US soldier kills 16 Afghans March 11, 2012 A US soldier’s shooting of more than a dozen Afghan civilians deepened questions yesterday about what the United States and its allies can accomplish in Afghanistan before it withdraws, as Washington rushed to contain the damage from the attack. President Barack Obama spoke of his shock over the attack, in which a US soldier left [...]
Game appeals for saviour to avoid collapse March 11, 2012 STRUGGLING video games retailer Game has put itself up for sale as it scrambles to raise cash ahead of a looming quarterly rent bill and fend off administration. Game, which hired Rothschild last month to advise on a strategic review of the business, has instructed the bank to find a potential buyer for all of [...]
Premiership rights may spark bid war March 11, 2012 PREMIER league football clubs could rake in three times as much if “a real bidding war between broadcasting giants” breaks out when the sale of the broadcast rights to the football premiership kicks off next month. Having already entered the French market, Al Jazeera has been touted as a serious challenger to the supremacy of [...]
Chinese mining group picks London over Hong Kong for its £50m listing March 11, 2012 A CHINESE mining company is planning to raise $50m (£32m) by floating on London’s alternative investment market (Aim), having chosen the UK over listings in Hong Kong and Canada. Rare Earths Global announced this morning that it expects to start trading later this month, and said a $50m fundraising would give it a market capitalisation [...]
Hague faces suit on drone strikes March 11, 2012 Lawyers for the family of a man killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan said they would begin legal action against foreign secretary William Hague today, accusing him of complicity in strikes they say broke international laws. London law firm Leigh Day & Co said it had “credible, unchallenged” evidence that Hague oversaw a [...]
UN presses for Syrian ceasefire March 11, 2012 UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said yesterday it would be hard to reach a deal to halt bloodshed in Syria, but expressed optimism after meeting President Bashar al-Assad for a second day. “I am optimistic for several reasons,” Annan said. “The situation is so bad and so dangerous that all of us cannot afford to [...]
Volvo air sale to take flight March 11, 2012 ENGINEER GKN has moved closer to an £800m deal to buy Sweden’s largest aerospace company. The British car and plane parts manufacturer is in talks with Volvo over its aircraft business, which was put up for sale in the autumn. The FTSE 100 firm is believed to be working again with boutique investment bank Gleacher [...]
Airlines hire Rothschild to sell off NATS March 11, 2012 A GROUP of seven airlines, under umbrella company The Airline Group, has hired Rothschild to protect its stake in the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) during the government’s sale of its 48.9 per cent share. The deal, which could earn the state £1bn, was announced by chancellor George Osborne last year and is expected to [...]
Aviation groups call for delay to EU carbon rules March 11, 2012 LEADING European aviation companies have warned that European Union plans to charge airlines for carbon pollution could jeopardise jobs and huge trade deals with China. The group of major airlines and plane makers – including Airbus, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Air Berlin and Iberia – said the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) for [...]
JAPAN MARKS TSUNAMI ANNIVERSARY March 11, 2012 WITH a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear rallies, Japan yesterday marked one year since the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a radiation crisis. Mourners offered silent prayers for victims of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami during a rally denouncing nuclear power plants in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture.