NY police avert terrorist plan November 20, 2011 NEW York officials said yesterday that police have arrested a man trying to build a pipe bomb with instructions from an al Qaeda magazine, which he planned to use against US soldiers. The suspect – identified as Jose Pimentel, 27 – was charged with three terrorism-related counts and two other counts. Beyond soldiers, his intended [...]
The captain of industry who says the UK needs to be more like Asia November 20, 2011 FROM the CBI’s offices on the second floor of the Centre Point tower, you get a great view of the construction site that will eventually become the Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station. It is fitting that the CBI, which was one of the railway’s biggest supporters, is so close to the action, and a reminder [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 17, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES AUCTION OF ICELAND FOODS BESET BY DELAYS The auction of Iceland Foods, the frozen food retailer, is facing unexpected delays, with second-round bids now not expected to be lodged until the new year. Work on second-round bids for Iceland Foods – put on the block in May by its majority Icelandic owners with [...]
Mothercare battles with poor UK sales November 17, 2011 MOTHERCARE chairman Alan Parker marked his first 100 days in office by announcing an overhaul of the baby products retailer after it revealed an £81.4m half-year loss. Shares in the FTSE 250 firm plummeted by 17.87 per cent yesterday to 127.3p after the group posted an underlying pre-tax loss, before exceptional costs, of £4.4m for [...]
Glad rags for partying in style November 17, 2011 CHRISTMAS party season and all its fashion opportunities, work-sanctioned bouts of alcohol consumption, and colleagues letting their hair down, is on hand. Whether all this is a cause for celebration or dread, one thing you can be sure of is that looking like a festive fashionista will only improve matters. Even if you’re not feeling [...]
British Land signs first tenant for Cheesegrater as profits increase November 15, 2011 PROPERTY developer British Land has formally signed a pre-let agreement with insurance broker Aon to lease a third of its Leadenhall building, nicknamed the Cheesegrater, in the City. Aon will take 191,000 square feet over 10 floors of the 47-floor skyscraper – due to be completed mid-2014 – paying on average £56.60 per square foot [...]
British Land asset value rises November 15, 2011 UK developer British Land posted rises in first-half net asset value (NAV) and underlying pretax profit, and said it was well positioned to capture upside in both income and capital when the economy improves. British Land booked a 4.2 per cent rise in first-half NAV to 591 pence a share, while its underlying pre-tax profit [...]
Allen & Overy posts healthy revenue rise for first half but says debt crisis will affect rest of the year November 10, 2011 MAGIC circle law firm Allen & Overy has seen an 11 per cent rise in revenue at the mid-way point of its financial year, hitting £582m. But managing partner Wim Dejonghe warned that headwinds could slow growth over the next six months, with the firm’s “healthy” performance unlikely to be matched in the second half. [...]
Hamlet has a brand new Sheen November 10, 2011 Theatre HAMLET YOUNG VIC No play can bore or tire the viewer more if produced unoriginally or acted weakly, and none can engage, emote nor enthral more if done well, than Hamlet. This Hamlet, starring Michael Sheen and directed by Ian Rickson (director of smash hit Jerusalem, playing across town), is the enthralling kind. Every [...]
GDP rises to 0.5 per cent November 1, 2011 Gross domestic product grew by 0.5 per cent on the quarter as business services and finance posted the strongest quarterly increase in four years, according to the Office for National Statistics. However, the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey released earlier showed that manufacturers saw the sharpest monthly rate of decline since June 2009 in October. [...]