American commitment to Nato is “unwavering” says US vice president Mike Pence February 18, 2017 American vice president Mike Pence has told world leaders the US would remain committed to Nato, after President Donald Trump questioned the worth of the military alliance. Pence offered “unwavering” commitment to Nato and said the US “is now and will always be your greatest ally” to delegates including German chancellor Angela Merkel at a security [...]
Activist investor takes swipe at Johnston Press chief executive after building up 21 per cent stake February 17, 2017 The activist investor building up a stake in Johnston Press has taken a first public swipe at the newspaper group’s chief executive since becoming its biggest shareholder. Richard Bernstein, who leads the Crystal Amber fund, has told City A.M. he lacks “confidence” in Johnston Press boss Ashley Highfield to lead the company out of trouble. [...]
Another Southern rail strike is going ahead: RMT announces 24-hour walkout next week February 15, 2017 The RMT union has announced a fresh 24-hour strike on Southern rail will take place on Wednesday 22 February in the long-running staffing dispute. Conductors will strike for 24 hours between 00:01 and 23:59, after fresh talks broke down yesterday. Read more: Days lost to strike action soared 89 per cent last year Mick Cash, RMT [...]
Ageas global performance hit as UK operations swing into the red February 15, 2017 Insurance giant Ageas today revealed profits had tumbled over the last year with losses spiralling in the UK while the firm works through a painful restructuring and prepares for regulatory changes. The net result of the Belgium-headquartered group plummeted to €127m (£108m), down from €770m. UK operations swung from black to red, posting a €56m loss in 2016, compared with a €30m [...]
Fresh Tube strike chaos is on the cards after the RMT sets new walkout for next week February 15, 2017 London Underground drivers will be staging a fresh strike next week on parts of the Central Line, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced today. Drivers will walk out from 9pm on Tuesday 21 February until 9pm Wednesday 22 February in industrial action that could also cause disruption to the Waterloo & City line. The [...]
OAP (Old And Partying): UK pensioners have higher average incomes than their working age children, and spend more on having fun February 15, 2017 For the silver generation, this truly is a golden age. Two reports released in the last week indicate that pensioners have never had it better. The first, Tilney’s “The Cost of Tomorrow”, debunks the myth that supposedly frivolous twenty-somethings spend more on having fun than retirees, either in absolute terms or as a percentage of their [...]
Could corporate spying be a larger threat to business security than cyber attacks? February 14, 2017 When a fresh-faced graduate reported promptly one morning for his first day at a financial institution, he offered up a passport as identification. Reception staff checked his name off a list of other new recruits and issued him with a building pass to join scheduled induction sessions. He never attended the meetings, and instead swept [...]
Meet Prodigy Finance: The fintech firm that went global on day one February 14, 2017 With Trump in the White House and a hard Brexit on the horizon, protectionism is back on the menu. Many entrepreneurs are concerned about the implications for the free movement of goods, capital and people. But at a recent Leap 100 breakfast, chief executive and co-founder of Prodigy Finance, Cameron Stevens, sounded a note of [...]
DriveTribe co-founders Richard Hammond and Ernesto Schmitt talk dating, driverless cars and excluding Jeremy Clarkson from music ventures February 13, 2017 How would you transition from celebrity to business magnate? If you’ve already done well in life, one option is to wind down. This is not, however, the option Richard Hammond and sidekicks James May and Jeremy Clarkson are going for. In case they didn’t have enough to do launching Amazon’s The Grand Tour, they’ve also [...]
Trivago’s boss on how the travel group finds the hotel that fits you perfectly February 13, 2017 While Trivago was meeting American investors ahead of its December listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange, chief executive Rolf Schroemgens realised many of the people he met had a very limited understanding of the company. Despite a boost to the hotel search engine’s profile in 2013 when American travel giant Expedia snapped up 63.5 per cent of the company [...]