UK Business News

Retailers give up fight on VAT rise

Economists warn that reversing temporary tax cut could hit growth in first few months of next year

Tesco corner shop threat

UK’s biggest retailer intends to step up the expansion of its convenience store format, up to double the number of stores

• Asda signals supermarket war with £150m price cuts

• Co-op braced for battle of the corner shop

BA to roll out shares strategy

Creation of a stand-alone group will own the majority of the airline's shares to preserve its international traffic rights

• Planes in Spain are mainly to BA's gain

• Merged group will still be able to fly the flag

Ouch! Dentist chief is extracted

Founder and owner of James Hull Associates forced to step down after a bust-up with investors over his expenses

World Business News

Madoff treasure on the block

Voyeurs and bargain hunters descended on 'garage sale' to snap up household items once owned by convicted fraudster

• IT programmers implicated in Madoff scandal

• Everything from a Rolex to a Post-it

Pearson’s textbook return

Media giant is preparing to rejoin the battle for Santillana, the $1.4 billion (£838m) Latin American textbook publisher

• Pearson beats forecasts despite ad plunge

• Pearson boosted by education and the internet

IT programmers implicated in Madoff scandal

Prosecutors charged Jerome O’Hara and George Perez with assisting the $65bn fraud and say more conspirators could be unmasked

Analysts warn of risks of dollar carry trade

Economists at a summit in Singapore spoke out after a variety of assets started to display bubble-like inflation patterns

Analysis

Cazenove: So much is owed to so few

The timing of the deal is unfortunate. It will add to the hue and cry over excessive bonuses and general fat cattery

Bank says let’ s party like it’s 1994 again

How can we square the Bank of England’s upbeat forecast with governor’s relentlessly downbeat tone in presenting it?

AIG e-mails come back to haunt Spitzer

Can’t the former New York governor and attorney-general pass his own petard without trying to hoist himself?

Law  

Baby RB to be allowed to die as father concedes

Father withdraws his opposition to doctors plea for severely disabled one-year-old boy to be taken off life support

Ofsted hid crucial evidence on Baby P sacking

Documents that Sharon Shoesmith was told 'did not exist' emerged only after Freedom of Information request lodged

Downturn makes no dent in pay of top lawyers

While smaller firms are reining in payments to partners, at leading City law firms, hundreds earned more than £1 million

Money  

Building Societies warn of higher mortgage costs

Tighter regulations on lending will see increased costs passed on to borrowers, the BSA warns

• Fewer Britons expected to lose homes

• Mortgage rates fall but loan restrictions tighten

Mortgage rates fall but loan restrictions tighten

Woolwich introduces restrictions to protect against base rate rises as it introduces new deals for borrowers with a 25 per cent deposit

Britons too optimistic about retirement

Just a third of people accept they will have to work beyond 65, even though the state pension age is set to rise

• Savers let down by workplace pension schemes

• Ten tips to make pensions work harder

business travel  

Profile: Toptable's Karen Hanton

An upgrade to first class? No thanks. The restaurant booking website founder explains why

Business travellers of the world unite! Well Britain anyway...

Travel agency body launches survey as it seeks to influence political parties in the run-up to the General Election

The world's oddest airport lounges

Lounges for dogs and children sound bizarre but they don't come close. Wait till you hear about Finnair's new Helsinki facility