Government blocks sale of rare Wedgwood vase December 15, 2016 The culture minister has blocked a rare Josiah Wedgwood vase from leaving the country. The “Basaltes” vase was sold in July to an unnamed bidder for almost half a million pounds. However, it is hoped that an alternative buyer from the UK can raise an equivalent amount of £482,500 (plus £16,500 VAT) in order to [...]
Petrofac’s share price suffers after warning of “challenging” trading year, despite profits being unaffected December 15, 2016 Petrofac's share price closed down two per cent today to 892.5p after the firm said a "challenging" year of deferrals and cancellations had hit order intake at its main engineering unit. The oil and gas services provider's stock traded down more than four per cent during the day, despite Petrofac's reassurance that full-year net profits [...]
BAE Systems to boost top UK cyber security talent as a third of graduates recruits to train in countering digital threats December 15, 2016 Almost a third of the 235 graduates joining BAE Systems next year will be hired to work in the firm's cyber security arm as digital threats to government and businesses soar. The blue-chip defence giant said the new emphasis in its graduate programme was prompted by an online survey it conducted with business heads, in [...]
Yahoo hack puts Verizon deal and Marissa Mayer under pressure December 15, 2016 Yahoo shares have dived more than four per cent in early trading in New York after disclosing a second major hack attack, twice the size of the previous one it revealed earlier this year, and which experts are calling the biggest hack in history. The revelations that user accounts were compromised come at a crucial time for [...]
Lloyd’s of London to set out plans for EU move in the new year December 15, 2016 Lloyd's of London will provide more insight into its Brexit preparation plans early next year, when it unveils the timetable for moving part of its business to another EU member state, with Ireland, France and Germany among the front-runners for its new foreign setup. The insurance giant is in the process of choosing a destination [...]
Heron Tower still standing as overseas lenders flock to financing deal December 15, 2016 The City of London’s tallest skyscraper has attracted new lenders to the UK commercial property market, as its financers reached their syndication target. ING and Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg (LBBW) have now completed the syndication of their £400m loan against Heron Tower. The pair have syndicated over £200m, exceeding their 50 per cent target. It is understood [...]
Stansted Express disruption: Trains cancelled and delayed due to incident between Seven Sisters/Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne December 15, 2016 Trains running between Seven Sisters/Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne are subject to severe disruption this afternoon due to an incident on the track. Stansted Express services are experiencing delays and may be cancelled, with disruption expected to continue until 8pm. #EmergencyServices – Services running through these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes [...]
Monte dei Paschi formally approves its €5bn rescue package December 15, 2016 Shareholders in troubled Italian bank Monte dei Paschi had a lukewarm reaction after reports suggested it had formally approved a multi-billion euro rescue package. Shares were up more than two per cent in afternoon trading, at €20.48 – although they started to fall on the news. The lender's shares have suffered in recent weeks after the departure of Prime [...]
Southern rail chaos continues: Talks to solve dispute between rail firm and union end with no deal December 15, 2016 Talks aimed at resolving Southern rail strikes have ended without agreement. A 24-hour strike, following a 48-hour one held by Aslef union earlier in the week, will go ahead tomorrow. Nick Brown, chief operating officer of GTR, Southern's parent, said: "We're deeply disappointed, as our passengers will be, that Aslef has been unable to accept our [...]
Sparkling wine and champagne sales are set to bubble up to £2bn by the end of the holiday season December 15, 2016 Britain's sparkling wine and champagne sales will continue to fizz over the holiday season to break £2bn by the new year. Twenty million more bottles of sparkling wine were sold in 2016 in the UK compared to the previous year, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) said in its year-end market report. With 114m litres, or 152 [...]