Mitsubishi becomes first Japanese company to make World War II apology to US soldiers July 20, 2015 The Mitsubishi Materials corporation has made a historic apology for using American prisoners of war as forced labourers during the second world war, becoming the first Japanese corporation to do so. Read more: The Japanese maglev train just broke a world speed record by hitting 377mph Hikaru Kimura, senior executive officer of Japan's largest trading company, said [...]
Home extensions pile on the pounds to property values July 20, 2015 The alterations and extensions made to people's homes have added billions of pounds to property prices across Britain. Over the last 12 months, the work has added a combined £6.5bn to the value of homes, as nearly a quarter of a million owners made changes, adding around £30,000 per property on average. In London, where homeowners have [...]
High street shopper numbers continue decline as they head online July 20, 2015 The number of people heading to the high street has fallen again, new figures reveal, as one minister called for parking charges to be scrapped in an attempt to halt the decline of town centres around the country. Footfall fell 2.8 per cent on the same month last year on the high street and 2.4 [...]
City firms splash out on red tape officers as demand for compliance skills boosts wages July 19, 2015 (Source: Emolument) City workers who help companies cope with red tape are seeing their pay rocket, as a wave of regulations boosts demand for their skills. Figures out this morning reveal that some firms are offering pay rises of 30 per cent in order to attract the staff they need “The more [...]
London’s housing market hits consumer confidence July 19, 2015 London’s housing market is weighing on the minds of consumers, driving the steepest decline in consumer confidence for any major region of the UK last quarter, a poll shows. Consumer confidence in London and the south east fell by six points for the three month period ending June, making it the least optimistic region in [...]
Angela Merkel calls for action on Greek banking rules as lenders reopen July 19, 2015 Greek banks opened again today after a three-week closure, as European politicians try to restore trust inside and outside of Greece after it narrowly avoided bankruptcy with a last-minute financial reforms deal last week. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for swift aid talks so that Athens can also lift withdrawal limits, which were previously set [...]
Barclays boss John McFarlane to join Treasury financial services board July 19, 2015 John McFarlane, executive chairman of Barclays, is set to join the Treasury’s Financial Services Trade and Investment Board (FSTIB) as an external member today. The FSTIB was set up to identify opportunities for growth across the UK financial sector. McFarlane, who has been nicknamed “Mack the Knife”, played a pivotal role in the recent high-profile [...]
Further growth expected from Metro Bank amid talk of IPO July 19, 2015 Metro Bank is expected to reveal its results by the end of this month, as it gears up towards a flotation expected to take place next year. Although whether Metro will finally unveil a profit is unclear, the results are forecast to show that the challenger bank is continuing to grow nicely. If so, it [...]
George Osborne aims to curry favour in the Square Mile with Martin Wheatley dismissal July 19, 2015 As the chancellor who introduced the banking levy back in 2011, George Osborne is not as popular in the City as he could be. But last week it looked like he may be trying to work his way back into bankers’ good books. On Friday, Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority [...]
Ofcom says BT merger with EE could harm other mobile firms July 19, 2015 Telecoms giant BT could be facing double trouble from the industry regulator, after Ofcom revealed concerns surrounding its proposed merger with mobile network EE. The planned £12.5bn takeover is being probed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which issued an update regarding the scope of its investigation at the end of last week. Ofcom [...]
