Study shows power of Twitter in international diplomacy July 24, 2013 The power of Twitter in global politics has been evidenced by the latest study by Twiplomacy, which found that the governments of 77.7 per cent of the 193 UN member countries have a Twitter presence, with nearly half personal accounts of heads of state, heads of government and ministers of foreign affairs (infographic). But while [...]
New data suggests that tomorrow will show growth doubled in the second quarter July 24, 2013 The CBI industrial trends survey for total orders has hit its highest level in seven months, up from -18 to -12, in-line with analyst forecasts. That's a seven month high. Business optimism came in at seven from five prior (eight expected). 32% of firms reported an increase in total new orders and 27% said they [...]
UK regulator fines RBS £5.6m for incorrect reporting July 24, 2013 The Royal Bank of Scotland has been fined £5,620,300 by the Financial Conduct Authority for incorrectly reporting transactions made in wholesale markets and in some instances failing to report transactions at all. According to the FCA, RBS failed to properly report 44.8m transactions between November 2007 and February 2013 and failed altogether to report 804,000 [...]
Women in London live longer – but rising life expectancies highlight welfare spending problem July 24, 2013 Women living in London have one of the highest life expectancies in the country, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (release). Females aged 65 in 2009-11 are expected to live for a further 21.6 years, the same as in the South East and South West and over seven months more [...]
ISP tells customers that if they want Cameron’s censored internet they should move to North Korea July 24, 2013 Internet service provider Andrews & Arnold has told customers that if they want filtered internet – they should change providers or move to North Korea. The comments are a reaction to plans announced by Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants all internet to be filtered for adult content as default, with customers only able to [...]
Carphone Warehouse sales rise despite French decline July 24, 2013 CARPHONE Warehouse today posted a 10.6 per cent increase in first-quarter sales, despite a 15.1 per cent revenue decline in its joint venture Virgin Mobile France. The mobile retailer said that its UK division benefited from the continued shift towards high-end smartphones, which drive higher revenue per connection. Fierce competition in the French market and [...]
Eurozone banks tighten credit standards despite plunging loan demand and better funding conditions July 24, 2013 The European Central Bank has reported an improvement in funding conditions among eurozone banks in the second quarter of the year, but a tightening of credit standards for both companies and mortgages despite expectations of a further fall in loan demand. In its latest bank lending survey, the ECB found that a net seven per [...]
Hope for Eurozone as private sector order book hits 18-month high July 24, 2013 MANUFACTURING and services orders in the Eurozone expanded for the first time since January 2012, according to new data released today. The Markit Purchasing Managers’ composite index – which measures the outlook of the manufacturing and services industry – hit 50.4 in July, up from 48.7 in June. A figure above 50 denotes growth rather [...]
Summer weather warms up Kingfisher sales July 24, 2013 KINGFISHER, the home improvement retailer that owns B&Q, today unveiled a 5.2 per cent increase in sales over the quarter, helped by improved weather conditions. Sales in the UK and Ireland rose 3.6 per cent, while sales of outdoor and seasonal products rose by nearly 20 per cent, representing almost 40 per cent of total [...]
Eurozone order books start to grow for first time since January 2012 July 24, 2013 Eurozone composite purchasing manager's index (PMI) has risen above 50, implying that order books are now finally starting to grow. PMI was last this high in Janaury 2012. Analysts had forecast a rise from 48.7 to just 49.3. Manufacturing was up from 48.8 to 50.1 (49.2 expected) and services rose from 48.3 to 49.6 (48.5 [...]