Summary: Lloyds banking group reports a 10% increase in underlying profit , reaching just over 4 billion for the first half of the year. Impairment charge of 700 million pounds reflects delinquencies and bad debts on the company's books. Loans and advances to customers decline by approximately 10% to 450 billion, while customer deposits drop by about 1.2% to 469 billion. Lloyds announces a 15% increase in interim dividend s, remaining ahead of its target. Despite positive announcements, Lloyds' shares still decline by 3.8% in response to the first-half figures. ...

Summary: FTSE 100 opened higher on positive results for London listed companies . NatWest announced a £1 billion jump in Bretex profits . Standard Chartered reported a 20% jump in interim profits and announced a $1 billion buyback. International Airlines Group announced a half-year profit of €1.26 billion. AstraZeneca 's deal to buy Pfizer's gene therapy portfolio led to a jump in their stock. Right Moves experienced significant revenue growth. Europa Oil and Gas to take over the Clouton Gas Discovery near Scarborough . ...