CWC opens talks with Batelco over $1bn sale of its Monaco & Islands operations September 18, 2012 CABLE & Wireless Communications (CWC) is in talks to sell several of its operations worldwide in a deal valued at around $1bn (£620m), the firm confirmed yesterday. The London-based company has received an approach from Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) for its operations in Monaco and a number of island nations including the Falkland Islands, the [...]
Greggs signs up to supply army with its pasties September 18, 2012 THE ADAGE that an army marches on its stomach was given new meaning by yesterday’s announcement that Greggs the bakery chain will be supplying the British armed forces with a selection of its Cornish pasties, sausage rolls and steak bakes. The FTSE 250 firm has signed a trial deal with forces caterer NAAFI to supply [...]
British Land investment plans worth £1.2bn to UK economy September 18, 2012 BUILDING work British Land is carrying out over the next few years will contribute billions of pounds of output to the UK economy, and support thousands of jobs, a report said yesterday. British Land’s construction programme will contribute £1.2bn to UK GDP between 2011 and 2015, according to the report from PwC, while creating some [...]
Merkel and IMF show sympathy with Greek woe September 18, 2012 GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday expressed pity for the plight of recession-struck Greece, announcing her “heart bleeds” for its people. And the International Monetary Fund revealed it is looking for ways to lessen the social problems caused by strict fiscal programmes that it puts countries like Greece through when it steps in to repair their [...]
European markets watchdog plans crackdown on mis-selling September 18, 2012 BANKS and investment firms have until the second quarter of next year to scrap pay incentives that could encourage the mis-selling of financial products, EU regulators said yesterday. The draft plan marked a widening remit for the EU’s securities watchdog as it pushes into investor protection territory, traditionally a preserve of national supervisors. Steven Maijoor, [...]
Eurozone trade surplus widens to hit €15.6bn September 18, 2012 EUROZONE unadjusted exports grew more than five times faster than imports year-on-year in July, boosting the single currency area’s trade surplus with the rest of the world, data showed yesterday. The EU’s statistics office said the unadjusted trade surplus in the 17 countries using the euro was €15.6bn (£12.6bn) in July, up from €2.1bn in [...]
Public calls for money lessons September 18, 2012 FINANCIAL education should be a compulsory subject at school, according to a poll released by MoneySupermarket yesterday. Responding to the question, “Is it important to teach children about managing money?” almost three quarters said that it was, and that it should be taught as part of the compulsory school curriculum. A further 22 per cent [...]
Civil service loses influence over government policy to outsiders September 18, 2012 CIVIL servants will have less influence on government policy following today’s announcement that a research contract has been handed to an outside organisation. The left-leaning IPPR think tank has been commissioned to carry out of a review of how foreign civil servants work to help with ongoing UK public sector reforms. The move is significant [...]
Occupy protesters mark anniversary September 18, 2012 A FEW hundred Occupy Wall Street activists gathered in New York’s financial district yesterday but police kept them well back from the New York Stock Exchange, which they had threatened to surround as part of a day of protests marking the movement’s one-year anniversary. Occupy activists had pledged to disrupt the morning commute in lower [...]
Shell delays drilling in Arctic until next year September 18, 2012 ANGLO-DUTCH oil giant Shell has delayed its exploratory drilling offshore Alaska until next year, after a vital piece of equipment used during testing was damaged. Shell, which has spent around $4.5bn (£2.8bn) in its efforts to drill in the Arctic seas, said it would suspend drilling as a containment dome used to hold oil was [...]
