FTSE 100 slips after touching highs last week September 17, 2012 The main share index opened down this morning, as it retreated after touching six-month highs on Friday thanks to the US Federal Reserve’s annoucement of unlimited stimulus. Miners led the index down, as slowing growth in China forced base metal prices lower. Ophir Energy lost 4.06 per cent in early trading, despite it announcing better-than-expected [...]
Two South African mines reopen this morning September 17, 2012 Two South African mines suspended over the weekend reopened this morning, as labour unrest continues to swathe the country’s platinum belt in uncertainty. Aquarius Platinum shut its Kroondal mine over the weekend, while Xstrata’s chrome mine was also shut. Anglo American Platinum, the world’s largest producer of the silver metal, said its Rustenberg operations would [...]
Foreign truckers will be forced to pay to use roads in Britain September 17, 2012 FOREIGN truckers will be forced to pay to use British roads, under plans confirmed by the new transport secretary yesterday. Patrick McLoughlin said the measure is designed to redress the balance for UK hauliers, who must pay levies to drive through Europe. He told Sky News yesterday that “our companies are charged when they drive [...]
Smith & Nephew CFO joins Reckitt Benckiser September 17, 2012 Consumer goods firm Reckitt Benckiser has appointed Adrian Hennah as new chief financial officer. Hennah joins from Smith & Nephew, and will assume the position at the end of December, to replace Liz Doherty, who is stepping down next March. He has held the position of chief financial offer at the medical devices group since [...]
Shell delays search for oil offshore Alaska September 17, 2012 Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell has delayed its drilling offshore Alaska until next year, after a piece of equipment used in the test was damaged. Shell, which has been drilling for oil and gas offshore Alaska in the icy Arctic sea, said today it would suspend drilling as a containment dome used to hold oil was [...]
Illegal downloads costing UK music industry £500m September 17, 2012 ILLEGAL music downloads are costing the industry £500m a year in the UK, with around twice as many albums downloaded illegally than through legitimate sources such as iTunes, according to industry data out today. The most in-depth study ever of the digital music industry from Musicmetric has revealed that around 33m albums and 10m singles [...]
Boris: It must be harder to strike September 17, 2012 BORIS Johnson yesterday launched a hard-hitting attack on the power of trade unions in a move that revived suggestions that he is positioning himself to run for leadership of the Conservative party. Setting out his proposals to combat hard-line union activism, the Mayor of London called for a clampdown on the ability of organised labour [...]
Huge iPhone sales set to boost Apple September 17, 2012 APPLE shares are in sight of a new record high of $700 this week, after early demand for the new iPhone 5 proved far greater than expected. Purchases made over the weekend were accompanied by a warning that delivery would take up to three weeks to arrive, after the initial batch of devices sold out [...]
Sweden fears bank union will hit its top institution September 17, 2012 SWEDEN became the latest country to oppose EU banking union plans over the weekend, joining Germany in rejecting parts of the latest plan to centralise power in the Eurozone. The move could scupper the European Commission’s plans – it had hoped the new setup would be in place by the end of this year, an [...]
Welcome to the New Normal: Pay can go down as well as up September 17, 2012 WE in the West are not used to getting poorer. Ever since the industrial revolution put to an end to millennia of stagnation, and barring catastrophes such as world wars, or short recessions, a belief in perpetual progress and ever rising incomes has become a defining characteristic of the psyche of all developed nations. Yet [...]
