Woolworths chooses DIY chief as boss August 13, 2008 Woolworths, the troubled British retailer, has appointed former head of Focus DIY Steve Johnson as its new chief executive, in an attempt to revive its fortunes. Johnson, 44, takes over from Trevor Bish-Jones, who was ousted in June, and will earn a basic salary of £550,000 a year, as well as a cash bonus of [...]
China’s uncertain markets makes it a long term play August 13, 2008 The eyes of the world are on China this week, as the Olympics gets under way. Last year the Chinese stock market tried to break the high-jump record, as the Shanghai Composite hit its highest ever level in October – rising more than 400 per cent in two years. But this year, it seems to [...]
Grainger cuts costs to ride out the gloom August 13, 2008 Residential property company Grainger said yesterday it had sold £122m of assets and is slashing costs as it hunkers down to ride out the credit crunch. Shares in the listed company, which owns and manages more than 20,000 properties in Britain and Germany, edged up nine per cent as the firm outlined measures to cut [...]
BP closes second pipeline in Georgia as conflict subsides August 13, 2008 British oil giant BP shut down the second of the three pipelines it runs through Georgia yesterday – hours after Russia ended military operations against the former soviet state. BP, part of a 10-strong consortium, that runs a series of pipelines from the Caspian Sea into Georgia, said it cut production in one pipeline as [...]
Pietersen promises Ashes after winning start August 12, 2008 England captain Kevin Pietersen boasted that his side would beat Australia and reclaim the Ashes after a six-wicket victory at The Oval got his reign off to a winning start. Pietersen looked on as his top order comfortably polished off the 197 runs needed for victory over South Africa, thanks largely to a best-ever stand [...]
Historic gold for Adlington as Britain surpass expectations August 12, 2008 Rebecca Adlington became Britain’s first female Olympic swimming champion for 48 years – and then admitted she even surprised herself. The 19-year-old from Mansfield edged out American Katie Hoff to bag an historic gold in the 400m freestyle, while fellow Brit Jo Jackson followed them home for the bronze. Adlington’s gold was Britain’s first female [...]
Garcia didn’t choke, it was Padraig’s class that won it August 12, 2008 Sergio Garcia’s biggest critics will suggest the Spaniard buckled under the pressure at the USPGA on Sunday night, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Here we have, quite simply, the toughest golf course in the world, and closing rounds of 67 and 68 in conditions like that does not amount to buckling under [...]
High Altitude Health August 12, 2008 Zoe Strimpel tells you how to keep sharp when you’re flying At this time of year, people are flying more than ever. If you are lucky, that’s because you are getting away on a well-earned holiday. If you are still taking business trips right now, well, you probably need to make sure you are arriving [...]
When traders and chatrooms go hand-in-hand August 12, 2008 Investors can now exchange ideas online, Katie Hope assesses the pros and cons Social networking sites are nothing new. Millions of people every day log on to Facebook to update their profile, “poke” their mates and throw sheep at each other, but the trend has now hit Contracts for Difference (CFD) trading. While adding chatrooms, [...]
Ex-Thai PM in UK exile bid August 12, 2008 Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra skipped bail yesterday and went into exile, accusing political enemies who removed him in a 2006 coup of meddling in the courts to “finish off” him and his family. The Supreme Court issued arrest warrants for Thaksin and his wife, Potjaman, and seized 13m baht (£200,400) in bail bonds [...]
