In full: Alex Salmond’s final speech as Scottish first minister November 18, 2014 Alex Salmond made his final statement as first minister to the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, bringing to a close seven and a half years leading his country. Salmond opened his speech by saying that holding the post of first minister had been "the privilege of my life", adding that "better days" lie ahead for [...]
The four horsemen of the chocolate apocalypse: Here’s why there’s a chocolate shortage November 18, 2014 Say it ain't so. Leading confectioners have warned the world could be about to run out of chocolate. In its annual results published earlier this month, Barry Callebaut, the world's largest chocolate manufacturer, said it had sold 1.72m tonnes of the brown stuff in the year to the end of August, an 11.8 per cent [...]
Spotify hitches a lift with Uber to begin in-car music streaming November 17, 2014 UBER yesterday announced that it had teamed up with Spotify to allow passengers to stream music through their cabs’ sound systems. But no one knows yet how the taxi app’s drivers will react to being subjected to death metal – or perhaps Beyoncé. In a joint press conference, founders of the two companies said they [...]
M&S poaches John Lewis finance director Helen Weir November 17, 2014 Marks & Spencer has appointed John Lewis finance director Helen Weir as its own chief financial officer. In a statement posted this afternoon, the retailer said Weir has yet to confirm a start date. M&S' previous finance director, Alan Stewart, left suddenly in September to take up his new role at Tesco several months earlier [...]
HSBC’s private banking arm under investigation for fraud November 17, 2014 The private banking arm of HSBC has been put under investigation for fraud, including money launcdering, criminal organisation and acting as an illegal financial intermediary, by Belgian investigators. The Brussels prosecutors' office said the private bank, which is based in Switzerland, had helped "over 1,000" clients "dodge" tax worth "several billions of dollars". [The bank] [...]
Uber’s in-car Spotify tie-up launches in London on Friday November 17, 2014 In a move which will surely prompt a rash of one-star ratings from irate Uber drivers tired of being subjected to death metal, the private hire cab app has announced it's teamed up with Spotify to allow passengers to stream their playlists through their cabs' soundsystems. In a joint press conference today, founders of the [...]
Two million new homes could be built on land owned by the government November 17, 2014 We talk a lot about the housing crisis – but how are we going to solve it? New resarch by upmarket estate agent Savills says government land could provide some of the solution. Apparently, public sector land could accommodate as many as two million new homes. The
Halliburton to buy Baker Hughes in mammoth $38bn deal November 17, 2014 Halliburton, the massive US oilfield services and equipment provider, has agreed to buy rival Baker Hughes in a deal worth massive $38bn (£24.3bn). The deal will take the form of a mix of shares and cash, valuing Baker Hughes shares at $78.62. The mammoth buyout comes as the price of oil keeps falling, making oil [...]
Mark Carney: EU bonus cap has “unfortunate” side-effects – reform bankers’ pay instead November 17, 2014 Bank of England governor Mark Carney says massive fines for bad behaviour among bankers hasn't done enough – and that their pay may be overhauled even further in order to "help rebuild trust in financial institutions". New measures could include "clawback" options for bankers' salaries as well as their bonuses, and even paying out "performance [...]
Virgin America and Virgin Money IPOs: Richard Branson got almost 10 per cent richer this week November 14, 2014 The last couple of weeks have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for Richard Branson. This time two weeks ago, the eccentric billionaire was mourning another setback in his Virgin Galactic project. This week, his fortune increased by nearly 10 per cent, after two of his businesses entered the public markets just days apart. First [...]
