Gulfsands wins Morocco licence April 28, 2014 Gulfsands Petroleum, the Aim-listed oil and gas explorer with activities in Syria, Morocco, Colombia, Tunisia and the US, said yesterday that it has won a new licence in Morocco. The firm will operate and hold a 75 per cent stake in the Moulay Bouchta permit, which encompasses an area of 2,850 square kilometres located in [...]
Shanta posts record gold output April 28, 2014 Shanta Gold yesterday reported record gold output of 20,254 ounces in the first quarter, up 3.5 per cent compared to the last quarter of 2013. The Aim-listed gold explorer said that cash costs were lower than expected and reaffirmed its full-year production and cost guidance. “The higher gold production has helped in managing costs and [...]
EE stung by cost of new rules but 4G numbers rise April 28, 2014 BRITAIN’S biggest mobile network EE now has over 2.9m customers signed up to its superfast 4G internet service and is aiming to exceed 6m by the end of the year. Despite the growth in 4G, EE’s revenues fell 3.6 per cent to £1.55bn as the operator added only 123,000 new contract customers during the three [...]
Panasonic returns to profit after three years due to weaker yen April 28, 2014 JAPANESE electronics giant Panasonic reported its first full year profit in three years yesterday, with sales boosted by the weaker yen. The maker of Lumix cameras posted profits of 120.4bn yen (£710m) for the year to March, up from the 754.3bn yen loss the previous year. Panasonic has been withdrawing from loss-making operations such as [...]
Tech hiring and business activity outstripping wider UK economy April 28, 2014 HIRING in the technology industry is close to its strongest for over three years and remains stronger than the UK private sector average, according to the latest industry report from KPMG and Markit. Hiring intentions for the sector rose to 56, according to Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the first quarter of 2014, above [...]
Ultra Electronics moving into forensics with £50m takeover April 28, 2014 ULTRA Electronics, the FTSE 250 defence, security and transport firm, yesterday agreed to acquire Forensic Technology WAI, a provider in automated firearm ballistics identification and forensic analysis systems. The deal is worth around C$94m (£50.7m), with the addition of C$6m depending on Forensic’s earnings over the next two years. The management team, which includes the [...]
LV= confident despite sales dip April 28, 2014 Insurer LV= group says it is optimistic about the future, despite the impact of changes to the pensions market and slower growth in motoring in Q1, compared to the same period in 2013. Overall premiums for the period up to 31 March this year were £363m, compared to £379m in 2013. Motor was down from [...]
Fidessa sees market improving April 28, 2014 Fidessa, which provides high performance trading, investment and information solutions, said yesterday it continues to see improvements in trade conditions generated through the sales of its platforms, which it expects will translate into overall revenue growth. In its interim management statement the firm warned that the recovery remained uneven and many of its customers are [...]
Al Noor Hospitals on the rise April 28, 2014 Middle Eastern healthcare group Al Noor Hospitals yesterday reported a 25 per cent rise in revenues to $111.6m, reflecting the recent purchase of a cancer centre. Al Noor, which listed in London last June, said it hopes to hire up to 80 doctors this year, including the 32 on board as a result of the [...]
City Moves for 29 April 2014 | Who’s switching jobs April 28, 2014 Interactive Investor The execution-only stockbroker has announced the appointment of Linda Summers as chief marketing officer. She was most recently at Skype, where she was director of product and partner marketing. Prior to that, Summers held roles at O2/Telefonica and BT. GLG Partners The investment management firm has appointed Andy Li as co-manager of its [...]