Standard Life’s profit rises but it warns on lack of clarity over Scotland August 5, 2014 Standard Life has revealed a 12 per cent rise in profit for the six months to 30 June. The UK insurance and pensions group said that its operating profit rose to £339m: an increase of £35m from £304m the year before. It said that the increase was driven by a boost in auto-enrolment [...]
Aggreko reports strong growth in first half August 5, 2014 Aggreko has revealed strong underlying revenue growth for the six months to 30 June. The power generation company said that its underlying revenue and trading profit went up 12 per cent and six per cent, respectively. The company cited power projects as being especially encouraging with a revenue growth of 14 per cent. [...]
LinkedIn ordered to pay $6m as labour violation settlement August 5, 2014 LinkedIn has been ordered by the US government to pay out $6m (£3.6m) in wages and damages to its former and current employees. According to regulators, the social networking service did not take into account all the hours worked by its staff at the California, Illinois, Nebraska and New York offices. The order [...]
Rise in rich Russians moving to the UK July 31, 2014 There has been a sharp rise in the number of wealthy Russians migrating to the UK, according to Home Office figures. By applying for elite “investor visas”, they have been able to secure settlement in Britain more quickly than they would if applying via the normal route. These specialist visas are for migrants [...]
Adidas share price falls following warning on Russia July 31, 2014 Shares in German sportswear brand Adidas took a hit today after the company announced that conditions in Russia could affect profits, and that its targets for 2015 were no longer achievable. Adidas currently runs 1,000 stores in Russia, but it revealed that it intends to close some of its branches to "reduce risk and [...]
Ebola risk: WHO sounds alarm with £59m emergency response package July 31, 2014 The World Health Organisation (WHO) is launching a joint emergency response package with leaders of the African nations that have been hit by the deadly Ebola virus. Details will be revealed tomorrow at a meeting in Guinea: one of the three countries to have suffered at the hands of the current outbreak, which has [...]
Fire raging at Ferrybridge power station July 31, 2014 Ferrybridge power station near Castleford in Yorkshire is currently on fire, with black smoke billowing from the plant. An estimated 75 firefighters are currently at the scene, having been sent there by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service at around 2pm. According to the West Yorkshire Fire Service, there has been a "partial [...]
Eurozone slips further towards deflation, but employment is up July 31, 2014 Eurozone inflation has fallen further this month, raising concerns that it is slipping into the "danger zone" of possible deflation. Year-on-year inflation figures released by Eurostat, the European Union's Statistical office, have revealed that prices in the single currency zone went up by just 0.4 per cent in July, which is less than the [...]
Fed intends to keep interest rates low long after tapering ends July 30, 2014 Today's dovish monetary policy statement from the Federal Reserve confirmed expectations that it would look to delay the hiking of interest rates for a long time after tapering ends. It affirmed its commitment to stimulating the economy, saying that it wants to hold short-term interest rates near zero until well into 2015. Also [...]
Britain can handle Ebola virus threat, says foreign secretary July 30, 2014 Today, foreign secretary Philip Hammond held an emergency cobra meeting with ministers and health advisers to discuss the threat of Ebola to the UK. The current epidemic of the disease, described as the worst in history, has already killed over 670 people in West Africa where it has been spreading since February. It has [...]
