LLPs need to watch out for bullying risks February 22, 2011 THE pressure on partners to perform is a constant characteristic of a professional firm. In such an environment perhaps it should not come as a surprise when the behaviour of some high calibre individuals falls short of the mark. Generally, firms are alive to the dangers of employees being bullied, particularly following the case of [...]
CASE STUDIES| NEWS FROM THE COURTS THIS WEEK February 22, 2011 SHARE-RAMPING BAN UPHELD The Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery) has upheld the decision of the FSA to fine and issue a prohibition notice to a stockbroker involved in a share-ramping scheme. Graham Betton had 30 years experience and was the managing director of his firm. The scheme involved unauthorised trading of his clients’ accounts and [...]
Are you ready to rumble? February 22, 2011 IT’S not often I get woken up to the deep rumbling sound of a flat-six engine firing up but it certainly makes a change from my 16 month-old daughter singing and it’s almost as delightful in its way, even before coffee at 7.30am. It’s the sound of a Carrera GTS, the latest in the 911 [...]
CAR TALK February 22, 2011 Running on bio, fast Finland’s four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen has set a new world ice speed record by driving an all-wheel drive, 6-litre, 12-cylinder Bentley Continental Supersports convertible on the frozen Baltic Sea, off the coast of Finland. The Finn reached 205.48mph in the car, which was running on biofuel. One hundred examples [...]
Libya in revolt February 21, 2011 Libya teetered close to all-out civil war last night as Colonel Muammar Gaddafi appeared to be losing his grip on power. Gaddafi and his family, who have ruled with an iron fist for 41 years, vowed to fight “until the last bullet” yesterday, despite protesters taking control of the country’s major cities. In an appearance [...]
BP leads exodus of companies February 21, 2011 OIL-GIANTS BP and Shell yesterday evacuated staff from Libya, as pro-democracy riots descended into chaos last night. The London-based oil majors, as well as several other energy firms operating in the oil-rich north-African nation, are working to remove staff from danger. Dutch energy giant Shell, German oil provider Kassel and Wintershall – the oil unit [...]
PM defends defence trade visit to region February 21, 2011 DAVID CAMERON has defended his trip to the Middle East with eight leading British defence firms, as pro-democracy protests sweep the region. Opponents criticised the timing of the Prime Minister’s trade delegation, which includes the chief executive of BAE Systems Ian King, as military dictators across the region attempt to suppress a wave of protest. [...]
U-turn over bonus taxes February 21, 2011 THE GOVERNMENT has retreated from plans to tax deferred bank bonuses. New rules would have forced bankers to pay tax when a reward package was agreed, rather than when they cashed in on their bonus. Yet HMRC last night confirmed the measure, drawn up for chancellor George Osborne’s budget, will be scrapped. Companies had warned [...]
Arab states must copy Asian tigers February 21, 2011 VILE, despicable, inhumane: such words only barely begin to describe Muammar Gaddafi’s savagery as he desperately clings to power, battling a rising tide of popular revulsion. Like all fascists, human life is worthless to him. It is, of course, too soon to tell what will happen in Libya and what sort of regime, liberal or [...]
BHP in $5bn US gas deal February 21, 2011 BHP BILLITON yesterday agreed to buy US shale gas assets from Chesapeake Energy Corporation for $4.75bn cash, in its first acquisition since a series of failed major deals. BHP said the deal, expected to close in the first half of the year, would give it the second largest position in one of the largest gas [...]
