Keane injury adds further complications for Ireland October 10, 2011 REPUBLIC of Ireland striker Robbie Keane has been ruled out of tonight’s pivotal Euro 2012 qualifier against Armenia at the Aviva Stadium. Giovanni Trapattoni’s side need just a point to guarantee a play-off spot, but victory coupled with Andorra securing an unlikely win over Russia would see Ireland qualify outright for their first major tournament [...]
FA reveal cost of World Cup bid October 10, 2011 FOOTBALL: The Football Association’s failed World Cup 2018 bid was yesterday revealed to have cost a staggering £21m – £6m more than had been touted. The bid ultimately garnered the support of only two Fifa members as the tournament was awarded to Russia. Sports minister Hugh Robertson said: “I wish we had the knowledge to realise [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS October 9, 2011 Virgin Money The banking division of the Virgin Group has appointed Sir David Clementi to the Virgin Money board as chairman to succeed the late Sir Brian Pitman. Clementi was chairman of Prudential from 2002 to 2008 and deputy governor and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England from 1997 [...]
Exillon finds extra oil in West Siberia October 6, 2011 OIL producer Exillon Energy said it found oil at a Russian well, and would connect it to the existing production facilities following testing. The London-listed company said it found 15.5 metres of net oil pay – referring to the zone of a reservoir that contains economically producible oil – at its EWS I-43 well in [...]
Rusal completes debt refinancing October 6, 2011 UC Rusal said yesterday it had finished refinancing its $11.4bn (£7.4bn) debt portfolio, finally freeing it from restrictions on investments and dividend payments imposed by a restructuring deal. The firm, Russia’s most indebted at the time of the 2008 credit crunch, said it had used a recently agreed new loan to pay off $4.34bn still [...]
RUGBY WORLD CUP 2012 October 6, 2011 FROM 6AM TOMORROW – ITV1 Aside from ensuring a northern versus southern hemisphere final, Australia’s qualification into the unexpected side of the draw has thrown up two mouthwatering last-eight fixtures, and more than enough reason to set the alarm for 6am on Saturday and Sunday. Ireland take on Wales in the weekend’s first match in [...]
An empire of darkness and crime October 5, 2011 MISHA Glenny is no stranger to investigating violent individuals. As a correspondent for the Guardian and BBC he covered corrupt politicians and megalomaniac generals in Yugoslavia. Following this, Glenny turned his sights on international crime syndicates, producing his findings in his celebrated 2008 work McMafia. In his latest, however, Glenny has swapped machine guns, cocaine [...]
Overseas sales boost Walker Greenback October 4, 2011 LUXURY wallpaper and soft furnishings group Walker Greenbank yesterday reported a 13 per cent rise in profits thanks to expanding international sales. The group held two big launches early in the year for Morris & Co and the Harlequin Momentum collection, which fuelled a rise in sales. Group revenues rose 11 per cent to £37.4m, [...]
Oligarchs fight for control of Russian railway October 4, 2011 TWO of Russia’s most powerful oligarchs are set to compete with each other in a multi-billion dollar auction for state-owned rail group Freight One, which goes up for sale at the end of this month. Steel magnate Vladimir Lisin, Russia’s richest man with a $24bn fortune, will bid for the Russian Railways unit via his [...]
Advisory and auditing lift Ernst & Young October 3, 2011 BIG FOUR accountancy firm Ernst & Young will buck the global market downturn this morning as it announces that revenues in its UK business have risen eight per cent since last year, driven by strong performances in its assurance and advisory business. Turnover at the firm hit £1.465bn in the 12 months to 30 June [...]