Crimea: Home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet March 3, 2014 PRESIDENT Putin has ordered Russian troops into the Crimea area of Ukraine, citing the need to protect his citizens living there. But Crimea is strategically important to Putin as a military base for the Black Sea Fleet, and concerns have been raised that the President could use troops on the ground to move into Ukraine [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 03 March 2014 March 3, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Britain to scrap VAT on Bitcoin trades Britain’s tax authority plans to ditch value added tax on Bitcoin trading only days after the collapse of Mt Gox, one of the virtual currency’s leading exchanges, losing almost $500m of customer deposits. In a meeting with a group of UK traders last week, HM Revenue [...]
UK energy fears rise after Russia warns it may end gas discounts March 3, 2014 CONCERNS about the security of the UK’s energy supply heightened over the weekend, as escalating political troubles in Ukraine cast uncertainty over gas shipments. Ukraine provides a key pipeline for transporting Russian gas into Europe, but a bitter dispute over the country’s ties has led Russia to issue several warnings that Ukraine may lose a [...]
Bottom Line: Kiev is the key to Putin’s power March 3, 2014 IT’S NOT just about the Crimea. Attention has naturally turned to Russia’s immediate strategic interest in Sevastopol. But the assumption that this marks the limit of Vladimir Putin’s ambition is a dangerous miscalculation. Putin’s trademark brand of Russian nationalism makes control of Kiev non-negotiable. Without it he is just another thug. But for deep cultural [...]
Manufacturers bring industry back to the UK March 3, 2014 BRITISH manufacturers say they are increasingly bringing operations that they had outsourced to other countries back to the UK, re-shoring production to drive up quality and cut transportation costs. One in six respondents to a new survey said they have re-shored part of their production chain in the past three years, bringing processes which had [...]
Suitors abuzz over Maplin after backers plug in for £200m sale March 3, 2014 HIGH Street electronics retailer Maplin has been put up for sale with a price tag of up £200m after its private equity owners decided to exit the business. Maplin, which reported sales of £213.5m for the year ending 2012, is owned by Montagu Private Equity and has about 230 stores across the UK and Ireland, [...]
Buffett not so sage after S&P outclasses him March 3, 2014 STOCK picking guru Warren Buffett failed to beat America’s S&P 500 again last year, marking the first time he has lost to the index over a five-year period since he started in 1965, results show. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway saw its book value per share rise by 18.2 per cent in 2013, while the S&P 500 [...]
Firms of the future are expected to hire four generations of staff March 3, 2014 BRITISH workplaces could soon have four generations of employees on staff, as an ageing population and a rise in flexible jobs mean people must work for longer. Meanwhile, a boom in business technologies could make many semi-skilled and white-collar jobs obsolete and force those who have been left behind to retrain, according to the UK [...]
UK’s most deprived areas see biggest surge in productivity March 3, 2014 SOME of the poorest parts of the UK have seen the biggest bounce back in output since the end of the recession, according to new research out today. Eight of the top 10 areas with the fastest growth in productivity are economically deprived, according to accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. By gross value added (GVA), [...]
John Lewis launches search for tech firms to help lift its game March 3, 2014 JOHN LEWIS has launched a search for five start-up technology companies to develop new ideas for the retailer and to help it stay ahead as mobiles and tablets change the way consumers shop. The department store group is setting up a technology incubator called JLAB, with five successful firms given office space and advice to [...]