What the other papers say this morning – 23 January 2014
FINANCIAL TIMES
Microsoft to shield users’ data
Microsoft will allow foreign customers to have their personal data stored on servers outside the US, breaking ranks with other big technology groups that until now have shown a united front in response to the American surveillance scandal.
Just Eat gears up for £900m IPO
London’s start-up cluster is gearing up for its biggest initial public offering, with the online delivery service Just Eat readying for a London listing in April or May at a valuation in the range of £700m to £900m, the Financial Times has learnt. The IPO would mark the biggest local exit for a company from London’s “Tech City” hub.
JPMorgan raises alarm on EU scepticism
JPMorgan has warned that the UK could lose its clout in transatlantic trade and regulatory disputes if it exits the European Union, in the latest example of City alarm about rising euroscepticism in Britain.
Santander Consumer USA raises $1.8bn from IPO launch
Santander Consumer USA, a provider of car loans to subprime buyers, has raised $1.8bn from an initial US public offering amid rising investor interest in high-yielding loans sold by consumer finance companies. the company sold 75m shares at $24 each on Wednesday.
THE TIMES
Miliband is threat to the recovery
Ed Miliband has alienated himself from Britain’s blue-chip companies and is risking the recovery by developing irrational and unpredictable policies, senior business figures have warned.
Death threats for British banker
A British banker based in Singapore has been forced into issuing a public apology after provoking a storm of protest by calling commuters “poor”, complaining about the “stench” of public transport and labelling a local cabbie “a retard”. Anton Casey apologised yesterday for “offending and disrespecting” the people of Singapore.
The Daily Telegraph
Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock suspended
Mike Hancock, the MP for Portsmouth South, has been stripped of his Lib Dem membership over a series of texts, lewd comments and sexual advances that he allegedly made to a woman with a history of mental health problems.
Fracking to be ruled out at Balcombe
No fracking will take place at Balcombe, the Sussex village that became the centre of protests against the practice last summer, drilling firm Cuadrilla is expected to announce. In a planning application to conduct tests at the site, the company will disclose that the rocks it drilled into last summer are naturally fractured.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Cheer dries up for Chinese liqour sales
More than a year after the Chinese government banned extravagant gift giving and scaled back state-funded banquets, liquor makers are starting to feel punch drunk. The crackdown on conspicuous consumption has hit spirits companies harder than most.
Credit Suisse settlement with US
Talks between Credit Suisse Group AG and U.S authorities on settling allegations the Swiss bank helped Americans evade taxes have intensified, and a settlement of more than $800 million could be struck in the first half of the year.