Tinker, tailor, soldier, Oscar-winner September 15, 2011 Film TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY Cert: 12A HAS there ever been a greater masterstroke of casting than having Gary Oldman play John Le Carre’s famous, and famously understated, spy George Smiley? There were surprises when the announcement was made – surely, people asked, Oldman is a character actor, a quality player of supporting roles and [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK FILMS, MUSIC, GAMES September 15, 2011 FILM 30 MINUTES OR LESS Action comedy with Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride. I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT SJP stars in this film about a woman who juggles it all. ATROCIOUS Properly scary Spanish horror, made in the style of the Blair Witch Project. DVD PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES Absolute [...]
Home advantage should give champions the edge September 15, 2011 MANCHESTER UNITED vs CHELSEA SUNDAY – 4.00PM SKY SPORTS IT has been an incredible start to the Premier League season for Manchester United with four straight wins, 18 goals scored and only three conceded. They bounced back to earth slightly against Benfica on Wednesday night, but the 1-1 draw wasn’t a bad result and they [...]
Retail sales fall less than expected September 15, 2011 Retail sales fell slightly less than expected in August, but the underlying trend remained flat, as consumers continued to rein in spending at a time of great economic uncertainty, official data showed. The Office for National Statistics said sales volumes including automotive fuel fell 0.2 per cent last month, slightly better than forecasts for a [...]
UBS $2bn rogue trader suspect held in London September 15, 2011 Swiss bank UBS said a trader had lost it around $2bn (£1.26bn) in unauthorised deals, and police in London arrested 31-year-old Kweku Adoboli in connection with the case. Adoboli – a director of exchange traded funds and “Delta 1” working in the bank’s London office, according to his profile on networking site LinkedIn – was [...]
Jardine Matheson to up stake in Lloyd Thompson September 15, 2011 Business conglomerate Jardine Matheson has agreed to buy a further 10 per cent in insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson , in a deal which the companies said would give Jardine Lloyd Thompson more financial firepower and improve shareholder returns for Jardine Matheson. Jardine Matheson said it would spend some £166.27m on buying the extra stake [...]
Comet sales fall again as Kesa pushes on with turnaround plan September 15, 2011 Kesa reaffirmed that it was it was pushing ahead with its Comet revamp plan as sales again tumbled. The electrical goods retailer said it was keeping its options, which include a possible sale of the struggling chain, open. “Comet turnaround plan underway while continuing to examine other strategic alternatives,” the firm said. In June, Kesa [...]
Kingfisher plots expansion after beating forecasts September 15, 2011 Kingfisher beat first-half earnings forecasts, helped by a drive to improve profit margins, and said it was stepping up expansion as rivals struggle in a tough market. The group, which runs market leader B&Q in Britain as well as Castorama and Brico Depot in France and elsewhere, said profit before tax and one-off items jumped [...]
THE GLOVES ARE OFF: UK SUES ECB September 14, 2011 BRITAIN will today sue the European Central Bank (ECB) over new rules that will force the City’s biggest clearing house, LCH.Clearnet, to relocate to the Eurozone. The move highlights growing impatience among Whitehall officials and politicians, who believe Brussels is using new regulation as a smokescreen to undermine London’s pre-eminence as a global financial centre. [...]
Euro banks scramble for funding September 14, 2011 TWO unnamed banks tapped the ECB’s weekly dollar funding facility for the second time in a month yesterday in a fresh sign that Europe’s interbank markets are freezing up. The escalating crisis has seen borrowing costs rise for banks, forcing weaker lenders to tap the emergency cash supply to the tune of $575m (£364.6m). That [...]
