RAPPER TALKS CRIME, DRUGS AND THE CUT AND THRUST OF BUSINESS October 27, 2009 FRESH from interviewing Warren Buffett, otherwise known as the “Sage of Omaha” or one of the most successful investors the world has ever seen, the Beeb’s Evan Davis yesterday turned his microphone on a different type of guest: rapper 50 Cent. “Fifty”, who’s recently co-authored a business book called The 50th Law, was happy to [...]
Economic downturns can lead to more innovation October 26, 2009 IT’S A well-known fact that an economic downturn corresponds with an innovation upturn. Change means winners and losers. Are you going to sit at the dinner or be the duck which is served? It comes largely down to your attitude, to whether you are going to embrace the change or resist it. Henry Ford said [...]
THE LONDON REPORT October 22, 2009 The FTSE 100 closed one per cent, or 50.49 points, lower yesterday at 5,207.36, as weaker crude and metals weighed on energy stocks and miners. The index has rallied more than 50 per cent since hitting a low in early March, and is up 17 per cent this year. Energy stocks suffered with crude slipping [...]
Carphone on track for a March split October 8, 2009 CARPHONE Warehouse said yesterday that it signed up more broadband customers than expected in its second quarter, and that it is on-track to demerge the business in March 2010. The long-awaited demerger of its telecoms and retail businesses has been delayed due to the problems of valuation during the economic downturn. “The worst seems to [...]
BT extends fast broadband plan October 8, 2009 British Telecom is more than doubling its ultra-fast broadband network, taking it to at least 2.5m homes by 2012, instead of the 1m homes originally planned. The network will offer download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, compared to the current UK average of 4.1mbps.
Pension funds slam calls for annual voting October 6, 2009 BRITISH pension schemes with more than £50bn in assets have sharply criticised a call by other major institutional investors for annual re-election of all directors at listed UK companies. BT Pension scheme fund manager Hermes, and the universities pension fund USS – which manages £21.7bn in assets – said a move to put the entire [...]
Virgin and BT join forces in BSkyB attack October 4, 2009 Virgin Media and BT have hit out at BSkyB’s pricing mechanism for its premium channels, saying that its “near monopoly” restricts consumer choice and keeps prices high. The attack came in a joint submission to Ofcom, which is consulting over its proposals to control the wholesale pay-TV market, that would mean BSkyB having to sell [...]
Dunstone to fight piracy laws in court September 29, 2009 CARPHONE Warehouse chief executive Charles Dunstone said last night that he is prepared to take the government to court if it passes a rule forcing internet service providers (ISPs) to cut off suspected file-sharers. Dunstone said that Carphone-owned ISP provider TalkTalk – which supplies 4.25m households – would refuse to slow down or cut off [...]
ITV investors oppose Davis September 27, 2009 Embattled broadcaster ITV faces another struggle as shareholders prepare to block the appointment of Sir Crispin Davis as its new chairman. Ex-Reed Elsevier chief executive Davis and former Channel 4 chairman Sir Michael Bishop are said to be ITV’s favourites for the role. However, it is understood that some shareholders are against Davis as a [...]
BT in next generation push September 24, 2009 BT has unveiled ambitious plans to double the number of homes that are able to receive 24 megabit broadband by spring 2011. Currently 40 per cent of UK homes and business are reached by the telecoms group’s fast copper network, but it said that number will rise to 75 per cent under the plans. The [...]