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Stepping away from Sports Direct, there's some breaking news out of the US. The country's surgeon general will call for action later today to reduce the use of e-cigarettes among young people.

A surge in use of the devices by children and young adults is “a major public health concern", Dr Vivek Murthy will say, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"We know a great deal about what works to effectively prevent tobacco use among young people," the report says. "Now we must apply these strategies to e-cigarettes." 

It's the first time a major public health body has taken such a strong position on the smoking devices, which heat nicotine-laced liquid into a vapour.

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Shares in Sports Direct have plunged by 6.2% in the opening few minutes.

The retailer reported a sharp decline in half-year profits due to the fall in sterling, and was downbeat about future trading. It said "strategic challenges and currency headwinds" are expected to continue to hit its financial performance over the medium term.

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Sports Direct continues to have "real problems", says Simon Walker, director general at the Institute of Directors, which has heavily criticised the firm's corporate governance.

This morning's appointment of banking veteran David Brayshaw as a non-executive director is "a start", Mr Walker concedes.

But he says there are still major issues on the company's board. Most independent shareholders voted against Keith Hellawell (pictured) as chairman, and "he ought to go".  

Founder Mike Ashley is still "totally dominant" at the company and needs a "board that can stand up to him", he adds. 

Sports Direct says it will be taking delivery of a corporate plane "in the coming weeks" which will cost $51.1m (£40m). 

Sports Direct already owns a corporate helicopter which, according to chairman Keith Hellawell, is used by "senior management, employees and our business partners".

The company said that both the plane and helicopter will be available for charter at open market rates by third parties or staff in a personal capacity if they are not being used by the group.

It says: "The board believes that these corporate assets generate substantial operational benefits for the company and enable Sports Direct to operate efficiently across its global footprint." 

Profits have fallen, staff morale is low but Sports Direct's majority owner and chief executive, Mike Ashley is treating the company to a new plane.

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The chairman of Sports Direct has launched an attack on critics of the retailer, claiming that the "extreme" criticism has impacted its business.

Keith Hellawell, who was the subject of a shareholder backlash and will stand for re-election on 5 January, says: "I have no doubt that the extreme political, union and media campaign waged against this company has not only damaged its reputation and influenced our customers, it has impacted negatively on the morale of our people.

"I begin to question whether this intense scrutiny is all ethically motivated.

"One of the most damaging consequences has been for the very people our critics supposedly support. The board accepts responsibility for our shortcomings, but there has also been disproportionate, inaccurate and misleading commentary. 

"The individuals at the heart of our organisation are blameless. They are increasingly upset and angry at the barrage of detrimental comments about the company which in their view is unjustified."

He thanks the staff for their loyalty and says the retailer looks "forward to less stressful times". 

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Sports Direct has admitted that morale at the company has been hit this year.

The company and its majority owner, Mike Ashley, have been under scrutiny because of the working conditions at its Shirebrook warehouse, including using agency staff who were employed on zero hour contracts. 

In its first results since billionaire Mr Ashley took over as chief executive from Dave Forsey, Sports Direct says: "The significant events over the last year have been tough on our people and morale - our people are our number one priority over the long term." 

Sports Direct has been hit by the falling value of the pound. Pre-tax profits in the six months to the end of October tumbled by 25.1% to £140.2m on group sales up 14.2% at £1.6bn.   

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Sports Direct will be releasing its half-year results shortly, and one analyst says it's widely expected that the numbers won't be good. 

John Botham of Invesco Perpetual said investors would focus instead on the company's steps to address its "unusual" corporate governance under founder Mike Ashley. 

They'll be watching for the appointment of new directors. Also, they'll want to see the firm's outlook for next year, as the fall in the pound has made their imports more expensive, he added.

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Credit Suisse's plans to cut more staff in London and other global offices highlights the difference between European and US banks, according to Kathleen Brooks, research director at Forex.com and City Index.

She says European banks have to "cut costs to make money" as opposed to their American cousins who are making profits without going down the same route.

Ms Brooks does not necessarily believe that there will be more bloodletting from European banks and that Credit Suisse were "a bit long in coming to this".

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The latest data from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, out this morning, shows that stamp duty changes are hitting the higher end of the housing market.

Naomi Heaton, chief executive of the London Central Portfolio, says there's been an "enormous drop" in transactions for the capital's upmarket properties.

Deals for homes valued at more than £5m have fallen 60% and prices are down about 20%, partly due to higher stamp duty putting off buyers, she says.

But Henry Pryor, an independent housing expert, counters that most of the big estate agent groups would challenge those figures. 

"Yes there's a change in sentiment from a sellers market to a buyers market, but we needn't sit on our window ledges," he tells Today.

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Tata Steel's plan to safeguard production and jobs at Port Talbot is a "sound proposal", according to the University of South Wales' Dr Kath Ringwald, despite shutting the £15bn British Steel pension scheme to new members.

The director of the Procurement Best Practice Academy and senior lecturer told Wake Up to Money that Tata Steel had taken a longer term view rather than making a quick fix.

Tata has made a five-year commitment to keeping two blast furnaces at the Port Talbot plant open and avoiding compulsory redundancies. The deal, agreed with unions, also set out a 10-year £1bn investment plan to support steel making at the site.  

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Asian stock markets have picked up where Wall Street left off, with most of the main indices showing strong gains.

Japan's Nikkei 225, the region's biggest index, is up 0.9% to 18,667. 

South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.4% to 2,021, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index has gained 0.5% to 22,910.  

The Dow Jones and S&P 500 hit new records in the US overnight as optimism about Donald Trump's economic strategy continued to buoy the markets.

Welcome to Business Live. Today the European Central Bank is expected to extend its quantitative easing programme by six months but keep the size of asset purchases at €80bn a month when it makes its monetary policy announcement.

We'll also hear from Sports Direct for the first time since majority shareholder, Mike Ashley, took over as chief executive when the retailer announces its interim results.

As always, we look forward to receiving your opinions. Do email us at bizlivepage@bbc.co.uk