Russia: Better Iran-Saudi Arabia ties will help oil prices February 15, 2016 Russia has indicated it would like to see better relations between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, at a time when oil markets are awash with speculation of a production cut deal. A senior official at Russia's foreign ministry, Zamir Kabulov, reportedly said that this would help oil prices, which have fallen to around $33 per [...]
EU referendum: Former Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond and Ukip leader Nigel Farage agree to debate February 15, 2016 As the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU nears, leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage and former Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond have agreed to go head to head in a debate. The former First Minister of Scotland said he would be "delighted" to take on Farage ahead of the [...]
Virgin Atlantic’s London Heathrow to New York plane VS25 forced to return midflight after laser obscured pilot’s vision: Met Police now investigating February 15, 2016 Metropolitan Police are investigating an incident in which a plane was forced to turn back to a London airport mid-flight, because a laser was being pointed the cockpit. Virgin Airways flight VS25 from Heathrow to New York turned back to the airport because the laser was obscuring the pilot's vision, causing him to feel unwell. There were [...]
Chinese markets including Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Composite trade slightly lower after New Year break as Japan’s Nikkei jumps over seven per cent and ASX 200, Hang Seng and Kospi rise February 15, 2016 There were no post-New Year fireworks from China as its markets opened for the first time since the break with the disappointment of poor trade data. Trading for the first time since 5 February, the Shanghai Composite traded 0.63 per cent lower at 2,746 points, while the Shenzhen Composite traded 0.05 per cent lower at 9,668 points. [...]
Mobile challenger bank Mondo raises £5m from Passion Capital and plans £1m crowdfundng campaign ahead of 2016 launch February 15, 2016 Innovative new mobile-first challenger bank Mondo has landed a fresh round of funding and plans a further injection of cash from a crowdfunding campaign ahead of its launch later this year Venture capital firm Passion Capital has invested £5m in the London startup which is in the process of applying for a banking licence from regulators. The bank also plans [...]
City Moves for 15 February 2016 | Who’s switching jobs February 15, 2016 RBC Martin Copeland (pictured) has joined RBC in London as head of oil and gas, reporting to Nick Taylor. Martin has 25 years of experience and joins RBC from Evercore where he co-founded the EMEA energy team and led a number of high profile oil and energy mandates. Prior to Evercore, his previous roles include [...]
Budget 2016: Anti-smoking restrictions lobby group Forest calls on chancellor George Osborne to avoid hiking tobacco duty in next month’s Budget February 15, 2016 Campaigners have warned George Osborne not to hike tobacco taxes in next month’s Budget, as they step up their fight to end automatic yearly increases to the levy on cigarettes. Forest, a lobby group which campaigns against measures to restrict smoking in the UK, has urged the chancellor to abandon the “escalator” system, which increases [...]
The politics of advertising: M&C Saatchi’s Tom Bazeley talks AI and Alex Salmond February 15, 2016 In the run-up to the 1997 general election, M&C Saatchi produced an iconic poster for the Conservative Party, which depicted Tony Blair’s face with the eyes of a demon. The strap-line read: “New Labour, new danger”. Though condemned in some corners as negative advertising, the piece won plaudits, though Labour still won in a landslide. For [...]
Audit watchdog’s new powers signal shift February 15, 2016 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is still dealing with the fallout from the financial crisis. The accountancy regulator has attracted criticism recently for its decision not to investigate KPMG over its role in the collapse of banking giant HBOS in 2008. Chief executive Stephen Haddrill is in the middle of drafting a response to the chairman [...]
Billions wiped from the value of the oil and gas industry February 15, 2016 The oil and gas industry has splurged £10bn over the past 12 months in an attempt to protect dividends, according to new research from trading house Banc De Binary. The value of cash and assets held by oil and gas companies listed on the London Stock Exchange has plummeted from £151.8bn this time last year [...]