Private data sold on eBay, admit banks August 27, 2008 Account holders’ personal details have been found on a computer sold on eBay, banks said yesterday, adding to growing fears over data security. Details of more than a million customers of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), American Express and NatWest were found on the computer sold for £35 on the auction and shopping website. RBS [...]
Clinton to rally round Obama August 27, 2008 Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sought to heal the wounds of their bruising nominating battle yesterday and unite the Democratic party behind Obama’s bid to seize the White House from the Republicans. Clinton will give a speech meant to lift a shadow over this week’s convention that will crown Obama, 47, a first-term Illinois senator, [...]
My fifteen-point plan to become a great success story August 27, 2008 Jerry Garcia, guitarist for the Grateful Dead, once said, “you do not merely want to be considered the best of the best.” “You want to be considered the only one who does what you do.” Life is about finding the unique contribution that only you can make to the world. Think of the Beijing Olympians [...]
Cairn reports mixed results August 27, 2008 Cairn Energy, the Scottish oil and gas explorer, reported a drop in first half post-tax profits yesterday as it sold fewer shares in its Indian unit. Profit after tax dropped to $375m (£204m) in the first half, down from $1.5bn year–on–year, amid concern from investors that the Indian government could impose windfall taxes on its [...]
Profits boost for Talksport owner August 27, 2008 UTV Media, the owner of Talksport radio station and the Northern Ireland ITV franchise, saw its half year profits rise by 12 per cent to £10.4m despite a downturn in its hitherto core television business. The company, which recently raised £50m from shareholders, attributed its profits growth to revenue improvements from its radio business – [...]
FDIC predicts more trouble for US banks August 27, 2008 The US banking sector saw its profits nosedive by 86 per cent in the second quarter as the number of banks in crisis reached new heights, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said yesterday. Ongoing deterioration in the housing and credit markets saw federally-insured banks earn just $5bn (£2.5bn) in the second quarter, compared with $36.8bn [...]
Mortgage squeeze causes profits to plunge at Bovis August 27, 2008 Housebuilder Bovis yesterday blamed the mortgage squeeze for an 83 per cent slump in first half profit and said it was “the toughest period of trading it has experienced in its life as a public company”. Pre-tax profits fell to £9.5m, from £58.4m in the first six months of 2007, prompting the housebuilder to take [...]
Guinness gears up to offer retail fund August 27, 2008 Guinness family wealth-management office Iveagh yesterday announced the launch of its first retail fund, the Iveagh Wealth Fund. The fund’s objective is wealth preservation, rather than rapid growth, and it is aimed at families seeking to pass wealth on to future generations. In a statement, Iveagh said the fund had been launched to meet demand [...]
Virgin airline bucks gloom, boosts profit August 27, 2008 More business passengers helped boost full-year profits by 21 per cent to £34.8m at Virgin Atlantic despite record fuel prices, the airline revealed yesterday. The long-haul carrier, 51 per cent owned by Sir Richard Branson, said its business passenger numbers rose 22 per cent during the year, as Virgin took market share from British Airways [...]
Profits at Rio Tinto jump on high demand August 27, 2008 Bid target miner Rio Tinto posted a better-than-expected 55 per cent rise in first-half profit yesterday, boosted by its takeover of aluminium producer Alcan and strong Asian demand for commodities. The company, which bought Canada’s Alcan, for $38bn (£19bn) just over a year ago, said its pre-tax profit to the end of June rose to [...]
