Europe will depend on Russian gas for decades, Fitch warns August 26, 2014 Europe will be reliant on Russian gas for at least the next decade with little alternative, analysts have claimed. Ratings agency Fitch issued a stark note yesterday, warning that Europe will continue to depend heavily on natural resources from President Vladimir Putin’s nation despite the race to diversify energy sources on the continent. “Any attempt [...]
London Metal Exchange given immunity in aluminium lawsuit August 26, 2014 A US judge has dismissed the London Metal Exchange (LME) from a lawsuit in America which had accused it, along with a number of banks and commodities companies, of aluminium price-fixing. District judge Katherine Forrest concluded that the LME was an “organ” of the UK government and was therefore exempt from legal action under the [...]
Phoenix rises and sets sights on £100bn of UK acquisition opportunities August 21, 2014 Insurer Phoenix is understood to be looking at £100bn worth of potential acquisition opportunities in the UK, following a promising set of half-year results announced yesterday. The group is also seeking an investment-grade credit rating that it expects will reduce the cost of its debt by around 50 basis points and give it access [...]
Heading away? That’ll be £50 to the taxman August 21, 2014 JETTING off for a week on foreign shores may cost you more than just a dodgy tanline and a peeling nose. New research suggests that every time British holidaymakers go away, they stump up £50 to the taxman for the pleasure. Campaign group the Taxpayers’ Alliance has totted up the cost of tax paid on holiday [...]
Labour’s plans to punish misbehaving energy suppliers dismissed by big six August 20, 2014 The biggest energy suppliers in the UK yesterday brushed off Labour’s latest plan to curb bad behaviour in the gas and electricity market. Ed Miliband’s party is set to announce plans today to give regulator Ofgem greater powers to revoke energy licences, meaning suppliers would be unable to provide services in the UK if they [...]
David Cameron condemns James Foley murder as Germany agrees to arm Iraq August 20, 2014 David Cameron yesterday called the death of American journalist James Foley at the hands of Islamic State (IS) militants “an act of murder without any justification”. The Prime Minister left his Cornish holiday to return to Downing Street where he chaired a meeting to discuss the government’s response to IS. The decision came as defence [...]
Core strength! Apple shares hit record high August 19, 2014 TECHNOLOGY giant Apple saw its share price rise to a record high yesterday, topping the previous price of $100.30 per share at $100.53 on market close. The two-year high comes as the company prepares to launch more gadgets in the coming months, including a new iPhone and a wearable device, dubbed the iWatch. A payments [...]
Former Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer steps down as board director August 19, 2014 Former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has announced he is leaving the board of the computer giant to concentrate on his new passion, the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team. Ballmer wrote of his intention in a letter to Microsoft boss Satya Nadella yesterday, although the move had been widely expected for some time. “I think it [...]
US clears Astrazeneca over trial data for new heart drug Brilinta August 19, 2014 British drug giant Astrazeneca has been cleared by the US government over concerns about the trial process for its new heart drug Brilinta. The American department of justice was investigating the clinical trial conducted by Astrazeneca over concerns that too many patients were sourced from eastern Europe for the study. Perceived discrepancies in data reported [...]
David Cameron rules out troops on ground in Iraq August 18, 2014 David Cameron has ruled out UK forces joining the American-led military offensive in Iraq, warning: “We’re not going to be putting boots on the ground, we’re not going to be sending in the British army”. His promise comes amid continued fighting in the region, which saw Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Iraqi government forces retake the [...]
