Why giving listed status to Broadgate is wrong April 25, 2011 LAST week the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee approved plans for a 13 storey office block at 5 Broadgate to provide a new European headquarters for UBS. The fact that UBS has taken a long-term decision to be based in the City for the foreseeable future is an encouraging one. However, this [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 18, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES UKRAINE’S RICHEST MAN SNAPS UP A WINDOW ON HYDE PARK FOR £136M Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man, has bought the UK’s most expensive flat at the One Hyde Park residential development in London’s Knightsbridge. Akhmetov was behind the purchase of the penthouse, which sold for £136.6m. The identities of buyers at One Hyde [...]
Elliott proposes sale of National Express assets April 15, 2011 National Express’ biggest shareholder has proposed breaking up the company or merging it with a rival as it meets shareholders in London today. Elliott Advisors, the activist hedge fund that now owns 17.5 per cent of the transport group, said it supported either selling National Express assets to “natural owners” or to allow it to [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 14, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BOSCH WARNS JAPAN CRISIS WILL SLOW GLOBAL GROWTH The impact of last month’s Japanese earthquake will cut global economic growth by a quarter of a percentage point and could put a big dent in planed increase in car production this year, the head of the world’s largest car parts supplier warned. Franz Fehrenbach, [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 13, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES LANSLEY TAKES NURSES’ MEDICINE A contrite Andrew Lansley promised nurses a larger role in the commissioning of healthcare after the Royal College of Nursing passed the first vote of “no confidence” in a health secretary in its history. Attending a “listening” exercise with 65 nurses on the fringe of the RCN’s annual congressl, [...]
Signal work goes to Metronet partner April 12, 2011 TRANSPORT for London has chosen its preferred bidder to overhaul the Tube signalling system, handing work worth an estimated £25m a year to one of the firms involved in the collapsed Metronet operator. The award came on a day of severe delays on the Underground following a signal failure on the District Line. Bombardier Transportation [...]
Break-up for National Express looms as Elliott gains support April 12, 2011 TRANSPORT Group National Express edged closer to being broken up yesterday after an activist investor claimed a crucial shareholder supported its cause. Hedge fund Elliott Advisors, now the largest shareholder with 17.5 per cent of National Express, said it expected second-biggest investor the Cosmen family to vote for its bid to add three new directors [...]
In deep water: learning to dive off the coast of Malta April 10, 2011 AS I floated through the open hatchway into the ship’s galley, the scene appeared frozen in time. Seaweed waved gracefully about the cupboards and a spotted fish darted in and out of the abandoned cooker. A stream of bubbles poured from my dive buddy’s regulator as he laughingly grabbed the ship’s wheel and gave a [...]
CITY VIEWS: WOULD YOU BUY A HYBRID AS YOUR NEXT CAR? April 6, 2011 Save or Borrow peer to peer at RateSetter.com SIMON FOSS | RSA INSURANCE “I wouldn’t buy a hybrid as I live in central London so it’s easier for me to use local transport. The benefits are interesting, but I couldn’t take advantage of them anyway.” ALAN GAUDENCIO | WELLS FARGO “No, as it doesn’t suit [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS April 3, 2011 Bibby Financial Services The invoice finance specialist has appointed Andy Leopold as sales director for the south, based in London. Leopold, who has been promoted from the role of sales director for London and Hastings, brings more than 19 years’ experience working in the financial services sector. He will be responsible for securing new business [...]