Boris calls for tougher controls on migrants coming to Britain April 22, 2012 BORIS Johnson has called on the government to “get a grip” on immigration, in an apparent move away from his previous pro-migration stance. Johnson said yesterday ministers should “blooming well sort the problem out” and put in place tougher immigration controls. “It is really important for the country. It cannot be beyond the wit of [...]
Murdoch slams government as Leveson looms April 22, 2012 RUPERT Murdoch unleashed an avalanche of criticism at the coalition government as he landed in London this weekend. The media mogul, who arrived in the UK on Saturday ahead of his appearance this week at the Leveson Inquiry, took to Twitter to slam George Osborne’s £10bn pledge to the IMF and the “pasty tax” unveiled [...]
Ex Icelandic PM to learn fate as first politician tried over crisis April 22, 2012 ICELAND’S former prime minister Geir Haarde, the only politician in the world to stand trial for their role in the 2008 financial crisis, will today learn whether or not he is guilty of gross negligence. In a verdict that many fear will do little to heal the wounds of the meltdown, a court will decide [...]
OLYMPIC MEDIA BUZZ LONDON 2012 PARTNERS April 22, 2012 IN ASSOCIATION with Repskan.com, City A.M. is measuring the relative Olympic media buzz around the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games partners, week by week. The leaderboard, right, reflects their ranking over the past week, in this case from Wednesday 11 April to Wednesday 18 April. P&G has not featured in the top ten ranking [...]
UK firms show healthy profits April 22, 2012 BRITAIN’S firms benefited from growing economic confidence and a spell of stability in the Eurozone, issuing an unusually low number of profit warnings last month, Ernst and Young analysis showed yesterday. Dividend payments rose in the first quarter of the year, according to a Capita study out today, and Bibby Financial Services data showed business [...]
New financial tax will fail to deliver, top think-tank warns April 22, 2012 A FINANCIAL transactions tax (FTT) will damage the City of London, hurt ordinary people and fail to bring any of the benefits its proponents claim, according to a report out today from a leading think-tank. The damning report from tax expert John Chown and published by the Centre for Policy Studies urges the British government [...]
Small business borrowing costs hit their highest in three years April 22, 2012 SMALL firms’ borrowing costs are at their highest level since late 2009, analysis out today shows, hitting companies that hope to expand. The average rate of interest paid on loans of under £1m rose to 3.92 per cent in February, up from 3.46 per cent six months earlier and a post-credit crunch low of 3.03 [...]
Call for better fiscal statistics April 22, 2012 PUBLIC trust in deficit reduction and faith in the fiscal process can only be improved with higher quality forecasts and a more long-term view of finances, a leading accountancy body claimed today. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is calling for greater study of the impacts of an aging population on [...]
Dutch coalition could fall amid budget fight April 22, 2012 THE DUTCH government could fall today after the ruling coalition failed to come to an agreement on the budget over the weekend. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that crucial talks on budget cuts had collapsed after his ally Geert Wilders refused to do a deal, and that new elections were inevitable. In the short term, [...]
IMF RAISES BAILOUT FUND April 22, 2012 GLOBAL finance chiefs, led by International Monetary Fund boss Christine Lagarde, pressed Europe over the weekend to take advantage of newly increased financial buffers and make lasting reforms to tackle its debt crisis. The countries agreed to double the firepower of the IMF to $430bn (£266.6bn) to help contain Europe’s debt crisis.
