Mercurial France will provide a stern title hurdle, insists Haskell March 17, 2015 ENGLAND flanker James Haskell insists their historic volatility ensures France will prove an unpredictable hurdle to overcome during his side’s Six Nations title decider at Twickenham on Saturday. France have endured an uninspiring championship but still retain a slender hope of securing the title, although a major power shift would be required in order for [...]
Easterby urges Ireland to learn from past errors March 17, 2015 IRELAND forwards coach Simon Easterby has urged his side to avoid being haunted by a repeat of 2007 as they prepare for their crunch Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. Reigning champions Ireland are level on points with leaders England and Wales in the championship reckoning, although Stuart Lancaster’s outfit hold a [...]
Alonso set for simulator session as he targets Malaysia F1 return March 17, 2015 TWO-TIME Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso is poised to step up his comeback from concussion by driving McLaren’s race simulator today. Alonso missed Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the 2015 season, after being warned by doctors he was at risk of death by so-called second-impact syndrome if he suffered another crash. [...]
Formula 1 owner and Singapore fund weighs Center Parcs deal March 17, 2015 Formula One owner CVC Capital partners and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC have launched a joint bid of around £2.5bn for leisure group Center Parcs. The pair are one of several parties circling the group after its private equity owner Blackstone said it was considering an ownership overhaul yesterday, including “private or public equity or [...]
Apprentices to get 20 per cent pay rise but George Osborne misses minimum wage goal March 16, 2015 Apprentices will get a 20 per cent pay rise this October, after business secretary Vince Cable won his battle to overrule the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendation of a 2.6 per cent rise in the minimum wage. By contrast, chancellor George Osborne has failed to meet his aspiration to hike the headline minimum wage to [...]
Dax hits record as it strides past 12,000 barrier March 16, 2015 German stock market benchmark – the Dax – hit a record high yesterday in a strong day for Eurozone markets. The index of 30 major German companies closed at 12,167.72 – a 2.24 per cent gain. The European Central Bank (ECB) had purchased €9.571bn (£6.841bn) of debt in the first three days of its public [...]
Permira offloads remaining ‡1bn stake in Hugo Boss March 16, 2015 German fashion house Hugo Boss is parting ways with its investor Permira after the private equity firm launched a sale of its remaining €1bn (£720m) stake last night. Permira has been gradually cutting its holding in Hugo Boss after acquiring a majority stake in 2007. The investment vehicle Red and Black – which is 60 [...]
Pay deals high on agenda ahead of AGM season – Editor’s Letter March 16, 2015 When it comes to the furore over directors’ pay deals, it is often hard to determine whether a board has acted correctly or not in agreeing a remuneration package. There are many factors involved in recruiting and then retaining key personnel and sometimes what looks like a sensible idea, such as paying for an executives’ [...]
General Election 2015: Ed Miliband stops short of ruling out post-electoral deal with SNP March 16, 2015 Labour leader Ed Miliband has declined to rule out doing a deal with the Scottish National party (SNP) to secure the keys to Downing Street. However, he said there would be no formal coalition between the two parties. Speaking yesterday, Miliband said: “Labour will not go into coalition government with the SNP. There will be [...]
Lawyers demand further clarity on FCA’s check-up on bankers March 16, 2015 Investment banks will have to assess the fitness of their traders to work every year, under rules unveiled by the City watchdog yesterday. But lawyers fear the guidelines are not yet clear, since the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has not decided who counts as a “trader” at a bank. The certification regime will apply to [...]
