The FTSE 100 closed up 0.90 per cent on Thursday with gains for miners and Burberry.
The index ended the day at 5,154.64, a rise of 45.74 points.
Fashion house Burberry was among the leading shares benefiting from positive noises coming from brokers over demand for luxury goods.
The firm ended the day up 5.55 per cent – [...]

Postal workers have voted in favour of a national strike, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced.
Of the Royal Mail staff who balloted, 76 per cent of staff said yes to strike action.
The news follows a series of regional strikes which have caused a backlog of millions of letters.
Postal workers voted three to [...]

Portsmouth have confirmed the reappointment of Avram Grant as director of football following the successful completion of the club’s takeover.
Grant, 54, returns to Fratton Park two years after leaving for Premier League rivals Chelsea to take up a similar position.
The Israeli coach will work alongside current Blues manager Paul Hart, who will maintain day-to-day control [...]

Hampshire have announced the signing of former Worcestershire fast bowler Simon Jones on a three-year contract.
The contract for Jones, who has had several surgical procedures on his knee since injuring it playing for England in the 2005 Ashes series, includes several pay as you play clauses due to concerns over his long-term fitness.
There were fears [...]

The FTSE 100 opened up over one per cent on Thursday.
At 08:48 BST the index stood at 5,159.83 – a gain of 50.93 points or 1.00 per cent.
Leading the gains was Vedanta Resources rose 5.42 per cent after production reports showed the miner recorded higher iron ore and zinc output.
Lonmin rose 3.77 per cent, Antofagasta [...]

Financial analysts have called for the Bank of England to increase its quantitative easing programme to £200 billion.
The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will announce its monthly decision on interest rates as well as providing an update on its quantitative easing programme later today.
David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said [...]

Interest rates have been held at 0.5 per cent yet again, the Bank of England has announced.
The monetary policy committee (MPC) also held its quantitative easing programme limit at £175 billion.
Some financial analysts had called for the programme to be increased to £200 billion.
David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) earlier [...]

A British soldier killed in an explosion during an ambush in southern Afghanistan has been named by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Guardsman Jamie Janes, of 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards, was on foot patrol near to Nad Ali District Centre in central Helmand province when he was killed in the blast on Monday morning.
Three [...]

The amount of fraud being committed on plastic cards fell by 23 per cent, to £232.8 million, when compared to last year.
However Financial Fraud Action UK urged consumers to still be careful with their cards, warning that despite losses for mail, internet and phone payments falling, internet banking fraud was up 55 per cent on [...]

Pupils should compete in yearly schools Olympics and parents should have access to sports day league tables as part of the 2012 legacy, the Conservatives have said.
Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt told the Tory conference his party was backing proposals put forward by Dame Kelly Holmes.
The schools Olympics would be a national sports competition involving [...]