Aer Lingus underlying profit flies 17.8 per cent higher February 24, 2015 The figures Airliner Aer Lingus said that passenger numbers had jumped 1.5 per cent to 9,766, up from 9,625 a year earlier. This pushed operating profit before exceptional items up 17.8 per cent to €72m (£52.7m) from €61.1m in 2013. But staff "stabilisation" payments of annual salary increases and a one-off charge to resolve pension funding issues tipped the [...]
FTSE climbs in late rally as BA owner IAG soars – London Report March 4, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index rebounded late yesterday, helped by a surge in British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) due to strong traffic figures and by rallies in broadcaster ITV and bank Standard Chartered. The FTSE 100 snapped a three-day losing streak to end 0.4 per cent higher at 6,919.24 points after trading as low [...]
Oil crashes to new six-year low after Goldman Sachs cuts forecasts January 12, 2015 Oil crashed to a new six-year low after Goldman Sachs became the latest banking giant to cut forecasts, saying the price of the black stuff must fall further if it's to discourage investment in its rival shale gas. Brent crude broke the $48 per barrel mark this afternoon taking it to its lowest level since [...]
April Fools’ Day 2015: The best (and worst) jokes from BMW, Sun Life, Confused.com, Richard Branson and the London Eye April 1, 2015 Alright, so this year the various political weirdnesses (Joey Essex interviewing Nick Clegg, anyone?) have caused an air of ridiculousness to hang over Westminster for several weeks now – but outside the London bubble, the once-a-year gag fest that is April Fools' Day has kicked off in earnest. Here are some of the best (and [...]
Four things we know about China’s luxury consumers: Apple is most desirable but British brands rate among wealthy shoppers February 2, 2015 Chinese spending on luxury goods may be faltering as the economy slows down and the government clamps down on gift-giving of luxury items, but consumer spending is still expected to help carry the country’s economy ahead of the US as the world’s largest over the next decade. The rise of the luxury brand in Asian [...]
Rome: The Eternal City that Hollywood can’t leave alone June 7, 2015 The Eternal City has managed what the Russians never could: knock out 007. Daniel Craig was shaken and stirred as he was carried unconscious by a wailing ambulance to hospital when the Aston Martin DB 10 he was driving in a high speed chase around the Tiber river hit pot holes while filming Spectre, the [...]
Ebola spreads to Scotland: First case of deadly virus confirmed at hospital in Glasgow December 29, 2014 A healthcare worker at a hospital in Glasgow has tested positive for Ebola – the deadly disease that has killed thousands of people in west Africa since December 2013. The worker, reportedly female, flew back to the Scottish city from Sierra Leone last night. Sierra Leone is one of the three countries most affected by [...]
Criminal cartel agreements: Businesses need to know what they’re getting into February 12, 2015 You would not be alone in not knowing that there is such a thing as a criminal cartel, let alone how it is defined in UK law. But a significant change to this definition last year will mean that something few were aware of will now be increasingly on the radar of British businesses, who [...]
Flight QZ8501 disappearance: AirAsia share price falls most in three years December 29, 2014 Shares in AirAsia closed 7.8 per cent down yesterday after the disappearance of flight QZ8501 on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore. The fall is its largest single-day drop since September 2011. AirAsia was the most active stock on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, with 59.5 million shares traded during the day. That's [...]
International Airlines Group share price rises on higher profit guidance October 31, 2014 Shares in International Airlines Group (IAG), the company behind British Airways and Spanish flag carrier Iberia, rose 3.5 per cent in early trading after it raised its full-year profit guidance. The airline said it expected operating profit before exceptional items to be between €550m and €600m (£432m to £471.5m) higher than 2013's €770m. IAG said [...]