We’re the 100 per cent because we all pay tax January 9, 2012 DEBATES about tax can be pretty taxing – as two recent examples of both sides of the debate embellishing the facts to create outrage out of nothing clearly show. In a recent report, Action Aid found that 98 per cent of FTSE 100 companies had subsidiaries that operated within a tax haven. There are problems [...]
Margaret Thatcher’s legacy is that no-one tries to scrap what the Iron Lady achieved January 5, 2012 THIS isn’t a review of The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher and on general release in cinemas this week [For this, see p. 18]. I’m sure it’s a fine film and I’ll see it once I can scrape together the money from my dwindling pension for a pair of tickets and some [...]
US CAR MANUFACTURING JUMPS January 4, 2012 US CAR sales jumped in December, suggesting growth in consumer confidence. Chrysler’s sales are up 37 per cent, Ford’s rose by 10 per cent and Nissan’s increased by 7.7 per cent. Meanwhile, factory output rose in November, according to US commerce department data also released yesterday. New orders rose by 1.8 per cent to $459.2bn [...]
Indices hold gains even as euro falls January 4, 2012 MAJOR US stock indices were little changed in a low-volume session yesterday, but some investors were encouraged to see equities avoid a sell-off amid lingering Eurozone debt problems. Indices held on to the previous day’s large gains even as the euro dropped sharply against the dollar. Notably, US banks held up well, even though bad [...]
Techno couture January 4, 2012 Gadgets and fashion are uneasy bed-fellows. Top designers tend to shun technology in favour of tradition: natural fibres are still the go-to materials – despite the progress of nano fibres – and an expert eye is favoured over the laser precision of a computer. Tom Ford went as far as locking out bloggers and banning [...]
The five suits you need this spring January 4, 2012 Recent suit trends have been resolutely one-dimensional – slim. Collections from almost every major designer and Savile Row tailor have been overwhelmingly slanted towards this classic look. The spring/summer collections take this baton and run – but there is a more adventurous feel to the latest trends. Perhaps the most stand-out feature on the menswear [...]
Why 2012 will be Groundhog Year January 2, 2012 WELL good riddance to all that. Few would disagree that 2011 was truly an annus horribilis, a year defined by feckless politicians and unruly mobs. I, for one, felt a sense of relief when the chiming bells heralded the start of a new year; at certain times over the last twelve months, it felt as [...]
Wells and Ford depart RFU December 21, 2011 RUGBY UNION: Former England coaches John Wells and Mike Ford are to leave the Rugby Football Union with immediate effect. Both men were heavily criticised by England players in the leaked reports which were compiled following November’s World Cup debacle which ended with England exiting at the quarter-final stage following a series of off-field controversies.
20 of the world’s largest donors December 21, 2011 1 BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION US The William H Gates Foundation was created in 1994 to work to improve global health. Created with an original stock gift of $94m (£60.5m), the foundation merged with the Gates Learning Foundation in 2000 to create the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The largest philanthropic organisation in the [...]
RAPID RESPONSES December 19, 2011 US independence I greatly enjoyed Matt Ridley’s article on shale gas [In America, the shale gas revolution is creating jobs and growth. It can here too, last Thursday]. I believe it to be an important part of the USA’s strategy for becoming self sufficient in energy once more. The implications of America weaning itself off [...]