BAT snaps up Indonesian firm June 17, 2009 BRITISH American Tobacco has bought an 85 per cent stake in Indonesia’s fourth-largest cigarette maker by volume for $494m (£301m). BAT, maker of Dunhill and Lucky Strike, said the decision to acquire an 85 per cent stake in Bentoel Internasional Investama will give it a foothold in Indonesia’s lucrative kretek, or clove-flavoured cigarette market, which [...]
US rejects Iran meddling June 17, 2009 The US rejected claims it was interfering with the post-election tumult in Iran yesterday, saying President Barack Obama would raise concerns about, but not meddle in, Iranian politics. “As the president has said, we are not interfering with the debate that Iranians are having about their election and its aftermath,” said a State Department spokesman. [...]
King crushes Darling at Mansion House June 17, 2009 ON the face of it, last night’s Mansion House dinner was a typical, formal City occasion, with the black tie-clad great and good of the business community turning up in their usual numbers. But there was little of the good-humour and wry amusement that usually accompanies such occasions; many of last year’s guests hadn’t been [...]
Microsoft and Google clash June 17, 2009 Microsoft and Google clashed yesterday, after Microsoft said a new offering from Google disables search capabilities of Microsoft’s popular Outlook software. Google acknowledged an issue with its new Apps Sync software, which synchronises data between Google’s email and calendar service and Outlook.
BA pilots to swap shares for a pay cut June 17, 2009 BRITISH Airways pilots have voted to accept shares worth £13m in exchange for taking a pay cut, as part of a deal to cut costs at the struggling airline by £26m a year. The arrangement is part of a draft agreement with all of BA’s 3,235 pilots, which will see them swap shares for a [...]
L&G calls for investor muscle June 17, 2009 L&G, the largest institutional investor in the UK is calling on board directors to face annual re-election in a bid to strengthen board accountability. Legal & General Investment Management said yestreday that as a “starting point” board chairmen, senior independent directors and chairmen of all board committees should stand for annual re-election.
BT may roll out superfast internet June 17, 2009 BT is to examine expanding its superfast broadband network to cover 90 per cent of homes after ministers published plans to subsidise the roll-out of high-speed internet access across the country, the firm said yesterday.
Q & A : OBAMA’S REGULATORY PROPOSALS June 17, 2009 Q. WHAT IS THE KEY MEASURE?A. Perhaps the most radical reform is that the Federal Reserve will adopt the role of a systemic risk supervisor with responsibility for the oversight of large firms that could pose a threat to financial stability, even those which do not own banks. Q. HOW DO THE REFORMS AFFECT CAPITAL [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 17, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES FEDEX SWINGS TO FOURTH-QUARTER LOSSFedEx executives told investors they believed the worst of the economic downturn was behind them. The note of optimism came during an otherwise sobering review of the package-delivery company’s fiscal fourth quarter, during which its net loss widened from a year earlier on goodwill writedowns, and the company warned [...]
Premier Inn’s sales tumble June 16, 2009 WHITBREAD, Britain’s biggest hotel operator, yesterday blamed the worst hotel recession in three decades for a sharp fall in first quarter revenues at budget hotel chain Premier Inn. The group said Premier Inn’s like-for-like sales fell by 7.9 per cent, after revenue per available room (Revpar) slumped by 9.6 per cent. Chief executive Alan Parker [...]