By Guy Dorrell @GuyDorrellEsq On Saturday, Hamas appeared to have captured alive an Israeli junior army officer. Pundits immediately feared that ordinary Gazans would face an armed response more ferocious than anything yet seen in this already dirty and bloody conflict. Lieutenant Hadar Goldin seemed to have been taken during a firefight that saw two of his colleagues killed. In moments of huge uncertainty, one thing can be relied upon; Israel will do everything it can to have Lt Goldin...

By Leanne Dempsey With the commonwealth games a big success north of the border and the Scottish referendum imminent, it is no surprise that all eyes are on Scotland. So, it is somewhat shocking that one in ten of us do not know what the countries capital is. A recent YouGov survey, commissioned by Sykes Cottages, asked 2,390 respondents from England, Scotland and Wales to name Scotland’s capital city. Some of the results were shocking, to say the least. Amongst the incorrect answers...

Randgold have been digging up profits and a fruitful reward for staff of BT. Last week saw British American Tobacco’s share price decline due to the strength of the pound, which affected their profit margins whilst market analysts are still calling for investors to hold shares for a long-term yield. The share dividend paid 47.6p, a six per cent increase compared to last year, but there was a drop in cigarette sales that was relatively small compared to last year...

By Steve Taggart For many decades, Albania was not considered a tourist destination. Although situated just 45 miles from the eternally-popular coast of Italy, this South-Eastern European country was considered a world away. With a recent history peppered with the restrictions that come from living under communist rule, travel to Albania has been limited in recent years and its shores have remained largely undiscovered by the wider world. General opinion of the country wasn't high: it was a world of...

By Steve Taggart The non-surgical treatments industry has seen massive growth throughout the last few years, with demand for anti-ageing and cosmetic treatments remaining buoyant even during the darkest days of the recession. Perhaps one of the reasons is that the market is still in growth, expanding naturally as more and more consumers become aware of the treatments available and the results that can be achieved without surgery. The most popular treatments carried out remain injectable treatments. These are quick,...

By Philip Benton Recently I attended a talk here in London about digital currencies and how they could be the answer to our economic woes and the key to rebuilding our broken society. I went in with an open mind, keen to broaden my interest in the curious world of crypto currencies, but somehow came out with more questions than answers. The talk was hosted by ex-investment banker Simon Dixon and Max Keiser of The Keiser Report fame. The opening...

By Rob Latham, @robilaz Following another summer of disappointment for England fans, there is a welcome tonic with the return of the domestic season on Friday (August 8). Bolton Wanderers supporters have endured another summer of concern, with yet more senior pros leaving the club and a few new names coming in to strengthen the squad following a disappointing campaign last time out. The biggest change at the club heading into the new season is yet another change in sponsorship....

By J T Coombes www.globalmagnacarta.com @GMagnaCarta   From the fall of Rome in 476 the recorded history of warfare has shown that the quest for power and then holding on to it has cost the lives of millions, if not billions of innocent people, manipulated into fighting by religious or political greed. As the war in Gaza turns into a bloodbath we are again witness to this constant barbarity and manipulation, with military thinking that has changed little over time....

By Nathan Lee  The Financial Times has introduced a new scheme encouraging young authors to tackle emerging business themes. The Bracken Bower Prize has been launched by the FT alongside McKinsey & Company, organisers of the Business Book of the Year Award, with the aim of unearthing new talent and encouraging writers to research ideas that could fill future business books of the year. A prize of £15,000 will be given for the best book proposal and will be awarded...