WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 3, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES MINISTER ATTACKS GREEN LOBBY The climate change minister has rounded on the “environmental Taliban” of green campaigners, insisting they are wrong to accuse the government of abandoning its commitment to a low carbon agenda. Greg Barker said: “There is nothing environmental about exporting manufacturing jobs abroad.” Barker has led the contentious efforts to [...]
Samsung edges Apple to top spot January 3, 2012 Samsung’s Galaxy S II handset fought off competition from Apple’s iPhone 4S to maintain its top spot in the mobile phone war over Christmas. The phone has now led tables for eight consecutive months, according to uSwitch.com’s tracker, which is based on internet searches as well as sales. The race appears to have been close-run, [...]
2012 will mimic 2011 in Aussie dollar volatility January 3, 2012 MARKETS across the globe are suddenly hinting at the promise of economic renewal. Apart from the earth successfully travelling once more around the sun, to the delight of the planet’s Homo sapiens, has anything really changed from jittery 2011? For a short time at least, confidence is high. “Traders and investors seem prepared to take [...]
THE TIPSTER January 3, 2012 THE last few weeks have been uncharacteristically quiet on the European crisis front – but pessimists may just view this as the calm before the next inevitable storm. The optimistic view could be that surely all of the bad news is getting close to being priced in for the euro and its death has been [...]
Fewer voters would be a boost for democracy January 3, 2012 A FEW days before Christmas, a by-election chose a new MP for Feltham and Heston. Voter turnout was only 29 per cent. This prompted familiar laments about public disengagement from politics. Yet the problem with British democracy is not that too few people vote but that too many do. To see why, consider a question [...]
Commodities fuel FTSE gains January 3, 2012 The FTSE 100 was off to a positive start this morning led upwards by commodity stocks which were boosted by strong data from China. Asian markets were given a lift as the official Chinese purchasing managers’ index indicated a rise in factory activity in December and London followed suit. Industrial metals such as copper rose [...]
Activists’ new legal fight January 2, 2012 PROTESTERS who have taken over a disused London courthouse are expected to fight an eviction attempt today. The activists, who claimed Old Street Magistrates’ Court as the fourth Occupy site in the week before Christmas, will appear at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court. Last night they said in a statement: “Mastcraft Ltd, owners of the [...]
Retail layoffs to soar as six chains falter January 2, 2012 MORE than 11,800 retail jobs and 870 high street shops may be lost in coming weeks after six struggling high street names were put up for sale or into administration in December. Retail analysts warned of a potential wave of consolidation in the sector and grim trading updates this month as poor Christmas trading put [...]
High street facing a bleak midwinter as commitments loom January 2, 2012 A PERFECT storm of rental payments, tax deadlines, squeezed consumer spending and stretched lending conditions is swirling round the UK retail sector, with the new year expected to be crunch time for several struggling firms. Not only was Christmas day the latest official quarterly rent payment for retail tenants, but stores also need cash to [...]
WANEY SEES IN 2012 AT NEW YEAR’S EVE CONGA January 2, 2012 DILEMMAS, dilemmas. Should one have accepted the invitation to see in 2012 with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen at Roman Abramovich’s £5m party on the Caribbean island of St Barts? Or should one have saved oneself the bother of a plane journey and make an appearance at restaurateur Arjun Waney’s New Year’s Eve party at his [...]