Bailey and the jets: Burberry boss attends Elton’s wedding December 22, 2014 CHRIS Bailey, the Burberry chief executive, was a guest at Elton John’s wedding yesterday to long-term partner David Furnish. Bailey, who went to the event in Windsor with his partner, the actor Simon Woods, joined a sparkling guest-list that included the Beckhams, David Walliams, Elizabeth Hurley and Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev. Romeo Beckham recently [...]
Did North Korea hack into Sony Pictures? Obama considers putting Pyongyang back on terror list following release of private emails and film script December 21, 2014 In 2008, the White House took North Korea off its terrorism watch list when Pyongyang agreed to a full verification of its nuclear sites. Until that point, the country's covert attitude had led to suspicion in the West that the sites were being used to develop nuclear weapons. But now the US is considering reversing [...]
Ukip and Nigel Farage’s popularity drops in new poll as Labour enjoys surge December 21, 2014 After accusations of snobbery and a woeful conference season, there is finally some good news for Labour. In a new poll by Opinium for the Observer, Labour’s lead over the Conservatives came out at a healthy seven per cent. This lead, should it be translated into seats in the general election, could mean Labour secures [...]
Man once known as “Putin’s banker” loses £1.3bn battle in UK high court December 19, 2014 Vladimir Putin's former "banker" has lost a $2bn (£1.3bn) legal battle in the UK courts. The man in question is Sergei Pugachev, a former Russian senator. Pugachev had sought to overturn a UK court order issued in July this year that froze his global assets due to a $2bn claim made against a collapsed bank he [...]
Nigel Farage claims Vince Cable is a “Marxist” after Royal Mail sale December 19, 2014 During his regular phone in with LBC radio Nigel Farage gave it business secretary Vince Cable with both barrels. The Ukip leader slammed the Lid Dem cabinet minister saying we've got a "Marxist in charge of the business department". Farage was answering a question referring to the privatisation of Royal Mail. He added that Cable [...]
Putin and the rouble: EU leaders stick to their guns over sanctions December 19, 2014 Even as the rouble continues its inexorable decline, hand in hand with global oil prices, EU leaders are refusing to budge over sanctions on Russia. At a summit meeting in Brussels all the talk was of “stay[ing] the course” and taking “further steps if necessary,” not relaxing the sanctions swaddling the Russian economy. Chief among [...]
David Cameron: We need to “bust some myths” on TTIP and the NHS December 19, 2014 The government is poised to go on a PR campaign to win over critics of the transatlantic trade and investment partnership, with Prime Minister David Cameron saying advocates should “bust some myths” surrounding it. TTIP has courted controversy, with supporters saying it will cut barriers and boost the UK economy by as much as [...]
Mike Ashley’s influence at Rangers grows as Derek Llambias appointed chief executive December 19, 2014 Just days after the Scottish Football Association served Rangers with complaints over Mike Ashley’s influence at the club, Derek Llambias, a long-standing acquaintance of the Newcastle United owner, has been appointed chief executive. Why it’s interesting Mike Ashley, the reviled owner of Newcastle United, has an agreement with the Scottish Football Association not to increase [...]
Buffett backed BYD plunges by one third December 18, 2014 BYD Auto, a Chinese mass producer of electric powered cars, has encountered its largest ever single-day drop since its 2002 listing, as it fell by as much as 47 per cent in afternoon trade in Hong Kong. The stock ended down 29 per cent. BYD, which is backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy, lost [...]
Is Vladimir Putin right that Russia’s economy will be back on its feet within two years? December 18, 2014 Steen Jakobsen, chief economist at Saxo Bank, says Yes. Russia’s citizens have been here before – they know the drill. Everything looks terrible now, but the positive spin is that we could see a new start in 2015. A solution to the Ukraine crisis is a pre-condition, laying to rest the political and financial stand-off [...]