Bad news for miners but good news if you want to go jewellery shopping for a ring, diamond prices are down 28 per cent according to Moody’s December 14, 2015 Diamond prices are set to fall further, as low consumer demand continues to put pressure on miners, according to Moody’s research. The price of rough diamonds dropped 18 per cent in the first 11 months of 2015, and are now down 28 per cent from their peak in the summer of 2014. Prices are now at a three [...]
Euro 2016: England have a good chance of reaching the semi-finals, says Football Association chairman Greg Dyke December 13, 2015 Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has tipped Roy Hodgson to lead England to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 but insists suggestions of a new contract for the head coach are premature. Dyke famously foretold the Three Lions’ early exit from last year’s World Cup when he made a tongue-in-cheek throat-slitting gesture after they were drawn [...]
Russia “fired warning shots” at Turkey in near miss collision between ships in Aegean Sea December 13, 2015 Russia "fired warning shots" at Turkey, the country's defence ministry said on Sunday, after two ships came within 500 metres of each other in the Aegean Sea. A destroyer warship named Smetlivy was forced to fire warning shots at a Turkish vessel when it could not be contacted, in order to avoid a collision. According to the Interfax [...]
Euro 2016 draw: What is the best and worst draw for England? How does Uefa’s seeding work? What time is it on? And where can I watch it? December 12, 2015 England are a top seed for Saturday’s Euro 2016 draw yet could still find themselves handed a daunting group featuring Italy, Poland and Iceland. Next summer’s European Championships in France will be the first to feature 24 teams, yet concerns an expanded format would dilute the quality of the tournament could morph into fears over [...]
Volkswagen sales fall 2.4 per cent in November as emissions scandal hurts brand December 11, 2015 Volkswagen is starting to feel the effects of the emission scandal on its bottom line: sales in November slipped 2.4 per cent on the back of ongoing fears over the car giant's manipulation of data. The German manufacturer put much of the decline down to especially tough markets in Brazil and Russia, where sales slumped [...]
Racism at Russia World Cup 2018 will be unavoidable according to new report December 11, 2015 Racism at the 2018 World Cup in Russia appears to be almost guaranteed, according to a new report which claims racist displays in the country are on the rise. Research from the Moscow-based Sova Centre and Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) found that the number of discriminatory displays and chants rose doubled last season, with [...]
Bottling airport decision is bad for UK business and casts doubt over new infrastructure commission December 11, 2015 What exactly was the point of the Airport Commission? That was the question being asked last night by, among others, IoD boss Simon Walker. Having launched in 2012, the commission reported earlier this year after an extensive and exhaustive investigation into Britain’s airport capacity. The exercise cost £20m and was designed, in part, to remove [...]
‘Tis the season to slack off: Why your month-long Christmas holiday is bad for everyone December 9, 2015 "I will be out of the office travelling and attending events and seminars until 4 January 2016. I will only have intermittent access to email.” I received this remarkable auto-reply on 4 December from a senior marketing executive in a large bank. Unless you are an academic, why would you need to spend an [...]
From the Paris attacks and Jeremy Corbyn’s rise to power to the Syria conflict, migrant crisis and Greece’s economic woes, these are the biggest political events of 2015 December 9, 2015 The last year has been one of frantic political events, across the UK, Europe and indeed the world. While there is still a few weeks to go until the end of 2015, with the political calendar winding down we’ve taken a look back over the key events that shaped the political agenda over the last [...]
City Moves for 9 December 2015 | Who’s switching jobs December 8, 2015 ACTIVA CAPITAL French independent private equity company Activa Capital has appointed Mathilde Sergent, 30, as manager. Prior to joining Activa Capital, Mathilde was for five years as M&A associate at Nomura, where she worked in the consumer goods, distribution and transport and infrastructure industries. EY EY has appointed Niranjan Nathan as a partner in its [...]