UK Business News

Christmas shoppers tipped to cut back

The amount that shoppers spend at Christmas is likely to fall by £535 million this year, the first fall in two decades

Asos blames postal strike as growth slips

The Royal Mail strike has thwarted sales growth at Asos, the online fashion retailer, in spite of contingency arrangements

• Asos blames postal strike as growth slips

• Big spenders abroad help boost Asos sales

Lonmin shares leap despite loss of $272m

Declining revenues, combined with high mining costs, push platinum producer to $272 million loss in year to September 30

• Three reasons to be cheerful about prospects for Lonmin

• Lonmin shares leap on hope of bid from Xstrata

Rail companies accused of masking fare rises

Some ticket prices will increase by 15 per cent, hidden behind a drop in regulated fares, passenger groups and unions say

World Business News

GM hints that Ellesmere Port is safe

The troubled American carmaker has suggested it will not shut a UK plant employing 2,100 and says it is to repay $6.7bn in US government loans early

Japan worries about growth's dark side

A key risk indicator has triggered Cabinet Office deliberations about declaring that the economy is back in deflation

• Japan heads for financial horror story

• Japanese airport plan flies in face of facts

Galleon's Rajaratnam seeks to unseal Khan records

Hedge fund founder asks court to open records of an earlier criminal charge against the Government’s main witness

• Fourteen more charged in Galleon case

• Technology chief named in Galleon case

Paul Allen diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The billionaire Microsoft co-founder has has begun chemotherapy, more than 25 years after he was treated for Hodgkin’s disease

Analysis

ISC’s code for heading off trouble

It may be that institutions are desperate to be seen to be doing something ahead of the Walker Report due next week

Smith’s double blow after Reed reversal

Ian Smith, former chief executive of Reed Elsevier, did not enjoy the best of weeks after being dumped by the publisher

Tempus: Amlin benefits from benign climates

Serious storms, especially in the US Gulf of Mexico, have been rare, meaning that Amlin and its ilk have spare capital

Law  

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

Trivial cases 'clogging up crown courts'

Jack Straw tells magistrates that the justice system would be improved if they passed on fewer cases for trial by jury

Libel laws stifle health doubts

Justice Alternative therapists and makers of medical devices are using the UK courts to silence critics

Money  

Savers denied the best rates

Readers accuse banks of denying them the best fixed-rate deals because of spurious delays when their previous deals mature

How to get the best credit card this Christmas

Follow our credit checklist to ensure that your Christmas shopping doesn’t cost more than it should

Revealed: Ofgem’s failure to tackle npower overcharging

Customer anger deepens as documents show that the energy regulator let npower off the hook

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