Western Mail

Most Welsh Smes Expect to Avoid Job Losses This Year

NEARLY three quarters of SMEs in Wales expect to retain staff over the coming year. In its latest small business finance barometer study, Close Invoice Finance, part of the merchant banking group Close Brothers, shows that 74% of SMEs in Wales - equivalent to 144,000 companies - expect their employee base to be unaffected by job losses over the next 12 months.

Tories to Run Rule Over the Coalition in Live Web Chat

City Hotel Recruiting After Reopening

A CARDIFF hotel is looking to recruit 75 staff after being acquired out of administration. The Quality Hotel has been rebranded the Legacy Cardiff International Hotel after Legacy Hotels and Resorts struck a contract to manage and operate the hotel - its seventh such deal in Wales.

Nifty 50 Firms in Fast Growth List Are Bucking the Downturn ; Competition Finds Reasons to Be Cheerful in Economy

DESPITE the recession there are still a significant number of companies in Wales driving profitability and market share That is the message from the 11th Wales Fast Growth 50 list, the barometer of the state of the entrepreneurial sector in Wales. The full results will be published in a Western Mail supplement, sponsored by the University of Wales Global Academy, on November 4. During the past decade, the Fast Growth 50 project has become the list to which every growing Welsh firm aspires to.

B&B Aims to Become a Mortgage Services Firm

NATIONALISED lender Bradford & Bingley hopes to stave off eventual closure by turning itself into a mortgage services firm, it was reported yesterday. Managing director Richard Banks - currently charged with winding down the business - outlined the plans on the anniversary of its slide into public ownership.

Moss Bros Moves to Dress Up Losses of Pounds 3m

MENSWEAR retailer Moss Bros yesterday posted bigger losses, but said sales trends were improving amid efforts to overhaul the business. The group, which has around 150 stores and also trades as Savoy Taylors Guild and Cecil Gee, said losses hit pounds 3m in the six months to August 1, compared with a deficit of pounds 2.2m a year earlier.

Advertising Campaign Churns Out Success for Dairy Crest Brands ; High Promotional Spending Strategy Boosts Performance

A "GREAT British Butter" advertising campaign fronted by former Sex Pistol John Lydon has given Country Life the edge over rival Anchor for the first time, the brand's owner Dairy Crest claimed yesterday. The company, which also sells Cathedral City cheese and Frijj flavoured milk, said Country Life was the UK's fastest growing butter brand and had overtaken Anchor in terms of value of market share.

Six Years for 'Idiot' Boy Racer Who Killed Couple ; Driver, 18, Was Racing Pal When He Hit Car

A YOUNG driver has been locked up after he killed an elderly couple as he raced another car. David Grant Hirst, 18, was yesterday sentenced to six years' youth detention after a court heard he careered into an oncoming car, killing the elderly driver and his wife.

Inside

Welsh Expatriate Shows Some Bottle and Starts an Australian Revolution ; Town Is the World's First to Ban the Sale of Throwaway Bottled Water

IN A tiny corner of the Australian outback, a revolution against one of the most ubiquitous features of modern life is gathering pace - and an expat Welshman is at its heart. In the tiny town of Bundanoon, Huw Kingston, who moved fron Wales in 1990, has launched the world's first successful bid to have bottled water banned in restaurants, shops, cafes and bars.

Hit-and-Run Driver Admits Killing Youth Club Boy, 11 ; Woman 'Receiving Inpatient Care at a Mental Health Establishment'

A MOTHER-OF-TWO yesterday admitted causing the death of a young boy by dangerous driving. Hannah Saaf, 27, of St Michael's Hill, Bristol, pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court to killing 11-year-old Sam Riddall.

Eu General Speaks Out On Afghanistan ; World Newsbulletin

A LACK of political will, not troop shortages, is stopping European countries increasing their forces in Afghanistan, the EU's top military officer declared yesterday. Allied commander US General Stanley McChrystal is believed to have asked President Obama for up to 40,000 more troops to fight the Taliban-led insurgency and help rebuild the country.

Tsunami Hits Samoa After Pacific Quake ; World Newsbulletin

A TSUNAMI swept into Pago Pago in American Samoa shortly after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9 shook the Pacific area. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu issued a tsunami warning for American Samoa and other areas of the Pacific, including New Zealand.

Skunk's Bacon Sandwich Diet Is Sunk ; Uk Newsbulletin

AN overweight skunk whose bulk ballooned thanks to his love of bacon sandwiches has been re-homed and put on strict diet. Mr Bumble's owners gave him to the RSPCA after realising they could no longer handle him.

Tsunami Hits Samoa After Pacific Quake ; World Newsbulletin

FIVE people were killed when a tsunami swept into Pago Pago in American Samoa soon after an 8.3 magnitude earthquake shook the Pacific area. Three villages were said to have been flattened in the early morning quake, according to Radio New Zealand, which also reported locals saying that up to 14 people were killed.

Polish Pm Questions Polanski's Defenders ; World Newsbulletin

POLAND'S prime minister yesterday urged his cabinet ministers to use restraint in defending film-maker Roman Polanski. On Monday, Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski issued a joint plea with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner asking for Polanski's release from a Swiss prison cell where he is being held pending extradition to the US for sex with a 13-year-old.

Sun Newspaper Switches Sides ; Uk Newsbulletin

THE SUN newspaper last night endorsed the Conservatives to win the next election. Its front-page headline today claimed "Labour's lost it". The Rupert Murdoch-owned paper had backed the Labour party since 1997 when it switched from its traditional Tory leanings.

Lewis' 'New' Album Advert Misleading ; Uk Newsbulletin

A TV advert for a Leona Lewis CD was banned yesterday after it was ruled misleading. The Advertising Standards Authority said the claim that the X Factor winner's Best Kept Secret album was new was "likely to mislead viewers" as just seven of the 13 tracks were not previously available.

Former Pow Camp for Sale On Ebay ; Uk Newsbulletin

A FORMER prisoner of war camp is being sold on eBay. Harperley Prisoner of War Camp was turned into a tourist attraction in 2004.

Man Held Over Body of Care Worker Found in Suitcase

A MAN was arrested on suspicion of murder yesterday following the discovery of a woman's body dumped in a suitcase on farmland. The heavily-decomposed remains of Leah Questin were discovered in the case in a dried-up pond on farmland off Buckland Road in Cliffe, near Rochester, Kent, last Thursday.