New York Report: Taper paranoia sees US stocks losing ground December 12, 2013 US STOCKS fell yesterday as retail sales rose solidly in November, adding to signs the economy is strong enough for the Federal Reserve to begin reducing the pace of monetary stimulus. Profit-taking also played a part in the market’s decline, with investors selling some stocks to lock in gains from this year’s rally. The S&P [...]
Few predicted London’s reinvention but we can build for its future growth December 12, 2013 LONDON is changing. But then again, it always is. The theme of my new book Reinventing London is that change is the lifeblood of a great city. Over the past 30 years, the capital has replaced around 1m jobs in manufacturing, largely around the edge of the city and along radial routes, with over 1m [...]
The Long View: Three reads for Christmas: Glamour, Cicero’s web and high-tech fiction December 12, 2013 I WROTE at the end of November that the rise of the selfie marked the death of the audience and the rise of an age committed to universal self-expression and performance. This week, even world leaders have been joining in. When David Cameron and Barack Obama were caught taking silly pictures of themselves at Nelson [...]
EU wargame: Reform can happen but Brexit could still be amicable December 12, 2013 IN BUSINESS, as in diplomacy, “war games” or simulations are a useful tool for mapping out tricky negotiations or complex geopolitical issues. The technique is often used by the CIA to play out security scenarios. But it was also reportedly used by Germany to work out what a Grexit might mean for the Eurozone economy [...]
Letters to the Editor – 13/12 – Drug legalisation, Airport debate, Best of Twitter December 12, 2013 Drug legalisation [Re: Failing UK drugs policy should take a leaf from Uruguay and Portugal, yesterday] Those that support the continuation of the failed policy of drugs prohibition are supporting the continuation of criminal control, as well as the shameful waste of vast sums of taxpayer money in trying (and failing) to prevent distribution and [...]
A classy end to a successful season of Michael Grandage December 12, 2013 THEATRE HENRY V Noël Coward theatre | By Xenobe Purvis Four Stars OVER the course of Michael Grandage’s five-play season at the Noel Coward Theatre, the venue has seen star-studded casts perform parts as diverse as spliff-smoking fairies and cross-dressing soldiers. And now it is home to Henry V, which – although offering us nothing [...]
The Bottle Opener: Champagne’s leading man December 12, 2013 The last eponymous head of a champagne house talks about his passion for fizz Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, the last eponymous head of a great champagne house, personifies the wine he has spent his life making and selling; full of elegance, charm and effervescence. “I am a singular man. I am an iconoclast. My favourite food is [...]
Rewarding – if you battle through all the way to end December 12, 2013 FILM THE HOBBIT Cert PG | By Melissa York Three Stars THE DESOLATION of Smaug opens in a tavern a year before An Unexpected Journey (the first instalment). It’s here that Gandalf the Grey bumps into Thorin Oakenshield, the would-be king of dwarves, and convinces him to steal the precious Arkenstone from underneath a fire-breathing [...]
Cook: Record breaking feat is worthless if we lose urn December 12, 2013 IT MAY be an honour that places him among the most distinguished cricketers of all time but England captain Alastair Cook insists winning his 100th cap in Perth will be meaningless if he does not keep one hand on the Ashes. Cook, 28, was last night poised to become only the 11th Englishman to amass [...]
Tennis slammed as participation falls despite Wimbledon factor December 12, 2013 FOOTBALL and tennis chiefs have been warned their funding could be cut after both suffered drops in levels of participation. A Sport England survey found football had lost the most participants since April and is now only the fourth most played sport in the country, with 1.84m playing at least 30 minutes a week. Despite [...]