Treasury set to offer Lloyds to general public September 17, 2013 INDIVIDUAL investors could get a chunk of the government’s holding in Lloyds Bank when the Treasury sells the rest of its shares, raising the prospect of Thatcher-style popular capitalism. After the successful sale of a six per cent stake in the bank for £3.2bn, George Osborne said the remaining 32.7 per cent could go to [...]
Clegg serves up free lunches for school kids September 17, 2013 NICK Clegg will today confirm that all pupils will receive free schools meals for their first three years of education – in a coalition deal that paves the way for Conservatives to introduce a tax break for married couples. From next September all children in reception, year one and year two will automatically get their [...]
We must help poor kids – not subsidise middle class parents September 17, 2013 Sometimes I despair at this government’s inconsistencies, internal contradictions and intellectual incoherence. It keeps telling us that it wants to save money to reduce the deficit, and then splashes out £600m on a new entitlement in the form of free school meals for all under-8s. Poor children are already eligible for free school meals, which [...]
Price rises still soaring above wages in August September 17, 2013 INFLATION continued to stay well above target as the summer came to a close, with retail prices still steaming well ahead of feeble increases to salaries this August. Last month, consumer price index (CPI) inflation was up by 2.7 per cent on August 2012, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 18 September 2013 September 17, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Start-up loans unlikely to be repaid More than a third of the £150m in public funds being lent to individuals to start their own business – ranging from gluten-free pet food to a magazine about Croydon – could be lost, according to official projections. David Cameron last week increased funding for the Start-Up [...]
London listing beckons for top Dubai developer September 17, 2013 DAMAC Properties, a privately held Dubai property developer, has hired two international investment banks to help arrange an initial public offering (IPO) of shares in London and join a growing list of Gulf companies seeking overseas listings. Deutsche Bank and Citigroup will advise on the planned flotation, two banking sources aware of the matter said, [...]
Penthouse publisher files September 17, 2013 FriendFinder Networks, which publishes the adult magazine Penthouse, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday with the aim of cutting its debt load as the company struggled to make certain loan payments, a court filing showed. The holding company, which also houses internet sites, listed out estimated liabilities of $500m (£314.25m) to $1bn and assets less [...]
Obama urges transition in Syria September 17, 2013 President Barack Obama said yesterday that there will ultimately need to be a political transition in Syria in which President Bashar al-Assad gives up power in the wake of a deal aimed at gaining international control of Syrian chemical weapons. “Keep in mind that it’s very hard to imagine that (the Syrian) civil war dying [...]
US needs $2 trillion cuts September 17, 2013 US politicians are far from finished with the job of deficit-cutting, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned yesterday, saying that $2 trillion (£1.26 trillion) in additional savings is needed over the next 10 years to stabilize long-term US debt. In new long-term forecasts that will intensify the fiscal debate as critical deadlines loom, the CBO [...]
Dividend boost for struggling giant Microsoft September 17, 2013 MICROSOFT will raise its quarterly dividend by 22 per cent to $0.28 per share, it announced yesterday, a change that will cost the company an additional $422m a quarter. The increase is the eighth for the software giant since 2004. Its last increase was in September when it raised the payments by three cents to [...]
