Blogscrape

LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer is set to cut more than 1,000 jobs in stores, its head office and support functions following disastrous Christmas trading, The Times web-site reported on Monday. The newspaper said the iconic high street chain would announce the cuts on Wednesday, when it is due to release a trading update to the City. A spokeswoman for M&S declined to comment. The news comes as retailers across the board are expected by analysts to announce terrible sales figures over Christmas, while some, such as Ireland's Waterford Wedgwood on Monday, have called in ...

LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer is set to cut more than 1,000 jobs in stores, its head office and support functions following disastrous Christmas trading, The Times web-site reported on Monday. The newspaper said the iconic high street chain would announce the cuts on Wednesday, when it is due to release a trading update to the City. A spokeswoman for M&S declined to comment. The news comes as retailers across the board are expected by analysts to announce terrible sales figures over Christmas, while some, such as Ireland's Waterford Wedgwood on Monday, have called in ...

Israel/Palestine is awash with peace missions from Europe at the moment, all urging a ceasefire in the current conflict in Gaza. Tony Blair, the Madrid Quartet's (bizarrely chosen) Middle East peace envoy has not been on holiday (as Gordon Brown rather cattily said on British television over the weekend), but shuttling between Jerusalem and [...]

Israel/Palestine is awash with peace missions from Europe at the moment, all urging a ceasefire in the current conflict in Gaza. Tony Blair, the Madrid Quartet's (bizarrely chosen) Middle East peace envoy has not been on holiday (as Gordon Brown rather cattily said on British television over the weekend), but shuttling between Jerusalem and [...]

• UK living standards set to slump • 43% of small businesses expect to cut jobs in new year Britain's standards will fall to the lowest level of any major economy in 2009 as recession and the plunging pound take their toll, new research by consultancy Oxford Economics reveals. As recently as 2007, Britain was at the top of the heap, with GDP per capita - measured at market exchange rates - exceeding that of America for the first time since the Victorian era. Consumers rode a decade-long wave of prosperity, snapping up holiday homes in the Dordogne and bargains ...

• UK living standards set to slump • 43% of small businesses expect to cut jobs in new year Britain's standards will fall to the lowest level of any major economy in 2009 as recession and the plunging pound take their toll, new research by consultancy Oxford Economics reveals. As recently as 2007, Britain was at the top of the heap, with GDP per capita - measured at market exchange rates - exceeding that of America for the first time since the Victorian era. Consumers rode a decade-long wave of prosperity, snapping up holiday homes in the Dordogne and bargains ...

Towards the end of 2008 Jack Allen Holdings (the company that put in the planning application for the huge waste facility on Garston Docks) withdrew the plans. The company said it would be resubmitting them. We are all now waiting for the next move. I can't see the new plans differing hugely from the old ones, but there may well be some differences. We (the councillors in Cressington) were concerned that people might have to spend a lot of time looking for these differences, but we have asked planning officers to get Jack Allen to make any changes obvious. Personally ...

Towards the end of 2008 Jack Allen Holdings (the company that put in the planning application for the huge waste facility on Garston Docks) withdrew the plans. The company said it would be resubmitting them. We are all now waiting for the next move. I can't see the new plans differing hugely from the old ones, but there may well be some differences. We (the councillors in Cressington) were concerned that people might have to spend a lot of time looking for these differences, but we have asked planning officers to get Jack Allen to make any changes obvious. Personally ...

It has been announced by leading Japanese companies yesterday that due to the weakening of the Pound that many imported high tech products will now face a "price increase" of up to 20%. Could the government have known in advance when reducing the VAT rate to 15%! Announced in BJP 5/1/09 latest news section quote: "Nikon, Canon, Sony and Leica are all expected to raise their prices in January as the pound continues to fall in value. Nikon has confirmed to BJP that it is to implement a price increase across its range of imaging and optics products, effective on ...

It has been announced by leading Japanese companies yesterday that due to the weakening of the Pound that many imported high tech products will now face a "price increase" of up to 20%. Could the government have known in advance when reducing the VAT rate to 15%! Announced in BJP 5/1/09 latest news section quote: "Nikon, Canon, Sony and Leica are all expected to raise their prices in January as the pound continues to fall in value. Nikon has confirmed to BJP that it is to implement a price increase across its range of imaging and optics products, effective on ...

So I've written about how banks decide who gets credit. I've explained how the credit crunch reduces the number of people who will be able to get access to borrowing. I also said that, many years ago, my first job with HBOS (or what was Halifax Plc back then), was sat on a helpdesk fielding calls from branch staff and customers who'd been "declined" credit. This is the time when my heart was turned into a cold, black lump. Some people, for whatever reason, believe that banks are some kind of social service. Contrary to this popular belief, how much ...

So I've written about how banks decide who gets credit. I've explained how the credit crunch reduces the number of people who will be able to get access to borrowing. I also said that, many years ago, my first job with HBOS (or what was Halifax Plc back then), was sat on a helpdesk fielding calls from branch staff and customers who'd been "declined" credit. This is the time when my heart was turned into a cold, black lump. Some people, for whatever reason, believe that banks are some kind of social service. Contrary to this popular belief, how much ...

Alot of Israeli propaganda in the conflict has been focused around trying to convince the international community that it is doing it best for Gaza's civilians. The reality of Israel's position is however it is doing just enough so it can say it is doing something; but the evidence is stacking up that it is doing nowhere near enough. The International Herald Tribune carries a report on the comments of Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the head of operations for the International Red Cross. Since the Red Cross is clearly a neutral party it is hard for those who deny the damage Israel ...

The idea of national energy independence has been commonly cited in US politics over many years but has not resonated so strongly in the UK to date. A number of factors might now make this a much more compelling policy. Oil prices have clearly been a huge problem over the last year and, while they have now fallen, it is hard to see how they will not rise again whenever economic growth picks up in the major economies. Now we are yet again seeing threats to gas supplies from Russia just as winter is starting to bite. On the more ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7811408.stm The basic gist of this story is that a Scottish MP (Ian Davidson) is criticising the Scottish Government for pledging (or appearing to pledge, as the facts are being "checked") £17.5m to help secure a painting for a gallery. I was waiting for these sorts of stories to rear their head. During times when money is tight, the Arts are often squeezed. They are an "invisible" (in terms of political benefits, anyway, since all the Arts are obviously visible), seemingly "useless" area of a Government's responsibility. And so, when people see massive amounts of money being spent on the ...

Author and humorist, Chris Foote Wood, who achieved a year-long "Pier crawl" around every seaside pier in Britain, promises to give an entertaining illustrated talk and answer questions at Redcar Library on Tuesday, January 13 at 2pm. Tickets, priced £2.50 and including afternoon tea, are available from all Redcar and Cleveland Council libraries.

Following complaints by constituents about the state of some of the boundary fencing on the rail line in the West End, Network Rail has confirmed to me that it will undertake inspections and carry out necessary repairs. I have received quite a number of complaints about state of fencing north side of rail line at Magdalen Green - between electricity sub station and allotments - but also further west along the rail line. In particular residents were concerned about dogs getting onto the rail line. I am therefore pleased that Network Rail has responded positively to my request that the ...

Interesting article in yesterday's Guardian on the proposal to construct a barrage across the River Severn. Tidal Electric, which wants to generate electricity by using up to 13 tidal lagoons built on the estuary floor from rock instead of a barrage has accused Government consultants of miscalculating the costs so as to promote the barrage scheme above the lagoons. Studies carried out by the engineers AS Atkins, for Tidal Electric, have suggested that the lagoons could generate twice as much power, per square mile impounded, than the barrage, and therefore generate about 25-40% more energy without damaging the shoreline. However, ...