European banking union will be no friend of vibrant financial services December 12, 2012 WOLFGANG Schäuble, the German finance minister, recently said that “we can only achieve political union if we have a crisis”. His idea is to exploit the Eurozone’s sovereign debt problems to confer additional powers on the EU. And his most recent project is the “single supervisory mechanism” – otherwise known as banking union. EU finance [...]
Bashing City bankers has unintended consequences for middle England December 12, 2012 I HOPE, dear CityA.M. reader, that you occasionally manage to unchain yourself from your desk, rip yourself away from the trading floor, and escape from the shadows of the towers of Canary Wharf and the Square Mile. Because – and I hope this won’t come as a total shock to you – there is a [...]
New tax avoidance rule is a recipe for chaos and disorder December 12, 2012 THIS week’s draft Finance Bill gave a number of revealing insights into the mind of the chancellor and the direction the 2013 Budget will likely take. Among its contents was a long-overdue update on the general anti-abuse rule (GAAR) – the government’s much-hyped silver bullet for the scourge of tax avoidance. Over the past year, [...]
Should North Korea’s surprise rocket launch raise concerns over security in the region? December 12, 2012 YES Raheem Kassam There is no doubt that North Korea’s test will terrify the people of South Korea as well as other nations in the region. The West will not only be concerned by the threats and strains created by an emboldened North Korea, but also by the reaction of its partners. Over the past [...]
Rapid responses December 12, 2012 Urban renewal [Re: Decline in homeownership is the result of bonkers red tape, yesterday] Unfortunately, the housing shortage is London is not just an issue of “idiotic planning rules” but a fundamental unwillingness to allow the city to expand physically. The debate has artificially divided into supporters of the green belt and those who want [...]
This year buy tech gifts that will last December 12, 2012 Attacknid combat robot £49.99 This beast is sure to get more attention on Christmas morning than any other gift. With eight moving legs and an independently operated, foam disc-firing turret, it is as close to Robot Wars as most people are ever going to get. Realistically, it will probably end up in a cupboard by [...]
Channel your inner James Bond with help from Apsley December 12, 2012 For CHRISTMAS this year, I want to look like James Bond. And I don’t mean Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan – I want to look like Daniel Craig. Can Santa make that happen? The answer is: yes, kind of. You can, at least, dress like him. The most memorable sartorial choice in the latest 007 [...]
Club World Cup is our dream, insists Benitez December 12, 2012 CHELSEA manager Rafael Benitez has vowed to pick his strongest team in this morning’s Club World Cup semi-final against Monterrey, insisting that winning the trophy would make his players’ dreams come true. The Blues jetted out to Japan in the thick of a gruelling fixture schedule featuring nine matches this month alone, raising the temptation [...]
Lowdown: Monterrey December 12, 2012 Reached the semi-finals with a 3-1 win over South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai in the last eight on Sunday, making their second straight appearance at the Club World Cup They are consecutive winners of the CONCACAF Champions League, which is the central American, South American and Caribbean combined equivalent to the European Champions League The Mexicans [...]
Wenger is still right man for job – Keown December 12, 2012 UNDER-FIRE manager Arsene Wenger is still the right man to revive Arsenal, despite mounting criticism, insists former Gunners defender Martin Keown. Tuesday’s shock Capital One Cup defeat to League Two Bradford compounded Wenger’s worst start to a Premier League season and increased calls for him to quit. Suggestions of a souring of relations between the [...]
