Virgin Australia reports biggest ever annual loss August 29, 2014 Virgin Australia reported its biggest ever loss for the twelve months ending June. Its post-tax loss of AU$355.6m (£200.5m) was over three times larger than the AU$98.1m loss it reported for the previous year. The airline also announced today that 35 per cent of its frequent flyer programme is being sold to a [...]
UK house prices rise 0.8 per cent in August August 29, 2014 House prices in the UK went up by 0.8 per cent in August, according to Nationwide's house price index. The result marks the 16th consecutive month of increases, and is a significant jump from the 0.2 per cent rise reported in July. It is also much higher than economists' expectations of a 0.2 per [...]
Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael says he would join “Team Scotland” August 28, 2014 Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael has caused an uproar among “no” campaigners by saying he would be prepared to join Alex Salmond's team in the event of independence, according to the FT. The UK's cabinet minister for Scotland said if Scots vote “yes” on 18 September, he would be willing to negotiate the terms of [...]
GSK Ebola vaccine to be tested in UK August 28, 2014 An international consortium is fast-tracking an Ebola vaccine under development by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and GlaxoSmithKline, with human trials set to begin in the UK as early as September. The move follows a declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a public [...]
Migration to the UK from the EU soars August 28, 2014 Net migration to the UK soared by 243,000 in the past year, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. Between 2013 and 2014, immigration rose from 492,000 to 560,000, while emigration remained stable at 316,000. The result was net migration of 243,000 for the twelve months to March 2014, up from 175,000 during the [...]
NHS reforms will force pharmaceutical companies to lower cancer drug prices August 28, 2014 NHS England will today announce plans to change the cost approval system for cancer drugs, potentially making pioneering drugs available even if the NHS's cost watchdog says they don't represent value for money. The plans involve increasing funding for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), a government body set up by David Cameron in 2010, [...]
Qantas reports biggest loss ever but share rises August 28, 2014 Qantas announced a post-tax loss of AU$2.8bn (£1.57bn) for the year ending June – its biggest ever loss. The Australian airline said the result was in part because of the A$2.6bn write-down on its international fleet, but also cited domestic demand, poor consumer spending and rising fuel costs as contributing factors. Last year [...]
Ebola risk: Outbreak set to get worse, official warns August 28, 2014 The Ebola outbreak currently gripping West Africa will get worse before it gets better, a public health official in the US has said. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control, said that in order to bring the epidemic under control, an “unprecedented” response would be needed. According to the BBC, he [...]
Cameron warns of significant losses for independent Scotland at CBI conference August 28, 2014 Today, Prime Minister David Cameron is will implore Scottish voters not to abandon one of the "oldest and most successful single markets in the world" during a speech to the CBI Scotland conference in Glasgow. He will warn that separation could lead to a 90 per cent loss of business for Scotland's financial services [...]
Scottish Independence: Business leaders sign letter backing “yes” vote August 28, 2014 Scottish firms have hit back at a letter signed by 130 business leaders slamming the case for Scottish independence with their own version: this morning, a letter signed by 200 pro-independence firms argued the exact opposite; that a "yes" vote would benefit the economy. Published in The Herald newspaper, it states: "An independent Scotland will recognise [...]
