UK most sceptical of paying for education April 15, 2014 BRITISH parents are among the least likely to say that paying for a child’s education is a good investment, according to a report released this morning. HSBC research into priorities for education in 15 countries reveals that only 35 per cent of parents in the UK say that paying for schooling is the best investment [...]
Davey writes to firms about Eco April 15, 2014 Energy secretary Ed Davey yesterday wrote to the gas and electricity suppliers, calling for more detailed information on the cost of the Energy Company Obligation (Eco), a scheme that obligates the larger firms to install energy-saving measures in customers’ homes. Energy UK and regulator Ofgem said they welcomed proposals that increased transparency.
ABG strikes gold in West Kenya April 15, 2014 FTSE 250-listed miner African Barrick Gold yesterday said its West Kenyan test site has shown signs of significant gold mineralisation. Edison analyst Charles Gibson said the results were “encouraging” and “should boost the perception of Kenya as a destination for exploration investment”. ABG shares fell 2.4 per cent, mirroring a fall in the price of gold.
Hochschild silver output on track April 15, 2014 Hochschild Mining, the FTSE 250-quoted precious metals explorer, yesterday said first-quarter silver production hit 5.9m ounces, beating analysts’ expectations, and that it is on track to reach a full-year target of 21m silver ounces. The firm added that it is continuing with its cost cutting programme, which is expected to deliver around $200m (£119.6m) of [...]
Brand Index: Ryanair takes to the airwaves to boost friendly image April 15, 2014 AS PART of Ryanair’s quest to revamp its image, the low-cost airline has launched its first TV campaign in 25 years. The improvement in consumers’ view of the brand since it announced its customer service overhaul, last autumn, has cooled, but there has been a modest increase in the number of people who say they [...]
NextEnergy Solar Fund raises £85.6m from London flotation April 15, 2014 NEXTENERGY Solar Fund, an investment company solely focused on solar energy assets in the UK, today said it has raised £85.6m from its initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange. The firm initially hoped to raise £150m, but chief executive Michael Bonte-Friedheim told City A.M. that this was reduced as “a consequence of a [...]
Micro Focus searching for new chief executive in plan to split leadership April 15, 2014 FTSE 250-listed software company Micro Focus has announced plans to split the role of executive chairman into separate chief executive and chairman roles over the coming 12 to 24 months. It comes three years after Kevin Loosemore moved from chief executive to executive chairman, a dual role normally against the codes of corporate governance. The [...]
RSA chooses a chief operating officer April 15, 2014 RSA has picked Paul Whittaker, its emerging markets boss, to fill the newly-created job of chief operating officer. Whittaker, who joined RSA as group HR director in April 2003, has been chief executive of emerging markets at the company since 2006. He will take up his new role from 1 May.
G4S wins new contract from HMRC April 15, 2014 Outsourcing firm G4S yesterday said it has won a £4m contract to provide facilities management services to three regional HMRC tax offices. The deal comes just a week after a ban was lifted on the firm bidding for public sector work in the wake of the prisoner tagging scandal. The three year contract with the [...]
Progress on Petroneft farmout April 15, 2014 Aim-listed Petroneft, the loss-making oil and gas explorer, yesterday said that a long-awaited farmout agreement for a 50 per cent stake in one of the licence areas it owns in the Tomsk region of Russia is set to go ahead next week. It did not reveal which company had bought the farmout. Petroneft’s largest shareholder [...]