Business Diary: An early start at Champneys

An invitation arrives that at first sight sounds difficult to turn down. Health spa operator Champneys is launching a "Corporate Wellbeing" programme aimed at executives and wants us to try it out. A 24-hour stay at its spa in Hertfordshire sounds just the sort of tonic we need right now, and who wouldn't want to attend seminars with titles such as Hunter Gatherers in the Corporate Jungle? Just one hitch: the bash requires us to attend a 6am "Dawn-breaker exercise class". What a pity our calendar is full that day.

The Shard, a monument to London

Renzo Piano, the architect behind the Shard tower in the City, says Londoners love the building. Le Journal du Dimanche, the French paper, asks Piano whether the tower is just "the arrogant symbol of the money-king that dominates London". Piano replies: "This project symbolises the energy of London, not the world of finance... there are, as always, the bigots and the moralisers who attack me."

King bids Trichet farewell

To the Association of Financial Markets in Europe's annual dinner, which managed to attract not one central banker but two, with both Sir Mervyn King and Jean-Claude Trichet in attendance. The Governor of the Bank of England gave a moving tribute to the departing President of the European Central Bank (he steps down at the end of the month), revealing the pair had first met at Cambridge University 40 years ago. Central banking is a small world.

Tilt could stand up no longer

The Financial Times has been a flag bearer for putting paywalls around journalism. But having seen the strategy pay off, did the pink 'un get a little ambitious with Tilt, its emerging-market news site? Readers have balked at the idea of paying £1,000 a year for access and the site shut yesterday after nine months. The final entry read: "With thanks from the FT Tilt Team: The End."