Vodafone to step up cost cutting plans November 10, 2009 Telecoms giant Vodafone yesterday posted a 73 per cent jump in first-half pre-tax profit and doubled its cost-cutting target to £2bn. The world’s largest mobile operator, which saw revenues increase on sales of data services, had already said it would reach its £1bn cost cutting target by March 2010, a year ahead of schedule. But [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 10, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES GM CHIEF PROMISES CASH FOR NEW-LOOK OPELGeneral Motors yesterday promised a more independent Opel and vowed to support its European unit with fresh money as the US carmaker tried to calm the fury sparked by last week’s decision to keep the unit. Fritz Henderson, head of GM, spoke after a series of meetings [...]
Remember, remember, to buy in November November 9, 2009 NOVEMBER is often considered one of the worst months of the year: the days are getting shorter, the holidays are still at least six weeks away and it is markedly colder and wetter. In short, not a month to get that excited about. That is, unless you are an investor. Forget the dismal weather and [...]
Men: soothe and protect your skin too November 9, 2009 ONCE the summer sun disappears, it’s easy for men to forget to take care of their skin. However, the winter can be just as problematic to a gent’s appearance as the sunnier months – the cold will dry out your skin and cause chapped lips, and overheating at home can make things even worse. And [...]
EX-BANKER TRIES HIS LUCK WITH SEX TOYS November 9, 2009 OF ALL the career paths followed by former City types who have lost jobs in the recession, this one really does take the biscuit. Matt Thomas, a former manager in corporate finance at Seymour Pierce, decided to make the most of the opportunity when he was made redundant last November by setting up a joint [...]
Strong retail sales growth but 2010 outlook uncertain November 9, 2009 RETAIL sales enjoyed their strongest October growth for seven years with retail sales values rising 3.8 per cent on a like-for-like basis, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). But the BRC warned that last month’s strong performance was compared to October 2008, when sales fell 2.2 per cent due to turmoil in the financial [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPER SAY THIS MORNING November 8, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphBAE HIRES PINOCHET LAWYER FOR SFO FIGHTBAE Systems has instructed General Pinochet’s former QC to handle its defence if the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is successful in persuading the Attorney General to proceed with a fraud prosecution against the arms manufacturer. GOVERNMENT PLANS FAST-TRACK NUCLEAR EXPANSIONThe government is set to hand an [...]
British Airways staff to vote on Christmas strike action November 8, 2009 Passengers flying on British Airways over Christmas are bracing themselves for mayhem after 2,500 cabin crew backed union leaders’ decision to call a strike vote at a mass meeting. The ballot – in protest over the company’s imposed job cuts and two-year pay freeze – will start next week and close on 14 December. Unite [...]
WHAT GOD COMPLEX? BLANKFEIN IS JUST FEELING A WEE BIT LONELY November 8, 2009 One could feel a bit sorry for Goldman Sach’s chairman and chief executive Lloyd Blankfein. Push aside the fact that he earns more than the GDP of a small country for doing “God’s work”, and life on the 30th floor starts to look very lonely. “People are pissed off, mad and bent out of shape. [...]
Tourists will fill West End November 8, 2009 CENTRAL London shops expect to receive a glut of foreign customers this winter, enticed to the capital by the current weakness of the pound. The New West End Company, which represents retailers in Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, is expecting a 5-10 per cent year-on-year increase in foreign shoppers over the festive period. [...]