WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING
FINANCIAL TIMES
US RETAILERS TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA ON “BLACK FRIDAY”
US retailers will on Friday unleash a traditional barrage of post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping promotions, with the National Retail Federation expecting 134m Americans to head for the stores. This year however, the retailers have reinforced their traditional efforts with a new array of social-networking weapons including Twitter, the micro-blogging website.
FOUR JAILED OVER HK TRADING CONSPIRACY
A Hong Kong court yesterday sentenced four people to up to 30 months in prison for conspiring to boost the market value Asia Standard Hotel by HK$4bn ($516m) in the city’s biggest market manipulation case. The sentencing was the culmination of the latest case brought by the Securities and Futures Commission, the Hong Kong regulator, in an ongoing crackdown on market misconduct.
DARLING TO CONCEDE RECESSION WORSE THAN HE FORECAST
Alistair Darling will admit in next month’s pre-Budget report that the recession has been much deeper than he forecast in March. The chancellor is expected to say that the economy contracted by 4.75 per cent in 2009, shrinking at least one percentage point than predicted in the Budget.
RENAULT AND MOSCOW AGREE ON AVTOVAZ
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and Renault are due to sign a memorandum of understanding on restructuring Avtovaz on Friday, but the French carmaker on Thursday again dismissed speculation that it would contribute cash to a bail-out of its troubled Russian affiliate. The signing will take place in Paris.
THE TIMES
TESCO POLICY ON PLASTIC IS FANTASTIC SAYS UNIVERSITY (AFTER BAGGING £25 MILLION)
A university that accepted £25m from Tesco has published a report with misleading figures to endorse the supermarket’s policy of giving away billions of single-use carrier bags. The University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute allowed senior Tesco staff to contribute to the report but failed to disclose the extent of the company’s involvement. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, joined Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco chief executive, at the publication of the report last month.
NUCLEAR PLANS STILL FLAWED, SAYS WATCHDOG
The nuclear safety regulator has warned that two new reactor designs earmarked for use in Britain remain incomplete and could be rejected. &730;
The Daily Telegraph
SHELL FAVOURS GAS OVER OIL FOR FUTURE PRODUCTION STRATEGY
Gas will be at the heart of Royal Dutch Shell’s production strategy ahead of oil as the world attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, according to the energy group’s new chief executive, Peter Voser. Delivering an update on Shell’s two flagship gas projects in Qatar, which are costing the group $21bn (£12.6bn), Mr Voser admitted that one – a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant – would overrun by about 10 months.
OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS TAX AMNESTY MAY BE EXTENDED
An extension to the offshore bank accounts tax amnesty is being considered by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) because of opposition from a group of foreign banks and the sheer volume of work involved. Tax advisers are pressing HMRC to extend it.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
EU CHARGES TV TUBE MANUFACTURERS
The European Commission Thursday said it has sent formal antitrust charges to cathode ray tube manufacturers, used in televisions and computers, on suspicion that they operated a cartel. Dutch electronics company Royal Philips Electronics NV confirmed that it had received the commission’s charges known as a statement of objections, and was preparing a response.
MAGAZINE PUBLISHER FINDS PROFIT IN AIRLINES
The airline industry is struggling, and so is magazine publishing, but British publisher Ink is profiting by combining the two. It is now the world’s biggest producer of in-flight magazines, handling 40 titles for carriers from 17 countries, benefiting from the captive audiences on planes.