Hill threat to Ladbrokes deal February 23, 2011 BOOKMAKER William Hill has launched legal action to disrupt merger talks between its joint-venture partner Playtech and close rival Ladbrokes. The company said it had secured an interim injunction against Playtech in an attempt to safeguard its legal rights. Ladbrokes and Playtech are exploring a possible £2.2bn merger. William Hill said that Playtech – which [...]
Time for Johnson to make the Red Rose bloom again February 2, 2011 ENGLAND begin this year’s RBS 6 Nations as the bookmakers’ favourites and, with an encouraging autumn series behind them and three home games in the championship, the initial predictions were that Martin Johnson’s ripening side, currently ranked fourth in the world, would be able to live up to those lofty expectations. In mid-November a record [...]
Intelligent luxury under a hot blue sky January 16, 2011 ABU Dhabi sounds like a heady jumble of car, construction and human. In the daytime, the air is thick with noise as it is thick with the pervading haze of dust blown in from the sandlands to the south and thrown up by the never-ending construction. It softens the otherwise relentless sunshine, rendering everything (including [...]
What the other papers say this morning January 5, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES HEDGE FUNDS BET ON REVIVAL OF FORTUNES After one of their most disappointing years, hedge fund managers are hoping for a better 2011 with less macro economic volatility and more corporate events to bet on, such as takeovers. As of the end of November, the average hedge fund had returned just over 7 [...]
The City is back but under new management December 21, 2010 BRITAIN’S financial landscape has been transformed since we last shone a light on the City’s most powerful figures two years ago. The City A.M./CityJet Power Hundred 2011 list ranks the most influential figures in UK finance as we head into the new year. It should be no surprise that it is very different from 2009. [...]
Turkey’s star is still rising for ETF investors November 3, 2010 WITH a near-record 18 IMF bailouts, Turkey might not seem like a smart investment to the untrained eye. But in just a decade the country has gone from a basket-case to a fully-fledged bull market. At this rate the country is tipped to grow faster than China in the next decade. News like this has [...]
Stare back at the haka, says Maori Hape November 2, 2010 ENGLAND centre Shontayne Hape knows more about the haka than most and is urging his team-mates to stare right back when New Zealand perform their war dance at Twickenham on Saturday. Auckland-born Hape took part in the haka himself when representing his native country at rugby league, before switching codes and joining Bath in 2008, [...]
Moody given green light to play for Bath October 26, 2010 ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson has opted to release his captain Lewis Moody for Premiership duty this weekend but won’t be taking a similar risk with Toby Flood. The Leicester fly-half is still working his way back to full fitness after injuring knee ligaments on the opening weekend of the season and is being protected by [...]
Taking the hassle out of heritage homes October 21, 2010 TO those with the cash (or the ability to fantasize), the character and history of a listed property wins out over the hassle-free simplicity of a new build any day. It’s also reassuring that they’ve already survived a couple of hundred years and so will probably survive a few more. Yet however tempting heritage buildings [...]
Google wins key piracy case in Spain September 23, 2010 GOOGLE yesterday won a landmark ruling when a Spanish judge threw out a claim it should be responsible for pirated content on its YouTube service. Broadcaster Telecinco said it had suffered as a result of hit shows appearing on the video-sharing website before they are broadcast in Spain. But a judge said the anti-piracy measures [...]