The Evening Standard (London, England) articles from April 2005

The Evening Standard (London, England) archives from April 2005

This month in Odyssey.
April 1, 2005... Last fall when we were planning this issue to mark the 25th anniversary of the devastating May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens blowup, the notorious mountain came to life again. Contributing Editor Steve O'Meara traveled to Washington state to get a...

Mount St. Helens from space.(Science Scoops)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... In October 2004, Mount St. Helens roared back to life, spewing steam and ash and growing its lava dome. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had a bird's-eye view of this stupendous activity. During their multiple daily...

Sixth senses.(SCIENCE SCOOPS)
April 1, 2005... Just one hour before shallow earthquakes began to unceasingly shake Mount St. Helens last September, Rita Tarrant, a waitress in Cougar, WA, heard deer and elk crashing through the brush on her property. The animals, she said, were running away...

Eruptions can be a gas!(Science Scoops)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Will Mount St. Helens erupt explosively again? Well, British volcanologist Jon Blundy (Bristol University, Bristol) says that the answer may be in the volcano's breath. After studying the gases released during the May 18, 1980, eruption...

Stressed-out cats.(Science Scoops)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Think your cat suffers from stress? It might! east that's what Scottish veterinarian Danielle Gunn-Moore and other cat experts at Edinburgh University believe. Their study was prompted when doctors and cat owners became frustrated with the...

Volcano woes.(Science Scoops)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Mount St. Helens is one of dozens of volcanoes monitored by USGS scientists. And while the volcano is also the most thoroughly "wired" mountain in the Cascade Range--meaning that scientists are "plugged in" to its every shiver and burp--they...

It's alive ... again! Mount St. Helens roared to life again last year, almost 25 years after the volcano's disastrous eruption in 1980.(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... A new chapter in the infamous history of Mount St. Helens began on the morning of September 23, 2004. That day, a swarm of very tiny earthquakes beneath the volcano had U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists at the Cascades Volcano...

Monitoring the mountain's pulse.(analysing gases from volcanoes)
April 1, 2005... A helicopter flies through a plume of gas over Mount St. Helens. A spectrometer on board monitors the amount of sulfur dioxide and other gases released into the air from the plume. Later, scientists will analyze the data to learn more about...

The big blowup.
April 1, 2005... YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL Mount St. Helens reawakened after a rest of 123 years. But this is no Sleeping Beauty story. She stirred for two months before blowing up violently at 8:32 on the morning of May 18, 1980. An earthquake, with a magnitude...

The mountain came to me.
April 1, 2005... As a new arrival from India in 1979, I fell in love with the hills and valleys of the Palouse--a region in eastern Washington. On my way to the Palouse, where my family would make its new home, I saw the majestic, snowcapped Cascade Mountains...

Learning under pressure.
April 1, 2005... Volcanoes have erupted for millions of years, but volcanology is a fairly new science. Before 1980, the only active volcanoes that U.S. geologists studied were gently sloping shield volcanoes in Hawaii. The lava that oozed out of them flowed...

Is it gonna blow?(Activity to Discover)(study of dangerous volcano)
April 1, 2005... You're a volcanologist stationed near Mount Rainier, state's and Washington highest most potentially dangerous volcano. The mountain's snowcapped peak rises more than 14,000 feet over the Seattle-Tacoma area, where 1.5 million people live. It's...

Bucker of lava.(Brain Strain)
April 1, 2005... Suzy and Jake are making a model of a volcano for a school science project. They have simulated lava by adding a brownish-red dye to water in a bucket. The bucket is shaped like an ordinary cylinder, with straight sides. Jake says to Suzy,...

Earth lab: watching Mount St. Helens recover.
April 1, 2005... On the morning of May 18, 1980, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook the ground around Mount St. Helens. Huge Pacific silver firs and Douglas firs that had stood for centuries swayed. Explosions shattered the mountain and the forest. Did the...

Lupines: the soil enhancers.
April 1, 2005... When Mount St. Helens erupted, the valley immediately north of the volcano suffered the most severe damage. Pyroclastic flows poured down the mountain, burying every living thing in their paths and creating a vast plain of fresh pumice. ...

Life on the edge.
April 1, 2005... WHEN MOUNT ST. HELENS EXPLODED, more than 150 square miles of forest were flattened in a matter of minutes. The landscape looked sterile. But was it? When the ash settled and the mountain cooled, a few brave scientists ventured into the...

Ka-boom! Measuring explosivity.(Activity to Discover)
April 1, 2005... It's both, actually. Volcanic eruptions are measured according to a logarithmic scale called the Volcanic Explosivity Index, or VEI. Volcanoes are classified from 0 to 8 on the VEI scale. But a volcano classified as a VEI-1 is ten times more...

An explosive experiment.(Activity to Discover)
April 1, 2005... Here's a fun way to make your own volcanoes and measure their explosivities. Use your powers of observation to record differences in the eruptions that you create: Keep both your eyes and ears tuned! The Concept A volcano erupts when...

Which one's next?
April 1, 2005... LAST THINGS FIRST. Before Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, the last volcano to erupt in the continental United States was...? The answer is Lassen Peak in northern California. The eruption began on May 30, 1914, and ended around...

What's up.
April 1, 2005... The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the moon) as it appears at 8:30 p.m. (your local daylight-saving time) on April 15. Useful all month, the chart (except planet positions) Is also accurate for 8:30 p.m. (standard time) on April 1...

An unusual solar eclipse.(What's Up)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... This month, a special sky event occurs during the New Moon. On April 8, sky watchers in the lower half of the United States, Central America, and parts of South America will be treated to a solar eclipse. Some of these viewers will see the...

Planet watch.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Evening Planets: Venus (in Pisces, moving into Aries) is not visible for most of April. Look for our sister planet to re-emerge, low in the west, in the late April evening sky. Jupiter (in Virgo) rises in the east near 6 p.m. at the...

The size and scale of the moon and sun.(You Can Do Astronomy)
April 1, 2005... You'll Need: 1 basketball (diameter: 9.5 inches) 1 softball (diameter: 3.8 inches) 1 baseball (diameter: 2.85 inches) 1 tennis ball (diameter: 2.5 inches) 1 golf ball (diameter: 1.75 inches) Calculator Roll of...

The big dipper-pouring water like rain.(StarGazing)(Cartoon)
April 1, 2005... GREETINGS, GREETINGS. FELLOW STARGAZERS. THE NEXT CLEAR NIGHT IN ARPIL, GO OUTSIDE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8P.M. AND 10 P.M. AND LOOK DUE NORTH AHHH... THERE YOU'LL SEE THE BIG DIPPER ALMOST DIRECTLY ABOVE AND JUST TO THE RIGHT OF...

Sci chat.(embryonic stem cells research)
April 1, 2005... In the October 2004 "Language of Cells" issue, we asked our readers to consider some ethical questions surrounding stem cell research. Following are the questions and excerpts from some of the thoughtful opinions that we received from students...

Celebrity elk.(Animal Angles)(Roosevelt elk)
April 1, 2005... The Mount St. Helens herd of Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) are so popular that they rate their own Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife five-year plan. Department staff decide how much money to spend and what activities to do...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--GREEN SET TO BUY ETAM'S UK OUTLETS: Bhs and Arcadia owner Philip Green is poised to buy Etam's loss-making UK arm from its French parent company Etam Developpement in a deal worth about [pounds sterling]200 million. Etam's sales fell by...

Earl of Glitz puts the spin into London's newest casino.
April 8, 2005... Byline: Jim Amitage Apr. 8--Robert Earl, millionaire founder of the Planet Hollywood restaurants chain, has more than the usual twinkle in his eye. OK, the business backed by Tinseltown A-listers such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester...

Standard 'seeking Everbright stake'.
April 8, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Apr. 8--Asia-focused lender Standard Chartered is in talks to buy a stake in China Everbright Bank. The government-sanctioned Beijing News said the State Council, the equivalent of the Chinese cabinet, had cleared...

Evening Standard, London, City Spy column.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--CITY SPY: Those who have tried and failed to get a plane to Rome for today's funeral of the Pope will not be surprised to learn that the Eternal City has this week shot close to the top of the world's most-wanted flight destinations,...

Close-run election 'may put financial markets in turmoil'.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--The City, which largely views the forthcoming general election with indifference, should be taking far more notice, a leading economist said today, warning that a hung Parliament could cause turmoil in financial markets, writes Jane...

Savers fear Equitable Life settlement.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--Equitable Life policyholders fear the troubled mutual could still launch a last-ditch attempt to settle its [pounds sterling]3.7 billion claim against its former auditors and directors rather than go ahead with the huge case on Monday,...

Equitable's courtroom drama set for airing at last.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--After weeks of bluff and counter-bluff, one of the biggest litigation trials in British corporate history finally gets under way on Monday as Equitable Life begins its [pounds sterling]3.7 billion negligence claim against Ernst & Young...

City pundits divided on interest-rate prospects.
April 8, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Apr. 8--City economists are split virtually down the middle on whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates after the election to put the brakes on economic growth. Five of 12 leading Square Mile analysts...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
April 8, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Apr. 8--COLLAPSE OF ROVER PUTS A DENT IN PARTS PROVIDERS: SUPPLIERS to MG Rover came under pressure today as the British car company entered administration. Trafficmaster, off 2 1/2p at 50p, has supplied 4400...

Big aid package lined up for West Midlands.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--The Government will outline an aid package for the West Midlands today in a bid to ease the pain of the apparent collapse of MG Rover as the finger-pointing over which group is to blame begins, writes Jake Lloyd-Smith. The...

Phoenix plan 'was doomed from the very start'.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--John Moulton, the venture capitalist who lost out to the Phoenix consortium in the bidding for Rover in 2000, today said he was "genuinely saddened" at its collapse, writes Jim Armitage. But Moulton, head of Alchemy Partners, added:...

Greens dig in for BP pipeline protest.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--Environmentalists have committed to extend for another five years their campaign attacking oil giant BP and its links to one of the most controversial pipelines ever to be built in Europe, writes Steve Hawkes. The pledge is a huge...

Green bolsters Arcadia with Etam UK arm buy.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--Arcadia and Bhs owner Philip Green has bought the loss-making UK arm of Etam from its French parent. Billionaire Green would not say how much he paid for the 200-strong stores chain, which will become part of Arcadia, but admitted:...

Green snaps up Etam's ailing UK arm.
April 8, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Apr. 8--Arcadia and Bhs owner Philip Green has bought the loss-making UK arm of Etam from its French parent. Green would not say how much he has paid for the 200-strong stores chain but admitted: "The business is...

Storm as China's Rover rescue effort collapses.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--MG Rover head John Towers flew back to London from Shanghai today -- and into a political storm as Britain's last volume carmaker collapsed after failing to secure support from its would-be Chinese backer or from the UK Government. It...

PwC takes the driving seat at stricken Rover.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--The future of MG Rover and the 6100 workers at its famous Longbridge plant is in the hands of insolvency accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers after partners were this afternoon appointed as administrators. MG Rover is being...

Sales clouds had gathered for months.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--The collapse of MG Rover comes after months of disastrous figures that had already indicated the sales and marketing mess the Rover side especially was in. Sales for the key month of March, when new car registrations are made...

Hands in [pounds sterling]453m offer for utility venture capitalist.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--Guy Hands emerged as the [pounds sterling]453 million buyer of East Surrey Holdings -- but it appears likely the company's Sutton and East Surrey Water will come back on to the market. Hands' [pounds sterling]2 billion Terra Firma...

Jane's heroic games win hits all the right buttons.
April 8, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Apr. 8--Jane Cavanagh may take umbrage at being labelled the new Lara Croft, but shareholders in her games company are happy that, in buying Lara's owner Eidos, she has pulled off a corporate raid the fictional...

Warner Music in Spitzer spotlight.
April 8, 2005... Apr. 8--New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has slapped another subpoena on Warner Music Group as part of an industry-wide probe of the financial relationship between music companies and radio stations. Warner Music is planning a...

Mirror man flushes out loo ad success.
April 8, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Apr. 8--A trip to the loo to check the hair or make-up when out on the town may never be the same again. From this summer, the toilets of hundreds of bars around London could have what its backers hope will be the...

M&C Saatchi is back in shape.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Apr. 11--M&C Saatchi, the recently-floated advertising agency, lost two major accounts in 2003 when MG Rover and Matalan took their advertising accounts in-house. Today it revealed that it had recovered all that...

Easter getaways give an extra lift to BAA.
April 11, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Apr. 11--An early Easter boosted airports operator BAA last month as holidaymakers flocked to the check-in counters for getaway deals. About 11.6 million passengers passed through its airports, including...

Evening Standard, London, Jim Armitage column.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Apr. 11--Marsh, the world's biggest insurance broker, plans to scrap up to 750 UK jobs as it tries to save money following its involvement in the scandal over commission payments. The broking giant was at the...

Forget poor old Rover, there's still a future for our factories.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Apr. 11--The collapse of MG Rover is undoubtedly a severe blow to the West Midlands. Not only is the future uncertain for the firm's 6100 workers, a further 15,000 to 20,000 jobs in the area are supported by business...

Evening Standard, London, City Spy column.
April 11, 2005... Apr. 11--We've had overcharging, health concerns and exploitation of children. Now pornography is set to become a major cause of controversy surrounding mobile phones. Juniper Research reports that consumers will spend $1 billion ([pounds...

Booming capital outstrips rest of UK for growth.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Apr. 11--A buoyant service sector propelled London's economic growth to its fastest for 14 months in March, a new survey shows today. The latest snapshot of the capital's economy from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)...

Price competition, raw materials put squeeze on manufacturers.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Apr. 11--The intense pressure faced by manufacturers was vividly illustrated today by figures showing raw material costs soared in March at their fastest pace on record. Boosted by spiralling oil, producers' input...

Staff bonuses go in B&Q squeeze.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Apr. 11--DIY chain B&Q is to axe its annual bonus as a downturn in the housing market and tougher retail conditions put the squeeze on profits. Staff, already angry over the move, will face a further snub later...

Buffet faces grilling as watchdog probes.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Apr. 11--AIG reknowned investor Warren Buffett is to be grilled by US regulators today over what he and others in his Berkshire Hathaway company knew about a contentious deal between its General Re and insurance giant...

Curtain up on Equitable's [pounds sterling]3.7 billion claim.
April 11, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Apr. 11--Equitable Life's [pounds sterling]3.7 billion claim against its former auditors Ernst & Young and 15 of its own ex-directors began today at a hearing in a packed High Court. The action is being brought...

Way is cleared for Americans to gamble online in Britain.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Apr. 11--Online gambling companies will be able to offer internet betting to Americans from Britain under little-noticed legislation contained in the controversial Gambling Bill. It is illegal for American...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Apr. 11--The mining sector has become the subject of a tug-of-war between stock market bulls and bears. The bulls say the miners are a sure-fire bet for investors as they benefit from the booming Chinese economy...

OPINION: A blatant waste of our money.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Chris Blackhurst Apr. 11--QUESTION: if this wasn't an election campaign, would the Government be giving a [pounds sterling]6.5 million loan to MG Rover to cover wages? What do you think? This must rank as one of the most...

China warning rattles hopes of Rover rescue.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Apr. 11--A key division of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) today admitted its profits were plunging, giving rise to further doubts the company will do a deal to rescue MG Rover. Warning that...

Benjys plans [pounds sterling]2 million London push.
April 11, 2005... Apr. 11--Benjys, the sandwich shops chain that recently launched into the cut-throat coffee bars market, is to spend [pounds sterling]2 million opening more branches in London. The company, backed by venture capital group ECI Ventures,...

Abramovich 'had role in fall of yukos'.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Steve Hawkes Apr. 18--Roman Abramovich played a major role in the downfall of Russian oil giant Yukos, one of the company's main shareholders claimed in an amazing outburst today. Leonid Nevzlin, who fled to Israel to escape...

Plans on hold as Hill eyes Stanley.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Steve Hawkes Apr. 18--William Hill is delaying plans to shore up its pension deficit and return cash to shareholders until it decides whether to go ahead with a possible [pounds sterling]700 million deal for Stanley Leisure's...

New treatment not to be sneezed at.
April 18, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Apr. 18--Hay-fever sufferers may be glad to know just ahead of the sniffling season that help may soon be at hand from blood-sucking beasts. Oxford-based biotechnology firm Evolutec is stepping up its human...

Buffett company under fire after HIH collapse.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Apr. 18--A second insurance company owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company of America's second-richest man Warren Buffett, is reportedly facing a [pounds sterling]160 million damages claim for its alleged...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Apr. 18--Instinet holding International news agency and financial information systems provider Reuters slid 1112p to 402p today amid worries that it may be about to sell its controlling stake in electronic share...

New image for Big Mac?
April 18, 2005... Apr. 18--McDonald's faces an uphill task in shaking off its image as a junk food chain despite worldwide attempts to present a healthier face, a study has found. The study in Australia found that despite a [pounds sterling]15 million...

Calgary's struggle for a buyer sparks fears over oil boom.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Steve Hawkes Apr. 18--Fears the oil boom is fading deepened today as AIM-listed energy group First Calgary indicated it may struggle to find a buyer willing to pay the premium given to the business by its stock market valuation....

Liberty's building sold in [pounds sterling]66m deal.
April 18, 2005... Apr. 18--Liberty's flagship store on Regent street and an adjoining office have changed hands for [pounds sterling]66.5 million. The sale and leaseback of the two buildings to listed West End property developer Great Portland Estates rids...

Bosses escape quizzing in Rover collapse probe.
April 18, 2005... Apr. 18--The investigation ordered by the Government into the collapse of MG Rover will not question the company's directors or its auditors and will not report back before the general election on 5 May, it emerged today. The Financial...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
April 19, 2005... Apr. 19--MERRILL SUFFERS SECOND QUARTERLY PROFITS FALL First-quarter profits fell at investment bank Merrill Lynch, the second successive quarterly fall compared with the same period last year, as costs rose and revenue growth slowed. Net...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
April 19, 2005... Apr. 19--Jurors start to weigh up Artemis fraud case A JURY has begun deliberations in a lawsuit accusing French investors of defrauding California out of billions of dollars in the 1991 sale of the collapsed Executive Life Insurance....

Cairn woos investors on back of Indian oil finds.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Apr. 19--Cairn Energy launched a concerted bid to win back wavering investors today by revising up both the estimate of how much oil it has discovered in north-west India and the amount it intends to pump out of the...

Evening Standard, London, City Spy column.
April 19, 2005... Apr. 19--As the fallout from MG Rover unfolds, it's worth looking at the [pounds sterling]6.5 million loan the Government extended to pay the workers' wages for a week in the hope of the purchase by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp getting...

City told to update SWT's profits forecast.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Apr. 19--If passengers on the commuter trail into Waterloo have been surprised by improvements in the service offered by South West Trains it is nothing to that felt by City analysts today, who were told in no uncertain...

Green's quick sale of 67 Etam stores.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Fiona Walsh Apr. 19--BHS billionaire Philip Green has moved swiftly to carve up the loss-making Etam fashion chain, selling two parcels of stores to rival retail groups. Little more than a week after buying the business, Green...

IG Group flotation 'looking odds-on for a struggle'.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Apr. 19--The bookies usually get it right more times than not. So when they tell you the financial advisers of spread betting outfit IG Group are struggling to get the re-flotation of its shares away, it is sensible to...

Game shows strength after bid blow.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Fiona Walsh Apr. 19--Computer games retailer Game Group shrugged off the collapse of takeover talks yesterday to report a big increase in profits for last year and a return to underlying sales growth in recent weeks. Chief...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton column.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Anthony Hilton Apr. 19--FUND FORMULA A study published yesterday claimed big private-equity funds deliver a better performance than smaller funds. But this is at odds with research reported in the latest issue of McKinsey...

Martha adds radio to media comeback plans.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Apr. 19--Martha Stewart is to widen her media base via a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio to create a 24-hour channel featuring cooking, gardening and entertaining programming, writes Bill Condie. Just six weeks...

Administrators send out MG Rover's 'For Sale' list.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Apr. 19--Administrators to the failed MG Rover group today sent out first details of the businesses they are hoping to sell to interested buyers. Dossiers have been sent to anyone who expressed an interest in...

Tensions in Asia may hit growth, warns Murdoch.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Apr. 19--Media mogul Rupert Murdoch says the growing tensions between Japan and China could cast a cloud over the outlook for global growth. Murdoch, who has for years been a enthusiastic backer of China's...

Banks set to launch electronic gizmo to beat online fraud.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Apr. 19--Main High Street banks are set to issue customers with tiny electronic devices that will help them verify their identities when they bank or shop online. Next month the clearing banks will agree a standard...