Thursday newspaper round-up: Tesco, Mark Carney, McDonald's...

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis revealed the names of 43 Tesco stores that will be closed down in an attempt to reduce overheads, said the City A.M. The chain revealed it will close 30 convenience stores, including 18 express outlets and 12 inner-city Metro shops. The closures are spread across the UK and will occur 15 March and 4 April.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney has attacked German austerity, according to The Times, by warning that unless wealthy states help poorer countries, the Eurozone may become trapped in “another lost decade”.

After the company recorded its first sales drop in 12 years, McDonald’s has appointed a new chief executive. The Guardian said that Don Thompson will step down as president and chief executive on 1 March to be replaced by British businessman Steve Easterbrook.

British defence secretary Michael Fallon has revealed the armed forces will sell-off its surplus land, barracks and equipment to boost front-line funds, The Telegraph reported.

Greece’s new left-wing prime minister Alexis Tsipras may take on the EU on Thursday in regard to its stance on Russia, according to The Times. It is believed Athens may threaten to veto when EU ministers gather in Brussels to discuss stiffening sanctions against Moscow, prompted by recent fighting in the eastern Ukraine.

The Tories will have to slash the welfare budget a further £21bn post-election to keep up with the pensions bill, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

According to The Independent, the British public was the second-most satisfied with the NHS it has ever been in 2014. The data revealed in a new survey indicated that high waiting times and more pressure on A&E services have done nothing to sway people’s faith in the national health service.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy uses tax-payer money to fund his office, car, security and even his dry-cleaning bills to the tune of €2.2 m each year, according to The Times. Outraged campaigners have claimed that Sarkozy and two other French presidents Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and Jacques Chirac cost France €6.2m every year.

Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of British public funds have been passed on to an aid agency accused of paying international criminals according to a government spending watchdog, The Guardian wrote.

Two Match of the Day presenters have been handed tax bills worth more than £4.5m after investing in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, wrote The Times. Revenue and Customs are also apparently investigating three other pundits from the BBC football show, who are rumoured to have invested in similar schemes.