Hollande’s raid on rich is the wrong kind of revolution August 21, 2012 AFTER little more than a hundred days in power, French President François Hollande’s popularity is dropping fast. Recent polls show that 54 per cent of French citizens are dissatisfied with his performance, compared with approximately 40 per cent in July. It’s little wonder – taxes on the rich, which initially attracted voters, are in danger [...]
John Pluthero interview: The controversial telco boss on life after the C-suite April 30, 2012 Discussing abstract art with controversial executive John Pluthero is a slightly surreal experience, akin to ballroom dancing with Tony Hayward, or playing Twister with Steve Jobs. Pluthero is showing me around an exhibition he helped to curate at the Kings Place Gallery in Islington. Bright swirls of colour adorn every wall, each one accompanied by his impassioned commentary. He [...]
As France goes to the polls its love for London grows April 20, 2012 WALKING around South Kensington, you may have a feeling of being lost in Paris’s Latin Quarter. There are French cafés, bistros, book stores; you may even come across the Lycée Français, the established hub of the French community. The French are in London en masse and have made some parts of the capital their own [...]
As France goes to the polls its love for London grows April 20, 2012 WALKING around South Kensington, you may have a feeling of being lost in Paris’s Latin Quarter. There are French cafés, bistros, book stores; you may even come across the Lycée Français, the established hub of the French community. The French are in London en masse and have made some parts of the capital their own [...]
Retreating to the safety of the krone October 13, 2011 SINCE the Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) decision to de-facto peg the Swiss franc to the euro on 6 September, investors have been scrambling for alternative safe havens in order to allocate part of their liquid cash position. Gold’s violent drop in value during the second half of September has made this quest for safety even [...]
Air Berlin chief quits after a quarterly loss and plans for drastic network cuts August 19, 2011 AIR Berlin founder and chief executive Joachim Hunold quit yesterday after the low-cost carrier posted a quarterly loss and cut its network in the quest for its first annual profit since 2007. If the board accepts Hunold’s suggestion, Hartmut Mehdorn, the former head of state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn, would take over as interim chief [...]
Vincent Tchenguiz interview: the Mayfair tycoon fighting to clear his name June 3, 2011 An afternoon with Vincent Tchenguiz, the property tycoon fighting to clear his name of fraud allegations linked to the collapse of Icelandic bank Kaupthing, makes you realise why cases like this take a team of accountants years to unravel. For nearly 90 minutes, I’m bombarded with figures and facts, allegations and claims. At one point [...]
Both black and white beers will bring out the best in oysters November 26, 2009 London's connection with oysters goes back as far as the city itself. The eating of oysters in London began in Roman times, when the British product was shipped as far as Rome. They continued to be popular in medieval times, when the church imposed lots of “fish days”, during which seafood had to be eaten [...]
Meet steely Neelie Kroes, the queen of UK banks November 4, 2009 Brussels competition chief Neelie Kroes yesterday unveiled the most radical shake-up of UK retail banking in living memory, ordering Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group to sell off assets and authorising an extra £40bn injection of taxpayer money into the banks. The extra capital from the Treasury only served to stoke the anger [...]