THE DAILY BRIEFING
■ ECONOMIST EXIT The controversial chief economist of the World Bank Paul Romer is said to be stepping down immediately after 15 months in the role. An outspoken figure, Romer has rubbed many of his colleagues up the wrong way and has seen him stripped of his managerial responsibilities.
■ DEEP DRILLING Oil giant Total is getting deeper into the Gulf of Mexico. It is buying Samson Offshore Anchor, which has a 12.5pc interest in four blocks covering the major Anchor discovery. The deal also includes a further 12.5pc interest in the nearby exploration block.
■ SMART HIRE Former NHS information boss Kelly Olsen, 51, has been hired as a non-executive director by Smart Metering Systems, which connects, owns and operates gas and electricity meters for major energy firms.
■ OIL CARGO North Sea oil producer Premier Oil says the first export cargo, of about 500,000 barrels, from its key Catcher development was lifted yesterday and sold at a premium to the benchmark Brent price. It plans to increase production to 60,000 barrels a day.
■ TECH CHIEF Former IBM executive Jerome Pesenti is the new head of Facebook’s artificial intelligence research arm. He will lead a division of 130 employees, based in San Francisco, New York and Paris.
■ TRUMP BOOST Entertainment chain Disney is the latest US firm to announce it will hand bonuses to staff in response to Donald Trump’s sweeping tax reforms. More than 125,000 employees will get a £714 bonus thanks to the overhaul.
■ JUDGE RULING Judges have ruled that an oil boss was not given the chance to defend himself before he was fined for insider dealing.
Ayman Asfari, chief executive of Petrofac, said the ruling from the UK High Court will boost his appeal against authorities in Italy.
■ RATE WARNING Tim Martin, boss of pub chain Wetherspoon, has warned of rising costs, as it deals with higher business rates, the living wage and the sugar tax.
■ BOSS OUSTED The boss of Countrywide has quit just days after a thumping profits warning sent shares in the estate agent to a record low. Alison Platt, who has run Countrywide since September 2014, will be replaced by chairman Peter Long.