Manchester United finances: Club announce record revenues despite seventh-placed finish September 10, 2014 Manchester United may have endured a turbulent time on the pitch last season, but off it, they continued to make remarkable progress. The club released their financial accounts for the 2013-14 season today, which revealed a mammoth total revenue of £433.2m, a 19 per cent increase on last season's £363m. United's struggles on the pitch culminated [...]
From floods and snowstorms to balmy December days: Why UK winter weather is about to get even more extreme September 10, 2014 If you thought British winters were bad, get ready for even more unpredictable weather. Conditions will swing from very mild and wet to extremely cold and snowy in the decades to come, according to a new report. By looking at the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a seasonal measurement of barometric pressure variations over the [...]
Shock as Britain’s Lord Hill gets senior EU financial services job September 10, 2014 New EU president Jean-Claude Juncker has appointed relative unknown Lord Hill of Oareford to oversee Europe's financial services sector – one of the most prized jobs on the European Commission. The announcement came as rather a surprise – the UK government had expected Hill to be given a relatively junior economic role. It [...]
Alibaba IPO: Ecommerce firm may have already covered record-breaking listing September 10, 2014 Alibaba has already covered its record-breaking $21bn initial public offering, according to reports. The IPO launched on Monday and its investor roadshow has already hit New York and Boston, with founder Jack Ma explaining the company's business model and assuaging concerns over its corporate governance. And it appears the 49-year-old has been successful, [...]
Savile Row tailors won’t like that: Abercrombie & Fitch proves itself a Bad Neighbour September 10, 2014 Savile Row tailors' worst fears have surely been realised with this latest PR stunt, in which a group of topless chubby men descended on Abercrombie & Fitch to stitch up the semi-naked models standing outside. The London street, which is globally renowned for heritage tailors such as Edward Sexton, Hardy Amies, Kilgour, Henry Poole, and Gieves [...]
Mumsnet: the final frontier for Scottish independence debate, as Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond go head to head today September 10, 2014 Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling are poised for their final public debate before voters decide the fate of Scotland on September 18 – this time on web forum Mumsnet. The First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the Better Together campaign will draw swords on a live stream from 1:45pm today. A [...]
It’s official: Having children makes you happier (but not for the reason you’d think) September 10, 2014 The good news is that having children does bring happiness to most people – but this isn't just because of the children themselves. It's largely the result of avoiding disappointment about not having children… According to a report published today in the journal Human Reproduction, women who want children but cannot have them are [...]
Is this the UK housing market’s new “normal”? Barratt share price up as revenues rise 21pc September 10, 2014 The UK housing market has returned to "normal seasonal trends" in 2014 after the frenzy created by the launch of Help to Buy last year, Barratt Developments said this morning while posting a 21.1 per cent rise in annual revenues. Revenues at the housebuilder rose to £3.1bn for the year to the end of June, up [...]
BSkyB share price falls as it prices £3bn bond issue for Sky Europe deal September 10, 2014 Shares in British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) fell slightly in early trading as it priced £3.25bn of euro and US dollar denominated bonds to help it buy Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland. The deal will create "Sky Europe", a pan-European TV service, described by BSkyB as a "world-class, multinational pay TV business with enhanced headroom [...]
Santander share price falls as it announces chairman Emilio Botín has died September 10, 2014 Emilio Botín, executive chairman of Banco Santander, has died of a heart attack the company has announced. Shares in Spain's largest lender fell more than 2 per cent in early trading as the bank said its remuneration would meet later today to start the hunt for a new chairman. Botín, known to employees as 'El Presidente', [...]