Network Rail chief Mark Carne turns down bonus after “unacceptable” engineering delays caused “misery” for passengers December 30, 2014 Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne has said he will not take his bonus, after the travel chaos that erupted after engineering works overran this Christmas. Carne stood to receive a £34,000 performance-related bonus on top of his £675,000 a year salary. But in light of the huge disruption at King’s Cross and Paddington – [...]
City Link administration: Most jobs to go on New Year’s Day December 29, 2014 Most workers at City Link are expected to be made redundant on New Year's Day, they have been told. An internal document seen by Sky said it is unlikely to be able to make termination payments – "however, you may be entitled to make claims to the Redundancy Payment Service". The news came on the [...]
The most expensive homes in the world: Where are they and who owns them? London tops the chart December 29, 2014 London’s Buckingham Palace is more than just the home of Britain's queen – it’s also the most expensive home in the world, with a price tag of $1.55bn (although it’s not for sale). But this isn’t the only home with an exceptionally high value – across the world, billionaires have either been buying up the properties [...]
How many times has your Football League team been on Sky? Leeds United and Leicester broadcast more than any other club December 24, 2014 For fans of clubs in the Football League, seeing your team play live on Sky Sports is a rare privilege. If you can’t make it to the ground, you’re likely to miss out on seeing anything more than brief highlights of the game. Unlike the multitude of live games, in-depth highlight shows and [...]
Which were the best and worst investments of 2014? December 22, 2014 This year low interest rates have seen investors who bet on traditional investments receive returns tantamount to chickenfeed. Perhaps we should have given up before we'd all even started? Perhaps not. Investors who plumped for chocolate, property, the US dollar and Aim-listed company Fitbug would have watched as their money practically grew on trees. Conversely, [...]
Reach for the Isle of Skye for a bracing winter weekend away December 21, 2014 The island off the west coast of Scotland has a rugged charm during the colder months – and the food is first class. My heart is yearning to thee, O Skye! Dearest of Islands! There first the sunshine gladdened my eye, On the sea sparkling”. So wrote Scottish poet Alexander Nicolson about the largest [...]
Records tumble as Wasps enjoy home comforts December 21, 2014 WASPS fly-half Andy Goode hailed the perfect start to life in Coventry as records tumbled during his side’s bonus-point 48-16 victory over London Irish at yesterday’s Ricoh Arena curtain-raiser. Goode set a new Premiership record by scoring 33 points – the 34-year-old successfully kicked eight penalties and two conversions to add to a second-half touchdown [...]
Premier League auction turns heat up on Sky December 17, 2014 Sky’s reliance on Premier League football rights was highlighted again yesterday after a leading broker reiterated its “sell” rating on the company by reminding investors about the significance of the sporting contract to the company’s future. Broker Liberum Capital published fresh research identifying the auction for the Premier League’s viewing rights – which began last [...]
The best player in Premier League history? The stats suggest Arsenal icon Thierry Henry December 16, 2014 Did the Premier League’s greatest ever player retire from football today? Thierry Henry announced this morning that he would be hanging up his boots for a place in the Sky Sports studio, whose pundits he left lost for words on so many occasions during his Arsenal days. There was a jaw-dropping turn [...]
BT to buy EE in £12.5bn deal December 15, 2014 BT is set to buy mobile phone group EE for £12.5bn, last night announcing it is in exclusive talks with the UK’s biggest mobile phone network. The deal shocked investors, who mostly expected it to choose the cheaper O2 network, which would cost it roughly £10bn and bring almost as many customers. O2 is [...]