All you never knew about crime in the British Empire December 14, 2011 EMPIRE OF CRIME: ORGANISED CRIME IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE BY TIM NEWARK Mainstream Publishing, £10.99 by Alex Deane UNTIL the 20th century, the British were active participants in the opium trade throughout the Empire. But in 1908, well-intentioned reformers banned that trade (a seismic shift in our role in the East, opposed by Gladstone in [...]
BEST CHRISTMAS READS ZOE STRIMPEL December 14, 2011 Snuff: Discworld Novel 39 by Terry Pratchett Doubleday, £18.99 When Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is reluctantly sent off for a holiday in the countryside, it isn’t going to be long until he encounters a crime – make that more of a ghastly layer cake of crimes and even “an ancient crime [...]
OUT OF OFFICE December 14, 2011 SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW AT ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL This surreal, laugh-out-loud, poignant festive-themed physical theatre troupe has been quietly gaining plaudits for years. As of tomorrow, Londoners will get their first chance in 15 years to see the larger-than-life performance. This distinctive brand of Russian clowning sees a group of rather terrifying characters put on a spectacular [...]
Morrisons to create 7,000 jobs December 14, 2011 Britain’s fourth largest grocer Wm Morrison Supermarkets said it will create over 7,000 new jobs in 2012, as it opens 25 new stores and develops its manufacturing and logistics operations. The firm, which created about 6,000 jobs this year, said on Wednesday that many of the new jobs created next year will be skilled positions [...]
Italy bond auction at record 6.47 per cent December 14, 2011 Italy paid a euro era record yield of 6.47 per cent to sell five-year paper at its first auction of longer-term debt after the EU moved towards greater fiscal integration at last week’s summit, but failed to convince markets it can solve the debt crisis. The average yield at THE sale compares with an auction [...]
Unemployment hits 17-year high in October December 14, 2011 The number of Britons out of work rose to its highest level in more than 17 years in the three months to October, although the pace of new benefit claims appears to be levelling off, official data showed on Wednesday. The Office for National Statistics said that the number of people out of work in [...]
Inditex sales growth slows in tough market December 14, 2011 Sales growth at Spain’s Inditex, the world’s largest clothing retailer and owner of the Zara label, moderated in the third quarter as the euro zone debt crisis crimped spending in the region. The company, founded by Spain’s richest man Amancio Ortega, posted a 9.5 per cent rise in sales growth on for the third quarter [...]
Betfair earnings boosted by football season December 14, 2011 Betfair Group reported first half core earnings at the top end of expectations, driven by a good start to the football season for the world’s largest betting exchange and rises in the number of customers and the value of bets. Betfair, founded 10 years ago by one-time professional gambler Andrew Black and former JP Morgan [...]
TUI to post full-year profit December 14, 2011 Germany’s TUI, owner of Europe’s largest tour operator TUI TraveL, said it expects to post a net profit in its current fiscal year as it passes on rising input costs to holidaymakers and weathers strong economic headwinds. Turnover and operating earnings will grow moderately in the twelve months through the end of September, it said. [...]
Thomas Cook to close 200 shops December 14, 2011 Thomas Cook reported a worse than expected decline in full-year operating profit and said it would close 200 of its underperforming shops in Britain, as it looks to reduce its debt and restore confidence among investors. Europe’s second biggest travel firm by sales, which secured a rescue package from its banks last month, said the [...]
