Haye all set for Wembley showdown November 9, 2009 DAVID HAYE is setting his sights on a huge Wembley showdown with one of the Klitschko brothers next summer in a fight already being billed as the biggest in heavyweight history. Britain’s new heavyweight king is in talks with Wembley chiefs over a possible unification bout with champions Vitali or Wladimir after winning the WBA [...]
Cameron: I’ll back the City November 9, 2009 TORY leader David Cameron yesterday threw his weight behind the City as he hit out at government proposals for a Tobin tax on global financial transactions, saying it was a “bad idea”. Speaking at an event in the Square Mile, Cameron added that Prime Minister Gordon Brown had lost touch with reality and that his [...]
VW becomes world’s biggest carmaker November 9, 2009 CARMAKER Volkswagen-Porsche yesterday overtook rival Toyota as the world’s biggest car manufacturer, boosted by state-backed “cash-for-bangers” stimuli worldwide. VW, which makes family cars like the Golf and Polo, and luxury vehicles like the Boxster, has made 4.4m cars this year so far, pipping Toyota, which has made 4m, to the post as top manufacturer. VW [...]
Higher prices hurt Gazprom November 9, 2009 GAZPROM, the state-owned Russian energy giant, yesterday said its profits for the first six months of the year had halved, even as the cost of gas soared. Profits in the period tumbled to 305.8bn roubles (£6.3bn) from 609.4bn roubles in the first half. The company blamed the price of buying gas from central Asia, which [...]
Electronic Arts makes a move into social gaming November 9, 2009 ELECTRONIC Arts (EA) has acquired privately-held social gaming firm Playfish for $275m (£170m) in cash plus $25m in share options. EA said the acquisition of Playfish – which makes games for people to play on computers with friends, unlike traditional videogames that need dedicated consoles – strengthened its focus on the transition to social gaming. [...]
G4S looks to secure deals inside Bric November 9, 2009 G4S, the world’s biggest security firm, said yesterday it plans to boost operations in China and Brazil, as it reported a nine per cent sales increase in the first nine months of the year. The company, formed from the 2004 merger of Securicor and Group 4, said operating profit was up 12 per cent in [...]
DO G4S PROFITS LOOK SAFE? November 9, 2009 GUY HEWETT INVESTEC“The results highlight that there have been no material changes, and the group continues to benefit from growth in new markets. While we expect organic growth to be relatively hard to achieve, given the economic background, security in terms of volumes is relatively defensive.” MIKE ALLEN PANMURE GORDON“Trading remains in line with expectations, [...]
Lord Bell’s Chime agrees to merge its Bell Pottinger unit with Pelham PR November 9, 2009 CHIME, the communications firm led by former Tory spin-doctor Lord Bell, has agreed to merge its Bell Pottinger Corporate and Financial business with rival Pelham Public Relations. Chime will own a majority stake in the enlarged business, which will be called Pelham Bell Pottinger. Pelham chief executive James Henderson – who launched the firm five [...]
PartyGaming gets ready for US with poker deal November 9, 2009 ONLINE gaming group PartyGaming said yesterday it had completed the acquisition of the World Poker Tour brand, positioning itself for a return to the US market when legislation allows it. PartyGaming paid $12.3m (£7.3m) for the World Poker Tour (WPT) brand and other assets – including the rights to a business with over 16,000 subscribers [...]
THE LONDON REPORT November 9, 2009 BRITAIN’S top share index hit its highest closing level in more than two weeks yesterday as the G20’s pledge to keep stimulus in place bolstered investors’ risk appetite, with miners and oil stocks leading the charge. The FTSE 100 closed up 92.46 points, or 1.8 per cent, at 5,235.18, the highest close since 23 October, [...]
