David Gauke: Questions need to be answered about HSBC tax evasion accusations February 9, 2015 The financial secretary to the Treasury David Gauke has defended HMRC amid claims it “overlooked” tax evasion in the wake of allegations about HSBC – but said there are “clearly questions that need to answered” about the bank's actions. Gauke was today challenged by Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood Shabana Mahmood, who wanted to [...]
Grexit gripes: The odds of a Greek exit from the euro are now 5/4 February 9, 2015 Everyone's running scared from a Grexit – not least investors, who have sent down European stocks today, with the FTSE falling more than one per cent in mid afternoon trading, while the Dax dropped closer to two per cent and the Cac made up the difference at 1.5 per cent. And it looks like investors [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron holds emergency meeting to protect British banks from Grexit February 9, 2015 David Cameron has held emergency talks with officials from the Treasury and the Bank of England to prepare for a possible Greek exit from the Eurozone. The Prime Minister held meetings this morning, as the chances of a "Grexit" increased following a defiant speech from prime minister Alexis Tsipras yesterday. Although the UK isn't part [...]
The cost of renting this medieval castle has fallen 14 per cent in 18 months February 9, 2015 It seems the cost of being an Englishman has fallen over the past two years, after the price of renting a castle has fallen 14 per cent. Or at least, that's if Bellister Castle is anything to go by: the property has just come up for rent, at a significant discount to last time it [...]
Odeon is selling one Fifty Shades of Grey ticket every seven seconds – and it’s preparing for a feeding frenzy in the film’s opening weekend February 9, 2015 Much-mocked it may be, but it seems cinema audiences are taking the new cringe fest Fifty Shades of Grey movie, which opens this weekend, pretty seriously. So seriously, in fact, cinema chain Odeon is selling one ticket to the movie every seven seconds. If it keeps selling tickets at this rate, Fifty Shades will beat Skyfall and the [...]
Arm buys into the Internet of Things with acquisition of Dutch firm Offspark February 9, 2015 It looks like UK chip designer Arm Holdings sees its future in internet-ready fridges. The company has just announced the acquisition of Offspark, a Dutch firm which specialises in security software for the Internet of Things. There are signs the Internet of Things is finally making headway, with headline grabbers like Google's $3.2bn (£2bn) acquisition [...]
European markets fall as Greek bond yields soar on Grexit fears February 9, 2015 European markets dropped while yields on Greek bonds leapt this morning, as investors showed their concerns over the possibility of a Greek exit from the euro. The FTSE 100 fell more than one per cent, while Germany's Dax lost almost two per cent and the French Cac 40 fell 1.5 per cent, after Greek prime [...]
Kate Robertson: Who do you think is sorting out youth unemployment anyway? February 9, 2015 Understandably, David Cameron vaunts the 1.75 million jobs created on his watch. Though this makes those on the opposition benches squirm – I'd just like to point out who's doing the creating. As the political back-and-forth of an election season gains momentum, it’s something we are likely to hear more and more members of [...]
Fifa presidency: How brands can stop the beautiful game turning sour January 31, 2015 That there is something unsavoury at the top of world football would appear to be beyond doubt, it’s just that it seems most people are powerless to do anything about it, and the situation is rapidly falling into farce, with the likes of David Ginola and now Luis Figo threatening to make bids for the [...]
Battle for Canary Wharf: Songbird Estates board caves to Qatari bid January 30, 2015 After a long, drawn-out battle, the board of Songbird Estates, the company behind Canary Wharf, has finally recommended a 350p-per-share offer by a joint venture between the Qatari sovereign wealth fund and Brookfield Property Partners to its shareholders. The board said that, as of 1pm today, the Qatar Investment Authority and Brookfield Property Partners had [...]
