Redhotcurry - Business News.

	GRAMEEN BANK FOUNDER WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
	The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development from below. Grameen Bank (GB) has reversed conventional banking practice by creating a banking system based on mutual trust. read more

	DYNSHAW ITALIA IS FINANCIAL DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR 2006
	Dynshaw Italia, Finance Director & Chief Operating Officer of Cobra Beer, has been named the Financial Director of the Year2006 (for Growing Business) at the Accountancy Age Awards. The ceremony, which took place on 15th November, recognises the success stories of the year in the financial and accountancy fields. read more

	OLDERPRENEURS: A SAFER BET FOR BUSINESS?
	Olderpreneur Showcase is a set of case studies of people who have set up businesses later in life. It has been prepared to demonstrate the variety and vibrancy of older entrepreneurship. "Enterprise isn't just about youth", says Laurie South, PRIME's Chief Executive. "People of any age can set up in business, but it's particularly useful for the over 50s as there are not a lot of other options. read more

	INDIA DENIED THE RIGHT TO PRODUCE AFFORDABLE MEDS
	Leading charity Oxfam has recently taken on the pharmaceutical giant Novartis demanding that developing countries are granted the right to produce affordable medicines. Pharmaceuticals companies are however concerned about the increase in generics medicines for the export market and how this will impact their future investment in R&D. read more

	CLEVER BUSINESS HABITS GUIDE
	Given that up to 30 per cent of small businesses fail after their first year in business, getting the essentials right and listening to sound advice is crucial. With this in mind, Alliance & Leicester has launched the 'Clever Business Habits Guide', to help businesses in their quest for success. read more

	BUSINESS BANKING MARKET CROWDED WITH CONFUSION
	A new report commissioned by Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank has found that businesses are being put off switching banks because it takes three days’ work to wade through the complicated myriad of fees and tariff structures. The report has also found that the complex and non-transparent market prevents businesses saving up to £41,000 a year each. read more

	ASIAN WOMEN IN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
	The Dynamic Asian Women's Network (DAWN) will be holding its latest creative event on 24 October 2006 with a panel of guest speakers including dance choreographer Honey Kalaria, Sumerah Ahmad, founder of a 'Club Asia' radio and Lopa Patel, founder of South Asian Lifestyle portal Redhotcurry.com. read more

	MORE WOMEN SET UP THEIR DREAM BUSINESS
	Women across the UK are setting up more businesses than last year with 38,100 businesses started in the first six months of this year, up 9% on the same period last year (34,600), according to research from Barclays. In some areas, the growth in start ups by women overtook those of men. read more

	TATA STEEL ACQUIRES CORUS
	The boards of Tata Steel and Corus today announced their agreement on the terms of the acquisition of Corus at a price of 455 pence in cash for each Corus Share, valuing the company at £4.3 billion. Tata Steel is India’s largest private sector steel company with 2005/06 revenues of US$5.0 billion. This acquisition will make it the world's fifth largest steelmaker. read more

	EMPLOYERS NOT DOING ENOUGH FOR MIGRANT WORKERS
	New research has revealed the risks faced by migrant workers in the UK and has suggested that employers are not doing enough to ensure that these workers have the correct skills. The report found that migrant workers may be experiencing higher levels of workplace accidents because they are more likely to work long hours, to work shifts and to have limited understanding of health and safety. read more

	IMPERIAL COLLEGE TO LAUNCH RAJIV GANDHI CENTRE
	Meeting today in advance of the India-UK investment summit, the Rector of Imperial College London, Sir Richard Sykes, and Mr. R Seshasayee, President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, linking their two organisations. read more

	DRIVE TO IMPROVE EMPLOYERS' ATTITUDE TO ILLNESS
	A new initiative encouraging employers to improve the way they deal with mental health in the workplace was launched by Health Minister Rosie Winterton. The three year initiative, called 'Action on Stigma', urges employers to change their employment practices to ensure that people with mental health problems are treated fairly and equally with others. read more

	AGE DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE OUTLAWED
	New laws coming into effect today will protect workers of all ages from discrimination in the work place. The Age Discrimination regulations give important new rights and responsibilities to every employee and business in Britain. Trade and Industry Secretary, Alistair Darling said:"Discrimination against you just because you're older has no place in a modern society." read more

	DISPATCHES UNVEILS INDIA'S DATA THEFT SCANDAL
	In last night's edition of documentary programme 'Dispatches' (5 October 2006), Sue Turton, senior reporter for Channel 4 News, investigated the Indian call centre security failures which allows personal financial details to be stolen and illegally traded. In a 12-month undercover investigation, Turton infiltrated criminal networks which trade British consumers' bank details and confidential information. read more

	BARCLAYS' ASIAN APPOINTMENTS
	Barclays have made three major Asian appointments in the last month; Barclays Global Retail and Commercial Banking has appointed Ahmed Khizer Khan as Chief Executive New Markets and Vinit Chandra as Product Director, Treasury and Investments. Barclays Wealth Management has appointment Bobby Kapur as a Director in its NRI division. read more

	SHITAL ADATIA JOINS A&L'S BUSINESS BANKING TEAM
	Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank's East Midlands Business Centre today announced the appointment of Commercial Property Finance specialist, Shital Adatia to its Business Banking team. Shital started his career with Nat West in 1996. Over the last ten years he has managed an extensive portfolio of businesses, helping hundreds of local businesses develop. read more

	PARLIAMENT BACKS KARIM'S EU-INDIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
	The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a report by Sajjad Karim MEP, Liberal Democrat International Trade Spokesman, on EU-India trade and economic relations. The report calls on the EU and India to demonstrate the political will to build an effective partnership and the EU to enter into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with India. read more

	ASIAN WOMEN PAY A HIGH PENALTY IN THE UK WORKPLACE
	Pakistani and Bangladeshi girls are ambitious and forging ahead at school – but they're likely to pay a high penalty in the workplace claims the The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The report paints a worrying picture of poor prospects for young Asian women who face higher unemployment, a lower glass ceiling and lower pay. Most also work in a restricted range of sectors and jobs. read more

	ASIAN BUSINESS GROWTH RATE 3X THAT OF UK ECONOMY
	The ability of Asian entrepreneurs to adapt to new business opportunities has seen the sector’s wealth grow at three times the rate of that produced by the UK economy. A new study reveals that real Asian wealth increased by 69% compared to the overall UK GDP growth figure of 22.8% with a shift by business owners towards higher value industrial sectors such as pharmaceuticals, IT and media. read more

	SMALL INCREASE IN NUMBER OF NEW SME BUSINESSES
	The Small Business Service (SBS) today published Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Statistics for the UK 2005. There were an estimated 4.3 million business enterprises in the UK at the start of 2005, an increase of 59,000 (1.4%) on the start of 2004, but 72.8% of SME's have no employees. read more

	'TOP 10' EXCUSES FOR NOT PAYING MINIMUM WAGE
	HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has published a list of the more unusual excuses given by employers for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage to their employees. The list proves that sexism, racism, ageism and ignorance account for the majority of excuses but there are a few new ones too! read more

	BUSINESS CONFIDENCE AT HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 1997
	A significant upturn in sales and orders in the first half of the year has boosted UK firms’ optimism for future profitability to its highest level in nine years, according to the ‘Business in Britain’ report from Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets. The biannual survey of over 2,200 UK companies shows that 24 per cent more firms saw sales rise rather than fall since January – a dramatic jump from just 8% six months ago. read more

	A&L's BUSINESS BANKING A BIG SUCCESS
	Figures released by Alliance & Leicester plc show that the number of businesses choosing to bank with it has increased considerably year on year. 12,800 new business bank accounts have been opened, an increase of over 20% compared to the first half of 2005. The bank’s share of the business bank account market has more than doubled since 2002 from 1.8%to 3.7% for the first six months of 2006. read more

	UK SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS SPEND 60% LONGER AT WORK
	Owners of small and medium businesses in the UK work 24 hours longer each week than the rest of the UK workforce according to research carried out by Barclays. UK entrepreneurs spent an average of 61.1 hours working each week in 2005, significantly ahead of the UK average working week of 37.4 hours. read more

	QUARTER MORE BUSINESSES SET UP BY UK ENTREPRENEURS
	Barclays today unveiled new figures showing a substantial rise in the number of budding entrepreneurs opening their doors for the first time. Estimates show that 110,300 new businesses started up in the first quarter of 2006, almost one-quarter more than in the same period last year (88,800). read more

	UK ENGAGES INDIAN BUSINESS LEADERS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
	On 26th June 2006, Barry Gardiner MP, Minister for the Environment and The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) hosted a meeting on climate change to discuss the role played by the world's fastest growing economy in driving forward the low-carbon economy of the future. read more

	WHERE IS THE UK'S CAPITAL OF ENTERPRISE?
	The West Kilbride Craft & Design Town, the Borough of Knowsley and the Kent Science Park are just some of the places announced today as exemplifying the UK's enterprise spirit, with the publication of the regional winners of the DTI's Enterprising Britain 2006 competition. The competition is a part of the Government's drive to increase entrepreneurship and identifies areas of enterprise excellence. read more

	SERENDIB06: TSUNAMI FAMILIES REBUILD TRADE LINKS
	Members of six Sri Lankan families whose lives were disrupted by the 2004 tsunami will be in Britain next week to develop new trading links. They are among 70 businesses exhibiting at Serendib, a three-day showcase hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka. Apart from displaying their wares, the visitors will be holding talks with importers and potential partners. read more

	INDIAN BUSINESS AWARDS, CLOSING DATE 30 JUNE 2006
	Key figures from the Indian business world gathered at the London Stock Exchange this morning to encourage eligible UK and Indian businesses to enter the UK Trade & Investment India Business Awards announced by Prime Minister Tony Blair in India last September. The awards are the first created by Government to specifically recognise India's global business influence and success. read more

	CSM LAUNCHES ‘WHO’S WHO IN CSR IN INDIA’
	The Centre for Social Markets (CSM), an India and UK-based non-profit group, launched the second edition of its flagship publication ‘Who’s Who in CSR in India: A Resource Guide 2006’. A practical guide to the key players and institutions in the emerging field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in India, the book was launched by Mr Saurabh Srivastava, formerly Chairman Xansa India Ltd. read more

	'BLACK FACES IN HIGH PLACES' NEEDED SAYS PATH
	Path West Midlands, a leading provider of Positive Action traineeships for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) individuals, will be meeting employers from the West Midlands region to discuss the under representation of BME individuals in supervisory, technical and management levels of organisations. read more

	ASIAN BUSINESS AWARDS 2006
	Winners of the Asian Business Awards 2006 included 'Newcomer of the Year' won by Avnish Goyal of Hallmark Healthcare, 'Entrepreneur of the Year' Award won by Rita Sharma of BestatTravel.co.uk, 'ACAS Award' won by Euro Car Parts, 'Community Award' given to Lord Paul of Caparo and the most coveted award, 'Business of the Year' went to Mike Jatania of Lornamead. read more

	REDHOTCURRY.COM LAUNCHES ONLINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY
	Redhotcurry.com has launched a new online Business Directory to help British businesses reach wealthy Asian Consumers and Asian Businesses to contact other Asian Businesses. Borne out of feedback from its 40,000 strong user base, the RedHot Business Directory is an integral part of the site. read more

	WORKPLACE ATTITUDES AGAINST THE HIJAB
	The EOC and the TUC are jointly calling for renewed urgency to deal with the persistent inequality facing Asian women in the workplace. Early findings from the EOC's "Moving on Up?" investigation into ethnic minority women's employment demonstrate significant differences in the pay, progression and employment status for women. read more

	27 UK COMPANIES BACK LONDON'S DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
	London Mayor Ken Livingstone's 'Diversity Works for London' programme has secured the backing of twenty-seven leading UK companies, including Coca-Cola, Pearsons and KPMG. The announcement is milestone in the programme which will provide £10m of measures to London-based businesses to help them benefit from having a diverse workforce. read more

	BARCLAYS LAUNCHES TRADING PLACES AWARDS
	People who have triumphed against the odds to set up a small business are to be recognised in a unique awards scheme launched on 27 March 2006. The Barclays Trading Places Awards – now in their second year – aim to recognise men and women triumphed over adversity in setting up in business. read more

	RISE IN WOMEN IN WORK & GENDER PAY GAP NARROWS
	Women's employment has increased from a rate of 56 per cent in 1971 to 70 per cent in 2005. This equates to 4 million more women in work over the last 35 or so years. Some of this increase has been driven by the rise in working mothers. These are among the figures highlighted in Labour Market Review 2006. read more

	FIRST ENTERPRISE CAPITAL FUNDS GO LIVE
	Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson announced the first two Enterprise Capital Funds created under a multi-million pound government scheme to boost innovation, jobs and growth for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK. Enterprise Capital Funds help bridge the equity gap faced by SMEs. read more

	GOVERMENT TO STREAMLINE BUSINESS SUPPORT
	The Department of Trade and Industry is spearheading a government-wide initiative to streamline business support at a local, regional and national level to reduce the number of schemes from more than 3,000 to just 100 by 2010. The work will be done in partnership with the RDAs and government departments. read more

	BUDGET FOCUSES ON INVESTING IN BRITAIN'S FUTURE
	The Government's economic objective is to build a strong economy and a fair society, stated Chancellor Gordon Brown in his Budget Day speech. Among the initiatives announced were: reducing administrative burdens for business, changes to Venture Capital Schemes, the launch of Enterprise Capital Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts & film tax incentives. read more

	BARCLAYS INVESTS $150M IN EXPANSION IN INDIA
	Barclays has invested US$150 million over the past month, doubling its commitment to US$300 million, to its Indian operations to support the growth of the investment banking business and develop its commercial & corporate banking service in the country. The bank will expand its network and strengthen its team in India. read more

	INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR THE UK
	Gordon Brown, announced that he has established a new International Business Advisory Council for the UK comprising some of the world's leading business people including Indian Ratan Tata. The Council will advise over the nex