Jill Scott: I want Man City to win Women’s Super League for Steph Houghton
Lionesses legend Jill Scott says Manchester City can give Steph Houghton the perfect send-off by sealing the Women’s Super League title.
Houghton announced she will retire at the end of the season, bringing an end to a glittering career in which she has been synonymous with the rapid growth of the women’s game.
The 36-year-old won 121 caps for England, was the star player for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and captained City to their first and only league title in 2016 alongside Scott.
City are within touching distance of a second WSL title as they currently sit six points clear at the top ahead of rivals Chelsea – having played two games more – and Scott, 37, called on her former side to get over the line to see Houghton off in style.
“I would love to see City win it, especially with it being Steph Houghton’s last season,” said Scott, who was speaking at the launch of the FA’s Greater Game initiative.
“She deserves to go out on a high and I would love to see her with that trophy in her hands. She has been fantastic. To still be playing now even with the injuries she has had, she is a true warrior when it comes to football. Everybody at Man City will want to win it for her.
“I remember 2016, it was the best day of my life really, I think we ended up doing the treble that season. It has been a long wait and it has often been so close but just not getting their hands on the trophy.
“It’s exciting, City have had a very good season in the league and so have Chelsea. It has been more difficult for Chelsea just because of the amount of games they’ve got – it’s almost like you’re a victim of your own success sometimes being involved in four trophies.
“For natural fans it has been a great title run-in, sometimes at this time of the season it is all tied up, so it is going to be an exciting last few weeks.”
City’s WSL title credentials will face a big test on Sunday when they welcome Arsenal to the north-west.
Any slip up will be readily seized upon by Emma Hayes’ Chelsea, who have their eyes on a fairytale of their own with Hayes set to leave West London to manage the USA in the summer after 12 years at the helm.
The dream of a first Champions League title was extinguished last weekend with a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona at a sold-out Stamford Bridge, but Scott believes Hayes will go down as a legend of the game regardless of how the next few weeks play out.
“The whole league would want to wish her the best in her next chapter,” she added. “She has been a great ambassador of the game, she has done so much for Chelsea.
“I remember when I was playing for Everton and where Chelsea were when she took over to where they are now challenging for the Champions League. Either way you look at it, it’s going to be a perfect end for someone.”
Scott had her own dream send-off by winning Euro 2022 with England at Wembley, but has since switched her attentions to inspiring the next generation.
The 161-time England international was back on the pitch in north-west London to help launch the Greater Game’s move initiative, which aims to inspire and support young people, between the ages of 12-16, into making healthier lifestyle choices following research that found that 92 per cent of young people do not meet the recommended amount of exercise.
The project has created a new football-themed game called Drops, but Scott insisted it is about simply getting moving in whatever way works best for each individual.
She said: “It’s all about inspiring healthier lifestyles through a focus on four pillars; think, move, eat and sleep. It’s just about making little changes to your lifestyle, especially for children, to make sure they can be healthier in the mind and the body.
“We’ve launched a game called Drops which I really like because all you need is a couple of mates, six bottles and it’s all about whether you can knock the ball through the gates or knock the bottles over. It’s a points system so it really adds a competitive side but the underlying thing is we are getting kids moving.
“The FA did some research and a third of children don’t really feel that it’s necessary to exercise and that’s worrying. By showing the ways that you can move, even if it’s just going for a walk, it will make a difference.”
The Football Association rolls out ‘the Greater Game’ nationwide as nearly a third of young people do not feel the need to exercise regularly @EnglandFootball #TheGreaterGame
Coutts under pressure for pulling £2bn out of London stock market
Royal bank Coutts is facing criticism from City figures over plans to pull roughly £2bn of clients’ funds out of London’s stock market.
On Thursday, the iconic 332-year-old private bank and wealth manager confirmed plans to cut its investment in UK equities from 33 per cent of assets to only three per cent as it moves the money into foreign company shares.
Under the plans, Coutts would have 65 per cent of assets in North American equities and 13 per cent in Europe. The business has around £10bn in funds under management.
The news comes as the government races to inject life into London’s beleaguered stock market through a range of capital markets reforms, including a British ISA.
It is also planning to offer part of its remaining 28 per cent stake in Natwest, which owns Coutts, to retail investors as early as this summer.
Coutts has said its decision would help it “achieve the best returns for our clients in the most attractive markets”.
However, City analysts have voiced criticism. Charles Hall, head of research at investment bank Peel Hunt, said the move would be “pretty disastrous for the UK”, which is already suffering from heavy outflows.
Hall noted the “irony” of the situation. “The government is aiming to sell down… its stake in Natwest in the summer, but at the same time Coutts is reducing fund allocations to the UK,” he said.
“This will inevitably put further selling pressure on the UK market at a time when valuations are already depressed.”
Neil Shah, an executive director at Edison Group, added: “Coutts decision is more than just another blow for the City. It carries the potential to serve as the much-needed wake-up call for the government to take action.”
He said the government and London Stock Exchange needed to show “more strong leadership”, calling for pension reform and the abolition of the stamp duty on UK stocks.
Coutts has been no stranger to controversy in recent times. Last summer, it was at the centre of a “debanking” row with former Ukip leader Nigel Farage that triggered the resignations of both Coutts’ boss Peter Flavel and Natwest CEO Dame Alison Rose.
A Coutts spokesperson said on Thursday: “We retain significant investment in the UK and our investment strategy is to achieve the best returns for our clients in the most attractive markets.
“We closely follow the performance of all markets in line with our individual client needs and our House Views are subject to constant review.”
Co-op Live arena: What about my concert tickets?
The Co-op Live arena has suffered yet another week of chaos leading to even more concerts being cancelled or postponed, as the Manchester-based venue struggles with setbacks.
Back in late April, the venue announced that both The Black Keys and Peter Kay shows were being postponed until 23 and 24 May 2024. The venue stated that it had to undertake “an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans”.
As both acts agreed to postpone, for those two events, all tickets remain valid and refunds would be available for those who could no longer attend.
In late April, the venue, via social media, tweeted that it would be welcoming fans to the Co-op Live arena for its opening on 1 May to see American rapper Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. American singer Olivia Rodrigo was then set to perform on 3 May.
However, late in the evening on Wednesday, the venue posted on X that due to technical issues, the show was no longer going ahead and asked fans to leave the area. In the post, the venue said tickets holders would receive further information in due course.
However, according to its website, that show has not been agreed to be rescheduled.
Speaking to City A.M., Paul Britton, founder of law firm Britton and Time, said “Everyone should be entitled to a full refund if there was a technical error, which is currently what appears to be so. Which amongst other factors, not least reputational damage, is the most likely outcome.”
He noted: “As the event didn’t happen due to the organiser’s fault (technical error with the air con), consumers should be entitled to a full refund for the face value of their ticket. Ticket holders may also be able to claim booking fees or travel expenses that they incurred specifically for the concert.”
“Anyone who attempts to claim these should be prepared to provide receipts or proof of these additional costs if asked,” Britton added.
The lawyer explained that people should contact the ticket provider and request a refund. He noted that people should be clear in what happened.
He warned that people should keep copies of communication with the ticket provider.
Britton highlighted that if ticket provider refuses a request, take the case to Citizens Advice, who can help with any claim.
How It Works: How drone technology is helping Ukraine fight its war
In this week’s episode of How It Works, City A.M.’s media, tech, and telecoms reporter Jess Jones sits down with Ricardo Mendes, the chief executive of the aerospace company Tekever.
Mendes chats about how Tekever’s drones are being used in the war in Ukraine, to save lives out at sea and to protect the environment.
How It Works is a video interview series, where Jess Jones sits down with business leaders for a discussion about how various technologies work.
Palestine Protest: Students, Corporates & Where it’s Going
A Pro-Palestine protest has hit university campuses across the U.S., including Columbia, NYU, Harvard Law, Yale, Emory, Georgia Tech, University of Texas, Washington, and Michigan among others. This comes after similar student protests called for the Canadian Big 5 Banks to divest from Elbit Systems last month.
Activist campaigning has skyrocketed following the events of last October led by human rights groups and sustained by relatively new direct-action groups like Palestine Action.
Our data shows that primary targets have been arms companies and financial institutions with Elbit Systems, a military tech firm and its business partners, receiving a majority of targeting by NGOs. A strong boycott-divestment-sanctions (BDS) is also in motion. We have observed how pro-Palestine activism is bringing into its fold different focus groups like environmentalists, social justice campaigners and corporate watchdogs.
Most Criticised Organisations on Israel/Palestine
Criticism of companies on the Israel/Palestine conflict has mostly targeted arms companies selling to the Israeli military, and financial institutions linked to these companies. Elbit Systems, a military tech firm and even its business partners, has received the majority of targeting for alleged complicity.
Most Praised Organisations on Israel/Palestine
Much of the praise for companies on the Palestine issue focused on divestment from enterprises complicit in Israeli ‘war crimes’. Announcements of plans to end relationships with Elbit Systems, Barclays, and the Israeli football team were welcomed by groups as incremental progress.
Campaigning on Palestine & Arms Exports
There has been a concomitant rise in campaigning against arms exports and calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, with activists arguing that sustained sales of arms and weapons to Israel is fueling the humanitarian disaster in the region.
Groups have pointed to Israel’s possible violation of international law to call for a ceasefire, an end to military funding and in some cases, a ‘two way arms embargo’ on Israel. Certain groups have made connections between the arms trade and ‘ oppression, exacerbated global insecurity, and worsened climate change’.
Can Rahm end his and Spain’s drought at ‘world’s best course’ in LIV Golf Singapore?
While Spain is used to the odd drought its golfers are not, yet their men at least are in the midst of a barren spell stretching back almost a year.
The country that gave the game Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal has not had a winner on any of the three main circuits since May last year, when Pablo Larrazabal claimed the KLM Open in the Netherlands by beating compatriot Adrian Otaegui in a play-off.
In the interim Sergio Garcia has lost three play-offs across two seasons of the LIV Golf League, while Spanish golf’s current kingpin Jon Rahm is enduring the longest winless streak of his professional career.
Rahm’s case is curious, primarily because he has proved such a prolific winner since exploding onto the scene as a 21-year-old fresh out of college in the summer of 2016.
The Basque bulldozer has racked up 20 professional titles, including two majors, in just under eight years, never going more than 11 months without a victory – even during a reduced playing schedule enforced by the pandemic.
But since his Masters triumph in April last year Rahm has not returned to the winners’ circle and has been deposed as world No1 by Scottie Scheffler, in part because of form but also as a result of the Spaniard joining LIV Golf, which is yet to be granted ranking points.
The other curious aspect to all this is that it is not as if Rahm has been playing badly.
Three weeks after the Masters he was runner-up in Mexico, later last summer he shared second at the Open, and he rounded off the year with top-five finishes at two big events, the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship and the DP World Tour Championship.
The 29-year-old has carried that form into his LIV Golf career and is the only player on the Saudi-backed circuit to have finished in the top 10 of all six tournaments this season, placing him second in the individual standings.
It goes without saying that Rahm will hope to break his duck when the LIV Golf bandwagon rolls up to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore this weekend.
This is the last event of the first half of the league but, more significantly, also his final event before the next major, the US PGA Championship, at Valhalla in two weeks’ time.
Rahm is yet to win in south-east Asia – in fact, he is yet to win outside of Spain, Ireland, the US, Mexico, Dubai and the Bahamas – but was tied for third when Brendan Steele won in Adelaide last week.
The Serapong course at Sentosa was named the best on the planet at last year’s World Golf Awards, so it might be expected to be a venue where the cream rises to the top. This ought to suit the man from Barrica.
If he can’t get over the line then perhaps it will fall to another to end the Spanish drought. Garcia finished tied with eventual winner Talor Gooch in Singapore last year and has been runner-up twice more this season already.
Podcast producers Viral Tribe and Soho Radio ink ‘good vibes’ partnership deal
Podcast business Viral Tribe Entertainment has struck a deal with a production studio that represents big names such as the BBC, Stephen Fry and Gillian Anderson.
Viral Tribe, which says it “loves creating kick-ass shows”, is partnering with Soho Radio and its production arm SRP Studios to increase its output and accelerate its growth.
Viral Tribe CEO and founder Jon O’Donnell said: “I’m incredibly excited by this partnership and can’t wait to start working with the team. We believe in the power of cultural moments and few brands have had a greater cultural impact in the capital than Soho Radio“
“It’s played host to some of the best-known DJs and artists in the world and continues to blaze trails and shape tastes for listeners every single day.”
Founded in 2014, Soho Radio broadcasts from its studios in London and New York and produces more than 250 shows a month.
“As Viral Tribe’s original content output continues to grow rapidly, integrating the brilliant SRP Studios into our offering will allow us to scale even more quickly. Both businesses have garnered a reputation for high-quality talent-led storytelling, so the synergies are both obvious and tremendous.
“Most of all though the deal will bring together the shared values of two fantastic teams. Creativity, integrity, loyalty and obsession about delivering the very best content to our audiences.
“As we say in VT, ‘good vibes make great tribes’, and I’m feeling a hell of a lot of good vibes about this partnership,” O’Donnell added.
Viral Tribe produces podcasts such as ‘I am Prime Minister’, with comedian Matt Richardson, and ‘Football, Music and Me’ with sports broadcasting legend Geoff Shreeves.
Soho Radio said: “At Soho Radio we celebrate our 10th anniversary this year and have always been committed to fostering a vibrant community around music, culture, and creativity. Now with Viral Tribe’s expertise and resources, we can’t wait to take this to the next level and see what the next 10 years brings.”
Shift from frozen to chilled food widens losses at Covent Garden Soup and Linda McCartney’s maker
The maker of Covent Garden Soup and Linda McCartney’s vegetarian food said customers switching from frozen to chilled food hit its sales and contributed to its widening losses during its latest financial year.
Hain Daniels Group, which is the UK arm of US-based The Hain Celestial Group, has posted a turnover of £43.7m for the year to June 30, 2023, down from £47.2m.
Recently filed accounts with Companies House also show that the Leeds-based firm’s pre-tax losses also went from £1.7m to £3.7m.
Hain Frozen Foods last made a pre-tax profit when it reported a total of £7.7m in the year to the end of June 2021.
The firm’s UK turnover fell from £45m to £41.9m and from £1.2m to £1m in Europe. It also declined from 931,000 to £491,000 in the rest of the world.
The company said the fall in its turnover was the result of “overall market decline in plant-based and migration of frozen consumers into chilled”.
During the year the average number of people employed by the business fell from 251 to 224.
As well as being behind the New Covent Garden Soup Company and Linda McCartney’s brand, Hain Frozen Foods’ portfolio also includes Sun-Pat, Hartley’s and Gales.
A statement signed off by the board said: “The company operates in a highly competitive marketplace, particularly with regard to pricing, promotional activity and the introduction of new product developments.
“The company manages competitive trading risk by providing well-priced, high-quality products and by maintaining strong relationships with its customer base.”
The Hain Celestial Group is listed on the NASDAQ in the US and its brands include Ella’s Kitchen and Frank Cooper’s.
It was founded in 1993 and changed its name in 2000 after a merger with Celestial Seasonings.
Another Boeing whistleblower who raised safety concerns with 737 Max dies
A Boeing whistleblower who raised concerns over safety issues with the 737 Max has died suddenly, it has been confirmed.
Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old former quality auditor for supplier SpiritAerosystems, said he was sacked for questioning production standards at a plant in Kansas, where the company is based.
Spirit supplied the door panel for the Alaska Airlines plane that blew out in January, sparking one of the biggest crises at Boeing in years.
Dean’s family have confirmed he died on Tuesday after a fast spreading infection.
Dean is the second Boeing whistleblower to be found dead this year. John Barnett was found in a car park after an apparent suicide in March. He had been giving evidence in a lawsuit against the US planemaker at the time of his death.
Brian Knowles, Dean’s lawyer, told Al Jazeera: “[Dean] possessed tremendous courage to stand up for what he felt was true and right and raised quality and safety issues.
“Aviation companies should encourage and incentivise those that do raise these concerns. Otherwise, safety and quality are truly not these companies’ top priorities.”
Earlier this year, Dean told NPR in an interview that Boeing was “sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you.”
Dean claimed to have found a serious manufacturing issue with the Max in October 2022, but said nothing was done by management after he flagged the issues.
Spiritaerosystems and Boeing were approached for comment.
Goldman Sachs to scrap bonus cap for London-based staff
Goldman Sachs is removing the cap on bonuses paid out to London-based staff in a move that could see the bank’s highest earners receive millions in extra pay.
The move, which will bring the bank’s remuneration policy in line with its operations elsewhere in the world, was first reported by Sky News.
“We are a global firm and to the extent possible, we adopt a consistent global approach across everything we do,” Richard Gnodde, chief executive of Goldman Sachs Internationals said in a video message to staff, cited by Sky.
“The bonus cap rules were an important factor preventing us from being consistent in the area of compensation,” he continued.
According to Sky news, several hundred staff will now be eligible for variable pay worth up to 25 times their base salary.
Regulations on the bonus cap were imposed by the EU in 2014 after the financial crisis. It caps bonuses at 100 per cent of annual pay, or 200 per cent with shareholder approval.
The cap was removed last year as part of a broader post-Brexit push to reinvigorate the City of London amid growing concerns that the Square Mile is losing out to other international financial centres.
Banks complained that the cap actually increased their costs by forcing them to offer higher levels of fixed pay. Gnodde confirmed that the shift would “mean lower fixed pay, but a higher proportion of discretionary compensation”.
The changes reflect “the prudential objective of our regulators,” he added.
When it announced the changes last October, the Prudential Regulation Authority said it would enhance the safety of the financial sector by giving firms “flexibility” to deal with downturns. By allowing more variable pay, banks will have lower costs going into downturns.
A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs said: “This approach gives us greater flexibility to manage fixed costs through the cycle and pay for performance. It brings the UK closer to the practice in other global financial centres, to support the UK as an attractive venue for talent.”