GlaxoSmithKline reports solid second quarter results but warns over impact of bribery scandal July 24, 2013 The pharmaceutical company at the centre of a Chinese bribery investigation GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reported a second quarter net profit of £1.05bn, and an expected four per cent rise in core earnings per share to 26.3p (release). Total group turnover in the second quarter was up two per cent to £6.6bn, while it remained flat [...]
More pharmaceutical firms could be implicated in Chinese bribery scandal July 24, 2013 China’s official news agency Xinhua has indicated that more foreign and local pharmaceutical firms could be implicated in the corruption scandal gripping the industry. This comes amid bribery accusations against GlaxoSmithKline, which is set to report its results at midday today. It will not be surprising if more pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, domestic or international, [...]
Commuter crush: Seven out of 10 most overcrowded trains in Britain go to London July 24, 2013 The latest figures from the Department for Transport show that of the 10 most overcrowded train services in Britain, seven are London-bound. All of the worst journeys started at or ended in the capital last spring. Services running during spring and autumn of 2012 were monitored by the government, and this top 10 list represents [...]
Egyptian crisis escalates as army calls for public support to end “terrorism” July 24, 2013 The situation in Egypt may heat up further as General Abdel Fattah el-Sissi – the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian armed forces who ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi on 3 July 2013 – calls for the people to take to the streets in support for the military and police forces to take action against "terrorism" and [...]
Study shows power of Twitter in international diplomacy July 24, 2013 The power of Twitter in global politics has been evidenced by the latest study by Twiplomacy, which found that the governments of 77.7 per cent of the 193 UN member countries have a Twitter presence, with nearly half personal accounts of heads of state, heads of government and ministers of foreign affairs (infographic). But while [...]
New data suggests that tomorrow will show growth doubled in the second quarter July 24, 2013 The CBI industrial trends survey for total orders has hit its highest level in seven months, up from -18 to -12, in-line with analyst forecasts. That's a seven month high. Business optimism came in at seven from five prior (eight expected). 32% of firms reported an increase in total new orders and 27% said they [...]
UK regulator fines RBS £5.6m for incorrect reporting July 24, 2013 The Royal Bank of Scotland has been fined £5,620,300 by the Financial Conduct Authority for incorrectly reporting transactions made in wholesale markets and in some instances failing to report transactions at all. According to the FCA, RBS failed to properly report 44.8m transactions between November 2007 and February 2013 and failed altogether to report 804,000 [...]
Women in London live longer – but rising life expectancies highlight welfare spending problem July 24, 2013 Women living in London have one of the highest life expectancies in the country, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (release). Females aged 65 in 2009-11 are expected to live for a further 21.6 years, the same as in the South East and South West and over seven months more [...]
ISP tells customers that if they want Cameron’s censored internet they should move to North Korea July 24, 2013 Internet service provider Andrews & Arnold has told customers that if they want filtered internet – they should change providers or move to North Korea. The comments are a reaction to plans announced by Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants all internet to be filtered for adult content as default, with customers only able to [...]
Eurozone banks tighten credit standards despite plunging loan demand and better funding conditions July 24, 2013 The European Central Bank has reported an improvement in funding conditions among eurozone banks in the second quarter of the year, but a tightening of credit standards for both companies and mortgages despite expectations of a further fall in loan demand. In its latest bank lending survey, the ECB found that a net seven per [...]