Bank hate is exaggerated and simplistic August 3, 2009 IF WE are to believe most commentators, it is an outrage that Barclays and HSBC were able to report decent profits yesterday. The main reason, apparently, is that there are “fears” that lending remains too tight, and that the dreaded “bonus culture” will return. Needless to say, had the banks reported a collapse in earnings, [...]
Weather could have biggest say in the pivotal third Test July 29, 2009 ENGLAND vs AUSTRALIATODAY 11AM – SKY SPORTS 1 AFTER a thrilling Test in the capital the series is Birmingham-bound, returning to the scene of perhaps the most memorable Ashes encounter of all time. Unfortunately the key protagonists from Edgbaston 2005 – as captured in one of the most iconic sporting images ever – look unlikely [...]
Villa and Hull make last ditch bid for 14m Bent July 28, 2009 DARREN BENT was last night at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war after Aston Villa and Hull City moved to hijack his move to Sunderland. Bent, 25, looked all set to complete a proposed transfer to the Black Cats today after undergoing a medical at the Stadium of Light. But Villa and Hull are now [...]
Spurs seal 9m Crouch deal as Bent heads to Sunderland July 27, 2009 TOTTENHAM last night agreed a deal with Portsmouth to sign striker Peter Crouch in a transfer believed to be worth around £9m. The England front man underwent a medical at White Hart Lane yesterday before agreeing personal terms with the north London club. At the same time, however, Spurs are ready to offload Crouch’s England [...]
Al Fahim completes Pompey takeover July 21, 2009 SULAIMAN AL FAHIM yesterday got the green light to complete his takeover of Portmsouth – and then promptly handed caretaker boss Paul Hart a new two-year deal. The UAE-based businessman became the first prospective club owner to pass the Premier League’s new fit and proper person test after having agreed, in principle, to take over [...]
Tesco slams Competition Commission July 16, 2009 TESCO, Britain’s biggest retailer, yesterday hit back at plans by the Competition Commission to introduce a new test into the planning system to combat the dominance of big supermarket chains. Tesco supermarket director Lucy Neville-Rolfe said the move “will cost jobs by deterring investment in the areas that need it most, in what is already [...]
FOOTBALL IN BRIEF July 15, 2009 Blues pair see bans reducedCHELSEA duo Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa have both had their European bans reduced by one game after appealing against charges of improper conduct from the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in April. Drogba will now serve a three-game suspension and Bosingwa two. Black Cats chasing CrouchSUNDERLAND boss Steve Bruce has [...]
SLICE OF OLD-BOY STYLE HITS CITY FINE WINING AND DINING CIRCUIT July 8, 2009 NOT so long ago, City types were busy bemoaning the lack of decent restaurants on their patch. But now, just weeks after the Galvin brothers announced they were opening a new pad near Spitalfields market, I hear there’s a new eatery coming to town, courtesy of Simon Parker Bowles, former brother-in-law to Camilla, Duchess of [...]
BSkyB ordered to pay out legal costs June 23, 2009 THE Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has ordered BSkyB to pay the government and Competition Commission’s legal costs associated with the broadcaster’s appeal to keep its 17.9 per cent stake in ITV. BSkyB is fighting an ongoing battle to retain the stake, which it bought for £940m in 2006. The deal blocked a potential takeover of [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 23, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES GCL-POLY TO BUY SOLAR ASSETS FOR $3.4BNGCL-Poly Energy, a Hong Kong-based power plant operator, said yesterday it would pay HK$26.4bn (£2bn) to acquire solar assets from its chairman as it seeks to expand in the green energy sector. The company said it would buy Jiangsu Zhongeng, a supplier of polysilicon and wafers used [...]