Two more golds for Phelps sees him become the greatest ever Olympian August 14, 2008 Michael Phelps etched his name into Olympic history in Beijing yesterday by taking his career tally of gold medals to a record 11. The American became the most successful swimmer, and indeed Olympian, of all time with a double success yesterday in the Water Cube. Phelps, 23, won his fourth gold medal of the Games [...]
Summer is the time to drink yourself cool August 14, 2008 Never mind the weather, you can get a bit of sunshine in your glass with fresh and seasonal cocktails, says Zoe Strimpel The past week may have been dodgy weather-wise, but we’ve still got a month till summer’s officially over. Rain or shine, there’s no better way to grasp that summer feeling than a good [...]
Publishers Beware: The bookworm’s iPod has arrived August 14, 2008 As as free publicity goes, you can’t do much better than getting your product compared to the iPod. That’s why Amazon will have been delighted earlier this week, when Citi analyst Michael Mahaney likened its e-book reader, the Kindle, to the world’s favourite gadget. Digital books have been around since the 1990s, but poor technology [...]
Russia denies breaking truce August 14, 2008 Georgia accused Russia of breaking a shaky ceasefire in their six-day conflict yesterday, a charge strongly denied by Moscow. In a highly charged atmosphere of claim and counter-claim, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Russian tanks had stormed the Georgian town of Gori and were advancing on the capital, though a deputy minister later backtracked on [...]
Suite returns: why it’s a good time to check yourself into the hotel industry August 14, 2008 Hotel rooms are one area of property investing that are bucking the credit crunch, writes Timothy Barber If we’re thinking positive, the slowing economy presents an opportunity to get a bit creative with investments. The alternative asset market has become more and more prominent in 2008 as investors look for areas offering stable returns in [...]
The shape of things to come August 14, 2008 Government rules on green homes mean that eco-houses are coming. It’s time to get used to the idea, says Alex Delmar-Morgan Nobody denies that if the world heats up, we will have to change the way we live, build and get around. As recently as five years ago, phrases like “global warming” and “carbon emissions” [...]
Lonmin snubs Xstrata’s takeover bid August 14, 2008 British platinum miner Lonmin yesterday reiterated its opposition to Xstrata’s hostile £5bn takeover bid, saying it failed to recognise the company’s potential for growth. The South Africa-focused company, which last week received an indicative offer from the Anglo-Swiss mining group, told its shareholders to reject a formal offer, as it undervalued the firm’s business. With [...]
Pressure piles on EDF to hike offer for BE August 14, 2008 Sources close to British Energy said yesterday rival French firm EDF would have to raise its offer for the electricity giant to above 800p per share, if it is to have any hope of buying the group. Earlier this month shareholders of British Energy, which holds the key to Britain’s next generation of nuclear power [...]
Britannia hit by bad debts on mortgages August 14, 2008 Mutual building society Britannia yesterday posted a 40 per cent drop in interim profits, after the cost of bad debts hammered its mortgage book. Britannia said the percentage of its home loans that were three or more months in arrears rose by just over 1.7 per cent in the first six months of the year [...]
ING profits hit as asset fears build August 14, 2008 ING, the Dutch bank and insurer, reported a slide in second-quarter earnings of 25 per cent yesterday, as it yielded smaller returns on its investments. Net profit fell to €1.9bn (£1.5bn) from €2.56bn a year earlier, beating market expectations but signalling a downturn in the fortunes of its investments. CEO Michel Tilman said: “We are, [...]
