What the other papers say this morning – 14 November 2013
FINANCIAL TIMES
Cameron calls for cuts in phone bills
David Cameron is urging mobile phone companies to give customers a better deal as the prime minister fights to win ground in the battle over the rising cost of living. Downing Street has instructed Maria Miller and her officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to exact concessions from mobile phone companies, including on roaming bills, as well as on the lack of transparency in costs.The culture ministry has summoned telecoms executives to a meeting this week. The initiative has been pushed up the political agenda as Cameron responds to Ed Miliband, Labour leader, who has won public support for his focus on rising energy prices.
Serco has over £4bn of contracts
Serco has over £4bn worth of contracts with the Ministry of Defence, according to figures seen by the Financial Times, showing how enmeshed the group is with its government paymasters. Information released by the MoD shows Serco’s deep ties with the department despite seven investigations into the way it runs the contracts.
Rolls-Royce plans 3D printing
Rolls-Royce is gearing up to use 3D printing technology to produce components for its jet engines, as a means of speeding up production and making more lightweight parts. Henner Wapenhans, the company’s head of technology strategy, said Rolls-Royce was “a few years away” from using the technology to produce parts that go into service.
THE TIMES
Trafigura claim sparks row
Spain’s historic Rio Tinto copper mine is at the centre of an ownership dispute between an AIM-quoted miner and Trafigura, the privately owned commodities trader. Emed Mining, the listed explorer, yesterday rejected claims by Trafigura that it had acquired an option to take over the rights of the mothballed mine.
Macy’s reaps rewards of offerings
Stung by disappointing second-quarter sales figures in August, a chastened Macy’s stepped up its marketing and promotions — and yesterday the American department stores group revealed that the effort had paid off handsomely.
The Daily Telegraph
Quarter of businesses add Xmas staff
Coping with the Christmas rush means one in four businesses plan to take on temporary staff so they can deal with the extra trade. Almost a quarter of companies plan to take on seasonal staff this Christmas as they boost employee numbers to cope with the festive rush.
EU business disappointed
The 1,700-member EU Chamber of Commerce in China has expressed disappointment at the “vague and ambiguous” wording of the much-awaited communique from Beijing’s top brass on future economic reform.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Bitcoin price hits a new record
The price of a bitcoin vaulted to a record yesterday, fuelled by growing views that the virtual currency can have a credible future as an alternative to traditional methods of payment. The momentum comes from around the world, as amateur investors and venture capitalists pump money into businesses using bitcoin.
GM Intl to shift to Singapore
GM’s new headquarters will oversee markets from Africa to New Zealand, while the Shanghai office will be dedicated to China, which accounted for 30 per cent of the firm’s vehicle sales last year.