BRICS bank will take time September 1, 2013 The BRICS bloc of emerging economies has agreed on the structure of a proposed development bank with $50bn in capital, but ironing out “difficult” details may take months, Russian deputy finance minister Sergei Storchak said. “We must assume that the bank will not start functioning as fast as one could imagine,” Storchak said today. “It [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 2 September 2013 September 1, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES China eyes UK nuclear controls The state-owned Chinese nuclear group that is in talks to invest in Britain’s new nuclear programme wants greater operational control of any new plants it finances, potentially creating a national security headache for the government. China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), is in talks with EDF of France [...]
USA says sarin nerve gas was used in Syria September 1, 2013 THE US has evidence that sarin nerve gas was used in a deadly chemical attack in Syria last week, the secretary of state John Kerry said yesterday, as he sought to build the case for a military strike against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Making a round of television appearances yesterday, Kerry urged lawmakers to back Barack [...]
British manufacturing leading recovery with three-year peak September 1, 2013 BRITAIN’S manufacturers have reported their strongest output figures in three years, a poll out today shows. A survey of 290 firms by manufacturer’s organisation EEF and accountancy firm BDO revealed 32 per cent of companies reported increased output, up from 12 per cent in the last quarter and the highest since the beginning of 2010. [...]
Rumours of 2014 Twitter float as network’s hiring spree ramps up September 1, 2013 SOCIAL network Twitter has made a series of management changes in what appears to be preparation for the company’s listing. Last week former Ticketmaster chief Nathan Hubbard joined Twitter as its first head of commerce and on Saturday the company announced Vijaya Gadde – who has a background in corporate and securities law at Wilcon [...]
Broadcaster Sir David Frost dies aged 74 September 1, 2013 BRITISH broadcaster Sir David Frost has died at the age of 74 after suffering a heart attack aboard a luxury cruise liner. Sir David, best known for coaxing an apology for the Watergate scandal from former US President Richard Nixon, died on Saturday night aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was giving a [...]
20,000 shops at risk of shutting down by 2016 September 1, 2013 ONE in eight British shops could go out of business within three years, according to a report due to be released later this week. Former Iceland chief executive Bill Grimsey has produced his own analysis of the high street and found 20,000 retailers have liabilities larger than their assets – many of which are only [...]
Microsoft gets activist on board September 1, 2013 SOFTWARE giant Microsoft has offered a seat on its board to the president of ValueAct Capital Management, the activist fund manager who took a $2bn (£1.3bn) stake in the software giant in July. The news comes less than a week after the US tech firm’s chief executive Steve Ballmer announced he plans to retire from [...]
Bottom Line: Vodafone may find its Verizon profits are a hard call to replace September 1, 2013 IT’S IMPOSSIBLE not to be impressed by a deal this big – the third-largest corporate acquisition ever. But the scale shouldn’t blind us to the challenges Vodafone will face without its 45 per cent interest in Verizon Wireless. Vodafone’s 2013 annual report shows just how stark the problem is: the report shows an adjusted operating [...]
Experts worry funding is not raising lending September 1, 2013 BANK lending to businesses and households edged up in July, raising hopes that the flow of credit is at last improving on the back of initiatives like the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). However, analysts have warned that the FLS’s impact is negligible so far. “The scheme has succeeded only in ensuring credit flows tread [...]