Allen Stanford exec sentenced September 13, 2012 A FORMER top executive at Allen Stanford’s now-defunct financial firm was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday for obstructing a US regulatory probe into the disgraced financier’s estimated $7.2bn (£4.6bn) Ponzi scheme. Laura Pendergest-Holt, 39, had pleaded guilty in June to one count of obstruction of justice, after originally facing 21 counts including fraud [...]
Anite reaps 4G network boost September 13, 2012 SOFTWARE provider Anite yesterday said it had seen an “encouraging” start to the financial year, with both revenue and operating profits between May and September ahead on the figures for last year. The firm, which hosted its general meeting yesterday, posted strong year on year revenue growth from its 4G technology products. Its directors also [...]
Nintendo up as Wii U ready for Christmas boost September 13, 2012 NINTENDO yesterday announced that its next generation Wii U video game console will be released in time for Christmas, as it aims to get a head start on rivals Sony and Microsoft. The Japanese company – which reported its first annual loss in its 123-year history this year as sales of its current Wii console [...]
Several bidders line up for JJB Sports in race to buy the chain September 13, 2012 DEBT-LADEN JJB Sports said last night that it was in talks with several parties who have offered to buy it but ordinary shareholders were unlikely to see any value from a deal. The sporting goods retailer’s shares more than doubled to 0.79p but closed up 30 per cent at 0.45p on the London Stock Exchange [...]
Facebook rolls out real-time ad bidding September 13, 2012 FACEBOOK yesterday launched a new platform for real-time bidding for advertisers. The social network, led by Mark Zuckerberg (left), has been trialling the system, which makes it easier for advertisers to ensure their ads are seen by the most relevant group. Facebook Ad Exchange, or FBX, is expected to boost shares, which have almost halved [...]
Ex-Goldman employee’s book set to hit shelves on 22 October September 13, 2012 Just six months after he resigned from Goldman Sachs with a scathing op-ed in the New York Times, Greg Smith’s book is already written and scheduled for release on 22 October. The former employee, who claimed clients were routinely referred to as “muppets”, has rather unimaginatively titled his book: “Why I left Goldman Sachs.” The [...]
Sculpture blooms at Kew thanks to Xstrata September 13, 2012 AUTUMN may be in the air, but over at Kew Gardens they are welcoming in the new season with sculptures from David Nash, thanks to the support of Xstrata. Inspired by the magnificence of London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, the works will be located in Kew’s indoor spaces, so a chill in the air won’t be [...]
Hurricane Isaac is blamed for 15,000 rise in US jobless claims September 13, 2012 THE number of people who applied for US unemployment benefits jumped sharply last week, mainly because of delayed claims filed by people affected by Tropical Storm Isaac. The Department of Labor said new claims hit 382,000 for the week ending 8 September, up 15,000 from the previous week, when adjusting for seasonal movements. However, the [...]
Government departments still haven’t mastered procurement September 13, 2012 GOVERNMENT departments are still extremely inefficient in their procurement, even for very basic items, a TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) research note published today claims. The worst department – ironically – was Business, Skills and Innovation (BIS), while the best performing according to the TPA’s analysis were the Department of Health and the Ministry of Defence. BIS [...]
London behind UK-wide boom in house prices September 13, 2012 HOUSE PRICES and the number of transactions both climbed in August, driven by a booming London, according to data released by LSL property services today. Housing transactions grew 2.5 per cent in August, hitting a new high for the year so far, while average prices were up 2.6 per cent on the year, the data [...]
