Murray poses major threat, says Djokovic August 30, 2011 WORLD No1 Novak Djokovic insists Britain’s Andy Murray is capable of preventing him from claiming his third grand slam title of the year at the US Open. The British star begins his campaign today against India’s Somdev Devaarman having become only the second man to beat Djokovic this season in the final of the Cincinnati [...]
Robson and Watson provide hope of a glittering grand slam future August 30, 2011 TEEN sensation Laura Robson intends to provide the British women’s game with another shot in the arm at the US Open when she locks horns with 30th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues. The 17-year-old, along with Heather Watson, who pushed Maria Sharapova to the brink in their epic first round clash on Monday, look set to [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF August 30, 2011 Vick signs $100m Eagles deal NFL: Former Atlanta Falcons quarter-back Michael Vick has penned a money-spinning contract with the Philadelphia Eagles that will see him earn $100m over the course of the next six years. The deal represents a remarkable return to the limelight for the 31-year-old, who signed a deal worth $130m with the Atlanta [...]
Investment banks face bleak future August 30, 2011 INVESTMENT banks face a fight for survival as returns and revenues shrink, according to two reports released today. A study by McKinsey & Co claims that investment banks are heading for a “day of reckoning” that will see many firms fall by the wayside. And figures compiled by data provider Dealogic show that European revenues from [...]
BP out in the cold as Exxon inks deal with Rosneft August 30, 2011 EXXONMOBIL has won a highly coveted contract with Russia’s Rosneft to develop offshore oil fields in the Arctic. The $3.2bn (£1.96bn) deal comes as a major blow for British rival BP, who just seven months ago announced “a groundbreaking strategic global alliance” with Russia’s state-owned oil company that was later abandoned after objections from shareholders [...]
Deeper gloom on high street August 30, 2011 CONSUMER confidence has sunk further on both sides on the pond, according to fresh data. A widely-regarded measure of sentiment on the UK high street was confirmed this morning at 13 points below its level at the same time last year. The GfK NOP consumer confidence index — which slipped to a score of -31 [...]
House price slump is already upon us August 30, 2011 HOUSE prices remain overvalued in Britain, locking out many aspiring buyers. Of that there is no doubt. But it is also the case that average prices have fallen far more than is usually understood; the single biggest reason why so many younger people cannot enter the market is because they have to put down much [...]
Split among Fed officials August 30, 2011 DEEP divisions have appeared among senior Federal Reserve officials, the minutes to the Fed’s August meeting exposed last night. The minutes revealed “a few” members pushing for “a more substantial” loosening of policy — widely assumed to be a third period of quantitative easing known as QE3. Yet the hawkish side of the committee are digging [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 30, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES DISPUTE ERUPTS OVER CONTROL OF LIBYA’S $65BN SOVEREIGN FUNG A dispute has erupted over control of Libya’s $65bn (£40bn) sovereign wealth fund, as the national transitional council attempts to maintain stability in the nation. Several NTC members have contested the authority of Mahmoud Badi, who is probing corruption at the Libyan Investment Authority. HONG [...]
IL&P buys Northern Rock assets August 30, 2011 Irish Life & Permanent’s banking unit has agreed a deal to acquire the €650m (£575.8m) Irish deposit book of UK lender Northern Rock as it seeks to improve its stretched funding position and ensure a standalone future for the bank. The bancassurer, which has been effectively nationalised in the face of a €4bn capital hole, [...]
