Cameron says there is “no guarantee” government efforts to save steel will succeed during Prime Minister’s Questions April 27, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron has said there is "no guarantee" that the government's efforts to aid the steel industry will be successful. Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Cameron said: "[Although] I want to do everything we can to secure the future for not only Port Talbot but for Scunthorpe and for steelmaking in Britain we are [...]
US Federal Reserve keeps benchmark interest rates unchanged with a 9/1 vote April 27, 2016 The US Federal Reserve has left its overnight lending rate for banks unchanged at a target range of between 0.25 and 0.50 per cent at its latest meeting. The committee of 10 said in a statement it would continue to monitor the US and global economic situation. The Committee expects that economic conditions will evolve in a manner [...]
Virgin Media pledges fibre broadband expansion to one million premises by 2019 April 27, 2016 Virgin Media has announced that it will be rolling out fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband for one million homes and businesses over the next few years. The plans are part of Virgin Media’s £3bn expansion to grow its overall network by four million premises by 2019. Rivals BT and Sky are currently trialling FTTP or deploying it in smaller [...]
Profit at Spanish banking giant Santander drops five per cent in the first quarter on currency headwinds April 27, 2016 The eurozone's largest bank and the UK challenger Banco Santander, has posted a 4.9 per cent fall in first-quarter net profit from a year earlier. Santander reported net profit of €1.63bn (£1.84bn), beating a Reuters analyst poll of a 12.5 per cent decline. The drop was put down to currency headwinds as a fall in the value of the Brazilian [...]
Has the Bank of England gone over budget on a website for the new £5 note? April 27, 2016 The Bank of England is a digitally savvy outfit these days. In honour of all the new banknotes being printed this year, the British central bank has decided to create a website devoted to the new five pound note, www.thenewfiver.co.uk. The microsite, expected to launch fully in June, will provide helpful information on the new [...]
As government talks up Channel 4 privatisation, analysts name Netflix, Viacom, BT and Discovery as potential suitors April 27, 2016 Netflix, Viacom, BT and Discovery have all been tipped as potential suitors for Channel 4 by media analysts. The government is currently considering selling off the channel, which is privately funded but publicly owned. And culture secretary John Whittingdale yesterday talked up the prospect of privatisation, saying it could leave the channel "better off". Read more: Why Channel 4's [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Donald Trump comes closer to winning nomination and one-on-one battle with Hillary Clinton April 27, 2016 After storming to victory in a number of states, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are starting to look like an unstoppable force and an immovable object. And if they meet for a one-on-one, you can expect fireworks, with Trump having attacked Clinton last night after he won all five primaries. Speaking at Trump Tower in New York, [...]
Twitter shares just plummeted after earnings miss. And it got a downgrade too April 27, 2016 Shares in Twitter have plummeted after another tough quarter, opening more than 15 per cent lower after missing estimates for revenue and cutting forecasts for the next three months. Shares fell under $15 for the first time since February. Twitter failed to shake off concerns that it has trouble with growth. The social network did increase [...]
Ukip’s Nigel Farage reckons his party will make a “significant breakthrough” in upcoming elections April 27, 2016 Ukip's leader is feeling rather bullish about his party's chances in the upcoming local elections. Nigel Farage reckons his party is about to make a "significant breakthrough" in next week's elections, held in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and London. In fact, he said his party is the only one who has "a chance of winning [...]
Rivals set to win customers on back of BHS’ demise April 27, 2016 BHS has entered administration, confirming what I have previously written about in this column; its loyal customers have deserted it in recent years. Although BHS will continue to trade while a buyer is sought, the retailer has been in trouble for some time as it failed to modernise its offering. It has been losing market [...]