British art exports hit highest level since credit crunch began August 11, 2013 FOREIGN buyers paid almost £2bn for British art and cultural items during 2011-12, up a third on the previous year, according to figures out today that show the UK art market is near its pre-crash peak. This is despite the introduction of new laws granting artists – or heirs of artists who have died within the [...]
Bolt romps to sixth world gold August 11, 2013 THE WORLD’S fastest man Usain Bolt defied the Russian rain to win the sixth world title of his career last night. The 26-year-old won the 100m final in a season’s best time of 9.77 seconds, with American Justin Gatlin and Bolt’s compatriot Nesta Carter clinching silver and bronze respectively in Moscow. Meanwhile James Dasaolu, the [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 9 August 2013 August 8, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Norway’s oil fund plans to turn active Norway’s $760bn (£489bn) oil fund, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is stepping up its efforts to be a more active investor by appointing a corporate governance advisory board. Having quadrupled in size in the past eight years, the vehicle is seeking to play a bigger [...]
Obama cancels meeting with Russian president amid tensions regarding Snowden and human rights August 7, 2013 US president Barack Obama has cancelled meetings with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow amid tensions over former National Security Agency IT contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden. The meetings had been scheduled for September, but it now appears they will not be going ahead. A Kremlin aide said Obama's decision was "disappointing". Russia has [...]
Snowden gets Russian asylum August 1, 2013 Russia granted American fugitive Edward Snowden a year’s asylum yesterday, allowing the former US spy agency contractor to slip quietly out of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after more than five weeks in limbo but angering the United States. The White House, which wants Snowden to face trial in the US, signaled that President Barack Obama might [...]
Review: Only God Forgives August 1, 2013 FILM ONLY GOD FORGIVES Cert 18 | By Steve Dinneen Three stars SO, ONLY God Forgives… Owwwwkaaaaaaay… Nicholas Winding Refn’s blood-soaked Bangkok revenge movie makes his previous film, Drive, look like a kids movie about a plucky stuntman. It’s essentially a collection of stylish, exquisitely orchestrated but disjointed scenes portraying a level of graphic violence [...]
City Moves for 1 August 2013 | Who’s switching jobs July 31, 2013 Premier Farnell The electronics company has announced the appointment of Andrea Dunstan as chief people officer. Dunstan has over 20 years’ experience in human resources (HR). She was previously group HR director at Wincanton. Prior to that, she worked at AstraZeneca. Royal Bank of Canada The bank’s capital markets division has recruited Sian Hurrell as head [...]
Evraz stops production at Italian mill as steel plate market weakens July 30, 2013 Miner Evraz has announced that it is to stop operations at the Palini e Bertoli plate mill in Italy on 20 August (release). Evraz says that the suspension is expected to last until at least the end of October. EVRAZ Palini e Bertoli remains committed to duly perform under all existing arrangements and will execute all [...]
Global fertiliser prices forecast to plunge as Russian potash cartel breaks down July 30, 2013 The break-up of a Russian potash cartel could spark a global price war among fertiliser producers, its chief executive has said. Uralkali pulled out of the Belarus Potash Corporation (BPC) after accusing its partner Belaruskali – which controls around 47 per cent of the global potash market – of selling fertiliser outside of the marketing [...]
Polymetal expects writedowns July 29, 2013 Russian precious metals miner Polymetal said yesterday it expects to record a non-cash impairment charge in its first-half financial results due to lower commodity prices. The firm said weak gold and silver prices could lead to charges of up to $340m (£221m). Polymetal also said it was expecting to deliver on annual production targets, as [...]