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I’m in bed. Conscious, albeit barely. The untypical darkness betrays a low-slung sky outside. Where birdsong would unhurriedly rouse me up, a steady drizzle pitter patters against the window today. It’s day I-don’t-know-what of the "circuit breaker", day way-too-many of WFH. And I’m at the fag end of my patience. READ: Circuit Breaker Diaries: A week in the life of someone stuck at home with virtual yoga aunties My 14-month-old has just waddled in and clobbered me with a rogue pair of specs. The smell of coffee leaks into my room, as do the shrill cries of another child, presumably driven round the bend by HBL. At arm’s length, WhatsApp hums. It’s my barber. He’s in a state of panic. The soft noose of the early circuit breaker has wound tight. He can’t breathe, can’t operate. Rent’s due, too. READ: Circuit Breaker Diaries: Listening to the sounds of my quiet neighbourhood He tells me he’s going to do house calls. How else was he going to earn his bread? … [Read more...] about Ode to my neighbourhood barber and all the ghosts of haircuts past

LONDON: Arsenal's miserable season continued as they slumped to a 4-1 home defeat by holders Manchester City in the League Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. City, who have won the trophy for the last three seasons, went in front after three minutes through Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, who nodded home a fine Oleksandr Zinchenko cross. Mikel Arteta's struggling Arsenal side drew level in the 31st minute with a fine diving header from Alexandre Lacazette after an excellent cross from Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli but City took charge after the break. A mistake by Arsenal Icelandic goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson gifted the visitors a 2-1 lead in the 54th as he let a relatively harmless Riyad Mahrez free-kick through his arms. Phil Foden added a third, latching onto a ball into the box from Fernandinho and lifting it over the advancing Runarsson. Aymeric Laporte then headed in a Foden cross to wrap up the win for Pep Guardiola's side as they added to the troubles of the Gunners … [Read more...] about Football: More misery for Arsenal in 4-1 League Cup exit to Man City

LONDON: Donald Trump's longtime banker at Deutsche Bank AG will be stepping down from the German lender, with the move coming as the bank looks for ways to cut its relations with the US president. Rosemary Vrablic, a managing director and senior banker in the lender's wealth management division, recently handed in her resignation, which the bank accepted effective as of year-end, Deutsche Bank spokesman Dan Hunter said in an emailed statement. According to the New York Times, which first reported Vrablic's resignation, she arranged for the lender to grant hundreds of millions of dollars of loans to Trump's company. The resignation of another longtime colleague of Vrablic, Dominic Scalzi, has also been accepted by the bank, Hunter said, without mentioning reasons for the resignations. Vrablic and Scalzi both joined Deutsche Bank in 2006 from Bank of America. The Times reported that Deutsche Bank in August opened an internal review into a 2013 real estate transaction between … [Read more...] about Trump’s longtime banker at Deutsche Bank resigns

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid moved three points clear with a 2-0 win at third-placed Real Sociedad on Tuesday (Dec 22)  thanks to second-half goals from Mario Hermoso and Marcos Llorente. The game failed to live up to its billing in a drab first half but Atleti broke the deadlock early in the second when defender Hermoso headed in Yannick Carrasco's floated free kick. The visitors, without record signing Joao Felix who stayed in the team hotel after feeling ill, added to their lead with a vicious strike from Llorente after a lay-off from Luis Suarez. Sociedad welcomed back playmaker David Silva from injury but did not manage a shot on target until Atletico keeper Jan Oblak tipped a Martin Merquelanz free kick around the post late on. Atleti, who recorded their 300th win in 499 games in all competitions under manager Diego Simeone, have 32 points from 13 games ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who have played 14 and host Granada on Wednesday. "We … [Read more...] about Football: Atletico sink Sociedad to move clear at top of La Liga

WASHINGTON: U.S. policymakers need to consider major changes to make money market funds less vulnerable to investor runs, a working group led by the Treasury Department said Tuesday, stopping short of making specific recommendations. The regulatory group laid out several potential changes to those markets, which the U.S. government intervened to stabilize after big outflows prompted by the U.S. coronavirus outbreak in March. Ideas included setting stricter rules around fund redemptions, or higher capital buffers for such funds, but the group said it was not favoring any specific approach, and simply wanted to spur discussion. "The events of March 2020 show that more work is needed to reduce the risk that structural vulnerabilities ... will lead to or exacerbate stresses in short-term funding markets," stated the report by the Presidential Working Group on Financial Markets. The report could kick off a broader effort to overhaul the funds. Former Federal Reserve Chair … [Read more...] about US Treasury-led report calls for overhaul of money market funds