Strikes fail to cause chaos October 31, 2010 THE 3 October tube strike failed to cause the chaos predicted by union bosses, with 93 per cent of Oyster users still taking public transport. Extra bus and river services, as well as the 40 per cent of the underground network that was maintained, allowed almost all commuters to use the network, according to new [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 31, 2010 THE SUNDAYS The Sunday Telegraph MAUDE DEMANDS SERCO ANSWER Serco is to be ordered to explain to the government why it took the highly unusual step of writing to its leading suppliers to demand that they pay a blanket 2.5 per cent “cash rebate” on their work this year or risk losing future contracts. Serco, [...]
WI-FI HITS UNDERGROUND October 28, 2010 CUSTOMERS will be able to log on to the internet from their laptops or mobile phones at Charing Cross Tube Station from 1 November through BT Openzone. The trial, which will test how the service works and look at customer take up, will include live Transport for London service updates available to all wi-fi users [...]
Online economy in UK is now worth £100bn October 27, 2010 THE UK’s internet economy is now worth a staggering £100bn a year, according to a landmark survey commissioned by search giant Google. The online economy now represents 7.2 per cent of UK GDP – more than construction, transport or utilities. The report shows this share is likely to grow by about 10 per cent a [...]
PIMCO’S GROSS ISSUES WARNING OVER A BRAZEN PONZI SCHEME: QE October 27, 2010 PIMCO’S resident bond expert Bill Gross yesterday, in his usual verbose fashion, issued a stark warning over the upcoming second round of quantitative easing (QE) in the US – dubbing it no less than a “Ponzi scheme” on the part of the Federal Reserve. “Check [sic] writing in the trillions is not a bondholder’s friend; [...]
CAR TALK October 26, 2010 REBUILDING SAAB’S BRAND This is Saab’s new 9-4X, its new crossover car that will be shown at November’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Size-wise, it will sit between the existing 9-3 and 9-5 saloons and it’s an important car for Saab as it rebuilds its brand. With a turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 petrol engine and four-wheel drive, [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 26, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES CHINA AND US CLOSER ON TRADE TARGETS China and the US have the basis for an agreement at the summit of the Group of 20 leading nations next month on setting targets to cut trade imbalances, according to an adviser to the Chinese central bank. Li Daokui, a member of the central bank’s [...]
Go-Ahead in bullish mood as defies cuts October 26, 2010 TRANSPORT group Go-Ahead reported a good performance in rail despite economic woes and indicated fare hikes and cost cuts should protect it from public spending reductions. Go-Ahead, which runs the Southeastern, Southern and London Midland rail franchises and buses in the UK, said train passengers and revenue increased despite the tough economy between July and [...]
The Malay paradise where the world’s A-list comes to relax October 24, 2010 THERE’s a moment, when I step in to the glistening emerald Malaysian waters of my own secluded cove, next to my private “Estate”, when I can see just why this place is so popular with celebrities. The sun is shining. Hornbills are squawking in the air. There’s no-one to take in my pasty white bikini-clad [...]
Watch sterling for the market’s view on cuts October 21, 2010 AFTER all the millions and billions of pounds that were tossed around by chancellor George Osborne on Wednesday, many Brits will be left wondering what impact the coalition government’s spending review has on them. Some measures, such as the removal of child tax benefit for families with at least one higher earner, were widely expected. [...]