US housing collapse: lessons for the UK May 26, 2009 IF you thought Britain’s house price collapse has been dramatic, wait until you look at America’s. The latest US house price figures reveal that the once booming city of Phoenix, Arizona, has suffered an astonishing 53 per cent collapse in prices since their peak in June 2006. Prices in Las Vegas are also down by [...]
Russian firm invests $200m in Facebook May 26, 2009 THE queue of investors itching to cash-in on social networking site Facebook was long. But Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies (DST) pipped the competition to the post yesterday when Facebook, run by 24 year old Harvard drop-out Mark Zuckerberg, accepted a $200m (£126m) investment from the company, controlled by Yuri Milner. Milner’s company owns Russia’s largest [...]
Peep toes and sky high heels make the perfect summer shoe May 26, 2009 WHEN the mercury rises you need to keep your feet cool and summery without forfeiting the professional look. This is hardly an onerous task, thanks to the wealth of Spring/Summer shoes that are both stylish and office-appropriate – simply cut, low on straps and made from good quality leather. Our favourite hot-weather shoes for the [...]
Preaching to the converted May 26, 2009 INVERNESS. Picture-postcard scenes. Cloudless blue skies and 26 degrees. It’s May. Added to that, there are miles upon miles of clear winding roads, the occasional switchback series of bends and rarely a building in sight. All in all, it’s not a bad draw for a weekday. BMW has also given me the key to a [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 21, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESCORUS CHIEF SCRAMBLES TO RESCUE FACTORY DEALCorus chief Kirby Adamsm who took over at the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker last month, faces both the worst fall in steel demand for 60 years and a battle to salvage an agreement to sell the group’s Teesside plant to Marcegaglia. It has emerged that Marcegaglia is having second thoughts [...]
Charging for online news will not save the media May 21, 2009 RUPERT Murdoch is a demigod in the media industry. Everything he says is treated as sacrosanct. That’s why his public ruminations on the free online newspaper, which he dubbed a “malfunctioning business” model, has whipped the media into a frenzy, and caused countless commentators and analysts to predict a new dawn, where consumers pay subscriptions [...]
Tigers are no match for United’s champion cubs May 21, 2009 HULL CITY VS MANCHESTER UNITEDSUNDAY 4.00PM, SKY SPORTS 3 JFK, Roswell, Princess Diana. Could Hull City v Man United become the next conspiracy theory on Sunday? Sir Alex Ferguson seems certain to field a ‘weakened’ side and any of Middlesbrough, Newcastle or Sunderland could be relegated if the champions are beaten by Hull. The only [...]
Under-strength team controversy fans flames before relegation D-Day May 21, 2009 IT IS worth at least £30m to clubs, is the difference between heartbreak and sweet relief for fans, and will probably decide the fate of at least two managers. With so much riding on the Premier League survival scrap, it is little wonder that emotions are getting heated ahead of Sunday’s showdown. Debate has centred [...]
EXPENSES IN CITY CAN’T HALF GET EXPENSIVE May 20, 2009 ALL THIS palaver over outrageous Parliamentary expenses has got Square Milers reminiscing about the good old days in the City, when sky-high monthly expense bills were de rigueur. Of course, there are the usual tales of drink, drugs and girls, as well as a few quirkier ones – one gentleman who went to Ascot to [...]
Businesses back BA tie-ups May 19, 2009 SUPPORT came for flag carrier British Airways (BA) yesterday, after Sir Richard Branson hit out against the group’s intended tie-up with American Airlines (AA) and Iberia. Branson, who owns Virgin Atlantic airlines, had said a merger between BA and AA would create a “monster monopoly” of airline groups, which would lock out competition, and muscle [...]