Does China’s superb medal haul reflect its determination to compete with the West? August 5, 2012 YES John Hawksworth China topped the medals table in Beijing with 51 golds and, despite no longer having home advantage, it again looks set to contest first place with the US in London. China’s success reflects two key factors: a huge potential talent pool of 1.3bn people and a well-funded government sports system for finding [...]
RAPID responses August 5, 2012 Political failings [Re: Fantasy economics: Nationalising RBS would be an epic nightmare, Friday] It’s worrying to think that, even after sub-prime, politicians are still calling for RBS to be nationalised. They are either playing to the electorate (the vast majority of which will argue that anyone in finance is immoral) or they are totally bereft [...]
A hardworking manager of the UK’s ultra-wealthy August 5, 2012 FOLLOWING the 2008 financial crisis – when most people in financial services were losing their heads – Nathalie Dauriac-Stoebe was busy drawing up plans to go it alone by setting up Signia Wealth. She soon moved on from her role as a senior client partner at Coutts (and one of the four founding members of [...]
Don’t make a kangaroo’s dinner out of a business investment August 5, 2012 I WAS shocked when a good friend in Australia mentioned he’d invested $100,000 into a new business, planning to export kangaroo meat. It was a lot of money for him, and he came to me a little concerned that things weren’t right. He only shrugged when I asked “mate, you know I’ve been doing a [...]
Big business could be more engaged August 5, 2012 BARCLAYS and Vodafone have recently announced investments in London’s Tech City. No doubt some good will come out of this, but if collaborations between big businesses and start-ups are going to make a real difference, leaders of companies should look across the pond to Silicon Valley for best practice. In the Valley, the culture of [...]
An alternative paradise August 5, 2012 IT is raining on Dominica, and this is no passing shower. I’m soaked to the skin, I’ve lost the sole from my shoe and I’m covered in a reddy brown mud. Dominica, known as the “nature island”, is already turning all my preconceptions about a Caribbean “paradise” on their head. Not famous for its white [...]
Bolt blasts back to his best – and targets 200m test August 5, 2012 AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM SPRINT superstar Usain Bolt hit back at his critics after successfully defending his 100m crown in Olympic record time – but insists he must retain his 200m title too in order to be deemed “a legend”. The Jamaican emphatically answered doubts over his fitness and form by running the second fastest [...]
Merry Murray makes medal magic as silver follows gold August 5, 2012 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray hailed winning his Olympic gold medal as the finest feat of his career after decisively defeating tennis great Roger Federer in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon. Murray and Laura Robson also yesterday won silver when losing in the mixed doubles final to Belarussians Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi but the [...]
Ainslie to retire after becoming greatest ever Olympics sailor August 5, 2012 BRITISH sailing hero Ben Ainslie revealed yesterday that after winning his fourth consecutive gold medal, London 2012 may mark the end of his Olympic career. Ainslie came ninth in the final Finn race to finish above Denmark’s Jonas Hogh-Christensen and secure his place as the most decorated sailor in Olympic history, and then hinted that [...]
Coe coos over GB medal feat August 5, 2012 LONDON 2012 chairman Lord Coe believes Saturday night’s prolific British medal haul constitutes the greatest day of sport he has ever witnessed. Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah respectively secured heptathon, long jump and 10,000m golds after a morning in which two golds and a silver within rowing were supplemented by a [...]