Business diary: US business still in dark ages on climate change

Though President Obama is having some success persuading America that climate change is a real and present danger, he still has work to do with some US businessmen. CBS News has just unearthed this posting on Twitter from Don Blankenship, the chief executive of Massey Energy, one of America's biggest mining companies. "Believe me yet? Global warming is a hoax and a Ponzi scheme", says the enlightened Mr Blankenship.

Fine Fabric and consolation for Cherie and pals

An exceptionally posh invite arrives from Matrix Chambers, the legal business where Cherie Booth, wife of the former prime minister Tony Blair, plies her trade. Open the wrapper and a cardboard cube jumps out with details of Matrix's tenth anniversary party, to be held at the London nightclub Fabric. Should Cherie feel like drowning any sorrows, it's the party is on the Thursday following the election.

Blankfein's still a shade sharper than his rivals

Say this for Lloyd Blankfein: at least the Goldman Sachs boss had the nerve to turn up to President Obama's speech on financial regulation in New York on Thursday, despite his bank's difficult week. The Washington Post reports that some of the best-known names on Wall Street – including Morgan Stanley's John Mack, Citigroup's Vikram Pandit, Bank of America's Brian Moynihan, JP Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon and Wells Fargo's John Stumpf - didn't make it. You're going to be sorry boys.

UBS bankers have too much time to kill

Ever wondered what City boys do all day? Well at UBS Wealth Management, they obviously spend too much time thinking about football. It has just published an extensive research note analysing the performance of teams at the World Cup to work out who'll win this year. The shock finding is that it will be Germany, Italy or Brazil. England chance: 4 per cent. Too much time on their hands?

businessdiary@independent.co.uk