UK Business News

Banks given £62bn were within hours of collapse

Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS received secret bridging loans last year when facing far greater peril than first thought

Harvey Nash warns on profits amid jobs dearth

Recruitment group says employers are continuing to delay hiring new full time staff as Britain remains in recession

• Michael Page profits fall 49% in bleak market

• Hays may appeal against 'unfair' OFT fine

Cuts loom over UK’s nuclear clean-up

The Government is sharpening the axe for Britain’s £4bn budget and planning spending cuts at contaminated sites

• Wind of deceit drives Labour’s green energy plan

• Nuclear is affordable

Lloyds seeks £13.5bn via rights issue

Bank is hoping for another £13.5 billion from its
2.8 million shareholders to avoid costly state insurance of bad debt

World Business News

Fed forecasts better growth next year

The US Federal Reserve expects the economic recovery to be gradual, with real GDP advancing at a moderate pace

Facebook dampens listing speculation

Social networking site says it is creating dual-class stock structure to give existing shareholders more control

• Facebook agrees to tighten privacy policies

• Russian takes 2% stake in Facebook for $200m

Deripaska moves to stabilise Rusal

Hong Kong stock exchange will meet to decide whether to grant listing to world’s largest producer of aluminium

• RusAl rushes to restructure debt

• Deripaska in $30bn flotation

Saab could be near end of road as sale plan fails

Without the sale of the Swedish carmaker analysts question GM’s ability to restructure Opel and Vauxhall operations

Analysis

Shareholders in shock after bombshell

Many at Lloyds thought the HBOS takeover was disastrous. Now it turns out they were sold the deal on incomplete details

• Private equity feels the pain

• The truth is not easy to hear

Bankers think it’s all over. Time to think again

Financiers think they are indispensable to Britain. But times have changed. They face opposition at home and abroad

Tempus: Homeserve loves stormy weather

FTSE 250 domestic-repairs specialist is turning in double-digit gains in sales that it did before recession

Law  

Victims turned away because of legal aid squeeze

Lawyers are turning away vulnerable clients because they have exhausted caps on legal aid spending

Straight couple aim to form a civil partnership

Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle want the same rights as a husband and wife but not in an institution closed to gays

• Married couples in minority as rates plummet

• Come out, come out, wherever you are

Arrests are being made 'to expand DNA files'

Report says police are routinely arresting people simply to record their DNA profiles on the national database

Money  

Q&A - shock bank charges decision

We explain how the shock verdict from the Supreme Court affects you

• PM calls for bank charges settlement

• Banks win legal battle on overdraft charges

Wealthy dump pensions for high-risk schemes

Venture capital trusts set to become saving plan of choice when the government restricts tax relief on pensions from next year

• Can experts really boost my income?

• Ways to rest easier in retirement

Five tricks banks use to cut savings

Savers are seeing returns eroded by rising inflation while banks are using sneaky methods to reduce rates still further

business travel  

Gulf Air could cost Rolls-Royce $1.5bn

The Bahrain-based airline is to renegotiate contracts with suppliers in attempt to save $2.65 billion over five years

Heathrow's terminal 2 closes after 54 years

The old Europa Building will be demolished to make way for a 30 million passenger a year mega-terminal

Bmi revamps Diamond Club frequent flyer scheme

Airline adds family membership and unveils new rules for complimentary upgrades