Credit crisis diary: Pretty (but very quiet) in pink

The pink protesters strike again. The evidence given by Timothy Geithner, US Treasury Secretary, to Congress yesterday was briefly interrupted by two female protesters dressed in pink, demanding that the banks repay the bailout cash they've received from taxpayers. The women are veteran protesters, having previously heckled the Treasury adviser, Larry Summers, and the Goldman Sachs boss, Lloyd Blankfein. As ever, the two protesters were unfailingly polite, sitting down meekly once Geithner started to speak. A testament both to US democracy and to good manners.

A new goal for Tesco

Football's coming home – to Tesco, that is. While unveiling those record profits yesterday, the supermarket's boss, Sir Terry Leahy, revealed he's been appointed as an ambassador for England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup, thanks to Tesco's soccer skills campaign. Sir Terry will be a good fit with fellow bid ambassador David Beckham – neither have quite made it in America.

Rumours of my demise are much exaggerated

Still, Sir Terry has at least promised to smarten himself up, having been concerned that his pallid complexion was behind questions about Tesco's management succession plans. He claimed yesterday not to have been considering the issue, but added: "I will have to get my photos touched up – have you got any of that fake tan you can lend me?"

Drink until you drop your calculator

It's a tough life working as a pub sector analyst. JD Wetherspoon took 30 analysts, as well as 10 bankers and other investors, on a tour of five of its pubs in west London on Friday, allowing them to sample some of its 50 different cask ales along the way. Keen to ensure the trip got off to a good start, the pub company handed out samples – purely in the name of research, of course – to the City scribblers before they got on the coach at 10.30am. No doubt the analysts also picked up crucial insight and information to input into their spreadsheets.

Habgood is no stranger to controversy

Anthony Habgood should have no problems coping with any complaints from earnest corporate governance types that he plans to chair two FTSE 100 companies, Reed Elsevier and Whitbread, in contravention of City codes. For almost a decade, he was chairman and chief executive of the packaging group Bunzl, with his dual role enraging the same do-gooders.

businessdiary@independent.co.uk