Tuesday newspaper round-up: BHP, Sports Direct, France

BHP Billiton is reviewing the management of two big operations after the Samarco mudslide in Brazil that killed at least nine people. Andrew Mackenzie, the miner’s chief executive, told analysts and investors yesterday that the company was reviewing all of its dams worldwide. He also revealed that BHP was considering moving away from the arrangement whereby mines that it partly owns are managed by committee rather than by a single operator. The Samarco mine is run by a company of which BHP owns half, with the remainder owned by Vale, the huge Brazilian resources group. - The Times

Mike Ashley’s interest in football has taken him from St James’ Park, Newcastle, one of the biggest club grounds in Britain, to an altogether more humble pitch somewhere near you — albeit one that might be named Wembley, Nou Camp or Estadio Da Luz. Sports Direct, the billionaire’s sports retailer, has acquired a near-5 per cent stake in Goals Soccer Centres, the AIM-listed five-a-side pitch operator. - The Times

France has invoked emergency powers to sweep aside EU deficit rules and retake control over its economy after the terrorist atrocities in Paris, pledging a massive in increase and security and defence spending whatever the cost. President Francois Hollande said vital interests of the French nation are at stake and there can be no further justification for narrowly-legalistic deficit rules imposed by Brussels. - The Daily Telegraph

Finland's parliament will debate next year whether to quit the euro, a senior parliamentary official said on Monday, in a move unlikely to end membership of the single currency but which highlights Finns' dissatisfaction with their country's economic performance. The decision follows a citizens' petition which has raised the necessary 50,000 signatures under Finnish rules to force such a debate, probably the first such initiative in any country of the 19-member Eurozone. - The Daily Telegraph

More than €2bn (£1.4bn) was wiped off shares in European travel and hotel companies , as investors focused on concerns that the Paris attacks will hit tourism and consumer confidence across the continent. Shares in airline Air France-KLM, travel company Thomas Cook and their sector peers were down sharply on Monday, over fears the attacks and the prospect of tighter border controls would deter shoppers and holidaymakers from visiting Paris and other European cities. - The Daily Telegraph

Banks could face an exodus of crime-fighting staff, as most compliance officers – who are responsible for making sure banks obey the law – want to quit their jobs. The biggest worry for regulatory, compliance and anti-money laundering staff is the risk that they could go to jail if they fail to stop rogue colleagues breaking the law, according to a study from the British Bankers’ Association and LexisNexis. - The Daily Telegraph