UK companies will suffer if we remain complacent on electronic spy reform January 19, 2014 FOR THOSE who say reform of surveillance law isn’t needed, Barack Obama’s speech on Friday, in which he outlined plans to reshape the National Security Agency’s (NSA) electronic spying practices, should have come as a wake-up call. While Obama made few specific proposals, and touched on just a handful of the 46 recommendations made by [...]
Letters to the Editor – 20/01 – Bank competition, Heathrow noise, Best of Twitter January 19, 2014 Bank competition [Re: Banking competition is already fierce – but technology will intensify it further, Thursday] Competition is hardly “fierce” in British banking. America has 7,000 banks: we have five, controlling four-fifths of the market. Even supermarket banks use their systems. Splitting them, and the introduction of new technology, will help. But regulation remains a [...]
Springbok spicing up the wine market January 19, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks to Rowan Gormley, the South African taking on wine’s giants with venture Naked Wines THE DAYS of the wine snob – so brilliantly caricatured by Richard E Grant’s the Hon Simon Marchmont in the BBC’s Posh Nosh – could be coming to an end. It’s an industry long characterised by an assumption [...]
Innovation Diary: Why it could take a network of angels to rescue startups’ faulty funding escalator January 19, 2014 FOR BUSINESSES seeking scale, the process of funding growth is often characterised as an escalator – with founders initially staking personal capital, then finding angel support, then venture capital, and ultimately accessing public markets. While arguably simplistic (the academic Paul Gompers, for example, has argued that different funding sources are more suited to some business [...]
Gimme 5 January 19, 2014 …UPCOMING EVENTS FOR ENTREPRENEURS Don’t Pitch Me, Bro! 30 January, 6-10pm A 3 Beards event giving entrepreneurs feedback on their startup from their peers. No pitches, just demos. £5 Wayra UK, WC1E 6JA Dinner with Simon Sinek 4 February, 7-11pm Tech City News Supper Club’s latest event. Over the course of dinner, author Sinek will [...]
A gourmet Tuscan break with a splash of luxury January 19, 2014 From fine olive oil and rolling vineyards to hunting for truffles in the forests surrounding San Gimignano, the heart of Italy is the perfect place for a foodie winter getaway ON MY second day at Castello di Casole, the concierge told me that an American tech supremo recently booked out the entire villa complex for [...]
Premier League: United too far behind to win the title now, says Mourinho January 19, 2014 AT STAMFORD BRIDGE CHELSEA 3 vs MANCHESTER UNITED 1 MANCHESTER United’s chances of retaining their Premier League title were written off by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho yesterday, after the Reds suffered a seventh league defeat of the season. Striker Samuel Eto’o rolled back the years to hit a clinical hat-trick, taking full advantage of United’s [...]
Last gasp Quins qualify January 19, 2014 HARLEQUINS director of rugby Conor O’Shea insists his side are already looking forward to a European quarter-final after they ended their Heineken Cup campaign with victory at the Scarlets. The Welsh side led 20-19 with seconds remaining after tries from Gareth Davies, Aaron Shingler and Scott Williams, but a last-gasp penalty from Ben Botica proved [...]
Sport Comment: Rich owners really can tell fans to go to Hull January 19, 2014 ONE day you suspect Roman Abramovich will get tired of owning a football club and the Kings Road will be the scene of the first demonstration in this country by die-hard fans begging a billionaire owner not to leave. “Never mind the manager and the players,” the Chelsea faithful will chant. “We need your money.” [...]
Cook ponders quitting as captain January 19, 2014 UNDER-FIRE England cricket captain Alastair Cook admitted yesterday that he could step down as skipper of the one-day international side, after a third straight defeat saw the tourists lose another series in Australia. The hosts, having won the recent Ashes series with an emphatic 5-0 whitewash, comfortably beat England yet again with a seven-wicket victory [...]
