General News
Casual dining offsets pub closures to keep leisure venues stable
The rise of casual dining has made up for pub closures to keep the number of drinking venues steady despite tough market conditions.
Birmingham to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has announced that Birmingham will be the host city of the next games in 2022.
Candy brothers win £132m court case after acrimonious trial
Property tycoons the Candy brothers have won a £132m high court case brought by a former friend and business associate whose claims of harassment and intimidation have been quashed.
Bank of England finds labour shortages and weaker spending
Labour shortages increased while spending by consumers and businesses weakened in the fourth quarter, the Bank of England reported.
House prices to stagnate in 2018, Rics predicts
National house price growth will grind to a halt in 2018 as transactions fall and economic and political uncertainty weigh on confidence, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has predicted.
FCA stops illegal £1.2m foreign exchange investment scheme
The Financial Conduct Authority said it had stopped an unauthorised foreign exchange investment scheme that raised at least £1. 2m but never invested the money.
Christmas spending rises with inflation, figures show
Christmas spending has just about kept pace with inflation as shoppers have spent less on food and premium goods, figures from Mastercard show.
London Stock Exchange sees 100 new listings for first time in three years
Israeli mining company Shefa Yamim became the 100th company to float on the London Stock Exchange in 2017 on Monday, marking the first time the barrier had been broken in three years on the back of heightened international interest and an increased level of investment fund listings.
No special Brexit deal for the City, Barnier says
There will be no special deal for the City of London when Britain leaves the European Union, Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, has warned.
CME launches Bitcoin futures amid calls for tighter regulation
CME, the largest exchange provider in the world, launched its Bitcoin futures market on Sunday evening to compete with rival Cboe which did so a week earlier, with initial predictions from investors signalling the cryptocurrency could hit a high of $20,865 by January.
Lord Adonis urges Ofcom to solve 'deplorable' mobile phone coverage
Ofcom has been told to take urgent action to tackle the state of mobile phone coverage in the UK, described as “deplorable” by the chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission.
Scotland introduces income tax raise for top earners
The Scottish government has announced it will increase the tax paid by the country’s highest earners, as it bids to raise extra money to fund wage increases in the public sector.
Heathrow to consult public over third runway - but not about noise
The public will be able to comment on Heathrow’s third runway as part of a consultation carried out by the airport from January, though the plans are being criticised for not including information on new flight paths.
Google trends reveal the most searched terms of 2017
Bitcoin, the increasingly popular cryptocurrency has dominated Google’s top searches this year.
Republican candidate Moore defeated in Alabama in major blow to Trump
Donald Trump was dealt a major blow on Tuesday after Republican candidate Roy Moore was defeated by Democrat rival Doug Jones in a senate election in the GOP stronghold of Alabama.
BA, RBS and Porsche hired surveillance firms to spy on campaign groups
Leaked documents reveal that five large companies have paid for corporate intelligence services to spy on political groups and environmental activists who might pose problems for their business.
Macron promises at Paris summit to "Make Our Planet Great Again"
French president Emmanuel Macron has called on world governments to stay the course on fighting climate change despite America's decision to retreat from the Paris accords.
UK employer hiring outlook reaches lowest level since 2012
UK employers are reticent about hiring new workers as we head into 2018 and in some sectors are even 'stockpiling' employees on long-term contracts to avoid a potential skills exodus after Brexit.
British Airways cancels hundreds of flights as cold snap hits
UK airline British Airways cancelled a new raft of flights on Tuesday at Heathrow in addition to hundreds of cancellations it has made since Sunday as ice and snow hit Britain.
Meat tax could be necessary to reduce climate change and health issues
A tax on meat is being considered to reduce the negative impact that its consumption has on climate change, water pollution, deforestation and diseases like obesity, cancer or diabetes.