an expected post-weekend slight uptick on Monday, our coronavirus tracker shows. The total number of cases is now at 4,117,502, with the number of confirmed Covid-19 deaths now at 286,330. The US continues to have the biggest share of those, recording 1,156 deaths yesterday.

Restrictions are being lifted as cases fall in major cities

City Monitor / CityMetric May 11, 2020

One of the most contentious things about Britain’s current lockdown status – or at least, one of the ones which has caused the most spluttering on Twitter, which is not quite the same thing – concerns the question of commuting. Consider this extract from Boris Johnson’s address to the nation last night: “We now need to stress that anyone who can’t work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work.

Crime in Northern Ireland falls by one-third during lockdown

City Monitor / CityMetric May 6, 2020

The number of crimes recorded in Northern Ireland has fallen by nearly a third in the five weeks starting 23 March – giving us a first glimpse of how the Covid-19 lockdown has affected crime in the UK. The figures, released today by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, shows that all major types of crime have seen a downward progression since the beginning of the lockdown.

Chart: Western economies expected to shrink 6 to 9 percent

City Monitor / CityMetric May 5, 2020

The economic forecasts for the biggest Western nations affected by Covid-19 have been revised downward once again – with the UK seeing a particularly steep drop-off. Italy’s GDP is expected to drop by more than 9.3% in 2020, according to the latest forecasts from GlobalData. France’s GDP is set to drop by 7.3% during the year, the UK’s by 7.0% and Germany’s by 6.3%.

Covid-19 disproportionately affects the most deprived, new analysis shows

City Monitor / CityMetric May 1, 2020

Despite coronavirus being commonly referenced as “the great equalizer”, new data has today confirmed it has disproportionately affected poorer neighbourhoods. The most deprived areas of England registered 55.1 deaths linked to Covid-19 per 100,000 people up to April 17, the figures show. The least deprived had a rate less than half of that, at 25.3 deaths per 100,000.

England and Wales see 27,000 excess deaths since start of Covid-19 pandemic

City Monitor / CityMetric April 28, 2020

England and Wales have seen 27,000 more deaths than expected since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. New figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics show there were more than twice as many deaths in the week ending 17 April than would have been expected in an average year. A total of 22,351 people died during the week – more than twice the 10,497 seen across the previous five years.

Where coronavirus stopped pedestrians in their tracks

City Monitor / CityMetric April 20, 2020

As the UK locked down amid the coronavirus outbreak, theories abounded about why some parts of the country changed their routines more quickly and to a greater extent than others. Anonymised mobile phone data from Google shows that the amount people moved around for work dropped by more than 60% in Brighton, Bath, York and Edinburgh by 11 April. Those figures were notably lower, however, for Peterborough (47%) and Middlesbrough (50.1%).

Coronavirus impacting housing demand after strong start to 2020 - Zoopla

Zoopla March 26, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a 40% drop in interest from buyers. By Nicu Calcea March 26, 2020 Zoopla After a strong start to 2020 in the housing market, we've seen a sharp fall in interest from buyers since the coronavirus pandemic started spreading across the UK. Demand from buyers over the seven days to 22 March was down 40% on the previous week, according to our latest Zoopla Cities House Price Index Report.

Revealed: the top 20 features renters want most from a home - Zoopla

Zoopla March 13, 2020

Our latest analysis reveals the most popular keywords renters use to find their next home. By Nicu Calcea March 1, 2020 Zoopla What makes a perfect rental home? For some people, it’s having a cosy fireplace to warm up next to and for others, it’s having a nice view of the sea. We looked at the most common terms people used in our keyword search tool between August 2019 and February 2020 to identify the most sought-after features renters are searching for.

Long-distance family: First-time-buyers are moving away from their parents - Zoopla

Zoopla March 4, 2020

Buying the nest...we reveal how nearly half of all first-time buyers choose to move more than 20 miles away from their parents. By Nicu Calcea March 5, 2020 Zoopla Despite 60% of first-time buyers claiming living close to family is important, the reality is very different. Over three quarters (77%) of first-time buyers don't buy in the same area as their parents, our latest survey reveals.

First-time buyers: their needs and challenges - Zoopla

Zoopla February 21, 2020

What do buyers look for in their first home? Our survey of more than 2,000 respondents reveals the answers. By Nicu Calcea February 21, 2020 Zoopla When it comes to choosing a home, it’s often what’s on the outside that counts. Almost one in three respondents (29%) to our Zoopla survey of first-time buyers and existing homeowners chose a parking space as their most desirable feature for their first home.

The best places to live in Britain if you're single - Zoopla

Zoopla February 14, 2020

Whether you’re looking for love or loving single life, these are the best places to live in if you’re single. By Nicu Calcea February 14, 2020 Zoopla Maybe you're happily single or maybe you're ready to mingle. In any case, we know that living alone can be exciting and freeing - but can also feel lonely at times. So whether you’re ready to fall in love or still enjoying the single life, we’re here to help.

What do people do first after moving into a new home? - Zoopla

Zoopla February 10, 2020

We asked over 2,000 people, both existing homeowners and first-time buyers, to find out. By Nicu Calcea February 10, 2020 Zoopla Moving into your first property can be a long, complex and emotional process. For some, it can take a while to finally settle into their new home.

Grade inflation means too many Firsts being awarded, finds OfS report

London Student February 12, 2019

News · 3 mins ago · Students today are receiving higher marks than ever before according to a report published last month by the Office for Students. The study found that the percentage of students receiving first-class honours has increased from 16% in the 2010-11 academic year to 27% in 2016-17. Better Marks for EveryoneMore than half of the universities in England are awarding marks far higher than their 2010 averages.

Londoners more likely to go to university than rest of UK

London Student February 6, 2019

News · 3 mins ago · Recent reports show that young people from London are more likely to go to university than those from the rest of the UK. Around 42.4 per cent of London-based 18-year-olds were admitted in higher education last year, an increase of 0.7 per cent from 2017. According to the “2018 End of Cycle Report” published by UCAS, Londoners had a 32 per cent higher chance to be admitted to university than their peers in the rest of England.

Is University Still Worth Enroling In?

London Student January 4, 2019

News · 4 mins ago · Hundreds of thousands of students enrol in universities across the UK each year. Teenagers in England and Scotland were more likely to go to university in 2018 than ever before, figures published by UCAS show. Many of them believe that a university degree will help them land better jobs. More than half of students say they went to university because they wanted to pursue a particular career, according to a 2017 survey.

Student suicide statistics published for 2016/17

London Student December 20, 2018

News · 3 months ago · Data on suicide rates among students has been revealed for the first time. The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, estimates that 95 students took their lives during the 2016/2017 academic year. The number is more or less consistent with previous years. Nearly two thirds of completed suicides were by young men. Most of the students who took their lives were studying at an undergraduate level.

London universities drop in employability rankings

London Student November 15, 2018

London universities drop in employability rankings News · 2 hours ago · British universities continue to struggle with preparing students for the complexities of the modern job market, a new report shows. Out of the 150 best ranking universities in terms of employability in the world this year, only 10 are from the UK with just five from London. The 2011 report included 15 universities from the UK.

Think you know what the gender gap in UK is? How many questions will you get right?

gapbetween.us October 25, 2018

Quiz: How well do you know the UK gender pay gap? In October 2017, the gender pay gap in the UK was around 9.1% in favor of men. However, data submitted to the Office for National Statistics by companies with 250+ employers shows that these differences in wages vary widely across professions. For example, female financial institution managers and directors earn 26.2% less, on average, than men.

Investigation: The Hidden Assets of Moldova’s Gun Shop Bosses

Transitions October 22, 2015

Investigation: The Hidden Assets of Moldova’s Gun Shop Bosses by Nicu Calcea and Veaceslav Aftene 22 October 2015 How some top managers are ignoring the law and keeping their businesses and property out of public view. You have reached a premium content area of TOL. To read this entire article please login if you are already a TOL subscriber: Username: Password: Remember me next time I visit TOL?

The Highwire Act

Wizz Air Magazine October 1, 2015

Published by Nicu Calcea on October, 2015 Original source: Wizz Air Inflight MagazineTucked behind a main road in Chișinău, standing alone among a forest of of weed-covered paving slabs, is one of Easter Europe’s strangest buildings. The white buttress of the exterior rise from the ground like crooked teeth, while the domed roof resembles a medieval crown.

Cetăţenia română se ia cu sex şi bani în zece ani

VICE February 15, 2013

Poate n-o să-ți vină să crezi, dar în Republica Moldova există câteva milioane de oameni care vor să fie români. Nu, nu vor să fie români, vor să aibă cetățenie română. Moldovenii pot călători fără vize doar în țările din fostul URSS, Coreea de Nord și încă patru destinații plictisitoare.

Întrebarea zilei: Ce cred moldovenii despre unirea cu România?

VICE October 24, 2012

În Republica Moldova marşurile pentru unirea României cu Basarabia nu-s nimic nou. Se petrec anual la Chişinău, iar anul ăsta au avut loc şi la Cahul, și la Bălţi. La cel din urmă chiar s-a lăsat cu o smardoială sănătoasă, când militanţii statalişti (cei care vor păstrarea independenţei) au aruncat cu ouă în cei unionişti (cei care vor reunificarea).