Archive for September 2008
Vacuum cleaner blamed for Cutty Sark fire
30/09/2008
An overheating vacuum cleaner left on for two days was responsible for the fire which gutted the Cutty Sark last year, an official inquiry has concluded.
The 14-month probe, which delivered its findings today, said it had found no evidence that the tea clipper was the subject of an arson attack as had originally been feared.
Instead a failed industrial vacuum cleaner, which had been inadvertently left switched on over the weekend of May 19th and 20th 2007, was judged to have be...
FTSE 100 bounces back
30/09/2008
The FTSE 100 bounced back by lunchtime to 4,847.37, 28.6 points higher than last night's close.
Confidence that a deal will be made in the US, despite Congress's initial rejection of the bill last night, in addition to rumours of interest rate cuts, helped boost the FTSE by early afternoon.
The blue-chip index opened at 4,784.53 and had dropped to 4,675.77 by 08:15 BST, losing another three per cent in value from last night's close.
The nationalisation of Bradford &...
Strike warning over ITV News job cuts
30/09/2008
Plans to cut around 430 jobs at ITV News have prompted anger from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
ITV announced the move earlier today as part of the wider group's plans to deliver £40 million of annual savings in its regional news services in 2009.
In total ITV expects to reduce its numbers by around 1,000 by the end of February next year, with further cost-cutting exercises worth £35 million planned for 2010.
This represents 40 per cent of its regi...
Cameron seeks bipartisan response to crisis
30/09/2008
Conservative leader David Cameron has called for a bipartisan approach to the economic crisis in a surprise address to the Tory party conference in Birmingham.
Mr Cameron is due to give his main speech to the party tomorrow in which he said he would outline his proposals to fix the economy.
But he said given the current concerns about the world economy that today was not the day to talk about those proposals. Instead he said the Conservatives would try to work with the governme...
Pirate shootout off Somalia coast
30/09/2008
An argument between a group of Somali pirates over what to do with their seized cargo ended with three men being shot, it has emerged.
The incident happened on board the MV Faina, a Ukrainian cargo ship captured by the pirates off Somalia's coast in the Indian Ocean.
It contains 33 tanks and other equipment which was bound for Kenya, from where the materiel was expected to head for south Sudan.
Such a development could have a destabilising effect on the tentative peace...
Male teachers missed in primary schools
30/09/2008
New research out today underlines the shortage of male school teachers currently afflicting Britain's primary schools.
A survey of over 800 men by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) found 48 per cent said male primary school teachers had acted as a fundamental role model.
Furthermore, 35 per cent said having a male teacher challenged them to work harder while 22 per cent said this helped build their confidence while they were young.
Despite this at p...
Tesco profits up 10.3%
30/09/2008
Profits rose 10.3 per cent for the first half at Tesco to £1.45 billion on strong international sales.
Tesco said like-for-like sales excluding petrol in the UK increased by 3.7 per cent for the first half as a whole, while total international sales rose by 26.8 per cent on expansion.
Rival Morrisons reported a first half profit rise of nearly 19 per cent and like-for-like sales increases of 7.6 per cent at the start of September.
The retailer has been focusing on...
Brown bounce backed by new poll
30/09/2008
Labour has achieved a short-term recovery in the polls, cutting the Conservatives' lead by seven points in September.
A poll carried out by ComRes for the Independent puts the Tories down three points on August's rating at 41 per cent. Labour has gained four per cent to 29 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats are up one point to 18 per cent.
This represents a cut in the Tory lead from 19 to 12 points, reinforcing the perception that Mr Brown received a bounce after last week'...
Banker dies after intervening in fight
30/09/2008
Police are due to reveal more details about the death of a banker who was killed after intervening in a street fight in Norwich early on Sunday.
Frank McGarahan, 45, from Hertfordshire, sustained a fatal injury after intervening in an assault taking place on Guildhall Hill in Norwich town centre at around 03:00 BST on Sunday.
The chief operating officer for Barclays Wealth had been queuing at a cash machine when he witnessed the assault after what police described as a "qu...
Death toll still rising after India temple stampede
30/09/2008
Over 100 people are reported to have died after a stampede at a Hindu temple in India.
The incident, which occurred in the historic town of Jodhpur in India's western state of Rajasthan, saw panic break out after the collapse of a wall.
Police officers at the scene blamed severe overcrowding for the deaths which followed. Over 50 others were injured as a result of the panic.
Worshippers had been gathering at the Chamunda temple in the hill-top Mehrangarh Fort to mark t...
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