Rail strikes to cause travel chaos for five days in May
'It's clear that the hidden hand of government is stopping the employers from making deals with us,' says Mick Cash, RMT general secretary
Biafra Activist - Biafra Or Dead. No Going Back
Comcast makes rival £22bn bid for Sky, threatening Rupert Murdoch's offer
US Media giant Comcast has made a £22bn bid for Sky that threatens to scupper a rival offer from Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox.
The £12.50 per share offer sent Sky's stock up 3 per cent on Wednesday.
Comcast owns NBC and Universal Pictures among a host of other businesses.
Read more Sky: Now Fox offers 'legal separation' of Sky News In December 2016, Fox agreed to buy the 61 per cent of Sky that it does not already own but that takeover has been held up by a slew of regulatory concerns.
“We are delighted to be formalising our offer for Sky today,” Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts said.
“We have long believed Sky is an outstanding company and a great fit with Comcast. Sky has a strong business, excellent customer loyalty, and a valued brand. It is led by a terrific management team who we look forward to working with to build and grow this business.”
Comcast, which also owns DreamWorks Animation and channels such as MSNBC, CNBC and The Weather Channe..
TSB customers still locked out of accounts despite CEO claiming online banking 'up and running'
IT chaos enters sixth day with customers still not able to log in to view and others saying details have disappeared
TSB customers were still locked out of their online accounts on Wednesday, despite the bank’s chief executive claiming systems were “up an running”, as IT chaos entered its sixth day.
Customers who logged into TSB’s app or online banking were faced with a screen stating that the bank was limiting the number of users accessing the service. Others were able to log in but, when they did, some or all of their account details had disappeared.
Customers have also reported that they could access other people’s accounts, including account numbers, sort codes and transaction histories.
Read more TSB apology after customers complain of online banking 'data breach' TSB could not say how many people were still locked out of the service or when the problems would be fully resolved.
The ongoing IT disaster began with botched upgrade work on Friday but has developed ..
A gunmen opened fire in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region
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Whitbread: Please make a fuss next time you opt for a break up like the one you're planning with Costa Coffee
We in the City could do with the work. Second and third homes don't pay for themselves you know!
Dear Alison Brittain, Adam Crozier and the other members of the Whitbread board,
First, congratulations on the decision to spin off Costa Coffee into a separate company, and on your latest results which no one will pay any attention to as a result.
We love the idea, because it will generate a lot of work for us and right now any work is welcome.
Read more Costa to be split from Premier Inn within two years, owner confirms Coffee cups: major chains fail to match Costa’s recycling targets Costa launches ‘chatter and natter’ tables to help combat loneliness As we’re sure you're only too well aware, the government has been seized by a bunch of lunatics and they seem hell bent on kicking us in the guts with the way they’re going about cutting the country off from Europe, the biggest market for its goods and services.
Or course, you have a supply chain to worry about, so you’..
The Shift: Workers of Silicon Valley, It’s Time to Organize
Workers of Silicon Valley, It’s Time to Organize Photo Credit Glenn Harvey Dear tech workers,
Long year, huh?
I get it. Your industry is under siege. Whether you work at an established giant like Facebook or Google, a private company like Uber or Palantir, or a lesser-known start-up, it feels like you’re being attacked from a thousand directions. People are comparing your companies to Big Tobacco, and Congress is accusing your executives of undermining democracy, poisoning users’ brains and censoring content.
All of a sudden, Silicon Valley — once the golden child of American industry — has become a villain.
Some of the backlash probably feels excessive. After all, the tech industry still creates useful things and employs lots of decent and ethical people. But I’ve talked to a number of tech workers recently, and I’ve seen you wrestling with your consciences. Some of you have stopped wearing your company T-shirts around town, fearing dirty looks from strangers. Others have taken extend..
Boohoo profits rise as sales at PrettyLittleThing jump 228%
Online retailer said customer numbers increased by 22 per cent over the year
Online fashion retailer Boohoo has reported surging full-year sales and profits as it reaps the rewards of successful acquisitions.
Shares jumped 16 per cent in early trading, after the group reported a 97 per cent increase in revenue to £579.8m in the year to February 28 as pre-tax profit rose 40 per cent to £43.3m.
Growth was helped by the recently acquired PrettyLittleThing, which clocked up a 228 per cent rise in sales to £181.3m.
Read more Boohoo launches capsule collection for men Joint bosses Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane said the results had been achieved against the “backdrop of difficult trading in the UK clothing sector”.
They added: “The group made great progress during the year, integrating a new company, PrettyLittleThing, and a new brand, Nasty Gal, into the boohoo group.
“Revenue from boohoo continued to grow strongly, whilst there has been an exceptional performance from PrettyLittleTh..
Costa to be separated from Premier Inn within two years, owner Whitbread confirms
Following weeks of speculation, the group has confirmed it will demerge the coffee chain
The Costa coffee chain will be spun off from its owner, Whitbread, within the next two years, the group revealed on Wednesday.
Shares in Whitbread rose at the open after the company confirmed that it would demerge the high street cafe business and retain control of hotel chain Premier Inn, following weeks of speculation.
Read more Coffee cups: major chains fail to match Costa’s recycling targets Costa launches ‘chatter and natter’ tables to help combat loneliness Now activists want Costa cut free of Whitbread Earlier this month, it emerged that activist investor Elliott Advisors had built up a stake of more than 6 per cent of Whitbread, enabling it to apply more pressure on the group to split Costa off, on the basis that both Costa and Premier Inn would do better as more focused individual businesses.
In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, Whitbread said it is “confident” that Costa ..
Southern Rail: RMT union accuses train operator of 'smear campaign' in two-year dispute
Exclusive: rail boss claims 70 per cent of affected staff are ignoring strike calls
Lloyds Bank profits rise 23% as lender cuts jobs and branches
Shares in the lender edged down Wednesday morning
Lloyds Banking Group has reported a 23 per cent increase in profits to £1.6bn in the first quarter of the year, weeks after announcing another round of branch closures and job cuts.
The lender posted a 4 per cent increase in net income for the three months to 31 March, from £4.18bn this time last year to £4.33bn, while earnings per share rose 36 per cent to 1.5p from 1.1p.
Read more Lloyds Banking Group to cut 305 jobs and close 49 branches across UK Lloyds rakes in billions, but how much is too much? Lloyds posts largest annual profit in over a decade “In the first three months of 2018 we have again delivered strong financial performance with increased profits and returns, a significantly reduced gap between underlying and statutory profit and a strong increase in capital. These results continue to demonstrate the strength of our business model,” said chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio.
“The UK economy continues to be resilien..