CAR TALK May 31, 2011 VAUXHALL LAUNCHES GREENEST INSIGNIA TO DATE Vauxhall has introduced its greenest Insignia model yet. The new ultra-low emissions ecoFLEX diesel Insignia is aimed at commuters and business users and its 2.0 CDTi engine is cleaner than its predecessor. Its CO2 emissions are 115g compared to 129g for the outgoing model. LEXUS WINS AGAIN FOR CUSTOMER [...]
GENERATION RENT May 31, 2011 A GENERATION of Britons fear being squeezed out of the property market and doomed to a lifetime of renting, a survey reveals today. Nearly two thirds of 20 to 45 year olds who do not already have a mortgage say “they have no prospect whatsoever of buying a home,” according to a report by the [...]
Top sponsors Coca-Cola and Adidas fuel growing Fifa row May 31, 2011 THE CRISIS at world football’s governing body Fifa deepened last night as lucrative sponsors of the embattled organisation became embroiled in the unfolding scandal. Coca-Cola branded the latest round of bribery allegations against its highest ranking officials as “distressing and bad for the sport.” Adidas added that the storm is “neither good for football nor [...]
BCC backs deficit cuts May 31, 2011 THE government’s deficit reduction plans received a boost from the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) yesterday despite the organisation downgrading its growth forecasts for the UK economy. The BCC slashed its growth prediction on Sunday from 1.4 per cent to 1.3 per cent, with growth for 2012 also being cut from 2.3 per cent to [...]
Time to celebrate Tax Freedom Day May 31, 2011 WELCOME back to the office: today is the first working day you actually get to keep the money you earn, rather than hand it all over to the state to pay for public spending. It’s Tax Freedom Day – a date which keeps moving later into the year as taxes keep going up. You may [...]
Myners to chair Cevian UK May 31, 2011 LORD Myners has taken the role of UK chairman at Swedish investment firm Cevian. He will join the Cavendish Square offices of the Stockholm-based firm, where he will work closely with the boards of companies Cevian invests in. Cevian has had a UK presence since 2009 and has taken stakes in firms including Wolseley and [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 31, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES WALL STREET “MISPRICED” LINKEDIN’S IPO A prominent Facebook investor and director accused Wall Street of undervaluing the LinkedIn initial public offering earlier this month, contributing to the doubling of its shares on opening day. Peter Thiel, an early Facebook investor and co-founder of PayPal, said banks did not understand the full potential of [...]
Italy’s Berlusconi defeated May 31, 2011 Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition suffered a humiliating defeat in mayoral elections in Milan and Naples yesterday, casting doubt over the controversial Italian leader’s future. The defeat in Milan – Italy’s economic capital – was seen as the most symbolically significant and a bellwether for anti-Berlusconi sentiment. Berlusconi, 74, is currently facing charges ranging from [...]
Brent crude nears monthly drop May 31, 2011 Brent crude oil fell below $115 a barrel yesterday, heading for its first monthly decline this year, as investors weighed the prospect that Europe’s debt crisis and a sputtering US economy may slow demand. Public holidays in the US and UK yesterday kept trading volume at less than five per cent the daily norm. The [...]
Greek anger as EU plots a power grab May 31, 2011 CROWDS of at least 30,000 have been gathering in Athens’ Syntagma Square over the weekend in the country’s biggest protests so far, as reports circulated that the crippled nation would have to give up sovereignty over its privatisation scheme to receive any more bailout money. Meanwhile, it emerged that the EU is currently putting together [...]
