Retail sales stalled in July despite clothing boom July 30, 2015 UK RETAIL sales growth slowed in July, despite a big rise in clothing purchases, and is expected to weaken further next month, a survey by the Confederation of British Industry showed. The retail sales balance fell for a second successive month after hitting a five-month high in May, dropping to 21 in July from 29 [...]
Crisis in Calais takes its toll on Channel Tunnel trade: Disruption “having a severe effect on the UK economy” July 30, 2015 Business groups are putting pressure on the UK government to step up border security measures, claiming that the chaos in Calais is coming at a steep cost to the economy. For weeks, industrial strikes and action by migrants have disrupted services through the French port, holding up trucks on both sides of the English Channel. [...]
Walkie Talkie owners face fresh woes over Sky Garden layout July 30, 2015 FIRST there was the problem of the Walkie Talkie dazzling passers-by and melting cars. Then there was the bad hair day it brought to City workers. Now, in another spate of bad luck, the owners of the skyscraper could be forced to make changes to the Sky Garden after claims that the scheme wasn’t built [...]
Stressed city workers won‘t see a doctor July 30, 2015 Nearly half of City of London workers are suffering from a long-term health problem that’s hindering their performance, says a study by London Bridge Hospital – but most won’t see a doctor because of the “macho” work culture. Stress is one of the biggest problems.
Facebook share price dips despite soaring sales and 1.49bn monthly active users July 30, 2015 Social media giant Facebook received a bit of a poke last night when it reported a nine per cent fall in quarterly profit after spending heavily to boost mobile revenue and develop products. Shares dipped in after hours trading, despite the company saying that it has 1.49bn monthly active users – up 13 per [...]
As David Cameron vows to crack down on corrupt foreigners buying London properties, can PM lift the shroud of secrecy? July 30, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron grabbed headlines this week when he said: “There is no place for dirty money in Britain.” Vowing to remove a “shroud of secrecy” surrounding luxury London properties owned by offshore holding companies, the Prime Minister said in a speech in Singapore that the UK “must not become a safe haven for [...]
Barclays boss John McFarlane looks to cut costs despite profit rise in bid to streamline bank July 30, 2015 Barclays, Britain’s largest bank after HSBC, yesterday delivered £3.1bn of pre-tax profits for the first half of this year, boosted by a 36 per cent rise in the performance of its investment banking arm, which chipped in almost half the total. The investment bank made £1.44bn pre-tax profit. John McFarlane, who joined the bank as [...]
RBS to cut Citizens stake to 20pc after $2.6bn sell-off of shares July 30, 2015 The Royal Bank of Scotland is accelerating its exit from US bank Citizens Financial after unveiling a proposal to sell its remaining stake in the lender within the next five months. The bank, which is expected to unveil a half-year loss this morning, will sell up to a 18.4 per cent stake in the Citizens [...]
Clash over Greek debt set to hinder new bailout deal July 30, 2015 Greece’s debt crisis is set to flare up again, as the head of one of the country’s biggest creditors said there needs to be a substantial write-down of the country’s debt, a move inconsistent with EU treaties. “For any programme to fly, a significant debt restructuring should take place,” International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine [...]
Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn wins backing from Unison while bookies tip him as favourite to lead Labour July 30, 2015 Far-left candidate Jeremy Corbyn has solidified his lead in the Labour leadership race, securing another major trade union endorsement and surging past his opponents in the betting markets for the first time. Unison, which counts 1.3m public service workers among its members, said yesterday that it was backing Corbyn’s anti-austerity candidacy. The trade union’s general [...]
