Southern halves next week’s strike but adds three new days of industrial action January 4, 2017 Three new strike dates have been announced for Southern rail at the end of the month, Aslef, the train drivers' union, has announced. Industrial action is planned for January 24, 25 and 27. The announcement came shortly after the union said it would reduce next week's six-day driver strike to three days as it takes a "longer-term" view of the ongoing [...]
Innis & Gunn has launched a “detox” beer with zero alcohol just in time for Dry January January 4, 2017 It's now the fourth day of Dry January, and even if you've read every list with tips on how to get through it, by now the craving to crack open a beer might be setting in. Scottish craft brewers Innis & Gunn have your answer: A new alcohol-free pale ale called Innis & None. Two million Brits are set to try [...]
Eurozone economic activity increased at its fastest rate since the debt crisis in 2011, according to purchasing managers’ index (PMI) January 4, 2017 Economic activity in Eurozone industry in December expanded at the fastest pace since the depths of the currency union’s debt crisis, according to a closely watched indicator. The Eurozone composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) – which measures activity throughout the economy – was upgraded significantly to 54.4, after a flash reading of 53.9, despite activity [...]
Retailers’ share prices dragged down as Next sinks January 4, 2017 The retail sector is getting a hammering today after Next posted a sales slide for the Christmas season. Next's share price has tumbled 11 per cent in morning trading, and following it downwards are Marks and Spencer, which has fallen five per cent, and Primark-owner Associated British Foods, which is down 3.84 per cent. Read more: Retailers [...]
An actual earthquake actually happened in the UK yesterday January 4, 2017 The British Geological Survey has confirmed that an actual earthquake took place in the UK yesterday. Well, off the UK, anyway. According to the organisation, an earthquake with magnitude 3.8 struck in the Southern North Sea just before 7pm last night. The epicentre of the quake was 93 miles east of the town, at a [...]
Mastercard’s £700m Vocalink deal raises competition concerns with watchdog January 4, 2017 Mastercard's £700m deal for Vocalink has raised concerns over competition in the payments infrastructure business with the market watchdog. Owned by a collective of 18 banks, including Barclays, Santander, Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC, Vocalink provides the infrastructure for many payments in Britain such as Bacs and the Faster Payments Service as well as the Link ATM network. Concerns have [...]
Ryanair passenger numbers soar again January 4, 2017 It seems Ryanair is about to have a good day: the airline has said passenger numbers soared 20 per cent in December, as passengers went berserk for lower fares. In an update this morning, Ryanair said it flew 9m customers last month, bringing its total for 2016 up to 117m, 15 per cent higher than the [...]
That don’t impress me much, say public of Max Mosley-backed press regulator’s funding structure January 4, 2017 The newspaper industry is stepping up opposition to a government-approved press regulator, today publishing a poll seemingly illustrating public opposition to its funding model. The majority of the industry is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), which is funded by its members. Rival regulator Impress currently has a small number of, mainly hyperlocal, members. Read [...]
This Wall Street lawyer has become Donald Trump’s top pick for the SEC January 4, 2017 Wall Street lawyer Jay Clayton has emerged as the front-runner to become president-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, reports say. Clayton, who is known for working on top IPOs such as the Alibaba Group's, met Trump on 22 December, according to Reuters. Read more: Four of Donald Trump's New [...]
This is what consumers are most worried about this year January 4, 2017 It's only day four of 2017 and we're already tearing our hair out about what the new year will bring. Top of the list of consumers' concerns is that poorly-defined political concept: Brexit. Read more: More money in your pocket? Not for much longer, say economists Few of us even know what Brexit means – Prime Minister Theresa May [...]