AROUND TOWN March 29, 2012 ■ Theatrewise, the Barbican is on fire. Currently running is a hugely acclaimed production of Mikhael Bulgakov’s classic Soviet satire, The Master and Margarita, staged by Simon McBurney’s award-winning company Complicite. By turns violent, poetic and surreal, this is a corker of a show. Be sure to book, too, for the Sydney Theatre’s production of [...]
Mining gains offset retail weakness March 29, 2012 The FTSE was broadly flat in early trading with a bounce back in the mining sector helping to offset weaknesses among blue chip retailers like Marks & Spencer. Official figures which yesterday saw the UK’s GDP figures revised down have hit investor sentiment while energy stocks are coming under pressure from volatile oil prices. But [...]
Unite scored an own goal with the tanker strike – but so has Cameron March 28, 2012 LEN McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite trade union, positions himself as an arch-enemy of the government. Of the Bob Crow school of diplomacy, McCluskey remains convinced civil disobedience is necessary to halt the coalition’s deficit reduction programme. And he seems hell-bent on ruining the Olympic Games with mass industrial action. Now might seem a [...]
Dow Chemical sets infrastructure gold in its sights as a top sponsor March 27, 2012 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 121 DAYS TO GO Q What was your brand’s primary reason for being involved with the Games? A Dow became the official chemistry company to the Games and a worldwide sponsor in July 2010, when it announced its partnership with the IOC. That runs through 2020. Dow has [...]
Boris pledges to get rid of Tube drivers March 26, 2012 BORIS Johnson has announced an all-out push towards automation of the Tube network, pledging that he will never again buy a Tube train that requires a driver. “It is time for London to learn from other metro networks and get the benefits of automatic train control. It is time to move forward with ‘train captains’ [...]
Boris pledges new deal for suburban rail March 22, 2012 BORIS Johnson has promised to secure specific improvements to London’s suburban rail services if he is re-elected, in the form of longer trains and enlarged stations. The Budget includes a pledge to consider further investment in the capital’s rail network, prompting Johnson (pictured) to assert that he is the best-placed candidate to win funds from [...]
Olympic Tube strike talks stall March 22, 2012 Talks to avoid a transport strike during the Olympics stalled yesterday, with union reps slamming London Underground for imposing “even more strings” on workers alongside an £850 bonus. Five days of negotiations broke down yesterday morning when the RMT union objected to what it said were unreasonable and “inherently unsafe” demands that staff work more [...]
A third runway at Heathrow is essential if London is to be a globally competitive city March 22, 2012 IT IS crucial for the UK’s economic recovery that London remains a global centre for trade, able to compete with old rivals such as New York and Tokyo as well as new emerging cities like Beijing, Doha and Sao Paulo. As the rhetoric around diversifying the economy and ending our reliance on financial services ramps [...]
WHAT DOES THE CHANCELLOR’S BUDGET MEAN FOR YOU? March 21, 2012 CATHERINE GANNON, 50,MANAGING DIRECTOR OF LAW FIRM GANNON Catherine lives with her children, aged nine and 11, in a home she owns with a mortgage. She set up her firm nine years ago and worries about red tape and taxes. When travelling to meet clients, she uses the tube. She earns over £100,000, and has [...]
Upgrades for road, rail and IT take shape March 21, 2012 THE COALITION’S multi-billion pound plans for sweeping infrastructure upgrades are starting to take shape, with £2bn of pension involvement revealed yesterday and new plans to upgrade London’s transport and technology networks. George Osborne said British pension funds have pledged the first £2bn towards a new Pension Infrastructure Platform, first trailed in autumn, with more firms [...]