Never mind the Olympics, Boris Johnson wants whiff whaff: London is campaigning to host the world table tennis championships April 4, 2016 You can have your Olympics and your World Cup: a group is campaigning to turn the capital into whiff whaff central next year. London will officially submit its bid to host a premiere international table tennis tournament on Tuesday, as part of the International Table Tennis Federation's (ITTF) World Pro Tour in 2017. If successful, it will be [...]
Oil price hits one month low as production freeze deal begins to show cracks April 4, 2016 The price of oil has dropped to its lowest in a month as investors fret over the increasingly shaky looking deal between Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to freeze production at January levels and clear a global supply glut. In mid afternoon trading a barrel of international benchmark Brent crude was going for [...]
These are the four things which have the ECB’s top economist worried April 4, 2016 Eyebrows may well have been raised at the European Central Bank (ECB) this morning after its chief economist said the organisation was in danger of losing credibility. Peter Praet, who also sits on the ECB’s six-strong executive board with the Bank’s president, Mario Draghi, said that low inflation was bringing into question the ECB’s remit [...]
Groupon share price rises as Groupon lands multi-million dollar investment from Atairos April 4, 2016 Who said daily deals were dead? Quite a few people, actually, but Groupon is proving that's not quite the case with a new multi-million dollar investment. Investment firm Atairos has ploughed $250m into the daily deals site. "Our partnership with Atairos will help accelerate our transformation while better positioning us to execute on our strategy and mission [...]
Tube strike: Hammersmith and City line RMT drivers in dispute with “overbearing management” April 4, 2016 A Tube strike could be on the cards after Hammersmith and City line RMT drivers entered a dispute over what it calls an "overbearing management team". The RMT union said that there had been a breakdown in industrial relations, and the National Executive Committee has advised that it is now in dispute. The National Executive [...]
EU referendum: Airbus warns that Leave vote could lead to a fall in investment in UK April 4, 2016 Airbus has written to its UK employees to warn about the risks of leaving the EU, stating that Brexit could result in a cut to its investment in the UK. In a letter to its staff, Airbus said that it makes "good economic sense" to remain in the 28-member bloc, adding "we simply don't know what [...]
Glastonbury 2016: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to appear on main stage at music festival April 4, 2016 Music lovers trekking down to Glastonbury festival this year will get a surprise treat in the form of a speech by Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leader could address more than 13,000 fans on the main stage on the final day of the festival, according to the Press Association. Of course, it's unlikely he'll have to pay [...]
Pay of Reckitt Benckiser chief executive doubles after share price rise pushes up value of stock options April 4, 2016 The pay of consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser's chief executive has doubled in the past year to a whopping £23m, after the firm's share price boosted the value of his stock options. The swelling pay packet makes CEO Rakesh Kapoor one of the best paid chief executives in the FTSE 100, though even his £23m haul pales in comparison to [...]
The European Central Bank is losing credibility, according to one of its board members April 4, 2016 Low inflation and defunct monetary policy risk threatening the European Central Bank’s (ECB) reputation as an effective organisation, according to one of its top economists, Peter Praet, who sits on the ECB’s executive board alongside its president, Mario Draghi. Praet warned that if the ECB fails in its efforts to save Europe from a period [...]
Summoning Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley before MPs is further evidence of select committee arrogance – and it’s to all our detriment April 4, 2016 I’m not a great fan of the way Mike Ashley runs Newcastle United, but I would defend his right to refuse to attend the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee. Ashley has excused himself on a number of occasions from meeting the committee, and its members are now considering whether to compel him, under threat [...]