WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 13, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES US REGULATOR WIDENS STANFORD PROBE TO BROKERS US securities regulators have broadened their investigation into the alleged $8bn Ponzi scheme run by Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire, to include brokerage executives who invested their clients’ money in Stanford International Bank products. JPMORGAN CUTS BACK ON US SILVER FUTURES JPMorgan has quietly reduced a [...]
Reckitt in £460m deal for Paras December 13, 2010 Consumer goods firm Reckitt Benckiser has agreed to buy privately-held Indian company Paras Pharmaceuticals for about $726m (£460m), to boost its operations in a fast-growing healthcare market. Big global healthcare firms are fast driving into emerging markets as sales stall in developed countries and as they look to tap into the healthcare needs of billions [...]
L’Occitane majority shareholder cashes in £86m worth of its shares December 12, 2010 L’OCCITANE International said its controlling shareholder has sold $136m (£86m) worth of its shares at HK$21.14 (£1.72) each, or a 1.9 per cent discount to Friday’s closing price, in a share placement. The French skincare products retailer said the share sale allowed its controlling shareholder, the L’Occitane Groupe (LOG), to monetise a small portion of [...]
Journey into the mighty history of Samarkand December 12, 2010 AROUND Tashkent airport, giant hoardings proclaimed in English: “Uzbekistan Airways Wish You Good Luck”. It might have been more unsettling to read that message driving into Heathrow before our departure. In fact, we’d had an incident-free flight on Uzbekistan Airways to Uzbekistan’s capital. Tashkent sounds endlessly exotic but isn’t really. Much was destroyed by a [...]
Pavlyuchenko to sign new Spurs deal December 8, 2010 TOTTENHAM have opened contract talks with Roman Pavlyuchenko less than a year after the Russian striker seemed destined to leave White Hart Lane. Pavlyuchenko, 28, appeared to be on the verge of sealing a switch to Birmingham City in January but the two clubs were unable to agree a fee. Now, the striker’s agent has [...]
A winning investment in Russia ETFs December 8, 2010 BARING Asset Managers were probably the only people in England to find an upside to Russia winning the bid to host the 2018 World Cup last week. They believe that the win offers us a better case for investing in the emerging giant. Indeed, the improved infrastructure and reputation that comes with hosting the Cup [...]
Four great experiences for the true aficionado December 8, 2010 l You can’t beat a day of pampering for unwinding after the Christmas rush. Any chap looking to really indulge a lady should look to the spa at the plush Sofitel St James’s Hotel, whose ultimate package includes a crystal necklace from renowned French glassware company Baccarat. For pampering, you get the Zenith Signature treatment, [...]
The games that ruled the roost in 2010 December 8, 2010 RED DEAD REDEMPTION (PS3, X360) £29.99 What was merely potential in gritty Wild West game Red Dead Revolver became reality in this blistering follow up, in which former outlaw John Marston tracks down his former compadres. The technical brilliance of the gunplay is more than matched by the beautiful scenery and oppressively tough, dusty atmosphere. [...]
San Leon Energy in £60m fundraising December 7, 2010 AIM-listed oil and gas exploration company San Leon Energy yesterday announced it has raised £59.6m through a new share placement. The firm says it will use the proceeds of the placing to fund an extensive seismic and drilling programme over the next 18 months, including the drilling of up to 17 wells. The funds will [...]
Get out your pith helmet and start building railways, roads and ports December 7, 2010 AT THE end of the 19th century, British investors were funding railways throughout India and across South America, telephone cables underneath the Atlantic and gold mines in the South African Transvaal. In the first great age of globalisation, the most important thing was to build infrastructure, only after which could trade follow. That is as [...]