Brown: end first past the post system February 2, 2010 GORDON Brown yesterday proposed a raft of constitutional reforms that could see the first-past-the-post voting system scrapped. Next week MPs will vote on whether there should be a referendum on switching to the Alternative Vote (AV) system after the next general election. The AV system asks voters to numerically rank candidates in order of preference [...]
Greek budget plan will get EU thumbs up February 2, 2010 THE European Commission is today set to endorse a Greek plan to cut its budget deficit below the European Union ceiling of three per cent of GDP by the end of 2012, saying it is feasible despite risks. The Commission’s assessment will be closely watched by financial markets as they weigh Greece’s credibility as a [...]
Election2010 February 2, 2010 Blair lied over Iraq, says Short Clare Short yesterday accused Tony Blair of lying over the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and said she believed the attorney general at the time had misled the cabinet over its legality. Short, a long-time Blair critic who was then international development secretary, disputed evidence the former Prime Minster [...]
Construction industry begins to recover as its decline slows February 2, 2010 HOPES of a recovery were boosted further today with a survey showing that the construction industry shrugged off last month’s snowy weather and shrank at its slowest rate in nearly two years. The CIPS/Markit survey came in at 48.6 during January, up from 47.1 in the previous month. New orders decreased for the second consecutive [...]
Shop price inflation sees modest rise as retailers discount heavily February 2, 2010 DESPITE the January increase in VAT, shop price inflation rose a modest 0.2 per cent on the month as retailers offset the hike through heavy discounting and promotions, according to fresh data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Annual shop price inflation now stands at 2.3 per cent. Food inflation slowed for the first time [...]
Investment bank lifts Nomura profit February 2, 2010 FUND-RAISING by Japanese companies helped investment bank Nomura to rack up its third straight quarterly profit, boosting hopes that its earnings recovery and global expansion plans are on track. Japan’s largest broker made a 10.2bn yen (£70.8m) net profit between October and December, compared to a 342.9bn yen loss a year earlier when costs related [...]
UPS upgrades profit forecasts on hopes for a US economic recovery February 2, 2010 UPS yesterday announced that it expects a sharp increase in earnings as the US economy improves in 2010. The company, the world’s largest package delivery service, will be under close scrutiny. Deliveries of packages and goods are often taken as an indicator of the general health of the economy. Chairman and CEO Scott Davis claimed [...]
City Eye February 2, 2010 MANNEQUINS cast a surly stare over passers-by in front of New Look on London Wall, on the day the fashion retailer confirmed plans to raise up to £650m via a London Stock Exchange float.
A IS FOR… A TOUCH OF ACRIMONY AT ALCHEMY February 2, 2010 PROOF, if it were needed, that the old adage about time being the best healer does not always ring true. Private equity veteran Jon Moulton is in the preliminary throes of building his new business, Better Capital, after quitting his former firm Alchemy Partners last September amid a boardroom bust-up over strategy. (His resignation letter [...]
Cable & Wireless sets out proposals for its demerger February 2, 2010 Cable & Wireless (C&W) said yesterday it will raise a $500m (£314m) bond and inject an extra £30m into its pension fund as the UK’s second-largest fixed-line telecoms group finalises its demerger. Cable & Wireless, which has a 138-year history, plans to begin trading as two companies on 26 March. One unit becomes Cable & [...]
