Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct faces million-pound claim over bonus scheme which excluded zero-hour contracted staff February 3, 2015 Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct faces legal claims over its bonus scheme from hundreds of staff working at its stores which could run into millions of pounds. Nearly 300 workers on zero-hours contracts were excluded from a bonus scheme which gave around 2,000 staff who were permanently employed a windfall share of £160m worth of shares [...]
Adam Smith Institute calls on Osborne to back Varoufakis’s Greek debt-swap plan February 3, 2015 Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has found an enthusiastic backer for his debt restructuring plans in one of Britain's premier free-market think-tanks. Greece has abandoned demands for a write-off of foreign debt and has instead proposed swapping the outstanding debt for growth-linked bonds accompanied by a crackdown on tax evasion and budget surpluses. Varoufakis described [...]
Boris Johnson backs Boots boss Stefano Pessina for speaking out on Labour business “catastrophe” February 3, 2015 The London Mayor has weighed in on a row between Alliance Boots chairman Stefano Pessina and the Labour party, backing the business boss's decision to air his political views in public. Boris Johnson called Pessina’s outspoken comments “refreshing” after the businessman attacked Labour’s business policies as a “catastrophe”. “I think the head of Boots is [...]
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger plan special Berkshire Hathaway letters to celebrate golden anniversary February 3, 2015 He may have admitted to getting it wrong as far as Tesco is concerned, but Warren Buffett still holds legendary status as the most successful investor of the 20th century. His annual letter to investors is always an event and this year will be even bigger than usual as Buffett and his business partner [...]
Greek finance chief Yanis Varoufakis says debt deal will be done in days February 2, 2015 Greece’s finance minister yesterday hinted he had a solution to the struggling country’s looming debt crisis and expected a deal with creditors to be struck within days. Yanis Varoufakis unveiled a radical plan to restructure Greece’s debt as he went for talks at Downing Street and the City. He has no plans to write any of [...]
Mark Carney’s struggle to master his words – CNBC Comment February 2, 2015 Once upon a time, you needed to be Alice in Wonderland to vanish down a rabbit hole. Nowadays, we are all falling in head first – thanks to a bunch of central bankers. But as we’re down here in this inverted QE world, Bank of England governor Mark Carney should probably heed the words of [...]
Greece-Eurozone standoff presents “greatest risk to economy” George Osborne warns as Yanis Varoufakis visits London February 2, 2015 The standoff between Greece and the Eurozone presents the greatest risk to the global economy, chancellor George Osborne has said. Osborne, who met Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis in London today, said both sides needed to consider how they worked in future, or risk derailing growth, both globally and specifically within the UK. Varoufakis [...]
The world in 2030: Bill Gates’s prediction for global change over the next 15 years February 2, 2015 It's impossible to predict exactly how innovations will have changed the world by 2030, but there are few people better equipped to hazard a guess than Bill Gates. The philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft told The Verge he believes four key changes will take place globally over the next 15 years, in terms of how we [...]
Mike Ashley could face parliamentary investigation over USC February 2, 2015 Mike Ashley could face a grilling by Scottish MPs over the administration of USC, with politicians pressing to launch a full parliamentary investigation into his activities. The Scottish Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into the fast fashion chain, with MPs last week branding the redundancies of more than 200 “despicable” and “appalling”. [...]
Greeks fly in for debt showdown: Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis to meet George Osborne on European tour February 1, 2015 The anti-austerity Greek finance minister is to meet with chancellor George Osborne today as part of a Europe-wide charm offensive to win over creditors and fellow politicians. Investment bank Lazard has been hired by the Greek government to advise on its debt burden during negotiations. Greek officials will also be in the City this week, [...]