Friday, 1 June 2012
MoneySavingExpert.com, which was set up by Mr Lewis in 2003 and now sends a weekly email to around five million subscribers, is to be bought by price comparison website MoneySupermarket.
Mr Lewis, who is well known as a television pundit on money matters, will receive 60 million upfront in a mixture of cash and shares and a further 27 million conditional on meeting targets over the next three years.
He plans to donate 10 million to charity from the deal, including 1 million to Citizens Advice, while he will retain full control over the website.
According to Google Analytics, the MoneySavingExpert website attracted 39 million unique visitors and around 277 million page impressions in the year to October 31. It generated revenues of 15.7 million over the same period.
Mr Lewis said the deal, which needs the approval of MoneySupermarket shareholders, ensured the website would be around for many years to come.
He added: "MoneySavingExpert.com has become part of people's daily lives, far bigger than the man who founded it, and now is the right time for it to stand on its own two feet."
Mr Lewis said he chose Moneysupermarket because it is not owned by any product providers and had signed up to an editorial code which ensures the website's content will be free from commercial pressures.
He will stay as editor-in-chief for the next three years, with the help of Moneysupermarket's resources and the website's existing 42-strong staff.
"After that, the door is open for me to carry on, and I hope to do so, though perhaps with fewer hours than now, so I can spend more time on my media work and other projects I'm passionate about. These include getting financial education on the curriculum," Mr Lewis said.
Forex: EUR/USD in red ahead of NFP - FXStreet.com
Somalia donor money 'goes missing' - BBC News
Large sums of money donated to Somalia's UN-backed interim government have not been accounted for, a World Bank report says.
The report, seen by the BBC, is being circulated at talks in Turkey on how to end Somalia's decades of anarchy.
It alleges a discrepancy of about $130m (£85m) in the accounts over two years.
UK foreign minister William Hague told the BBC that an international board to oversee the distribution of aid funds needed to be established urgently.
Somalia's transitional government mandate expires in August when it is due to hand over to an elected president.
'Big question mark'Analysis
Countless conferences and billions of dollars of aid have been devoted to Somalia, with little to show for it. What is new about this gathering is the energetic involvement of Turkey, now one of the largest donors and investors in Somalia.
Turkish entrepreneurs are braving shaky security to do business in Mogadishu and last year Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the first foreign leader to visit Somalia since the civil war began in 1991. Turkey is not burdened by the suspicion many Somalis feel towards neighbouring or Western countries, that their assistance has a hidden agenda.
But aid experts have warned that Turkey's preference to work alone, and not through international agencies, is risky. Some of its projects could fail, or have only a short-term impact.
This conference aims to start preparing Somalia for long-term reconstruction. In his opening speech, Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali painted a rosy picture of unspoiled coastlines and rich pastures. We have a lot more to offer than pirates and famine, he said.
The revelations in the World Bank report come as several hundred Somali politicians meet representatives of more than 50 countries in Istanbul to try to win new funding for the long-term reconstruction of country.
The report stops short of making specific allegations, but does not rule out corruption as a possible explanation for the missing funds.
"There is a discrepancy in what comes in and there's a lack of accounting of how money has been spent," the report's author Joakim Gundel is quoted by US broadcaster Voice of America as saying.
"So that opens naturally a big question mark for sure."
The report, which looks at the years 2009 and 2010, also says the transitional government has no real accounting system nor does it publicly disclose financial statements.
Contacted by the BBC, Mr Gundel said he would not make any comment about the report until later on Friday.
But VOA reports him as saying that the missing millions could significantly bolster Somalia's security without relying on foreign donations.
The conference in Istanbul is the second major international gathering this year about Somalia's crisis.
In London in February, at talks hosted by the UK government, it was agreed that a financial management board to oversee aid should be established.
"The details of this need to be finalised with the government of Somalia - and frankly I was hoping it could be done by now, by this conference in Istanbul - if it is not signed here, well then it needs to signed in the next few weeks," Mr Hague told the BBC Somali Service.
Last month, leaders of disparate Somali factions agreed to a timetable that will elect a new president by 20 August, ending the transition period of the interim government.
The Horn of Africa country has had no effective central government since 1991, and has been wracked by fighting ever since - a situation that has allowed piracy and lawlessness to flourish.
Mr Hague said it was important that those at the conference understood that deadlines were met and that the 18,000-strong African Union force in Somalia was properly funded.
"I hope it [the conference] will keep up the momentum, particularly towards a successful and legitimate political process in Somalia, towards making sure that development money can be spent properly and transparently in Somalia... And we'd like to see, of course, the continued success of African Union forces," the UK foreign secretary said.
All Somalia's rival groups have been invited to participate in the Istanbul talks, expect for the Islamist al-Shabab group, which joined al-Qaeda earlier this year.
Despite facing pressure on a number of military fronts, its fighters control much of the country.
In recent months, troops from Ethiopia and the African Union force, as well as pro-government militias, have helped government forces gain territory from al-Shabab but the militants continue to stage attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere.
Bankia SA : Money flies out of Spain, regions pressured - 4-traders (press release)
Spaniards alarmed by the dire state of their banks are squirreling money abroad at the fastest rate since records began, figures showed on Thursday, and the credit ratings of eight regions were cut.
Spain is the next country in the firing line of the euro zone's debt crisis, with spendthrift regions and shaky banks threatening to blow a hole in state finances and pushing funding costs towards levels that signal the need for a bailout.
The European Commission gave new help on Wednesday, offering direct aid from a euro zone rescue fund to recapitalize Spanish banks and more time for Madrid to reduce its budget deficit.
That helped lower the risk premium investors demand to hold Spanish 10-year debt rather than the German benchmark on Thursday, but it remained close to the euro-era record, at 520 basis points.
Bank of Spain data showed a net 66.2 billion euros ($82.0 billion) was sent abroad last month, the most since records began in 1990. The figure compares to a 5.4 billion net entry of funds during the same month one year ago.
Spaniards are worried about the health of their banks, hit by their exposure to a 2008 property crash, and have been sending money to deposit accounts in stronger economies of northern Europe.
The capital flight data predates the nationalization of Spain's fourth biggest lender Bankia in May when it became clear the bank could not handle losses from bad real estate investments, compounded by a recession.
Spain's centre-right government has contracted independent auditors to assess the health of its financial system in an effort to restore faith in its banks.
Spain must lay out its restructuring plans for Bankia to the European Commission (EC), a spokesman for the EU executive arm said on Thursday. He added that a domestic solution to the country's bank crisis would be better than a European rescue.
The government said on Wednesday it would finance a 23.5 billion euro rescue of the bank through the bank fund, FROB but senior debt bankers said that the syndicated bond market is currently closed for Spanish agencies.
REMOVING UNCERTAINTIES
The prospect that Spain might not be able to handle losses at its banks has pummeled shares and the euro, although both regained some stability on Thursday.
"What we need first of all is for the Spanish government to tell us its restructuring plans for Bankia, what options it is considering," said European Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj in a radio interview.
"From there, we will study the plans and see whether they comply with requirements for public aid."
Spain should carry out the refinancing of its banking sector, laid low by a decade of unsustainable lending during a property boom, by market mechanisms or government funds, rather than a European rescue which would have negative connotations, Altafaj said.
"The sooner uncertainties are removed the better," he added.
The government also hopes to clear doubts on Friday about how it plans to ease financing problems among its 17 autonomous regions.
Treasury ministry sources said a mechanism to back the regions' debt would be agreed at the weekly's cabinet meeting and figures showing they were on track to meet their spending cuts targets would be released.
Fitch Ratings downgraded eight regions on Thursday, warning that a failure from the government to adopt new measures would result in further ratings cuts.
Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria is due to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and International Monetary Fund Director General Christine Lagarde in Washington on Thursday.
The deputy PM will outline Spain's measures to tackle its crisis during the meetings, which were convened before Spain's situation reached boiling point, a government spokesman said.
(Additional reporting by Jose Elias Rodriguez and Jesus Aguado; Editing by Julien Toyer and Peter Graff)
By Sonya Dowsett and Sarah White
Grieving family's anguish as conwoman makes money 'collecting' cash for their two-year-old's gravestone after he fell to his death from moving car - Daily Mail
- Levi Brailsford died after apparently unbuckling his harness and climbing out of the moving car
- A woman claiming to be a 'family friend' has been going door-to-door asking for cash, homeowners have claimed
- The boy's father Kevin said: People shouldn't give this woman any money because we don't know who she is'
By Rob Cooper
|
Tragic: Levi Brailsford, aged, 2, who died after falling out of his grandmothers car
A conwoman has been going door-to-door pretending she is collecting 'donations' for a two-year-old's gravestone after he fell to his death from a moving car.
Levi Brailsford's grieving family claimed the woman has been calling at houses across Bristol using the ruse to trick people into handing over cash.
The boy died in Stockwood, Bristol, on May 11 after unbuckling his harness and apparently opening the door of the moving vehicle.
The family, who recently held the boy's funeral, said they have not asked anyone to collect money on their behalf.
Residents living in Redland, Bristol, said they had been called by a woman claiming to be fundraising for Levi's funeral and headstone.
The boy's family have been contacted by friends with similar stories about a mystery woman asking for donations.
Levi's father Kevin said: 'If it was legitimate and the proceeds were coming to us for our son, there would be no problem with it.
'But we haven't asked anyone to do it and for anyone to make any money in my poor boy's name is very upsetting for us all. People shouldn't give this woman any money because we don't know who she is.
'I've had a lot of phone calls about it and I was so worried I told our family liaison officer at the police.'
Fresh agony: Levi's parents Kevin and Andrea were hit by the news that a conwoman has been falsely claiming she is collecting money for their dead son's headstone
Tribute: One of the bears that was left at the scene of Levi's death holds a message to the tragic two-year-old
Among the messages was a note from Levi's parents, Kevin and Andrea, who have been left devastated by the accident
Grief: The dead boy's family have been rocked by fresh claims that a conwoman has been going door-to-door claiming she is collecting money for them
The 33-year-old from Stockwood, Bristol, said: 'We will be raising money for the air ambulance with a sponsored walk in June, but that is still being organised.'
Jo Broome, who lives in Redland, said: 'A female, reporting to be a "family friend" of the Brailsford family is scouring the Redland area asking for donations to help pay for the funeral and headstone.
'She was very thin, had blondish hair tied back in a very tight ponytail and a very gruff voice. Her complexion was very white looking and she was about 5ft 4ins.
Wellwishers: Friends of the boy's family leave flowers at the spot where he tragically fell to his death
'She had a paper cutting of the story in a clear plastic envelope and was taking the name of anyone who had donated some money for the funeral on a scrap piece of paper.'
South Bristol Cemetery was packed last Friday as the two-year-old was laid to rest.
His father Kevin and mother Andrea, 29, released balloons into the sky, followed by scores more from family and friends.
Avon and Somerset Police spokeswoman Claire Stanley said: 'Both police and the family of Levi are aware of a woman who claims to be collecting on behalf of them for a headstone.
'None of these collections has been sanctioned by the family.'
No comments:
Post a Comment