Europe Intelligence Wire articles from January 2005

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from January 2005

Editor's letter - The GAAP year.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) It's here. Almost. The long-promised introduction of international financial reporting standards. And the excitement is palpable. And, of course, while it's still not too late to 'comply', there are things such...

On the move - Tracey gets bitten by the gaming bug.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Giles Kerr, until recently group finance director of Amersham, has been appointed as Oxford University director of finance. Kerr left Amersham after 13 years, following the negotiation of its sale to GE for...

Pay the Price.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Richard Willsher. Government official rates of annualised inflation for October were 3.3% on a retail prices index (RPI) basis and 1.3% using a consumer price index (CPI) measure. Pay increases at...

Hope and Glory.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Richard Willsher. South Africa seems like an attractive place to do business, but alongside the opportunities, there are risks. Market analysts are upbeat about the country's macro economic...

Know it All.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Tom Berry. International Financial Reporting Standards apply to company accounts of public companies whose financial periods begin on or after 1 January 2005. In December 2004, Morgan Stanley's Equity...

Accounting - United affront.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Peter Williams, a chartered accountant and freelance journalist. Critics of the International Accounting Standards Board - and, in particular, of its charismatic and influential chairman Sir David...

The process of procedure.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Robert Bruce, a leading commentator on accountancy issues. When it comes to arguments over the value or iniquity of Sarbanes-Oxley, there is only one point to bear in mind above all. It's the culture,...

IT strategy - Gonna get myself connected.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Tom Berry, deputy editor of Financial Director. Our lives are dominated by mobile technology: faster connections, wireless broadband, 3G and the irresistible rise of smaller, more powerful machines....

Not beyond reasonable doubt.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Dennis Turner, chief economist at HSBC. This year's pre-Budget report (PBR) was given closer scrutiny than usual, for reasons largely unconnected with the Chancellor's statement. Some tried to see it...

The Financial Director interview - Boyle's Law.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Andrew Sawers. With the dawning of 2005, the introduction of international financial reporting standards is no longer in the distant future. It's this financial year; it's now. Calculating profits and...

People - Darren Spurling - Hooked on surfwear.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) The UK is not the most obvious country for a surfwear explosion. How do you explain it? After France, the UK is the second-biggest boardsports market in Europe. The whole lifestyle of surfing is about...

Branding - Buy the numbers.
January 1, 2005... (From Financial Director) Byline: Jane Simms. If there is anything in the old belief that accountants are more comfortable with numbers than they are with brands, then what happens when the brand is a number? Does the numbers-oriented...

President greets nation at New Year.
January 1, 2005... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, January 1 (MTI) - President Ferenc Madl reviewed the achievements of 2004 and warned about challenges of the coming year in his New Year's Address to the nation broadcast over public radio and...

New year's first Hungarian baby a boy.
January 1, 2005... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, January 1 (MTI) - The new year's first Hungarian baby was born one hour and four minutes after the clock ticked into 2005. Mate came into the world weighing only 1650 grams and 42...

Two dozen Hungarians still unaccounted for after tsunami.
January 1, 2005... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, January 1 (MTI) - Hungarian authorities have not ruled out that the tidal wave hitting the Southeast Asian coastline on Sunday claimed Hungarian lives as the search for some two dozen missing...

Budapest bourse ends year on high note.
January 1, 2005... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, January 1 (MTI ECONEWS) - Investors in Hungarian equities were well rewarded in 2004. The Budapest bourse outperformed many emerging market peers, its headline index gaining a striking 57pc in...

Lawmakers set to have busy season in spring.
January 1, 2005... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, January 1 (MTI) - After the Christmas and New Year break, plus six more session-free weeks, Hungarian parliament will resume session on February 14 for what could be the busiest season for the...

Olympic Committee fears govt threatens competitive sports.
January 1, 2005... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, January 1 (MTI) - The president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee said the 2005 national budget and the 2004 law on sport were a step back to a centrally regulated sports administration system...

Forty-five Czechs in Asia still not heard from.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) RPAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - The list of Czechs who have not been heard from since the December 26 devastating earthquake in southeast Asia contains 45 names to date, deputy foreign minister Pavel Svoboda told CTK today....

EU entry no visible milestone in Czech Republic's life - Klaus.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - The year 2004 did not differ any much from the several previous years, both in the good and in the bad and the country's EU entry in May was no visible milestone from the point of view of...

Slovakia gains reputation of reliable partner - Gasparovic.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) BRATISLAVA, Jan 1 (CTK) - Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic pointed out his country's entry into the European Union and NATO last year and said that Slovakia has gained the reputation of a reliable partner in his...

Forty-five Czechs still not heard from, govt to discuss situation.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) (adds further information throughout story) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - The list of Czechs who have not been heard from since the December 26 devastating earthquake in southeast Asia contains 45 names to date, deputy...

Two foreigners die in New Year's celebrations in Prague.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - A 26-year-old Bulgarian citizen died in the centre of Prague in the early hours of New Year when he succumbed to stabs he suffered in a skirmish of two groups of foreigners, police spokeswoman...

KDU-CSL, KSCM chairmen praise President Klaus's speech.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - Miroslav Kalousek, chairman of the junior government Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), told CTK today that he considers President Vaclav Klaus's New Year's speech as exceptionally good. "I...

CzechRep should harmonise Asia aid with European Union - Gross.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - The Czech Republic should harmonise its humanitarian aid to southeast Asia, afflicted by an earthquake and consequent devastating tsunamis on December 26, with the EU activities, Prime...

Gross wants to assert health care, pensions reforms by elections.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) RPAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - Prime Minister Stanislav Gross (senior government Social Democrats, CSSD) said today he would like to push through by the regular election in mid-2006 the reforms of health care and pensions...

Politicians mostly praise Klaus's speech, Gross has reservations.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) (rewrites, adds further reactions) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - The chairmen of the parties in parliament their majority praised the New Year's speech President Vaclav Klaus traditionally made today. Mirek...

ADRA collects seven million crowns in aid of Asia through SMS.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - ADRA Foundation has collected more than seven million crowns through SMS messages in aid of the victims of the natural disaster in southeast Asia, its director Jan Barta told CTK today. He...

Results of Czech ice hockey Elite League.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - Zlin beat Slavia Praha 2-0 in the opening game of the Czech ice hockey Elite League 36th round today. Result: Zlin vs Slavia Praha 2-0 (1-0, 0-0, 1-0). Standings: 1. Zlin 36...

Foreigner murdered in Prague early today, others injured.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) (rewrites, updates) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - A 26-year-old Belarussian, not a Bulgarian, as reported earlier, died in the centre of Prague in the early hours of New Year when he succumbed to stabs he suffered when...

Year 2005 to be marked by parties' campaigning before 2006 polls.
January 1, 2005... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - The commencing year 2005, in which the world will commemorate 60 years since World War Two, will on the domestic scene witness the greatly expected conference of the senior ruling Social...

Entrepreneurs break through into market for pets' comforts.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Kathryn Moore IT was hardly a standard high-powered business meeting. Men and women in power suits were greeted by two women dressed as a giant rabbit and guinea pig. Lydia Ross and Chrissie Slater dressed up...

The shares we'll watch through 2005.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) David Parkin So, it's that time of year again when we hold our hands up and confess how well/badly our share tips have done. Generally we're pretty pleased. You would have made a tidy sum if you had followed deputy...

Liddell aims to upset Wigan.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Ian Appleyard Former Athletic striker looks to help Blades leapfrog old mates NOT so long ago, Andy Liddell was telling the world to forget about catching Championship leaders Wigan Athletic. Eight weeks down the...

Ivor Cutts - Sportsman and teacher.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Ivor Cutts, well known in South Yorkshire as an all-round sportsman in the 1940s and 50s, has died at the age of 83 in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire. He served for 11 years as headteacher of Northstead County Junior...

Derek Foster -Former Yorkshire Post news editor.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) DEREK Foster, who has died at the age of 80 after protracted illness heroically borne, was a consummate professional who combined all that that entailed with a shrewd mind, sharp intellect and gentlemanly demeanour....

Joan Wicken -British socialist who loved Tanzania.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) JOAN Wicken, who has died in Keighley, aged 79, was Dr Julius Nyerere's personal assistant when, as President of Tanzania, he was one of the most influential Commonwealth leaders of the post Second World War period....

Bill Anderson - Journalist, author and film maker.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) From the SAS, to journalism, film-making, public relations, writing books, and, amid all the bubbling ideas, meeting the challenge of bookmakers - and sometimes winning. Few lives provide as much colour as that...

Time to rally round in the cause of humanity.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) From: Meera Syal, Disasters and Emergency Committee (Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International UK, Christian Aid, Concern, Help the Aged, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision), 15...

A grim future for Mr Blair...
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) WHEN Tony Blair returns from his extended Christmas holiday, how will he contemplate the year ahead? On the face of things, with some optimism. Labour is, after all, riding high in the opinion polls, the opposition is...

Reading the runes for 2005.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) To celebrate the dawn of a new year, we asked a collection of writers to look into their crystal balls to offer a personal perspective on their hopes for 2005. BRITISH POLITICS Anthony Seldon is author of Blair,...

Yorkshire quadruple - or was it a dream?
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Chris Waters IT is Sunday, September 25, 2005. Yorkshire have just completed a crushing victory over Sussex at Hove in their final match of the season to secure the Totesport League Second Division title. The...

Blake tips United to be 'surprise package'.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Richard Sutcliffe NATHAN BLAKE believes Leeds United could be the surprise package of the New Year and mount a serious challenge for the Championship play-offs. The Welsh international striker yesterday joined...

Looking to make a point in new season.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Here's a toast to the dedicated men and women who make a fascinating amateur sport a feature of the countryside, the point-to-point jockeys. They were the ones refusing the mince pies and the extra plate of...

Winger hopes to emulate 2004 success after 27 goals in 12 months.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Richard Sutcliffe WHEN A footballer who has scored 27 League goals in the past 12 months says he is hoping for an even better 2005 it smacks of pure greed. But when the man in question is Hull City winger Stuart...

Jackson backs Abbott to pass 25-goal mark for Terriers.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Richard Sutcliffe PETER JACKSON has backed Huddersfield Town striker Pawel Abbott to pass the 25-goal mark this season as League One's two leading scorers prepare to go head-to-head today. The former Poland...

FA finally find way to gag Warnock.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Ian Appleyard Sheffield United's Neil Warnock is ordered to wear a gag and a pair of handcuffs as the Football Association get tough on managers who abuse referees from the touchline. Warnock describes the move as...

Leeds send out clear signal as Oster is sent packing.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Richard Sutcliffe KEVIN BLACKWELL has issued an ultimatum to his Leeds United side after John Oster's loan spell from Sunderland was terminated due to a breach of club discipline. Jamie McMaster was also fined two...

Monty and co put the gloss finish on a fabulous year for golf.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) IT REALLY was a marvellous year for golf. The highlight will linger far longer in the memory than Todd Hamilton's victory over Ernie Els in the Open championship at Royal Troon, longer even than the sweeping...

Wilkinson proves star attraction.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Sam Wheeler After attracting 14,293 people for their game against Newcastle, Leeds Tykes furiously deny reports that they have offered the Falcons "a substantial, undisclosed sum" to loan Jonny Wilkinson to every...

rugby league calendar.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) John Ledger January: Castleford Tigers appoint unknown Aussie Ramsay Summerbay as first-team captain for their first season in National League One. The move proves controversial because Summerbay, who was on a...

Crowning glory for farming enterprise.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Robert Benson Agricultural Correspondent A FARMING business based in North Yorkshire, which employs more than 50 people, is the winner of the Crown Estate Farm Of The Year Award. Brothers, David and Richard...

Celebration time for multi-channel TV.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Grace Hammond MORE viewers watched non-terrestrial TV this Christmas than BBC1 or ITV1. For the first time, multi-channel viewing overtook the two main terrestrial channels. Programmes on digital, satellite and...

Schools face up to the class divide.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Once unfashionable, single-sex education is back on the agenda. Education Correspondent James Reed looks at how Yorkshire schools are tackling the issue. FOR many years they have been regarded by some as a...

Ready, teddy, go for high-flying bear.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Julie Hemmings A FURRY daredevil is taking a well-earned break before starting a further round of fundraising stunts. Terence the teddy is recuperating at home after becoming the first British bear in space, the...

Election and Blair's future Gearing up for year of destiny.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Simon McGee Political Editor EVERY year in our democracy seems turbulent and full of political milestones. But 2005 has all the hallmarks of being a rare vintage in the political timeline, with some truly...

'Lives at risk' claim in fire control switch Anger over consultation process on Government merger plan.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) William Green Political Correspondent LIVES could be put at risk because of Government plans to replace Yorkshire's fire control rooms with a regional centre, the firefighters' union has claimed. Separate control...

Heartache of brothers left alone.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Robert Sutcliffe THE brother of a woman feared dead told yesterday of his heartache for his two young nephews. Nick Mullan, 52, of Heaton, Bradford, said he was initially not too concerned when he first heard...

Funds pour in for aid effort.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) James Reed THE generosity of the British public showed no sign of drying up yesterday - but it could be some time before parts of the disaster zone see any help. A staggering GBP45m had been pledged to the...

Businesses across Yorkshire rally round to help appeals.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) James Reed THE devastation and loss of life in Asia have galvanised Yorkshire's business community. Leeds-based Asda revealed yesterday it had made "substantial" donations both to the British Red Cross and the...

Claim as suicide toll soars Prisons in GBP31m finance 'crisis'.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Chris Benfield The Prison Service is in financial meltdown, it was claimed yesterday, after figures revealed inmate suicides at record levels. Home Office figures showed 95 prisoners had killed themselves in...

Passenger dies at scene and driver seriously injured as car occupants run off without calling for help Hunt for men after fatal crash.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Ian Waugh A HUNT was under way last night for men who fled the scene of a car crash in which a woman died on the way home from a festive family gathering. Andrea Duffy, 41, died instantly when the Rover car she...

Witness shot at as he chased shop robber.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Andrew Robinson A witness to a crime was shot at as he tried to stop a robber escaping from a supermarket in West Yorkshire. The shooting happened after an attempted armed robbery at the Spar supermarket in Leeds...

City centres may set up 'field hospitals' for drinkers.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) Andrew Robinson and Alexandra Wood YORKSHIRE city centres plagued by alcohol-related violence could get their own battlefield-style 'field hospitals' to cope with drunk and injured pub and clubgoers. Increasing...

A candle of hope.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Post) William Green THE world was united in grief last night, remembering the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster, as fears grow that survivors will die from disease and the full death toll will never be known. New...

A New Year of anguish.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) Last night families came together to toast the beginning of 2005. But as GRANT WOODWARD reports, many were missing their loved ones. WHEN the clocks chimed midnight families across West Yorkshire were...

Winning feeling mum scoops fortune.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) BY ALAN YORK A YOUNG Wakefield mum had a premonition that she was going to win at bingo, even though she hadn't played for six months. The 26-year-old, who doesn't want to be identified, hadn't bothered...

Put Tony Blair on the spot!
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) Exclusive Chance For YEP Readers To Quiz Prime Minister Exclusive By Anne Alexander Parliamentary Correspondent PRIME Minister Tony Blair is visiting Yorkshire next week - and our readers have an exclusive...

Future is bright for Blood Sundae...
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) BY ANDREW HUTCHINSON THE winners of a prestigious talent search to find Leeds's very own chart stars of tomorrow have been unveiled. Bright Young Things has a proven track record for finding new talent...

At last I know just how my husband died.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) WARTIME WIDOW FINALLY LEARNS THE TRUTH OF AIRMAN'S 'FRIENDLY FIRE' DEATH BY SOPHIE HAZAN JUST one month after getting married, Jessie Ingle was widowed. Her young life was left in tatters. It was...

City meeting care challenge, say inspectors.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) BY DAVID MARSH SERVICES for older people in Leeds have been praised by Government inspectors. They found that the council, health organisations and other agencies were meeting the challenge of providing...

A little Corker wins hero award.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) BY KATIE BALDWIN THEY'VE gone through more in their young lives than many do in a lifetime and the bravery of these two West Yorkshire girls has proved inspirational. The pair have been named young heroes...

Soaring railway numbers are not to be sniffed at.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) By Howard Williamson THE sweet smell of success will permeate trains in the north of England this year as passenger numbers soar. With customers at a 45-year record high, the Trans-Pennine Express company...

Dramatic fall in West Yorkshire crime rate.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) By Bruce Smith A MAJOR fall in crime in West Yorkshire has seen more than 50,000 fewer victims over an eight month period of 2004. Robberies almost halved between April and November and there were 8,000...

Baby Alex shows up for New Year party.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) BY KATIE BALDWIN PARTYGOERS saw in 2005 while enjoying hair-raising rides on a giant funfair in Millennium Square. More than 10,000 people flocked to the city centre event to see a massive fireworks...

United In Grief.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) By Chris Murphy and Katie Baldwin NEW Year's Eve revellers across the globe put their 2005 celebrations on hold last night to remember the countries stricken by Asia's tsunami disaster as the death toll rose...

Awards are insult to the true heroes.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) THE usual mix of the sublime and ridiculous makes up the New Year Honours List, which again leaves many in bemused puzzlement as to what exactly might be the purpose of this increasingly bizarre ritual....

Fringe Rhinos get their chance.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) By Peter Smith LEEDS RHINOS' fringe men have been told there is everything to play for when they face National Two outfit York City Knights at Bootham Crescent on Monday. Rhinos' line-up includes just two...

Managing Leeds has to be one of the toughest jobs ever says Reid.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) EXCLUSIVE By PAUL DEWS FORMER Leeds United boss Peter Reid today branded Kevin Blackwell's Elland Road job 'the hardest in football'. Reid, who appointed Blackwell as head coach at United 18 months ago,...

United Boss Reads The Riot Act.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) Warning to Leeds stars as Oster is axed By PAUL DEWS LEEDS UNITED today issued a simple warning to their players: "Behave or else." United sent on-loan winger John Oster back to Sunderland yesterday and fined...

Soulless Leeds.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) Three cheers for the Rev Geoff Ellis on his moving letter in support of the children and young people of Victoria Park Special Needs School, Bramley (YEP, December 16). He says if sufficient voices are raised,...

Ideal site for park and rideIdeal site for park and ride.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) In reply to Mr Marsden's recent letter "Trains before trams", his comments make a lot of sense especially as it now seems unlikely that the Supertram project will proceed in the foreseeable future. ...

Getting the wrong impression.
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) I am pleased that my letter to you some time ago has stimulated a number of letters about Beeston and the surrounding areas. I am pleased that Mr Tony Stott acknowledges that it is the role of the Beeston...

Why put new swimming pool miles from anywhere?
January 1, 2005... (From Yorkshire Evening Post) Having read with interest the articles you have been publishing regarding demolishing the International Pool and creating a new pool near South Leeds sports centre. I, like most people, would probably agree...