Bill Gates: Thomas Piketty “does not give a full picture of how wealth is created” October 15, 2014 One of the world's richest men has given his analysis on the best-selling treatise on equality, Capital in the 21st Century, written by French economist Thomas Piketty. Billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates said in a blog post that he agreed with several points highlighted in the controversial book. Among these were that high levels of inequality [...]
Police called in to property fair Mipim over #BlockBoris protests October 15, 2014 Police were called in to the first day of property conference Mipim UK, after campaigners sought to disrupt London mayor Boris Johnson's opening address today with their #BlockBoris protests. Although the major made it to the podium for his speech at 10am this morning, this afternoon has seen the conference brought to a virtual [...]
Brussels court probes Draghi rescue device October 14, 2014 THE EUROZONE’S central bank was challenged in a top Brussels court yesterday over the legality of its bond-buying programme. The European Court of Justice will determine whether a group of German politicians are right to challenge the Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) programme, devised in 2012. European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi was credited with stemming the economic [...]
Coca-Cola looks to put fizz into Boris Bikes October 14, 2014 Coca-Cola could replace Barclays as the main sponsor of London’s Boris Bikes in a deal at an annual cost of at least £5.5m, according to Sky News. A Coca-Cola spokesperson said: “We are always looking at partnerships which are a good fit for our brands.”
George Osborne’s pensions revolution: Withdrawing cash early is big risk October 14, 2014 The insurance industry and business groups have issued a stark warning following the government’s most recent pensions announcement, claiming that withdrawing cash from pension pots too early could store up huge financial risks for the UK for years to come. Yesterday chancellor George Osborne hailed the next stage in his pensions revolution with news [...]
Mark Zuckerberg donates $25m to Ebola aid fund October 14, 2014 Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are donating $25m to help fight Ebola. The Facebook founder revealed today that the couple would be making the multi-million dollar donation to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation. The CDC Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides money to the Centers for Disease Control [...]
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg shells out $100m for Hawaii holiday sanctuary October 14, 2014 Mark Zuckerberg has splashed out over $100m on two pieces of land on Hawaii's stunning Kauai North Shore, according to Forbes. The properties are reported to total 700 acres. The first purchase was the Pila'a beach, which consists of 383 acres of dazzling white sand. The private beach was owned by Pfleunger properties, a company belonging [...]
Mark Carney on interest rate rises, Eurozone weakness and the 2015 general election October 13, 2014 Is Bank of England governor Mark Carney on a media blitz? He’s already taken the opportunity to tell bank chiefs to face up to new laws which make them legally responsible for any wrongdoing. And, while attending the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, he’s also given interviews to CNBC and CNN making clear that eurozone weakness and [...]
General election TV debate: Ukip’s Nigel Farage invited to face main Westminster party leaders October 13, 2014 Ukip has just received its latest batch of good news with leader Nigel Farage being invited to take part in next year's general election TV debates with the main Westminster party leaders. The broadcasters explained their decision saying it was the result of "changes in the political landscape". The BBC, Sky, ITV and Channel 4 [...]
UK’s Eurostar stake up for sale as George Osborne looks to raise £300m October 13, 2014 The government is looking for a buyer for its 40 per cent stake in the cross-channel Eurostar to raise up to £300m. Chancellor George Osborne has invited bidders for the train operator, which is also owned by the French state-owned rail operator SNCF and the Belgian state-owned SNCB, and hopes to finalise the sale during [...]