Paypal suspends Wikileaks’ account for getting donations December 5, 2010 ONLINE payment service PayPal has suspended the WikiLeaks’ account that the organisation used to collect donations. US-based PayPal said in a statement that WikiLeaks, which has released thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, had violated its policy. A statement on the PayPal site said: “PayPal has permanently restricted the account used by WikiLeaks due to [...]
Recruitment freeze set to thaw as firms announce plans to hire again December 5, 2010 THE great UK recruitment freeze looks set to thaw in 2011 as more than a quarter of firms plan to add staff, a survey of human resources (HR) directors by PriceWaterhouseCoopers has found. In evidence that companies are moving on from recessionary survival measures, 28 per cent of UK firms said they expect to increase [...]
Sluggish Tesco sales in UK offset globally December 5, 2010 SOLID sales growth overseas is likely to help Tesco offset sluggish performance in its main British market when the world’s third-biggest retailer publishes a third-quarter trading update tomorrow. Analysts believe Tesco’s sales growth from British stores open at least a year has lagged its rivals, partly because it sells more discretionary non-food goods, items where [...]
UK and the Netherlands close to deal over Icesave December 5, 2010 The UK and the Netherlands are reportly within days of securing a deal with Iceland over the repayment of the money given to Landsbanki Icesave account holders after the bank collapsed in October 2008. A spokesperson for the UK treasury said yesterday that negotiations are continuing. The UK and the Netherlands shelled out more than [...]
MPC split but rates stay low December 5, 2010 DESPITE tensions among its members, Britain’s interest rate setting body is expected to keep rates at 0.5 per cent when it meets on Wednesday and Thursday. In November seven members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to leave policy unchanged. Yet divisions between two opposing members of the committee have deepened and Bank of [...]
Investec targets bonus earners with mortgages December 5, 2010 HIGH earning City workers can take advantage of falling house prices, after a custom made “million plus” mortgage service was launched today. Professionals will be able to borrow against their bonuses, as well as regular income, said Investec Specialist Private Bank, which is launching the scheme. The mortgages will only be offered to people borrowing [...]
London seventh cheapest city in Europe, survey says December 5, 2010 LONDON has seen price increases across a number of consumer goods, according to a survey released yesterday. The cost of books, coffee, condoms and digital cameras rocketed between 2009 and this year, said Price Runner, a shopping comparison website. In 2007 the UK’s capital was the second most expensive city in the world, but a [...]
Japanese GDP appears weak as year closes December 5, 2010 JAPAN’s prospects for recovery will be clearer this week, with expected data releases on lending, machinery orders and consumer confidence. And on Thursday the growth level for the third quarter of the year may be revised. The first estimate said the Japanese economy expanded by 0.9 per cent in the three months to September, yet [...]
Manufacturing exports must rise, says CBI December 5, 2010 UK manufacturing exports must be upscaled dramatically to keep pace with other OECD countries, industry lobby group the CBI warned today. Exports of manufactured goods are growing at just 4.8 per cent a year, less than half Germany’s 10.3 per cent rate, when manufacturing should be at the forefront of UK economic development. Policy support [...]
ECONOMIST VIEWS: WHEN MIGHT THE MPC INCREASE RATES, IF AT ALL? December 5, 2010 PHILIP SHAW | INVESTEC BANK “I expect that we will begin to see rates go up in next year’s fourth quarter. It is likely that we will see evidence of a self-sustaining recovery, so the need for interest rates at very low emergency levels will fade. However, we are unlikely to be in for any [...]
