Tube delays: Commuters hit by severe delays on Central Line October 30, 2018 Severe delays have hit the Central Line this morning, causing havoc for commuters as they make their way into work. Transport for London (TfL) blamed a faulty train at Mile End, telling passengers to use alternative routes where possible. https://twitter.com/centralline/status/1057207207199207425 Tickets are being accepted on London buses and Greater Anglia services and on TfL Rail [...]
Man attacked ‘with hammer’ at Stratford station, causing broken shoulder and lacerations October 30, 2018 Two commuters were attacked by a man at Stratford station during rush hour this morning, with an eyewitness claiming he used a hammer in the assault. One man was left with a broken shoulder and a laceration to the head after this morning’s attack, while the other suffered bruising. Eyewitnesses claimed one of the men [...]
Eat it up: Chiquito owner’s share price sinks as it confirms £559m Wagamama takeover October 30, 2018 Frankie & Benny's owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) saw its shares crash by almost 18 per cent in early trading today, as it launched a takeover approach for Wagamama. TRG has agreed to buy the holding company behind the pan-Asian restaurant chain, Mabel Topco, for a cash sum of £357m, saying it represents an enterprise [...]
IR35: Campaigners welcome delay to private sector tax shake-up, but say business costs will increase October 29, 2018 Industry experts welcomed the chancellor’s decision to delay a tax clampdown on self-employed private sector workers today, but claimed it would still hurt businesses when it is introduced. Changes that seek to tax off-payroll workers as full-time employees won’t hit the private sector until April 2020, Philip Hammond announced in his autumn Budget, after a [...]
‘End of austerity’ fails to lift sterling out of Brexit slump as Hammond sets aside £2bn for hard Brexit October 29, 2018 Philip Hammond’s Budget announcements failed to lift sterling, which continued to slide this afternoon as the chancellor announced the government’s spending plans to the House of Commons. With the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) lifting its growth forecast from 1.3 per cent to 1.6 per cent for 2019, and predicting a lower deficit of just [...]
Police intercept another suspicious package sent to CNN as suspect set to appear in court October 29, 2018 A third suspicious package sent to CNN in a week was intercepted in Atlanta today. The package was identical to the others allegedly sent by pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc, the news agency reported. "There is no imminent danger to the CNN Center,” CNN president Jeff Zucker told staff in a memo, according to CNN. [...]
Cuadrilla pauses Lancashire fracking after third seismic tremor in three days October 29, 2018 Cuadrilla has halted fracking at its controversial Lancashire site for 18 hours after recording a red warning level micro-seismic tremor this morning. The drilling giant classed the 1.1 local magnitude (ML) event as a “red” incident based on the Oil and Gas Authority’s traffic light warning system. However, the company claimed that “this level is [...]
Angela Merkel reveals she will step down as German Chancellor October 29, 2018 German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed today she will step down from her post in 2021. Merkel also said she will not seek re-election as chairwoman of the Christian Democrats (CDU) party at the end of the year. "I will not be seeking any political post after my term ends," she said in a Berlin press [...]
Consumer credit growth stutters to three-year low as UK house purchases fall back October 29, 2018 Consumer borrowing grew at its lowest rate for three years last month after car sales dropped 20 per cent, the Bank of England revealed today. The annual growth rate of consumer borrowing hit 7.7 per cent last month, the lowest it's been since June 2015, and far below the 10.09 per cent growth rate in [...]
SFO loses bid to reinstate charges against Barclays over 2008 Qatar deal October 26, 2018 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) lost its bid today to reinstate charges against Barclays over a Qatar loan it made at the height of the financial crisis. The High Court today ruled against the SFO's appeal of an earlier court ruling in favour of the bank. Barclays will now face no regulatory sanctions over the 2008 [...]
