Trump doubles down on bias accusations against US tech giants August 30, 2018 US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his attacks towards tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of illegal activity. "I think that Google and Facebook and Twitter … treat conservatives and Republicans very unfairly,” Trump told reporters at the White House last night. "I think it’s a very serious problem [...]
Tory MPs call on Chris Grayling to freeze rail fare hikes until services improve August 30, 2018 Transport secretary Chris Grayling is facing calls from his own MPs to freeze rail fares for three months until services improve. A handful of Tory MPs have demanded that the annual 3.2 per cent fare increase, to be introduced from January, should not come into force until passengers using Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Great Northern [...]
Eddie Stobart accelerates growth with new contract wins August 30, 2018 Logistics group Eddie Stobart reported strong revenue growth and reiterated its expectations for the full year this morning. Due to a technical error posting the results to the stock exchange, figures were not uploaded until 9.20am. Shares were up 1.1 per cent following the release. The figures Revenue grew 25.3 per cent to £359.3m in the [...]
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage mulls bid for London mayor 2020 August 30, 2018 Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage is mulling making a bid to become the next London mayor. The pro-Brexit politician, who has a slot on London radio station LBC five days a week, would go up against incumbent Sadiq Khan and one of the three Conservative candidates currently vying for the nomination. “I have been encouraged to [stand] [...]
First-time buyers swoop in during summer lull August 30, 2018 First-time buyers jumping onto the property ladder rose to an eight-month high in July, as hopeful homeowners took advantage of the housing market’s traditional summer slump. Roughly 30 per cent of all house sales were made to first-time buyers in July, rising from 23 per cent in the same month last year, according to new [...]
Argentina calls for early release of $50bn IMF support as crisis deepens August 30, 2018 Argentina has requested the early release of a $50bn (£38.5bn) credit line from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the peso hit new lows amid a deepening financial crisis. The value of the Argentine peso toppled yesterday, prompting the government to call on the IMF to speed up access to the funding in a bid to raise [...]
Mortgage approvals sink back down as housing activity grows thin August 30, 2018 Mortgage approvals suffered a renewed dip in July, underlining fears of stagnant activity levels throughout the UK’s housing market. Last month approvals for house purchases edged down to 65,000, bucking a slow rise to a five-month high in June, according to new bank of England (BoE) statistics. Remortgaging approvals also dropped 5.5 per cent to 45,000 [...]
Claim-hit Wonga stops taking loan applications as it ‘considers its options’ August 30, 2018 Wonga appeared to be on the verge of folding this morning, as it made the decision to stop taking new loan applications. The payday lender told customers that it “continues to assess its options” in the wake of a huge number of compensation claims that led to shareholders providing an emergency £10m earlier this month. [...]
Vodafone seals the deal on £8.4bn tie-up in Australia with TPG August 30, 2018 Telecoms giant Vodafone has agreed a merger of its Australian arm with local listed firm TPG Telecom, which will forge a new provider worth AU$15bn (£8.4bn). Vodafone Group and its subsidiary Hutchinson Telecommunications Australia will each own a 25.05 per cent stake in the new firm, while TPG shareholders will take over the remaining 49.9 per cent. [...]
Insurer Chesnara’s profit falls in first half on Italian bond exposure August 30, 2018 Insurance and pensions administrator Chesnara said today its profit in the first six months of the year had fallen by nearly half, which it blamed on its exposure to Italian bonds. Chesnara posted profit before tax of £26.5m, which was a fall of 48.6 per cent from £51.6m in the same period last year. Read [...]