The rise of the London Village January 16, 2014 IT SEEMS these days everyone wants their slice of village life, even if they live and work in the heart of the city. The Big Smoke has always been made up of distinct neighbourhoods with their own character and lifestyle, but the idea of the London Village has really taken hold in the public imagination [...]
Brand Index: Ford making inroads into the huge Chinese car market January 14, 2014 THE MOTOR industry is making a roaring transatlantic comeback, enjoying some of its strongest sales in years in both Britain and America. Ford is leading the charge in sales – it was the top-selling car in both the US and UK in 2013 – but its brand could use some work outside of America, and [...]
High performance sports cars to dominate 2014 Detroit auto show January 12, 2014 SO-CALLED green cars — electric vehicles, hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells — are set to be heavily overshadowed at this week’s Detroit show by sports cars, in a broad spectrum of sizes, shapes and prices, from Ford’s redesigned 2015 Mustang to Kia Motors’ zippy GT4 Stinger concept. The annual event, officially called the North American [...]
Car firm Ford lifts dividend January 9, 2014 CAR MAKER Ford has hiked its quarterly dividend by 25 per cent, pushing its shares up nearly two per cent in New York yesterday. The firm reported $2.6bn profit before tax in the most recent reported quarter and chief financial officer Bob Shanks said the $0.125 payout would give shareholders “a regular, growing dividend that [...]
England turn to fresh faces as Six Nations work begins January 9, 2014 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has challenged fly-halves Stephen Myler and George Ford to stake a claim for a place in next year’s World Cup squad following their inclusion in the 35-man party to prepare for the Six Nations. No10 Toby Flood’s international career is virtually over after Lancaster, who has a policy of not [...]
Grid star Irvine lands six-month prison sentence January 9, 2014 FORMER Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine has been sentenced to six months in prison following a conviction for his part in a brawl in a Milan nightclub in 2008. The 48-year-old, who spent nine years as a Formula One star, was found guilty along with Gabriele Moratti, the son of a former Milan mayor, of causing [...]
Brutal slavery epic is destined for awards January 9, 2014 FILM 12 YEARS A SLAVE Cert 15 | By Simon Thomson Five Stars STEVE McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is a brilliant film, but its brutality makes for difficult viewing. That might be the point. Based on a memoir of the same name, the book’s subtitle offers a succinct, albeit bloodless, summary of the film: [...]
Ford set for England call-up as Lancaster opts for young squad January 8, 2014 FORMER world junior player of the year George Ford is set to be named in a new-look 35-man England squad today for the forthcoming Six Nations. With France-bound fly-half Toby Flood set to be overlooked, the Bath No10 is in line for a first senior international call-up from coach Stuart Lancaster. And Ford could be [...]
No Microsoft move for Mulally January 7, 2014 Ford CEO Alan Mulally announced yesterday that he has no intention of leaving his job at the end of the year, after continued speculation that he would replace outgoing Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer, who announced his retirement in the summer. In an interview with the Associated Press, Mulally confirmed that would not be moving to [...]
Fresh finance deal for Caffe Nero revealed January 7, 2014 COFFEE chain Caffe Nero announced that a £275m deal to refinance its debts had been completed yesterday. The deal is split between £100m of senior debt instruments, £150m in mezzanine debt and £25m in capital expenditure. The firm say that they will expand abroad and in the UK, as well as releasing a new “at home” [...]