Coronavirus: British Airways halts flights to mainland China January 29, 2020 British Airways has stopped flights to Beijing and Shanghai for the next two days in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. The airline’s decision follows the Foreign Office yesterday urging British citizens not to travel to mainland China unless it was essential to. Read more: UK citizens back from Wuhan face [...]
UK house prices rise 1.9 per cent as buyers hail 2020 ‘Boris bounce’ January 29, 2020 UK house prices grew at their fastest rate in over a year at the start of 2020, according to Nationwide, as experts hailed Boris Johnson’s election victory. The housing market posted a 1.9 per cent annual rise in January, beating December’s 1.4 per cent climb. That followed 12 months of consecutive growth below the one [...]
Airbus settles bribery allegations for €3.6bn January 28, 2020 Airbus has agreed a settlement with French, British and US authorities for €3.6bn (£3bn) following investigations into allegations of bribery and corruption. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) confirmed that a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) had been reached “in principle” between itself and the company. Airbus said: Airbus confirms that it has reached agreement in principle with [...]
Coronavirus death toll hits 106 as it spreads to Beijing January 28, 2020 Deaths from the coronavirus have now hit triple figures as China revealed the first death of a victim in Beijing today. The ongoing outbreak has now claimed 106 lives while China’s National Health Commission has counted more than 4,515 confirmed cases. Yesterday the number stood at 81 deaths and 2,600 cases. Most victims are people [...]
Crest Nicholson blames Brexit uncertainty for profit plunge January 28, 2020 Crest Nicholson’s profit plunged 39 per cent to miss revised forecasts in a terrible year for the housebuilder, it said today. The figures Profit before tax sank from £168.7m in 2018 to £102.7m for the year ending in October. That missed guidance of between £120m and £130m, the result of last October’s profit warning. Profit [...]
Saga takes £4m hit from Thomas Cook collapse January 28, 2020 Over-50s insurer Saga has said underlying profit before tax will meet expectations despite the company taking a £4m hit from the administration of Thomas Cook. However, it warned home and motor insurance policies will pull in revenue three per cent lower than the previous year. But margins will still hit the higher end of Saga’s [...]
Rumble at the Old Bailey: Police called after ‘violence’ at gangland murder sentencing January 27, 2020 Police attended an incident at the Old Bailey today after people were thrown out of court following reports of violence in a gangland murder trial sentencing. The City of London Police said it deployed officers for “reassurance” after people were ejected from court this afternoon at the sentencing of the killers of knife crime victim [...]
Philip Hammond joins fintech startup Oaknorth as adviser January 27, 2020 Former chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has joined small business lender Oaknorth as an adviser. Hammond will work with clients of the fintech startup and “senior policymakers around the world” on the issue of small and medium-sized firms’ access to loans. The ex-Treasury boss said: “I am delighted to be joining Oaknorth’s advisory board [...]
Varadkar: The EU has the upper hand in Brexit trade talks January 27, 2020 Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar feels the EU will have an advantage in the upcoming trade deal talks between the UK and the bloc. Varadkar used a sports analogy to explain the EU has a “stronger team” than Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s UK, due to its larger population and market size. The Irish PM is [...]
Lender Amigo kickstarts formal sales process January 27, 2020 Lender Amigo today launched a strategic review and opened itself to offers as its founder signalled he wants to sell on his majority stake in the struggling company. All or part of Amigo’s business could be sold after founder James Benamor’s Richmond Group said it was open to divesting its stake of 60.66 per cent. [...]