City Spy: Ladies of night fear Olympic crackdown

Catherine Stephens, an activist for the International Union of Sex Workers, tells the Islington Gazette: "Everyone is so worried about trafficking they think they will find a sobbing Albanian virgin under every bed, and legitimate businesses are paying the price. They are even discussing a ban on advertising for sexual services for the duration of the games." Outrageous!

*G4S has had 20,000 applications for its 10,000 Olympic security guard jobs. And the process only launched yesterday. A sign of how tough the London jobs market is.

*Boris Johnson made a surprise appearance alongside Lord Coe to bang the drum for the Olympics following David Cameron's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Having unveiled an ice sculpture of London landmarks in Davos to celebrate the 2012 Games, the Mayor said: "London has a great reputation for exporting things. We send chocolate cake to France, we export bikes from Chiswick to Holland, we export rice to India and we export TV aerials from Wandsworth to Korea.

Now we have been able to export frozen water from London to Switzerland. It is Château Thames, the finest vintage." Good old Boris, he never lets the side down, does he?

Er, where did I leave my phone?

It could happen to anybody. Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond was on his way into the main conference centre at Davos when he suddenly stopped short, as he realised he'd left his phone in his hotel room. "At least you're not the head
of a major global bank or anything," joked his female friend.

*This is one Davos party that Barclays bankers wouldn't have wanted to be at: Having been shortlisted a few months ago, the bank was today awarded top prize in the Public Eye Shame Award, for speculating on food prices. Professor Joseph Stiglitz was among those due to speak at the awards ceremony - but it's not thought that Bob Diamond found time to attend...

These stocks look cheap!
Numis Securities' media analysts think stocks in the sector are undervalued, and they've produced a meaty 234-page report entitled - drum roll! - "Cash flow, balance sheets and dividends".

Couldn't the title have been a little more, well, exciting? One reader has got in touch to suggest a more eye-catching title: "Bugger me, these stocks look cheap". Well, it does get to the point.

*Spare a thought for those poor folk in ad land: The Marketing Agencies Association's annual pay survey shows clients have forced down agency fees by 18% over the last decade, to £105.68 an hour from £129.55 in 2002.

*It's a victory for Peppa Pig. Darren Throop, chief executive of Entertainment One, the media company behind the cartoon pig character, was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards at the National History Museum. "I am delighted accept this award, but feel that it really reflects the commitment and hard work of everyone at eOne," says Throop. Don't forget Peppa too.