More risks behind new mortgages

More risks behind new mortgages
MORTGAGE lenders and borrowers are being forced to take greater risks as property transactions slump because buyers cannot afford sky-high prices. Banks and building societies are lending at higher loan-to-values or maximum...

Rate increase talk's building

Rate increase talk's building
THE pound strengthened yesterday and an interest rate rise loomed larger after the economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year. Output across the construction sector, which represents 6 per...

Hard landing for flight delay claim

Hard landing for flight delay claim
A Passenger’s bid for compensation over a flight delay looked all set to take off after she discovered someone else who had travelled on the same plane was quids in following a successful claim. Amy Kavanagh and her boyfriend...

Cheque riddle solved

Cheque riddle solved
A couple’s efforts to find a £300 cheque which they had paid in drew a blank after it was debited from one of their bank accounts – but not credited to the other. Fearing their money might have disappeared for good into...

Top firm hangs up its landlines

Top firm hangs up its landlines
One of the UK’s biggest accountancy firms is getting rid of all its landlines, with staff using mobile phones instead. PricewaterhouseCoopers said yesterday it would remove all fixed-line phones from desks by the autumn. Source:...

Polio has been reported in Papua New Guinea

Polio has been reported in Papua New Guinea
ON JUNE 8th reports of a suspected case of polio came from Venezuela. Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. The report that came from Papua New Guinea on June 22nd, though, is no fiction. It was issued by the...

Making medical clothing that kills bugs

Making medical clothing that kills bugs
AROUND the beginning of the 20th century the medical profession underwent an image makeover. Doctors swapped their traditional black coats for white ones, similar to those worn by scientists in laboratories. This was meant...

A paradox at the heart of gift-giving

A paradox at the heart of gift-giving
Ooo! Lovely! Honest... A FORMER editor of this newspaper once said that “a gift is a sale at a price of zero”. In strict monetary terms this is true. But most people do expect to be paid for gifts, albeit in the non-monetary...