FirstGroup is hampered by US weakness March 31, 2010 FIRSTGROUP, the transport operator, reassured the City yesterday that it will hit its full-year results targets, despite being dealt a £16m blow by the heavy snow earlier this year. The group also said it expects to deliver only moderate earnings growth in the financial year ahead, largely due to a sluggish performance from its US [...]
Network Rail to seek strike injunction March 31, 2010 A LEGAL standoff between Network Rail and trade union RMT has been pushed back to today, after the rail operator threatened to seek an injunction against a proposed strike by signalling staff. The two will meet this morning in front of a High Court judge to push for an injunction to prevent a three-day walkout [...]
AT A GLANCE March 31, 2010 Virgin Trains Only two trains per hour between London Euston and Birmingham New Street will run, and another two trains between London Euston and Manchester Picadilly. www.virgintrains.co.uk South West Trains Two trains per hour between London Waterloo and Basingstoke. Between London Waterloo and Guildford, only one train an hour will run. www.southwesttrains.co.uk Southeastern Two trains [...]
Miners and banks boost FTSE 100 March 31, 2010 STRONGER miners and banking stocks outweighed falls from defensive stocks to leave Britain’s top share index slightly higher by the close yesterday while BSkyB gained after an expected pay-TV review from Ofcom. The FTSE 100 index ended 7.32 points, or 0.1 per cent, higher at 5,679.64 having closed 0.7 per cent lower on Tuesday and [...]
Wall St hit as job losses accelerate March 31, 2010 US stocks fell yesterday as a report showing a surprising drop in private-sector employment stoked concerns about the health of the labor market two days before the government’s key jobs data. ADP Employer Services data showed US private-sector employers unexpectedly cut jobs in March. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 50.79 points, or 0.47 per [...]
HANNON’S SHAMWARI LODGE CAN PAY FOR ALL THE EASTER EGGS March 31, 2010 THE weather is threatening to cause problems with racing over the Easter period with this afternoon’s Wincanton card an early waterlogged casualty. However, Kempton Park stages the Listed Snowdrop Fillies Stakes on Saturday in which the Richard Hannon trained SHAMWARI LODGE looks the one to be on. Our selection rounded of last season with a [...]
the INSIDER March 31, 2010 WITH no racing on Good Friday we had three small cards to look at today. However, Wincanton was abandoned yesterday and it’s possible that Folkestone may go as well, so keep an eye on oddschecker.com to make sure that the meeting is still on. Harlech Castle is bidding for a four-timer in the 3.40pm and [...]
UNITED CAN STRIKE TITLE BLOW WITHOUT ROONEY March 31, 2010 MANCHESTER UNITED vs CHELSEA SATURDAY, 12.45PM SKY SPORTS 1 THIS has been the closest Premier League title race for a number of years and a win for either of these sides would make them hot favourites to go on and land the crown. United comfortably saw off Bolton at the Reebok last weekend, while Chelsea’s [...]
Relief as Bank of Ireland taps private cash March 31, 2010 BANK of Ireland will raise from private sources much of the €2.7bn (£2.4bn) it needs, potentially becoming the only member of Ireland’s “bad bank” scheme to escape a fresh bailout. The bank said it was in fundraising talks with investment banks, a welcome relief for the Irish government, which faces years of scrimping to plug [...]
Topps Tiles sees revenues dip March 31, 2010 BRITISH retailer Topps Tiles posted a second-quarter fall in underlying sales, blaming a dip in confidence as the general election nears and consumers brace themselves for tax rises and job cuts. “If I cast my mind back to previous elections, they’ve never done us any favours that’s for sure,” Matt Williams, chief executive of the [...]
