80-year-old Murdoch sends his first tweet January 2, 2012 OLD and new media were brought together over the new year as Rupert Murdoch, the 80-year old behind News International, joined Twitter. Murdoch, who has already amassed over 66,000 followers, used the social networking tool to wish everyone well for the year ahead, tweeting [all tweets verbatim]: “Happy 2012. May itbe better than all experts [...]
Record-breaking Adele fails to save UK music industry January 2, 2012 MUSIC sales in the UK continued their downward slide last year despite an increase in digital sales, industry body BPI said yesterday, as it blamed the government for failing to tackle piracy. The voice of the British music industry – and the force behind the Brit Awards – yesterday released figures from The Official Charts [...]
South Korean firms warn of difficult 2012 January 2, 2012 TECHNOLOGY giant Samsung and car manufacturer Hyundai, South Korea’s largest companies, rallied staff yesterday to brace themselves for a year of intense competition due to the weak global economy this year. The South Korean government also warned of tough times ahead in a new year statement as global demand for the country’s exports languishes. Finance [...]
THATCHER: COMING TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU January 2, 2012 TOMORROW sees the London premiere of the much anticipated film The Iron Lady. Starring the Oscar-winning Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent, the biopic focuses on the life and career of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. To prepare for the role, Streep sat in on a session of Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons [...]
That was the year that was January 2, 2012 22 FEBRUARY The revolution in Libya was the most striking incarnation of the Arab Spring, which also toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt. Just eight months later, Colonel Gaddafi was killed, while his family were captured or exiled. 14 MARCH With a death toll near 16,000, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami was truly devastating. Disrupted [...]
Jobs hope despite turmoil, says Reed January 2, 2012 JOB opportunities jumped last month, compared to the same time the previous year, despite economic headwinds, according to a survey by Reed out today. New vacancies were 17 per cent higher than in December 2010, the jobs firm reckons. “The year on year increase in demand for new staff is particularly striking against the backdrop [...]
Analysts call for a flight to quality in 2012 stock picks January 2, 2012 EUROPEAN equities look cheap but investors should tread cautiously in 2012, paying premium prices to target high-quality stocks, analysts have said. The market sell-off in the second half of 2011 left many shares undervalued, but investors should target solid companies with a good dividend yield as the market uncertainty and volatility is expected to continue. [...]
Squeeze on income tightens as most workers see their pay frozen or cut January 2, 2012 A MAJORITY of employees across all sectors saw their pay either frozen or cut last year, according to a study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Nearly half, or 48 per cent, of workers had their pay frozen in 2011, while five per cent saw their remuneration reduced. Fewer than one in [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WHICH STOCKS ARE LIKELY TO PERFORM IN 2012? January 2, 2012 MICHAEL SHILLAKER | CREDIT SUISSE “In metals and mining, capex and cash returns will remain the market’s key focus. We see Rio Tinto as most likely to raise the dividend structurally, and Xstrata as the most undervalued relative to its long-term growth profile.” DAVID MCCANN | NUMIS “Our top asset management picks are Aberdeen and [...]
Codelco exercises Anglo option January 2, 2012 Chile’s state copper giant Codelco, the world’s top copper producer, said yesterday it had exercised its disputed option to buy a 49 per cent stake in global miner Anglo American’s southern Chilean properties. Codelco is locked in a legal dispute over the option with Anglo, which surprised Codelco and investors last year by announcing it [...]
