Same-sex weddings coming to England and Wales next March December 10, 2013 Equalities minister Maria Miller has announced that the first same-sex weddings can take place in England and Wales from 29 March next year. Fifteen other countries already recognise the marriages of same-sex couples: The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, Denmark, France, Brazil, Uruguay, and New Zealand.
General Motors names Barra as first female chief December 10, 2013 The board of General Motors (GM) has chosen Mary Barra (pictured) to succeed incumbent Dan Akerson as chief executive (CEO). Barra, who has been at GM since 1980, will be the first female CEO in the male-dominated global car industry. The board also named Theodore (Tim) Solso to take over from Akerson as chairman, splitting [...]
Finally, here’s a ray of hope for Europe’s mass unemployment December 10, 2013 The majority of business owners in 16 EU member states expect hiring to rise in the first quarter of 2014, according to ManpowerGroup. President of ManpowerGroup, Darryl Green said: Confidence is slowly returning but many are still erring on the side of caution, with positive outlooks reported but at relatively low levels for the time [...]
New chief for Walmart international as Cheesewright steps into breach December 10, 2013 Walmart international, the world's biggest retailer, has appointed its first British chief executive (CEO), David Cheesewright (pictured). Cheesewright, 51, is currently head of Walmart's European, Middle Eastern and African operations, and will become head of Walmart International. He's taking the reins from Doug McMillon, who was chosen to replace Michael Duke as chief executive of [...]
This one chart shows the mess Europe is in December 10, 2013 These industrial output and production numbers, while measured slightly differently, give you a good indication of the huge disparity between European Union economies. While the UK has seen the biggest annual increase in industrial production since January 2011 (that's in the year to October), in the Eurozone things are looking decidedly less buoyant. Greece [...]
5 revolutionary technologies that will change the world forever December 10, 2013 Many of today's leading intellectuals tell us the days of discovery are over and the best we can hope for are incremental improvements. Here is just a small sample of what the world is offering that may make them think twice: In vitro meat In 2013, stem cells were taken from a cow and grown [...]
Here’s what Theresa May doesn’t want you to see December 10, 2013 A controversial government review into European migration has encountered something of an obstacle, in the form of home secretary Theresa May. The Balance of Competences review was due to be released yesterday, as part of a set of documents evaluating the UK's relationship with the EU, but has been delayed by May, reports the [...]
Barclays make non-US stocks their top pick for 2014. Here’s why December 10, 2013 Barclays say that the big story of 2013 was the re-pricing of equities versus bonds, as equities soared against a background of plunging bond values. Now a mixed global outlook for 2014 gives opportunities to seize advantage of cheap European and emerging market equities, according to Barclay's head of equity research, Stu Linde. Marco Outlook [...]
Tui Travel’s sunny year clouded by France December 10, 2013 Tui Travel's business model is continuing to prove fruitful – chief executive Peter Long said it had been an "outstanding" year. Analysts at Numis have said they expect consensus estimates to nudge up on the back of today's results. The company saw a strong summer period, especially in the UK, but the First Choice and [...]
What you need to know before the open – 10/12 December 10, 2013 Despite another record close for the S&P500 yesterday, Europe is set to open lower this morning. Strength on the US markets yesterday was pretty surprising, given the Fed's James Bullard's comments on the possibility of an imminent taper. And over in China, mixed data overnight – industrial production was slightly below expectations, whereas retail sales [...]