LONDON (ShareCast) - China’s central bank has allayed fears of a cash crush by injecting money into the financial system for the first time in two weeks, but it has also steered interest rates to a higher level in a signal of mild monetary tightening. The People’s Bank of China added Rmb13bn (2.1bn dollars) to the economy via open-market operations on Tuesday, having refrained from any liquidity injections since mid-October. It was a small amount, but was still seen as a clear indication that the central bank does not want a replay of the liquidity squeeze that rattled global markets in late June, according to the Financial Times.

Ashley Almanza, the Chief Executive of G4S, is expected to resist any break-up of the world’s biggest security company even as it tries to fight off further reputational damage over a South African prison and a failed £1.6bn bid for its cash solutions business. On Monday the company faced fresh allegations after the South African government said it was looking into claims that G4S staff at the Mangaung Correctional Centre south of Bloemfontein used punishments including electric shocks and forced injections to control inmates, the Financial Times reports.

British businesses are recovering their confidence as shoppers and restaurant diners open their wallets to help drive the economic recovery. According to the latest Red Flag Alert research from business rescue and recovery firm Begbies Traynor financial distress among UK businesses is continuing to fall sustained by burgeoning consumer spending. It said that across all business sectors those firms experiencing “critical” financial problems reduced 2% from 3,001 in the second quarter of 2013 to 2,951 in the third quarter, the Daily Express writes.

Britain will be the first country in the Western world to sell government debt that complies with the rules of Sharia, David Cameron will announce today. Speaking at a conference in London aimed at raising billions of pounds in trade with Muslim countries, the Prime Minister will reveal that the Treasury is working on plans to sell an Islamic bond worth 200m pounds. This would enable Sharia-compliant investors to buy gilts to fund government spending for the first time, The Times reports.

House prices jumped almost £2,500 in September as the property market continued to regain its feet, Land Registry figures have shown. It reported a house prices in England and Wales rose 1.5% over the month, in further evidence that a fresh burst of confidence is taking hold of home buyers and sellers. But while there are fears of a new bubble being blown, property transactions remain a third down on the level seen in 2007 before the financial crisis hit and prices are up by only 3.4% annually, The Daily Mail writes.

There is no snub, apparently. The Commons energy and climate change committee has summoned the big six energy companies to give evidence on Tuesday. The committee did not name individuals in its requests for representatives to give evidence. Only one is sending the top boss. The rest are sending divisional heads. The topic – energy prices – is an important one and the hearing has been sparked by the recent hikes, which will hit consumers hard at a time of heated political debate about how to rein in the big six, The Guardian says.

Private jets operator Hangar8 has boosted its fleet of air ambulance aircraft in Africa on hopes of soaring demand from ex-pats, tourists and foreign investors. It is adding a new Bombardier Challenger to its African Aero Medical arm, which has seen revenues lift off by 300% in the last six months. It estimates that there are only 24 dedicated air ambulance aircraft in the continent. They carry out 15,000 aero medical evacuations a year, costing over £300m and accounting for 40% of the global total, the Daily Express says.

AB

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