WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 17, 2009 THE SUNDAYSTHE SUNDAY TELEGRAPHINDEPENDENT BEGS A MONTH TO SORT OUT DEBTIndependent News & Media (INM) is close to a standstill pact with its bondholders which would give the company a month’s breathing space to reorganise its debt. The future of the owner of The Independent newspaper has been in serious doubt after the group failed [...]
Chelsea represents the peculiarly British love affair with horticulture May 17, 2009 ONLY in Britain could Alan Titchmarsh become a sex symbol. There is something in the psyche of the people on this small, rainy island that means that a short man in dungarees wielding a trowel sends ladies of a certain age all a-flutter. In some way, a gardener’s earthiness equates to sexual allure. Maybe it’s [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 14, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESQINETIQ TO SELL UK UNDERWATER SYSTEMS ARM Qinetiq, the defence research group, has agreed to sell its UK underwater systems business for £23.5m as it continues to restructure its European division. Atlas Elektronik will take over the business, which makes sonar acoustic counter measures for customers such as the Royal Navy, protecting about 220 [...]
BG concedes defeat over deal with Australia’s Origin September 10, 2008 BG group said yesterday it would not increase its hostile takeover bid for Australian Origin Energy after the company agreed to a joint venture with American oil giant ConocoPhillips. BG’s offer of A$15.50 (£7.08) a share, which expires on 26 September, will not be extended and is expected to lapse, BG said in a statement. [...]
Resolution to float as Tiner becomes CEO September 10, 2008 Acquisitions vehicle appoints new board members and gears up for spending spree Clive Cowdery’s buyout firm Resolution yesterday announced plans to raise £1bn through an initial public offering in November, as it prepares for a series of acquisitions of financial services companies in need of restructuring. Cowdery has pulled off a major coup by landing [...]
Branson eyes possible £2bn Gatwick deal September 2, 2008 Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of airline Virgin Atlantic, said yesterday he is eyeing a £2bn bid for airports group BAA’s London Gatwick airport if it were put up for sale. A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: “This is something we have given a lot of serious thought to.” He added: “We have talked to other [...]
Atticus sees £2.7bn losses as downturn hits it hard September 2, 2008 Atticus, the high-profile New York hedge fund involved in the failed Barclays bid for ABN-Amro, has lost more than $5bn (£2.8bn) this year after its funds were battered by steep falls in financial stocks. The activist fund saw assets under management fall to around $14bn at the end of July, down from $20m last year [...]
Profits at Rio Tinto jump on high demand August 27, 2008 Bid target miner Rio Tinto posted a better-than-expected 55 per cent rise in first-half profit yesterday, boosted by its takeover of aluminium producer Alcan and strong Asian demand for commodities. The company, which bought Canada’s Alcan, for $38bn (£19bn) just over a year ago, said its pre-tax profit to the end of June rose to [...]
Oil to keep sliding after slumping to 3-month low August 6, 2008 Oil fell to $118 a barrel yesterday, a three-month low, as traders reacted to rising supplies and declining demand in America and Europe. The price of US crude fell as low as $118 a barrel, before recovering to trade at $119.13. While in London Brent crude fell by $2.20 to $118.48 a barrel. Oil supplies [...]
Warm reception for London’s priciest restaurants despite fears of recession August 6, 2008 A clutch of top-end London restaurants have enjoyed successful openings this summer, despite fears of a protracted economic downturn. In July, against a backdrop of doleful news in the property and financial sectors, Ambassade de L’Ile, with Chef Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex, opened its door to diners in francophone South Kensington, while the eponymous Helene Darroze at [...]