Ukraine crisis: Russia pulls 17,000 troops from border October 12, 2014 Russia is pulling troops away from the Ukrainian border, ahead of president Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Petro Poroshenko. 17,600 soldiers stationed in the Rostov region have been ordered to return to their bases. According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the troops’ training exercises have now come to an end. A ceasefire [...]
Ebola in America: Texas health care worker becomes first person to contract disease on US soil October 12, 2014 Ebola is now officially spreading in the US, after a Texas health care worker tested positive for the virus today. The worker had been treating Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan at a Dallas hospital, a statement from the Texas health services department confirmed. It marks the first time someone has contracted the deadly [...]
Tesco board to lose two members as chief exec Dave Lewis continues to rebuild October 12, 2014 Tesco is said to be losing two of its most senior executives, as the beleaguered supermarket looks to rebuild from the shock revelation of a £250m profit overstatement last month. Company secretary Jonathan Lloyd is reported to have resigned, while the chairman of the audit committee Ken Hanna is said to be stepping down [...]
EU-US trade deal: Business vs NGOs October 11, 2014 The proposed EU-US free trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has become a subject of hot controversy across Europe and the US. TTIP even made its way into the campaign for Scottish independence, with the SNP claiming the deal would open up the NHS for privatisation. The debate intensified last [...]
Balfour Beatty circular on Parsons Brinckerhoff deal gets approval October 11, 2014 Infrastructure company Balfour Beatty announced yesterday that its shareholder circular regarding the proposed sale of its US business Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to a Canadian bidder has been approved by the UK listing authority. The sale price of PB amounts to £820m. The company said in a statement: The sale price represents a significant return on [...]
UK set to land 378,000 jobs thanks to re-shoring October 11, 2014 The UK could see 378,000 jobs created over the next three years thanks to mid-market firms re-shoring some of their business, according to research from General Electric Capital and Warwick Business School. Furthermore, executives of these businesses believe revenues could rise by 14.8 per cent – or £3.8m firm per annum, with an average up-lift [...]
France suffers cut to credit outlook as economy struggles October 11, 2014 The beleaguered French economy has been dealt a fresh blow by credit rating agency Standard and Poor's (S&P), with its credit outlook cut to negative due to the country's sluggish performance and lack of reform. Furthermore, the prospects for economic prosperity in the near term remain low with S&P commenting in a statement: We believe [...]
Does Uber really deserve an F grade from the Better Business Bureau? October 10, 2014 Uber received some bad news on Thursday, receiving an F grade from the 100-year-old Better Business Bureau. The US nonprofit gave the taxi app its lowest possible grade, primarily because of the company's price surging policy. Surge pricing means the price can shoot up when demand rises sharply, such as New Year's eve or during [...]
Tesco share price dips again after supermarket pulls out of Margate superstore October 10, 2014 Tesco's share price dipped again today after it emerged the troubled supermarket had ditched its controversial plans to build a megastore in Margate. Tesco had fought for years to be given approval for the seafront, with many in the coastal town arguing that the plans were “an eyesore” and would have made the regeneration [...]
Ebola hits economy: West Africa epidemic becomes serious risk to financial markets October 10, 2014 Ebola now poses a serious risk to financial markets. The disease, which has killed more than 3,800 people since the current epidemic began in West Africa in February, has joined the list of factors that could have a catastrophic impact on world markets, according to the World Bank. Weak global economic growth and the [...]