Mayor calls on business expertise London mayor Boris Johnson has recruited the help of 47 top-flight business leaders to offer him guidance and advice, it was announced yesterday. The International Business Advisory Council for London has been set up and will be chaired by Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of advertising group WPP. The council will advise the mayor on [...]
Labour must adapt, admits weary Brown Gordon Brown yesterday admitted that the Labour party would have to rethink the way it governs if it is to win at the next general election. In an unusually candid interview, the Prime Minister conceded that the government needed to do more to convince voters that it deserves an historic fourth term. He made the [...]
Six killed as floods sweep across the UK Six were killed over the weekend as floods and storms battered the country amid warnings that Hurricane Hannah was on her way. Despite the rain slightly easing across the country yesterday, the adverse weather conditions have been responsible for considerable devastation. In North Wales, a teenager from London was killed as a 4×4 rolled over [...]
House prices fall furthest in 25 years September 5, 2008 Yet more doom and gloom was heaped on the housing market yesterday as retail bank Halifax announced the first double-digit drop in prices since 1983. Prices dipped a further 1.8 per cent in August following a drop of 1.7 per cent in July, marking the fifth month running that house prices have dropped by at [...]
Alcatel calls former BT CEO to the rescue September 3, 2008 Alcatel-Lucent named its new management team yesterday, handing the task of turning round the ailing French-US telecoms equipment group to former BT chief executive Ben Verwaayen and French business grandee Philippe Camus. The world’s biggest provider of fixed-line telecoms networks has seen its market value drop more than 60 per cent in the 21 months [...]
Gustav hits the coast of New Orleans September 2, 2008 The dreaded Hurricane Gustav ripped through the US Gulf coast last night, thrashing New Orleans with strong winds and heavy rain as it arrived, but sparing it the full force devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina three years ago. The National Hurricane Centre downgraded winds to a category two shortly before it hit. The Louisiana coastline [...]
Bodies of millionaire and wife are found September 1, 2008 Police investigating a fire at the home of millionaire businessman Christopher Foster have announced they are now treating it as a murder inquiry, following confirmation that the two bodies found there are those of Foster, 50, and his wife. A post-mortem examination has revealed that Jillian Foster, 49, from Osbaston House in Maesbrook, Shropshire, died [...]
London’s gloomy firms September 1, 2008 London businesses are among the most pessimistic nationwide when considering their prospects for the coming year, reveals a survey published today by the Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales (ICAEW). According to the latest UK business confidence monitor, London is the third most negative region with confidence standing at a “record low” of [...]
Bodycote test unit sale sees bid talk start August 29, 2008 Engineer Bodycote’s decision to sell its testing business makes it vulnerable to a bid from a predator, analysts claimed yesterday. The Macclesfield-based company revealed that it had sold the division, which tests materials for the oil and gas, civil engineering, food and pharmaceutical sectors, to private equity group Clayton, Dubilier and Rice for £417m, a [...]
Diageo bullish as profits rise August 29, 2008 With two world wars and a few revolutions under its belt, alcoholic drinks giant Diageo is well placed to weather the economic downturn, its chief executive Paul Walsh said yesterday when announcing the group’s results – despite warning of slowing growth ahead. The maker of Guinness and Smirnoff posted a 2 per cent increase in [...]
