Co-op will vote against BSkyB at AGM November 2, 2005 Pay TV broadcaster BSkyB suffered a fresh blow to its share buyback plans after shareholder Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) announced it would vote against the proposal at what is expected to be a stormy AGM this Friday. The insurer, which joins a growing list of institutional investors who have threatened to scupper the plan, said [...]
Hopes for rate cut dashed as house prices begin recovery November 2, 2005 The odds on the Bank of England cutting interest rates for the second time in four months lengthened yesterday after the release of a raft of better than expected economic data. The latest snapshot of the housing market by leading lender Nationwide showed prices jumped 1.3 per cent, the fastest rate in 15 months, bringing [...]
Finding your way through the TV maze November 2, 2005 Satellite, cable, Freeview, PVR, broadband, video-on-demand and telly-down-the-phone. Confusing, isn’t it? The power of the television remote control has never been so great. With more than 350 television channels from which to choose, as well as interactive extras like digital videoing and television libraries, the couch potato trigger finger has never had it so good. [...]
Show Stoppers November 2, 2005 Bored and want somewhere to go, then vroom along to these car events There is plenty to quench the thirst of parched petrol heads this week, whether their tonic be car, motorbike or truck. First up is the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show which will involve a trip out of the capital and up to [...]
Party like it’s 1999 November 2, 2005 Mergers and acquisitions are back and they’re almost as lucrative as they were during the last feverish round. It’s a throwback to the turn of the century: multibillion pound mergers are announced by the day, the stock market is soaring, city pubs and wine bars are buzzing. All that’s missing is the sight of grown [...]
Monty and McGinley on song for Europe November 1, 2005 It proved to be a very special weekend for both Colin Montgomerie and Paul McGinley. Success at the Volvo Masters — for very different reasons — will mean an awful lot to both players. For Monty, a first European Order of Merit title for six years is quite some achievement. He did exactly the job [...]
England struggle November 1, 2005 England crash landed back from Planet Ashes with an unconvincing batting display on the opening day of their first tour match in Pakistan. Only an unbeaten century from Marcus Trescothick allowed the tourists to reach the relatively respectable score of 256-9 at the close against a Patrons’ XI in Rawalpindi. An impressive contribution lower down [...]
Lingerie gets strict November 1, 2005 Want the Hitchcock Blonde look? No pain no gain In case you hadn’t noticed, this season’s must-have is a waist so small that it can be encircled by your dashing suitor’s hands. Suddenly, after hiding our lumps and bumps in a waft of gypsy inspired regalia, we are supposed to unearth the hourglass figure that [...]
Stressbusters November 1, 2005 Stress is the invisible killer and we need to find ways to manage it or suffer the consequences. The Government is so concerned about the endemic that it has designated tomorrow National Stress Awareness Day. Britain workforce is suffering from a stress endemic that is so serious in some sectors that the Government’s Health and [...]
Doing business out of the Third World November 1, 2005 Salman Rahman had to fight corruption, nationalisation and a cripplingly poor infrastructure as he established Beximco in his native Bangladesh. What do you do if you want a fax machine for your office? You get 113 signatures from various government departments, and permission from the security service. Sound absurd? That’s how it was in Bangladesh [...]
