What the other papers say this morning – 17 December 2013 December 16, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES US judge ruling on NSA surveillance The National Security Agency’s surveillance methods have suffered a significant legal setback after a federal judge ruled yesterday that a programme that collects bulk phone records was likely to be unconstitutional. In an often scathing ruling about the activities of the NSA, the court said the programme [...]
Ashley scores in the weird world of business tiffs December 15, 2013 MIKE Ashley is not happy with Adidas, after the German sports company refused from next season to let Ashley’s retail giant Sports Direct sell its replica Chelsea kits – incidentally one of Sports Direct’s bestsellers. Ashley is understandably miffed, and it has even been suggested the billionaire plans to build a hostile stake in Adidas [...]
Mayor of New York to set up city advice firm December 15, 2013 NEW YORK’S outgoing mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is setting up a consultancy business to advise other cities on development. Bloomberg, who will leave his mayoral post at the end of December after 12 years and three terms in charge, is taking a number of senior City Hall staff with him to launch the business, named Bloomberg [...]
Capita wins tag contracts from G4S and Serco December 12, 2013 OUTSOURCING firm Capita has been chosen to take over the prisoner tagging contracts currently held by G4S and Serco, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said yesterday. G4S and Serco are under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in relation to the contracts, on allegations that they charged for tagging criminals who were either dead, [...]
The Long View: Three reads for Christmas: Glamour, Cicero’s web and high-tech fiction December 12, 2013 I WROTE at the end of November that the rise of the selfie marked the death of the audience and the rise of an age committed to universal self-expression and performance. This week, even world leaders have been joining in. When David Cameron and Barack Obama were caught taking silly pictures of themselves at Nelson [...]
India court seeks value of Nokia factory seized during tax dispute December 11, 2013 AN INDIAN court has extended a hearing over local tax authorities’ seizure of a Nokia factory by seeking information on the plant value, adding to concerns whether the company can transfer the property to Microsoft as part of the sale of its mobile phone business. Nokia has offered to pay a €270m (£227.3m) deposit to [...]
Ex Barclays chief Bob Diamond returns December 9, 2013 Former Barclays chief executive plans his City comeback BOB DIAMOND is launching a new investment vehicle in London to fund a venture into African banking, his first big move since leaving Barclays in last year’s Libor scandal. City commentators welcomed the investment banker’s return, 18 months after he bore the brunt of the blame for [...]
HTC’s flagship One mobile could be blocked from sale tomorrow December 4, 2013 STRUGGLING smartphone maker HTC could have its flagship HTC One phone blocked from sale in the UK this Friday after a high court judge said it infringes a Nokia patent. HTC has filed an urgent appeal against the High Court decision but if this is not granted by the end of the week it will [...]
Formula One future muddled by prospect of Concorde talks delay December 1, 2013 THE BOSS of the company which controls Formula One has revealed that his investors are unhappy with the length of the commercial contracts with the sport’s 11 teams which expire at the end of 2020. It could signal an extension to the long-running negotiations with teams over the Concorde Agreement, the contract which commits them [...]
Former Kazakh bank chairman told to pay $300m over fraud November 26, 2013 FORMER BTA bank chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov was yesterday ordered to pay $294m in damages to the Kazakh lender. The court case revolved around claims Ablyazov misappropriated a portfolio of AAA-rated securities worth nearly $300m by transferring them to overseas shell companies he owned. At the High Court yesterday Judge Launcelot Henderson said Ablyazov “must have been [...]