Ukraine’s crisis sits on a knife edge as protest morphs into revolution February 20, 2014 THERE is almost nothing more difficult for a political risk analyst than assessing the dynamics of a revolution, a situation in which long-held conventional wisdom can be upended in a matter of minutes. For only one question matters in Kiev today: what is the likely end game for Ukraine, and how do we get there? [...]
Time to worry: The Iranian nuclear crisis still threatens global stability February 16, 2014 ONE OF the areas of overlap between the business and political worlds concerns negotiation; any businessman or government-type worth their salt surely loves the chance to play at being that master actor-negotiator Peter O’Toole, if only for a limited audience. Some of my fondest memories of my decade in Washington involve behaving outrageously – asking [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 12 February 2014 February 11, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Planners seek cash for fast ruling Westminster Council has sought permission from the Treasury to accept cash payments from property developers to speed up their planning applications and resolve backlogs in what could become a template across London. In a joint letter to George Osborne the leader of Westminster council, deputy London mayor [...]
Gimme 5 February 9, 2014 …CO-WORKING SPACES FOR ENTREPRENEURS ClubWorkspace A growing network of creative drop-in business bases. It has six locations: Bankside, Chancery Lane, Chiswick, Clerkenwell, Kennington and London Bridge. club.workspacegroup.co.uk Exchange at Somerset House Home to inspirational new startups including Hailo, Somerset House offers flexible office solutions in a community environment at competitive rates. somersethouse.org.uk/work One Alfred Place [...]
West End popularity sees developer Shaftesbury close to fully let February 7, 2014 London’s whirring West End continues to benefit property business Shaftesbury. The FTSE 250 firm, which invests in the area exclusively, has said this morning that its portfolio is “substantially fully let” with domestic and international visitors continuing to flock to the area. Despite adverse weather over Christmas, people have kept up spending in Shaftesbury’s restaurants’ [...]
Bring your business back home, PM urges at Davos January 23, 2014 THE PRIME Minister will today promise a pro-business regulatory environment and cheap sources of energy, in a bid to tempt British companies to bring their operations backto the UK. In a speech in Davos this morning, David Cameron will make the case for re-shoring the nation by bringing manufacturing, call centres and head offices back [...]
Coen brothers deliver the goods January 23, 2014 FILM INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Cert 15 | By Alex Dymoke Four Stars INSIDE Llewyn Davis is an offbeat, directionless sulk through the unforgiving streets of early 60s New York. These 60s don’t so much swing as shiver: winter-time Greenwich Village is wan, washed-out, freezing. The aspiring musicians who shuffle through it aren’t carried forth by [...]
Barclays ends free banking for most SMEs January 23, 2014 BARCLAYS is moving more than 500,000 business customers onto a new set of accounts over this year, the bank said yesterday, to consolidate its SME (small and medium enterprise) operations. Around 60 per cent will be better off or pay no more than £1.50 per month extra, the bank said. But that leaves 40 per [...]
Cairn Energy unveils nine-well expansion programme for 2014 January 21, 2014 CASH-RICH oil explorer Cairn Energy yesterday said it plans to drill nine new wells this year, while its programme to buy back up to $300m (£182.2m) in shares is still ongoing. “Cairn plans to drill nine wells in its 2014 exploration programme across an attractive mix of frontier and mature basins,” said chief executive Simon [...]
Plans to rethink West End ahead of Crossrail rush January 20, 2014 WEST End leaders have hired consultants to come up with a plan for improving the busy shopping district to cope with a surge in visitors when Crossrail opens in 2018. Westminster City council, Transport for London and the New West End Company – the group that represents businesses in the area – have commissioned Arup [...]