Ireland beaten in World Cup opener October 28, 2013 RUGBY LEAGUE: Ireland lost their opening game of the World Cup last night, going down 32-14 to Fiji at Spotland Stadium in Rochdale, with a hat-trick from Akuila Uate.
FTSE bosses lose faith in high speed 2 October 28, 2013 LEADERS of the country’s biggest companies are losing faith in the planned High Speed 2 railway, a poll out yesterday showed, in spite of a renewed push by the government to convince businesses that the project will benefit the economy. A poll of 34 of the FTSE 100’s chairmen found that 49 per cent believe [...]
Britain to lead the West by issuing first Islamic bond October 28, 2013 BRITAIN will become the first Western government to issue an Islamic bond, under plans unveiled today by the Prime Minister. The government wants to tap the large supply of funds from Muslim investors who want a return on their money but are forbidden from earning interest. The Treasury is looking at how to issue a [...]
Historic drop in Apple profits but iPhone sales please investors October 28, 2013 APPLE’S year-on-year profits fell for the third quarter in a row, the technology giant revealed yesterday, as weak computer sales and falling margins ate into its fourth quarter finances. But healthy iPhone sales meant the results were better than expected and shares held steady in after-hours trading. Profits came in at $7.5bn in the fourth [...]
Don’t blame foreigners for our self-inflicted housing shortage October 28, 2013 LONDON’S housing policy is in a mess: rules, restrictions and levies make it hard and expensive to build homes in the right places, crimping supply. Combined with growing demand, this has pushed prices up. While the coalition’s reforms have helped slightly, making it easier to convert old offices and simplifying some rules, and more public [...]
Pension crisis in store as middle-aged fail to save October 28, 2013 BRITAIN’S 45 to 54-year olds are facing a miserable retirement as a survey out today found they are the worst demographic for saving into their pensions. The average worker in the age group expects a pension income of £28,655 – twice the actual average income for a single pensioner. And the BlackRock study found that [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 29 October 2013 October 28, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Swiss launch criminal probe into F1 Swiss prosecutors have begun a criminal investigation into the Formula One bribery scandal, potentially opening another front in the legal battles being fought by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. Prosecutors in Geneva will examine the circumstances of a $44m payment to German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky who worked [...]
Big six suppliers dispute Ofgem wholesale data October 28, 2013 A NEW energy row has erupted over data from industry regulator Ofgem, which claims that wholesale gas and electricity costs have been almost flat over the past year, rising by only 1.7 per cent. Alongside government policies, the big six energy suppliers have attributed rising wholesale prices as a key driver for raising consumers’ bills. [...]
Lloyds looks to hike PPI redress bill to £8bn October 28, 2013 LLOYDS Banking Group is this morning expected to set aside hundreds of millions of pounds more to cover the costs of its mounting PPI compensation bill. Its total provision could rise as high as £8bn, as much as the other three biggest banks combined. The lender had hoped it had finally reached the final sum in [...]
Banks too scared to be honest with regulators October 28, 2013 BANKS are wary of being honest with the authorities for fear of immediate reprisals, Barclays’ chairman said yesterday, warning that relationships between lenders and supervisors have broken down dangerously. Sir David Walker said “trust and respect” is needed in the relationships, and that bankers “need to be able to trust what [they] say to regulators [...]
