She’s far more than just a (legal) blonde: a star is born February 16, 2010 MEETING Sheridan Smith, the 28-year old star of the smash hit Legally Blonde: The Musical, is rather like a game of hide and seek. Or, as it turns out, a treasure hunt. For the former star of such television gems as Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of?Crisps and Gavin and?Stacey, has gone awol. [...]
Planning is key to finding a good nanny February 16, 2010 THE most important thing is planning the process very carefully, and leaving yourself lots of time to make a good selection. Tricia Pritchard of the union for educational professionals, Voice (www.voicetheunion.org.uk), which represents nannies, says that all too often people make the wrong decision because they rush it. “The nanny from hell scenario is very [...]
OUT OF OFFICE February 16, 2010 FLAMENCO FESTIVAL AT SADLER’S WELLS The crПme de la crПme of Spain’s flamenco talent should not be missed during this two-week festival. The maestros of the dance form, including the world-renowned company Nuevo Ballet EspaЦol, will be in situ alongside the famous Eva Yerbabuena performing her latest show, Lluvia (Rain) – inspired by the poetry [...]
The best way to get around town February 16, 2010 THE Italians have known it for decades, and there was a moment in the Sixties when the British youth cottoned on too – when it comes to motorised transport, there is nothing cooler than a scooter. It took the Japanese to turn this convenient, two-wheeled style statement into something sleek, modern and ultra-dynamic – the [...]
Greece hits back over secret debt February 15, 2010 GREEK finance minister George Papaconstantinou went on the attack yesterday, hitting out at reports of dubious dealings between Athens and Wall Street investment banks. As Greece struggles to strike a deal with its EU partners that will allow itself to overcome a debt crisis, it has been hit by a flurry of allegations that it [...]
VT dismisses £1.1bn bid from arch rival Babcock February 15, 2010 SHIPBUILDER Babcock unveiled an audacious £1.1bn bid for services company VT Group yesterday, even as VT raised its offer for rival Mouchel. Babcock said an offer of 634p per share – a 25 per cent premium to VT’s current share price – was dismissed out of hand last week. Potentially lighting the fire under a [...]
British firms denied credit February 15, 2010 Nearly 60 per cent of businesses seeking bank finance last year were rejected, a survey from Britain’s Institute of Directors, published today, showed. The survey of 1,045 directors showed a quarter tried to access funds from their banks during 2009. Of these, 57 per cent were declined, a proportion the business group said contradicted banks’ [...]
EU has been hiding its debt for years February 15, 2010 IT is astonishing how short our collective memories have become. It was once well-known that Greece, Italy and other countries had used dodgy tricks to embellish their public finances prior to the launch of Economic and Monetary Union to meet the entry requirements; yet now everybody is pretending to be surprised or even shocked. Even [...]
Supergroup flotation is on February 15, 2010 Fashion retailer Supergroup yesterday confirmed it was pressing ahead with plans for an IPO despite several major flotations being called off in the last week. The company hopes to raise £125m from the listing, valuing it at £400m. Chief executive Julian Dunkerton yesterday began a roadshow to drum up investor support for the IPO before [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 15, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES UNITED REMAINS KEEN TO COURT RIVAL CONTINENTAL The head of United Airlines has hinted at the benefits of renewing merger talks with Continental Airlines, saying the market had judged in favour of rival Delta’s takeover of Northwest. “The market capitalisation of Delta is approximately twice the combined market capitalisation of United and Continental,” [...]
